My dilemma

[blackd]

1. I own an old 1979, Wellcraft fisherman 180 with all the typical rot problems, (transom, floor and probably stringers). It is powered by a good, low hours Force 120.
2. I am 72 YO in reasonable good health and only boat when the sons, grandson want to go out, 3-4 times per year. We live near the Patuxent River in MD and that is where we boat.
3. The dilemma is how far, if at all, should I go with this boat?
a. Quick and backyardy fixes to get me through the next 3-4 ( I hope) years.
b. Sell it and get a smaller boat.
c. Go all the way and spend the Winter doing a better restore. I have the space, Garagemahal, with 13' ceiling on 1st floor, and most tools with limited experience.
4. If minimal fixes are proposed, what would you folks recommend? For me the minimum is doing the transom
5. Even if I do minimum, I think it best to split and inspect the total damage. IF I DECIDE TO WORK ON THIS BOAT.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

 

[bobkat1864]

Hi there...Well, a full restore is gonna be a lot of messy work, and band aid fixes on boats usually just lead to more problems, but it sounds like you have the place to do it, so that really helps. I guess the real questions are...how well do you like the boat? Do you enjoy this type of project? Do you have the time? If it's just a boat to you, and you would rather not do all that work, you could buy a good solid boat with no motor, and put your good motor on it. Depending on how extensive the rot damage is, it could also be a safety issue. If you do decide to do the restore, the folks on here can, and will help you thru it, and when you are done, you will have a very nice, safe and reliable boat that will serve you for many years, and can be passed on to your family once you no longer have a use for it.

 

[blackd]

.how well do you like the boat? Do you enjoy this type of project? Do you have the time? If it's just a boat to you, and you would rather not do all that work, you could buy a good solid boat with no motor, and put your good motor on it. Depending on how extensive the rot damage is, it could also be a safety issue.... and can be passed on to your family once you no longer have a use for it.

Time? Yes, retired.
Doing the work? That's a major part of the dilemma.
How extensive is the rot? That's why I think splitting the boat is the next step. I am sure of the transom and floor issues. Stringers? how bad & how far up the hull? PLUS, do I want to do all that grinding?
Passing it on to the family? maybe.

Another question: how to flip the top cap once o0ff the boat? Anyone guess how much it weighs?

 

[bobkat1864]

Not sure about how much the cap would weigh, maybe some one else can comment on that. But I think your first step would be to see how extensive the damage really is. The 1/4 drill method is always recommended, and you can read plenty about that on here. Maybe it's not as bad as you think? (I'm a beer pitcher half full kind of guy).

 

[Scott Danforth]

if it helps any, I suspended the cap on my 17' bowrider from the rafters with ratchet straps when I did the transom in my Avanti

 

[blackd]

I intend to hang it from the rafters using 3 come-alongs, so I can raise and lower it. I am guessing ~30-40% of the weight (~380 - 640lbs) is in the top cap. To turn ir I could lower it. Brace it and reset the connection points to raise it. I could also just let it hang near the floor on its side to work on it.

 

[bobkat1864]

Sounds like you may be gravitating toward a restore...good...you have the time and the place...every time I see a boat I would love to restore, I think to myself...."if only I had the time...if only I had the place" (smiles).

 

[blackd]

I actually have not decided yet, but I tend to (over) think these kinds of decisions. Having the time is why I mentioned being 72. ;-) Do I have the time? Is often on the mind.

 

[Scott Danforth]

FWIW, my wife's 85 year old uncle just refurbished a house while playing in 3 different bands. 72 is still young

 

[jbcurt00]

W few pix to judge (which is only going to get us so far, hands on is a much better way to gauge condition), IMO there are 2 options:

All in, total rehab

Dispose (sell it/landfill) of this boat and get a different 1

Please know that any used boat you buy may also have similar problems requiring various amounts of time, effort and money to repair. There are lots of 2-7K boats listed in the Restoration forum, many w/ deliberate cover-ups by less then honest sellers.

 

[bobkat1864]

I think that age is relative...doing things we enjoy keeps us from getting old. And I don't think we age at all when we are working/playing on our boats. But it's only my opinion.

 

[blackd]

UPDATE! I did a cursory inspection (did not sample drill) of the transom, stringers and floor. Although the floor is a little soft, it seems safe to use as it is supported by the foam. Stringers appear solid up to the transom. Transom is wet on the lowest 1-2 inches level (where all the transducer screws have been), but seems solid all the way up, and pushing on the motor does not make it flex. My plan is to run it this Summer, and then decap this Fall and see what needs to be done.

Transom question then will be chainsaw and pour or rebuild with wood, and flooring will be how many of the wood inserts are bad? Except for working on the inverted cap to do the floor it seems a fairly simple process, as all the inserts will be clearly sized, shaped and positioned. Anyway that is where it stands today. Leaning toward Winter project unless I find more extensive dmage, and spending ~$1-2K on a $2-3K boat.

 

[sheboyganjohn]

Look at the Sea Ray in my signature. Even if you think it is not too bad, it is bad. Also look at the videos from Frisco Boater https://www.youtube.com/user/FriscoJarretts/playlists mainly his 1995 Sea Ray initial videos to see how not so bad can be rather bad and then his 86 Carlson project to see how to handle the cap.

If you are worried about the return on money, you are in the wrong game. If you restore, you will know exactly how everything is put together, and there will be nothing in question about the boat. Sell and or junk, and buy another one, you may just end up with the 95 Sea Ray above.

Good luck with your project. There is nothing very hard about it, just takes a lot of time. And knowing when you have done enough for the day. This one I tend to have an issue with.

 

[blackd]

To close out this thread, 1) Thanks everyone for the advice. 2) Last week trashed the old hull and bought a new WeldBilt 2070 upon which I can reuse several of the major pieces (motor, center console, wiring) from the old hull.

The stripped hull, no motor tank and much of the little stuff removed, weighed in at ~1900 lbs. IIRC that is ~ 250 -300 lbs high. I guess mostly water.

 

[jbcurt00]

Good luck w your new Weldbilt hull.

Start a topic over in the Resto forum, its for all boat work, then post some pix of it before, during and after of the work you're doint.

 

[mxcobra]

I was going to say b So it looks like you did