My worst fear....

[hardwire]

I bought this boat last year knowing it had a few problems...but none this bad.


I noticed the floor was a bit spongey, and I thought I had soaked foam anyways so I decided to pull up part of the floor. What I found just about made me lose my lunch. Everything is completely rotted out, even the stringers. They aren't even there anymore! All I have are some rectangle fiberglass shells that used to house them.


I figured I just needed to replace the deck boards at first, which wouldn't really be a problem for me. (Although I have very little skill in carpentry/wood cutting and measuring, etc.) But I think putting new stringers in is a little beyond my ability. The engine is in pretty good shape, outdrive is so-so, and the hull could use some chip repair and waxing. Should I just go ahead and junk this thing and try to part it out, or would it be salvageable? I have no idea how much a new floor would cost to do myself. Thanks for any input!

Oh and the weird part is that the foam is dry somehow

 

[Edko]

Re: My worst fear....

Cell foam is something like 96% insoluble, give or take.

I know you are pretty disheartened right now but there is so much information and support here, if you have the ambition you can get it done. Can't tell you how much I have learned from the people here.

Cue the real experts now!

 

[WizeOne]

Re: My worst fear....

It's kind of a shame hardwire, that we don't find this site before we buy. But so goes life. The good news is that this site is here when you find yourself knee deep in rot.

I sure hope you enjoy crafting 'cause you will get a workout, but also a great sense of satisfaction that you know your boat and know it will be sound.

Start rippin'.

 

[redfury]

Re: My worst fear....

Well, you need to and run down your checklist.

Do you have a place to work on the boat?
Do you have adequate tools to work on the boat?
Do you have adequate funding to work on the boat?
Do you have enough free time available to invest in the boat ( estimate time, and then multiply by 5 ).
Does your better half support this as a project? ( You don't need to add this to things she can nag on you for ).
Does the boat have enough intrinsic value for you to even consider tackling a stringer/sole job?

Most importantly, do you have the ambition to finish what you start, no matter how much you itch, ***** and stitch yourself up? Stringers are a nasty project, but they aren't impossible for a guy with some ability to take care of. The biggest thing to overcome is the fear of the unknown.

How did you feel the first time you had to change a timing belt in your car, or knock a hole in a wall to build a closet, or cut wood on a table saw? All intimidating experiences, but once you got going and realized the mechanics of it, and you got your head wrapped around the concept...it wasn't as hard as you thought it would be...matter of a fact, this isn't hard, it's just unpleasant.

Well, we can deal with unpleasant....Oops! takes care of the unpleasant with yellow, white and dark blue colored boxes of bottled liquid refreshments!

Confidence is what you need more than anthing else mentioned above, and that goes for anything you do in life. The timid get nothing accomplished when it comes to boat repair.

You have to make a plan, and then work the plan. The hardest part about stringers is getting the boat ready for the new ones...that's where all the itchy dust comes into play. Once that's mostly over, it's just a matter of wetting out fiberglass and putting those stringers in!

GO TEAM IBOATS!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: My worst fear....

Excellent post above by redfury. I just have a couple things to add. If the reason you ended up with this boat is because you didn't have a lot of money to spend on a boat (and still don't) then consider that there's a really good chance any other glass boat you look at in the lower price ranges will have the same rot issues. So if the positives of your boat outweigh the negatives and you like the boat AND plan to keep it for a few years then go for it.

On the other hand, if you just want to get on the water quickly and are willing to eat most of what you paid for this boat and are willing to take another stab at buying one.....get an aluminum hull. Things can only get so bad with a tinny and none of them are overly difficult to address.

 

[maxum247]

Re: My worst fear....

Check that the engine and outdrive are in good shape first, or if not can be repaired resonably and then you can go from there and decide if you want to fix it up or part it out.

max!

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: My worst fear....

Hardwire, where do you live?
I may be able to haul it off for you.

 

[danond]

Re: My worst fear....

Hardwire - unless you can afford a new boat, expect most old boats to have some rot unless the previous owner's already fixed it. Even then, expect it. It's tough to find it all before you buy.

If you need some info on what this takes, my site walks through what I'm doing. Similar situation - bought a pretty boat, found out it was rotten, cried and swore for a few days, then buckled down. Now I'm almost done, and it's going to be better than new.

The guys are right, this is not difficult, but it is unpleasant. Fiberglass is a pain to work with. Very rewarding, though. Last night I was wearing a grin from ear to ear while I jumped up and down on my new stringer and there was no creaking, no movement, just THUD THUD THUD.

 

[oops!]

Re: My worst fear....

Well, you need to and run down your checklist.

Do you have a place to work on the boat?
Do you have adequate tools to work on the boat?
Do you have adequate funding to work on the boat?
Do you have enough free time available to invest in the boat ( estimate time, and then multiply by 5 ).
Does your better half support this as a project? ( You don't need to add this to things she can nag on you for ).
Does the boat have enough intrinsic value for you to even consider tackling a stringer/sole job?

Most importantly, do you have the ambition to finish what you start, no matter how much you itch, ***** and stitch yourself up? Stringers are a nasty project, but they aren't impossible for a guy with some ability to take care of. The biggest thing to overcome is the fear of the unknown.

How did you feel the first time you had to change a timing belt in your car, or knock a hole in a wall to build a closet, or cut wood on a table saw? All intimidating experiences, but once you got going and realized the mechanics of it, and you got your head wrapped around the concept...it wasn't as hard as you thought it would be...matter of a fact, this isn't hard, it's just unpleasant.

