How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

[IHDiesel73L]

So this MFG Carefree was full of water when I found it-the plan is to gut it and glass in new stringers, new transom, etc...so how do I get the top off?

I should have gotten closeups, but you can make out the flange where the top meets the hull here-no bolts or screws that I can see, just glass. Does this mean I actually have cut the top off?

On the inside where the top meets the hull there appears to be some kind of spray foam-for flotation I guess? Do I just cut that out too? My next question has to do with the deck. The interior deck is all fiberglass and will deflect a bit when I press hard with my foot, which I'm assuming its not supposed to do, so that would mean that there are structural issues underneath? First, what is under the glass deck? Plywood decking then wood stringers underneath that? Will I have to cut the glass decking out or does that come out when I separate the "top?" (the part that covers the bow and the rails, etc-what is the proper term for that?). My primary goal for this summer is to get the boat apart and remove all of the rotted wood, which I'm sure there's plenty of. I have a dry place to keep it for the winter, so as long as I'm in a position where I can start glassing next spring I'll be happy. I did read that some MFG's were all glass, but I doubt I'm that lucky If all of you could take pity on my lack of experience here I'd appreciate it. I don't know a lot about boats yet but I'm learning-I'm a pretty hardcore DIYer who has tackled everything from complete home remodeling to engine rebuilds with a pretty high degree of success, so with some good how to information I'm confident that I can do this.

 

[ljc1957]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Can you send pics of the deck and the transom? Seperating the cap may not be necessary. Is that upper foam dry?

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Can you send pics of the deck and the transom? Seperating the cap may not be necessary. Is that upper foam dry?

The upper foam is bone dry-I'm assuming that's good? I don't have the greatest pics of either the deck or the transom, but these give you some idea:

Deck:

It looks as though the deck was originally blue like the top cap, but it was painted grey at some point-the grey is peeling as you can see.

Transom cap:

(I haven't been able to get behind it for a pic-it's up against a fence)

It would be great if I didn't have to take the cap off and could just get to everything by tearing out the floor/transom.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Why did you start another thread?? This will make it very hard for everyone to keep up with your project. The RubRail(Flange) does it not have a removable rubber insert? It appears from your pics that something is removable from it. There will be rivets, screws or staples behind the insert. Try to keep your posts all together.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Why did you start another thread?? This will make it very hard for everyone to keep up with your project. The RubRail(Flange) does it not have a removable rubber insert? It appears from your pics that something is removable from it. There will be rivets, screws or staples behind the insert. Try to keep your posts all together.

I thought it would be less annoying to people than bumping my own thread, but I see what you mean. As for the rub rail I think that the rubber/metal trim piece around the outer edge is what you're referring to? I guess I could pull that off and see what's under it. I think I may try to avoid taking the top cap off anyway-we'll see.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Yes, remove the rubber piece and that is Where the joint is. Like I said it will be either screws, rivets or staples. Hopefully NOT staples.
Looking at the splashwell on your boat, I do not think it will be possible for you to replace the transom with the top cap on the boat. If you can take some pics of the transom from up under the splashwell I could give you more information. Especially in the corners of the transom.

 

[Hoggar]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

You don't need to pop the top on that boat to restore it. I am fairly sure it doesn't have
stringers so the floor will be easy. My Elgin had a separate motor well so I just had to
pop it out to get to the transom yours is part of the top but you don't need to take off
the whole top to get at it. I have seen people cut the motor well free and reattach it
after replacing the transom.
Hope this helps!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Hoggars boat was from an entirely different mfg. You CANNOT go by how his boat was built. They were ALL built differently. You will have to investigate yours to see how it is done and then decide your course of action. He IS correct that you could cut the splashwell out to get to the transom but this opens a whole other can of worms. Let's take a look under your splashwell and see what you have and then cross that bridge when we get there. At least that's what I'm thinkin.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

You don't need to pop the top on that boat to restore it. I am fairly sure it doesn't have
stringers so the floor will be easy.

Thanks for the pics-just to clarify, in the third pic from the top in the left column, is that rotted plywood that you uncovered by cutting out the glass deck? If so, I'm assuming you gutted all of the rotten wood, glassed in new wood, and then glassed over the top? The last pic is exactly what I want my boat to look like when I'm done!

Hoggars boat was from an entirely different mfg. You CANNOT go by how his boat was built. They were ALL built differently. You will have to investigate yours to see how it is done and then decide your course of action. He IS correct that you could cut the splashwell out to get to the transom but this opens a whole other can of worms. Let's take a look under your splashwell and see what you have and then cross that bridge when we get there. At least that's what I'm thinkin.

Good advice-I will say though that if you look at the forward looking pictures of my boat (post number 3, second from the top) and the forward looking pictures of Hoggar's boat the shape and overall form of the deck looks very similar-interesting. I'll definitely post more pictures as I have time but I won't be doing any actual gutting until I get it into my yard-hopefully in a week or two.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Yeah, well if you look at my boat it looks a lot like yours too! All the boats of that vintage pretty much looked the same but... the way they were built was vastly different.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Yeah, well if you look at my boat it looks a lot like yours too! All the boats of that vintage pretty much looked the same but... the way they were built was vastly different.

