Restore decision

[TMALEGA]

Ok so depending on what i find this weekend when i am out looking for a hull my fiance and i have pretty much decided we will most likely just say screw it and rebuild the transom. It is a 74 starcraft 16 bow rider. I know the cap will have to come off. My biggest fear is this. Do i need to worry about flexing from the two halves when they come apart. If so how can i keep this from being anything i really need to worry about. Second and this may sound like the dumbest question. I was reading other posts and found some people referring to this "pb" or peanut butter. Now is this a mix of resin and fiberglass or is it really and truely peanut butter? I know i laughed at even having to ask this. I have been doing alot of reading and am starting to feel rather confident that this can be done. I am going to go ahead and replace the floor plywood while we have it up. Check everything else also. We are really wanting to get some pedestal seats in it. Probably 4 behind the windshield and leave the bow as the seating it already has. Hopefully it will only take about a month to do this. Any pointers that i may have missed or you all think would be helpful to know ahead of time going into this would be really helpful. According to the po of the boat he had done the floor ply a year or so before i got it and everything was good it was just missing the floatation foam. I figure those noodles i read about should be ok.

When i get closer to putting the floor back down i will be figuring out how i need to reinforce the floor for the pedestal seats. Any suggestions on pre planning for that would be nice i dont know if i need to do anything extra other then put the floor down and bolt to that. Thanks a million you guys. It is going to be myself, son and a good friend of mine working on this project.

 

[saltwaterbluefish]

Re: Restore decision

As far as flexing goes, make sure the boat is centered on the trailer. If the stringers had to come out i would build a support system underneath the boat with 2x4. For the transom I would just build a support system around the back outside to be on the safe, although you probably could go without. When you lift the cap put supports all the way under and have an even lift (some 2X4X12 connected in parallel and 4 strong guys lifting will do the trick). Also those older boats had a much more gel-coat on them then needed and are prone to spider cracks.

Peanut butter is more of what the texture should look like after you mix resin with a type of filler. The filler can be alot of things. My favorite is collical sillica (spell check that), but it can also be wood shavings, microballons, pieces of chopped fiberglass, etc. As you begin to mix the filler with the resin it turns to something with the viscosity of peanut butter.

A few pointers, you are going to do alot of sanding, so have a shop vac and a really good respirator if possible. Whatever you do don't screw into the stringers, floor, or transom without putting 3M 5200 or some epoxy. Any hole water can get into will lead to rot. For the captain seats, if you have an idea of the location and have the space, fiberglass an extra small piece of plywood underneath. Someone suggested on another post they make toggle bolts that hold much better then screws for captains chairs. Noodles will work, but make sure there are some type of weep holes so if water does get in it can get out. Usually in older boats everything is a closed systems, which means when water goes in it doesn't come out.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: Restore decision

sorry to ruin your parade but i highly doubt that it is going to be only a month. i don't mean this to stop you from your project just know that it will take more than a month maybe 6 months to do the hole thing could be longer. you will run into problems and stuff like that. the only way i coulde think that you could get it done in a month is to not have a job for that month and work from 6am to 6pm to finish it in a month. good luck with this resto i bet it will look good in the end i like the idea of pedstal seats too.

 

[TMALEGA]

Re: Restore decision

Well as a update i found a aluminum boat on craigslist for 500 with a larger motor on it, however the lower end is shot on it. So i am going to look at it and may just buy that one tonight and mount my motor on it for now then go and rebuild the lu. But thanks for the heads up and advice i may still be stuck with this one.so i may have to do the repair anyways. Thanks for the heads up. I really do appreciate it. Let you know how it goes this evening.

 

[TMALEGA]

Re: Restore decision

Well i went and looked at it and there were a few concerns i had over it. First off the trailor looked like it was going to fall apart on the road. Second there was no protection on the wood in the transom for the splashwell drain. It felt hard but that was what was wrong with my boat when i got it and it had quite a bit of rot in it, there were multiple holes in it that were jb welded back together. The boat motor was in sad shape and disrepair, the tilt and trim system was snapped at the shafts. So i told the guy thanks but no thanks. The boat over all may have been good but that transom really worried me it seemed strong but having seen how the motor was taken care of i was worried to get into a second money pit worse then i already had. I found a local dealer who said he has a few with new transoms and floors missing motors with a trailor he would let me have for around 700 so i am gonig to go look tomorrow. I do appreciate the advice though. O and for the icing on the cake he had the title for both the motor and boat , however they were in po before his name still from over a year ago. It all seemed really fishy to me. So i keep looking,. We keep jumping from repairing it and not repairing it. I guess this weekend will def help make the decision.

 

[saltwaterbluefish]

Re: Restore decision

The trailer is a big item. Depending on the size, trailers can go from $1000 up to $5000, so make sure you are atleast getting a trailer that will not need a major repair for awhile. It also provides a little insurance, so if the boat is beyond repair you can recoup some of the money by selling the trailer. I am not sure about Oklahoma, but in NC the wildlife office handles all boat registrations. If you can find the manufactor number/serial number (should be stamped somewhere on the transom or under the dash) or the registration number give them a call and they can tell you if it is lost, stolen, and who the last owner is. Not having a title and trying to get one can be tricky business and cost you more then a few dollars. In NC you actually have to wait 90 days before applying for new registration/title, so give that a little thought before jumping into buying.

Watch out for those new transom deals. Unless the dealer will tell you who put them in, you may be back in the same situation a year down the road. For example, if someone put in wet pressure treated plywood there will be severe delamination issues a year or two down the road. Also is someone used marine plywood or ac-grade exterior plywood, but did not seal it properly, it will start to rot the first time it gets wet. You seem pretty smart and will not jump on the first deal you see, so keep looking. Craigslist boat deals usually start heating up in late August and September.

I second what smallboatowner said about it taking more than a month. It has taken me 8 months to do a complete rebuild (stringers, deck, transom), working every weekend just about the entire time. So for you atleast 3 if just working weekend to do just the transom.

A final thing that may help you decide one way or the other. Summer heat + respirator + boat coveralls + fiberglass dust = a miserable time

 

[TMALEGA]

Re: Restore decision

I agree that the trailor is the biggest part of a used boat. However i couldnt have sold it and been happy with my self. There were 4 different size tires on it. The bunks were shot and it looked like one of the leaf springs were about to buckle when the guy climbed up into the boat. Almost like the trailor was for a much smaller lighter boat. I did however get home and have a call from my good friend that his buddy has a boat he bought just for the motor and the transom is suppose to be good. It is a glasstron was all he knew, but i am suppose to go and look at it tonight. According to this guy everything is good on it and all it needs is the motor. His was shot and this one was bigger then the one he was going to rebuild. He is asking 600 for it on craigslist but for me he said 3-400. Here is hoping it is worth it.