Grew 1978 14' help

[boaterboi]

Hello Everyone,

I just purchased a 14' 1978 GREW Fiberglass boat with a 70hp outboard Evinude. Since i dont know too much about boats i guess i didnt have a hard enough look at the boat before i bought it. I seem to see more and more little things wrong with it the harder i look. The engine is in fantastic shape no problem there. But..I am unable to find a capacity plate label, no model number, and no serial number on the transom. Does anyone have any idea what the Max HP rating would be? (I am in Canada) Also, on the transom there i a few minor cracks, on the inside above the water level close to the drains. no cracks on the exterior. they have been filled with marine epoxy and does not seem to shift at all. the transom has been reinforced with angle iron (aluminum 1/4" thick) where there motor sits. I have also notice the wood that runs on the bottom of the boat is a little moldy and rotted by the bildge pump. is there any thing i can do to fix this, or am i just over parinoid. the carpet was recently replaced, but the wood underneath the carpet is particle board. seems to be very solid though.

I apologize for such a long post, Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

I think you just bought a project. Angle iron and reinforcements on transoms are a sure bet thats it's rotten and the PO tried to jerry rig it instead of fix it properly. There should be no particle board any where on any boat. I'm guessing the PO found the problem (rotten floor and transom) and covered it up quick with carpet and particle board and sold it to you. That particle board has to come out of there. Do a search in the restoration forum for drilling test holes in the transom to look for rot. Look here for some contact info on Grew boats:

http://grew.ca/GrewBoats/

I would check with them on capacity. 70hp seems pretty big for a rotten 14'er.

 

[boaterboi]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

Thanks Lion Hunter!!

I was hoping that there wouldn't be any problems, but i appreciate your help! I have been reading up on the resotation forums. So i have checked out the transom, and it seems to be VERY solid. Doesnt seem to move or shift at all with the motor on and me standing on it. (im 180lbs) There are NO cracks on the exterior of the transom, just some minor surface cracks at the top, only on at the fibeglass. Underneath i can see there it wood reinforcing by the transom, doesnt look like it is rotten. The PO told me he put the angle iron on there as a precaution. As for the HP rating a friend of mine has the same boat and has a 70hp on it. I also found some links to used boats on the internet with 70's on the back, same size and make as mine. I hope it is okay, i will have to wait to give Grew a call with the link you provided me.

What is the transom made of? and how do i reattach the brace the floor is screwed down too?

Thanks again!

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

most 14 footers are only rated for up to 50 hp... most that i have seen anyways.

 

[boaterboi]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

What do i do not? the PO had put the 70hp on it? is it okay to use? I have also done some more investigating on the transom, seems to be very solid in most places. i thought it was okay, but i drilled another hole and it seems that there is some rotting right at the bottom of the transom? what is the next step? any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

What do i do not? the PO had put the 70hp on it? is it okay to use? I have also done some more investigating on the transom, seems to be very solid in most places. i thought it was okay, but i drilled another hole and it seems that there is some rotting right at the bottom of the transom? what is the next step? any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

with a rotting transom that 70 is bad news. then again, a 50 would be bad news with a rotting transom. usually if that is shot, the stringers are too. replacing them is a totally doable project with some skill and alot of hard work. check out the resteration forums there are a ton of threads about fiberglass stringers and transoms. im a tin guy myself so ive never done stringers and such, but my first experience with fiberglass was tough. spend some time reading over there and determine if its a project you are willing to undertake.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

I would start a thread in the resto forum. Post a pic of your boats transom and draw a circle where the extent of the rot goes, get some opinions of whether it's usable until winter or needs to be torn apart now.

I have started at the bottom of the transom and drilled holes on either side of the motor about 1.5 ft apart. about 4 small holes will do. Keep them small (1/4" or so) and they will be easy to fill with 5200 sealant. Look at the shavings, do they look like rotten wood? With the holes drilled take an ohm meter and stick the probes into the wood and measure the continuity between the holes. Use a dry 2 x4 with the probes about 1.5' apart as a base line. Normally you will not get a reading on dry wood but the humidity can get high enough that you will. Keep in mind that this will not measure dry rot which is just as bad as wet rot.

At a minimun I would rip that particle board deck out. That will promote rot worse that any thing. And it has no strength when wet which will allow the hull to flex more and create more transom problems.

