Abandoned boat hull stringer help. 1984 sunbird 16

[Zfeld4489]

Hey y’all, I have recently acquired a 1984 sunbird 16ish foot with a mariner 75 Hp outboard. It was sitting abandoned for at least 6 years (the last time it was registered) outdoors, bow downhill.

The transom has a little play in it when I push the motor back and forth, it makes me wonder if it is rotten.

There is a crack in the ski compartment surrounded by a patch of soft fiberglass, the rest of the boat is actually pretty solid. I am wondering if the foam and the stingers are shot on the inside from the saturation, or if it’s salvageable. I’m not sure how to get down in there to look and see, or what the correct steps to take are.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[JASinIL2006]

It's hard to believe that wouldn't be a complete gut-n-restore job. I wouldn't even think about it unless you have all the paperwork to register it in your name. Even then, you're probably looking at several hundred hours of work and several thousands of dollars to make it safe to run. Assuming the outboard is good; if not, then add a few thousand more to the total.

 

[briangcc]

6yrs sitting in NY?? Safe bet that unless someone gave a hoot about the boat and checked the cover religiously that it saw rain/snow (alot) over that time. A few freeze / thaw cycles probably did the rest of the work.

I'd say its safe bet you're into a full gut & rebuild.

Hope you have the proper paperwork for the boat & trailer. Get ahold of the DMV to find out what paperwork you need. This may be a lengthy process if you do not have paperwork showing chain of custody...ie. court and legal fees.

Trailer would be a transferable registration. Boat, depending on size/age, may either have a separate title OR transferable registration.

**My wife is a DMV clerk in NY.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a soft floor means the stringers have rotted and the foam is wet to cause rot in the floor.

the transom moving at all means the transom is bad

a fiberglass boat stored bow down means that all the water that fills it up becomes a swampy mess.

to answer your question, is it salvageable, the answer is yes. however

as stated above, many hundreds of hours, and several thousands of dollars to redo the transom, stringers and floor.