Sure, I get. Here's another question though-how soft is soft? When I walk around inside the boat the floor doesn't give noticeably under my weight (I'm about 210lbs) but if I shift my head weight hard and fast to one foot I can feel the floor deflect a bit. I've knocked on the floor with a piece of pipe I found inside the boat and it gives a sharp rapping sound as opposed to a dull thud. No real idea on the transom yet though.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

The "Tap and Pound" method is usually NOT reliable the ONLY reliable way is to cut a hole large enough to look inside and then use a drill to drill some exploratory holes in the stringers and see what kind of shavings you get. Or as Hoggar says to see if you even have stringers. You won't know anything till you can SEE what is below the deck. You CAN drill some holes from the inside into the transom and see what kind of shavings you get. Just don't drill all the way through. If you get powder or dark wet shavings then it will have to be replaced. But based on your pics. I'm almost 100% certain your transom is TOAST!!!! And if you can flex your deck, then your under-deck superstructure is probably TOAST as well.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

The "Tap and Pound" method is usually NOT reliable the ONLY reliable way is to cut a hole large enough to look inside and then use a drill to drill some exploratory holes in the stringers and see what kind of shavings you get. Or as Hoggar says to see if you even have stringers. You won't know anything till you can SEE what is below the deck. You CAN drill some holes from the inside into the transom and see what kind of shavings you get. Just don't drill all the way through. If you get powder or dark wet shavings then it will have to be replaced. But based on your pics. I'm almost 100% certain your transom is TOAST!!!! And if you can flex your deck, then your under-deck superstructure is probably TOAST as well.

Gotcha...regardless, going through the whole thing with a fine tooth comb is probably the best course of action. Like I said in a previous post, for the near future this boat will put around with a 9.9 but it would be nice to be able to put a 40 on it and really have some fun with it on bigger water.

 

[ljc1957]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

After looking at the pics, I would say you could go either way and I bet they would involve about the same amount of work. So, with that said, you might as well pop the cap. Hopefully, you won't have staples. That transom job will be real easy to do.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

After looking at the pics, I would say you could go either way and I bet they would involve about the same amount of work. So, with that said, you might as well pop the cap. Hopefully, you won't have staples. That transom job will be real easy to do.

So whatever is holding the top cap on (staples, screws, bolts, etc...) can be found by pulling off the rub rail? I've heard this is expensive and that if you can save it you should-what is the best way to get it off? Should I just slowly work it loose with a pry bar? Then will it just be a matter of getting the fasteners out and the top comes off or will I have to grind away some glass too?

 

[Hoggar]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Thanks for the pics-just to clarify, in the third pic from the top in the left column, is that rotted plywood that you uncovered by cutting out the glass deck? If so, I'm assuming you gutted all of the rotten wood, glassed in new wood, and then glassed over the top? The last pic is exactly what I want my boat to look like when I'm done!

That is Rotted Balsa wood it was so far gone that you could spread it like peanutbutter.
I removed the entire floor and sanded it clean then laid in random mat and topped it with
wovenroving. Then I put in Divinycell instead of Balsa and sealed it with more mat and
topped it off with roving. then sealed it all up with 2 part epoxy paint. If I did it again I
would not use The epoxy paint it wasn't as robust as I hoped it would be. other than
that she is solid as a rock and is now sporting a 50hp E-tec.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Is there a rubber insert in the rubrail? If so, remove it and then take a close up picture of what is behind the rubber insert and post the pic so we can see whatcha got. Based on the pics you have posted so far I am inclined to think your topcap is attacted to the hull with stales but I need a closer look at your rubrail and how it's attached.

 

[IHDiesel73L]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Is there a rubber insert in the rubrail? If so, remove it and then take a close up picture of what is behind the rubber insert and post the pic so we can see whatcha got. Based on the pics you have posted so far I am inclined to think your topcap is attacted to the hull with stales but I need a closer look at your rubrail and how it's attached.

I think so-if you look at the first picture I posted you can sort of see it. It looks like a metal strip with a black rubber insert in the middle. If I indeed have staples I'm assuming that's bad? Is that just because they're a PITA to pull out with wrecking the hull/top cap?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

Yep, and the rubrail metal piece is sometimes a PITA to remove. Get some close up pics please.

 

[yanks21]

Re: How do I get this boat apart? (Lots of structural questions)

IH, took me awhile to get at this thread, but just a note. Spoke to the original owner of my boat, who bought it new(it's my wife's uncle). Carefree hulls ALWAYS flex. There is no ribbing, just marine ply sandwiched by glass. Thats all she wrote. I run mine @ 30MPH, and I can tell how high she is riding by feeling the water hit the drivers side hull. Ny uncle has been running her that way since 1969 when he pulled skiers with it. It makes sense when you remember that the boat weighs about 398lbs w/o the motor. Its that simple. Before you tear out the inner hull, drill a hole to see what you get. She's only about 3/4 inch thick so drill till you see tan sawdust. If she's muddy, it's rotten. The transom is the same, just thicker. Unfortunately, the splashwell is not a seperate piece. it is also a structural piece. Because the boat is so light and thin, the top holds the gunwales out. We are talking CHEAP construction here. If you remove the cap, brace your gunwales at the stern or she may just fall open and crack the sides all the way to the waterline.
These guys on this site know their restoration stuff, but most have more substantial boats than ours.