My Project (1973? Larson XL-5) Also a few questions.

bh357

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 12, 2003
Messages
471
I am in the process of restoring a 1973? Larson XL-5 runabout. The boat has a fresh coat of paint, however the floor and transom need to be replaced. I have removed most of the floor, and now need to cut the remainder away where it was glassed in. Has anyone in the forum worked on this model of boat before? The styling is identical to the early 1970's Glasspar G-3 (the one produced when Larson owned Glasspar), so I think that these boats may have been built from the same design/mold.<br /><br />The stringers also need to be replaced. I found 2 wide boards (~1" thick x 12" wide) under the floor, that run from the transom to near the bow of the boat. They are spanned by 2 boards crosswise, one about in the middle, and the other at the front. My plan for these is to pull the 2 crosswise boards out, replace the long boards one at a time, replace the crosswise boards, glass them in, and then glass in the new floor. After this is complete, I plan on removing the deck from the hull and replacing the transom from the inside (to avoid cutting the outer surface of the hull). Does this sound like a good plan, and can anyone offer me any tips? I plan on using marine ply to replace all the wood.<br /><br />Are there any issues with seperating the hull from the deck with the boat on the trailer? I plan on doing this after the new floor/stringers are installed.<br />Also, the foam needs to be removed. Should I put in new foam or just let it be? Much of the foam is thin (~1/2"). There is some foam under the long boards which are under the floor. I plan on using a bilge pump weather or not I reinstall foam. The boat will stay in the water through the season and will be covered when not in use.<br /><br />I plan on posting photos at a later time.<br />Sorry about the rambling.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Brad
 
Joined
Jun 11, 2003
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Re: My Project (1973? Larson XL-5) Also a few questions.

Boat should be removed from trailer and blocked up level before any of the work is done.<br />It should have a few blocks under the keel area and one on each stern corner.Be sure the blocks stick out so the weight is on the stern or bottom will push up when stringers are removed.Dont forget to put a couple blocks under the chine foward or it may tip over if you get on one side foward.<br />You need to end up with the boat setting level and be sure the bottom is not pushed up before you install stringers.<br />As far as the deck removal,that should be easy unless the boat company used some type of sealant to glue deck on.Most didnt<br />Sounds like a fun project.Its not near as hard as it sounds.Worst part is grinding the fiberglass out to install new stringers and stern.Man,Does it itch!!!!!
 
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