Newbie needs guidance

[mjfrederick]

OK. A friend of mine's father passed away, and in an effort to help her mother clean junk out of their yard, I am now in possession of my first boat... and it's going to be a project. The boat is a Beretta model MH-164-R1, manufactured in 1978 I believe. All I've had time to do is clean the outer hull and check for any major defects. Only issues I found on the exterior seem to be some cracked gelcoat. I won't know until I can pull the deck out, but I think the hull is sound. That being said, I think my main issue here is going to be the interior. Unfortunately the previous owner completely gutted it and replaced with simple plywood. Any guidance on where to get started would be appreciated. Keep in mind, before I do anything else, I plan to pull the deck and motor cover to inspect the stringers and transom. What do you guys think?

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

More pics

 

[rickryder]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Welcome to the Dry Dock!

I would start reading resto threads to get some insight of the task at hand When you get the deck up post more pics and we will guide you through your rebuild.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

"What lies beneath" will be the task at hand... it always is!

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

"What lies beneath" will be the task at hand... it always is!

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of... fingers crossed. Oh, and if anyone happens to have any photos of what the interior of this boat is supposed to look like, it would be much appreciated. I think I've got a general idea, but some detail would be helpful.

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Well, I pulled the deck. "What lies beneath" is not good. Looks like it's going to be a total gutting is in order. Luckily the stringers stop just under the fuel tank, and between that and the way the transom is constructed, I'm pretty sure I can do it all without pulling the cap. Here's what I found:

In this image you can see a hole in the transom to the right of the engine:

The deck that the PO installed was put in on top of this 1.5 inch foam greyboard. From what I can gather this "new" deck was installed at an angle ranging from about 1.5 to 2.5 inches above where the previous deck was installed, sloping rearward.

At this point I'm in the market for a very cheap engine hoist to get the engine out.

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Couple more pics:

 

[captmello]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Nice to see another Baretta owner on the boards.

Have you run the engine yet? Given it a clean bill of health? Checked the outdrive, etc. If not, that should be your next move before pulling them. if the engine and outdrive are not ok, you are throwing good money away...

good luck!!!

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Well, I know the engine will need work. There are parts missing from the alternator, and the carb will need cleaning at the very least. Frankly, I'm not worried about if the engine will run right now. I took this on as a complete project, knowing the engine might need extensive work. I may try and turn it over before I pull it, but I'm fairly certain it won't run, and I need to drain the fuel tank and clean it before it can be used. The smell of stale gas is evident, so whatever is in the tank is probably 50% water at this point.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

If you know someone with a tow truck it makes a great engine hoist You can also build like a big saw horse and use a winch or come along....lift the engine and pull the boat out from under it....

You have a full gut job for sure.... Might be tough doing the transom with the cap on....

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

You can also build like a big saw horse and use a winch or come along....lift the engine and pull the boat out from under it....

Heckuva idea there, and MUCH cheaper than buying a $200 engine crane that I'll only use once.

Might be tough doing the transom with the cap on....

Perhaps, but based on what I can see it should be doable, and easier than pulling the cap completely off. Doesn't look like the wood in the transom was really glassed in very well from the inside, and I'm betting once the engine is out that I can pry it right out of there with minimal cutting. We'll see how it goes.

I'll post more pics once more progress is made. So far I was able to get almost all the water-logged foam out, and half the stringers. I started trying to cut out some of the resin/glass that was holding the old stringers in place, but it proved to be a much more difficult task than I originally planned, and then the rain came.

Thanks for all the advice so far. Hope I don't burn out like other projects I've seen. I've learned so much in such a short time, this site is amazing!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Something like this will do the trick...

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Something like this will do the trick...

Nice pic, thanks!

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Well, I got some bad news from a friend of mine at LA DWF. He was able to get me the name of the last registered owner of the boat, and it's not anyone that my co-worker thought it would be, and she has no idea who the person is or how to contact them. So, thanks to all the boat-stealing that happened after Katrina and LA DWF becoming hyper-vigilant, there's pretty much no way I can get this boat and trailer into my name. Now I gotta get it outta my driveway. And I'm also in the market for a boat again...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Blessing in disguise. I mean this in the nicest possible way.....but that boat was not a worthwhile project.

 

[mjfrederick]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Blessing in disguise. I mean this in the nicest possible way.....but that boat was not a worthwhile project.

You're probably right, but the price was right!

 

[rickryder]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

Look at it as a learning experience.....you'll know what to look for on the next boat. Good luck in your search!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

you'll know what to look for on the next boat.

:cough: aluminum :cough:

 

[74bayliner]

Re: Newbie needs guidance

thats texas right? Thats sucks my friend.. i heard that its impossible to transfer boat title if you dont have the person on the title basically signing off on it..
Here in washington state its alot easier. good luck sir