Re: 93 Bayliner 1800 Capri Outboard Restoration Project
Welcome to the iBoats dry dock! Nice intro video.
Since I am not familiar w/ Bayliner engineering, I won't be able to give you specifics, but since you asked for thoughts here are mine:
If you think it's still got the original stringers & bulkheads (it would be fairly apparent, even if it was re-done very carefully & accurately), I would put it back the way Bayliner built it. Be especially mindful of whether the foam was 'just' for flotation purposes, or for structural integrity of the hull & stringer system. I suspect it was for structural integrity. If so then no pool noodles & HD pink foam sheets, you're going to be using pour in foam. Given that the stringers & bulkheads will be glassed to the floor & each other, they should act as a unit, even more so after you add the deck (floor) and pour in foam. I suspect that the original thought of running continous bulkheads 1st is a function of both the multiple platforms using this hull & stringer combination and to resist torsional twist in the hull. Either to modify poor/rough handling, or to reduce fatigue of the hull & stringer system. If you had the I/O version it might make more sense to see the stringer & bulkhead layout for it w/ the motor mounts & all. They may have also been laid this way to reduce transmission of vibrations from the I/O motor mounts through out the hull.
When Bayliner built it originally, they were building thousands, so reduced employee or mechanized movements, reduced material expenses in general & using the same parts across several different boat models saved big money. Adding the foam as both structure & flotation was to achieve the same cost savings goal. Not to mention the ease w/ which an owner could over power this OB version, extra rigidity & resistance to fatique could have been a significant factor in the decision to build the under deck stringer system this way.
There has been some discussion of whether certain vintage Bayliners are more or less budget friendly originally at the expense of longevity. Except to clarify whether you need to reinforce or add additional structure to the hull, I don't think it matters whether this year & model fall into that category or not. If you put it back the way Bayliner built it, plus add better structure & much better pour in foam, and do a few steps that have been identified as longer lasting (poly & CSM both sides of the deck before laying it) this Bayliner will last more then the time you will likely own it & much longer. Surely longer then it did from the factory.
It's a good looking boat from what I could see in the video, and the debris & mess are about like most rehabs. Less fun & more work then we'd hoped to complete the demo.
May your stay in dry dock be:
Shorter then you thought
Less expensive then you planned
Much less painful then you expected
And signifiacantly more rewarding then you hoped
And yes, even just 1 out of 4 is GREAT! But I hope you can check all 4 boxes when your done
Welcome!
Take lots of measurements and photos of what is existing so you can duplicate what was there.