It would worry me that the PO seen fit to add angle iron to the transom "as a precaution". A good transom with the properly sized motor needs no reinforcement. I suspect he knew that though.

And last now that I have ruined you day . When discussing the boat it helps to use the right terminology so that you get the right answer. You can't just say wood in the bottom of the boat and expect people to know what your talking about. So here goes.

The part that you stand on is the deck.

Under the deck there are boards that run fore and aft and are glassed into the hull, they are the stringers.

The stringers attach to the transom with knee braces.

But the good new is that you have come to the right place for all things boats. There are some very knowlegable people on here that have done many rebuilds (not me) and are willing to help you through the process.

Good luck and it will all work out

 

[woosterken]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

there is a book you need, its called "runabout renovation"
by jim anderson
its a step by step with pictures how to
great book

woosterken

 

[boaterboi]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

Thanks lion hunter and woosterken!

I am very happy to gain such knowledge from everyone here! I have ordered the "runabout renovation" book. I will be starting a week today ripping out the seats and deck, and other misc. pieces. I am a plumber by trade and have done lots of work with wood in the past, so i do not see it being to difficult. Fiberglassing on the other hand might take some practice. I will get a post together on the restoration forum with some pictures. I was not able to do the test with drilling on the transom today. i will have to head back to where the boat is stored to do that. I will be sure to post pics and keep everyone up to date on the progress. I also noticed the stringers are not glassed to the boat, they just seem to be sitting there. And what are knee braces?

Thanks again!

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

I don't want to do too much more kicking when you're down, but how do you know the engine is great? Have you run it out on the water at all yet, or just on muffs? Reason I ask is many "great running" motors run just fine on the muffs at idle, but reveal all their issues in glorious fashion when you're out on the water. From the sounds of it, the PO did everything possible to hide some really severe issues with the boat itself, don't think he or she didn't do the same with the engine. As a lesson going forward, seeing an angle iron on the transom is pretty much red flag #1 to turn around and run. I have never personally seen one on a boat for precautionary reasons. Angle irons are put on because the owner is terrified of dropping the engine in the deep.

Not sure what you paid for the boat, but knowing it's your first I can tell you that you have a mountain ahead of you before you can enjoy the boat at all. If you're lucky and the engine is working ok, then maybe your best bet is to sell the motor and cut bait. Toss it up as a lesson learned and do your dilligence on finding the next boat.

 

[boaterboi]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

I have run the boat in the water, quite a few times, full speed and idle. Runs rly good I had a mechanic look at it. I paid 900 for boat motor and trailer. Will I be able to sell the boat and motor? Or is everyone going to realize what's going on?

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

If the restoration is not something your willing to undertake then I think you could easily recoop your costs. You may also think about getting an inspection on the boat by a qualified person. I know its after the fact but it may either ease your mind about using it or decide for you what direction you need to go. If you do decide to sell it I would pull the motor and strip the boat for parts. I don't think with full disclosure you could sell the package for $900 but parted out it will sell easily. I doubt the deck is attached very well, so I would pull the seats and carpet and take up the deck. Then take some pics and post them here (on a new thread) and get some opinions on what you should do. I can tell you that a restoration will be expensive. I'd guess 2k easy. I had 1k in a aluminum I did last year. And thats no glass or transom.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

I have run the boat in the water, quite a few times, full speed and idle. Runs rly good I had a mechanic look at it. I paid 900 for boat motor and trailer. Will I be able to sell the boat and motor? Or is everyone going to realize what's going on?

The good news is you can probably recoup your money for the engine alone. Is the engine also a 1978? It sounds like you got lucky on the engine and struck out on the boat. Don't feel bad, I did the opposite. I got a great boat with a disaster of an engine. I eventually just repowered it with a newer rebuilt engine. Boating ain't cheap haha!

 

[boaterboi]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

Well on the plus side.. I talked to the manufacturer today, its rated for up to 85hp. I'm going to do more research and see if I will do the work or part it out. I will get a form up on restoration tonight with pics. Thanks everybody!

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

If everything is solid, to the point where your safety is not going to be compromised, then use it for the season and get some enjoyment from it. Get your materials and information together to do a proper rebuild in the fall. That being said, I would still get the particle board out ASAP.

 

[boaterboi]

Re: Grew 1978 14' help

Definetly! The particle board is coming on on Monday. Here is the link to my thread in boat restoration,

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=2676193#post2676193