Well, we can deal with unpleasant....Oops! takes care of the unpleasant with yellow, white and dark blue colored boxes of bottled liquid refreshments!

Confidence is what you need more than anthing else mentioned above, and that goes for anything you do in life. The timid get nothing accomplished when it comes to boat repair.

You have to make a plan, and then work the plan. The hardest part about stringers is getting the boat ready for the new ones...that's where all the itchy dust comes into play. Once that's mostly over, it's just a matter of wetting out fiberglass and putting those stringers in!

GO TEAM IBOATS!

standing up applauding such an exellent post...!

awesome mike

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: My worst fear....

Well, you need to and run down your checklist.

Do you have a place to work on the boat?
Do you have adequate tools to work on the boat?
Do you have adequate funding to work on the boat?
Do you have enough free time available to invest in the boat ( estimate time, and then multiply by 5 ).
Does your better half support this as a project? ( You don't need to add this to things she can nag on you for ).
Does the boat have enough intrinsic value for you to even consider tackling a stringer/sole job?

Most importantly, do you have the ambition to finish what you start, no matter how much you itch, ***** and stitch yourself up? Stringers are a nasty project, but they aren't impossible for a guy with some ability to take care of. The biggest thing to overcome is the fear of the unknown.

How did you feel the first time you had to change a timing belt in your car, or knock a hole in a wall to build a closet, or cut wood on a table saw? All intimidating experiences, but once you got going and realized the mechanics of it, and you got your head wrapped around the concept...it wasn't as hard as you thought it would be...matter of a fact, this isn't hard, it's just unpleasant.

Well, we can deal with unpleasant....Oops! takes care of the unpleasant with yellow, white and dark blue colored boxes of bottled liquid refreshments!

Confidence is what you need more than anthing else mentioned above, and that goes for anything you do in life. The timid get nothing accomplished when it comes to boat repair.

You have to make a plan, and then work the plan. The hardest part about stringers is getting the boat ready for the new ones...that's where all the itchy dust comes into play. Once that's mostly over, it's just a matter of wetting out fiberglass and putting those stringers in!

GO TEAM IBOATS!

MAn Mike you need to post this in all new threads !!

Welcome there hardwire, Mike has just scored a hat trick , He is so right , If you have these [ above ] you can do it , its really not all that hard it just takes time and some bucks , stringers and transom and the deck , about 800 , and thats useing epoxy, poly is a cheaper, what guys take a hundred off of that !!!!

OK hardwire, take this to heart , it is so true !!! If you go for it were all here to help !!!! John

 

[redfury]

Re: My worst fear....

On the other hand, if you just want to get on the water quickly and are willing to eat most of what you paid for this boat and are willing to take another stab at buying one.....get an aluminum hull. Things can only get so bad with a tinny and none of them are overly difficult to address.

Unless you have thin aluminum and it's getting holes. I've seen that on a couple of really old 'luminums. Couple of spots had worn thin.

The great thing about Fiberglass is that you can keep the boat looking great with a little work. Tinny's need a skilled hand with a hammer to keep the dents out if them if you are a little rough on them

 

[ezmobee]

Re: My worst fear....

Oh come on red, we're going to scare him off the hobby for good!

 

[Mark42]

Re: My worst fear....

Nice looking boat. What make/model/year?

You got some great advice here. One more thing I can add is regarding the stringer work; looks like that is an i/o (I don't see an outboard in the photos), so remember the motor is bolted to the stringers. That means the engine needs to be removed or at least unbolted and jacked and supported while the stringers it rests on are replaced.

Another option is if you decide against repairing the boat, you can generally get more money for the boat in pieces than whole. Sell off the motor, outdrive, windshield, seats, railings, gauges, and trailer as separate pieces. Place ads in Craigslist for the parts or advertise the whole boat as a "project boat". People always scanning craigslist for boat parts, etc.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[JaSla74]

Re: My worst fear....

I feel pain, but there is hope. I'm just coming to the end of my project and although I had some serious doubts at times, in the end it has been totally worth it. There is no way I could get a boat as solid mine for what I've put into it.

Doing the deck/stringers/transom (assuming transom is shot as well) you could do yourself for under a grand pretty easy. However, I would have the engine & outdrived checked out before moving on. If it's so so, or has bad compression then I'd scrap it.

To give you a price idea for what I have put into my restore I'm currently sitting about $5500. This included EVERYTHING, from purchase price to new boat cover. Get to know your local mechanic & remember you can getting a better price when working with cash only

 

[hardwire]

Re: My worst fear....

Wow, thanks for the encouragement fellas! I appreciate all the info and kind words. What you are saying about old cheap boats being rotten is right on the money. Literally. I had been thinking about that myself. It feels like playing Russian roulette when I buy something cheap. I have a buddy (young guy) who has an older Mastercraft Pro Star 190 who may be willing to sell it for cheap since he has no idea how to work on boats and his tends to strand him in the middle of the lake. I'm nearly positive that it is just a neglected carb. If that deal falls through then I am going to just repair mine, which a helping hand from you all. Thanks again! This task doesn't seem so daunting now

 

[Cougar_15]

Re: My worst fear....

Redfury, great post! I'm knee deep in fiberglass dust on my project and sometimes it can feel overwhelming but at times like that the iboats crew is always here to keep you afloat! Not only is this site full of great information but also great people.

Hardwire, one of the things I like about doing a restoration is that when it's done I will know for sure what condition the boat is in. You won't have to wonder if rot has set in or the transom is shot. The last season I had my boat in the water I spent too much time worring about the spongey sole and wondering if it should really on the water. When it hits the water again I'll have no worries.