So it begins...A rebuild thread
 

Shorty after I bought this boat (88 240) I found a few spots on the transom that gave indication that I was going to have problems. Well I made it through two and a half seasons and finally have a place to work on it over the winter so its time to take care of it. As always seems to happen on a project like this it has gone from replacing the transom to replacing the entire stringer and floor system as well. So far the only thing that doesn't seem water-logged is the stringers in the bilge for the engine, but I haven't taken core samples from them yet. Everything else is toast. I've spent the last few weekends de-rigging everything, finally got it to the point where I'm ready to start ripping the old junk out a little at a time and start replacing it with new. A few pics of the progress so far.

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My monster engine hoist I modified/built. So far its worked great, pulled the hatch, motor, rear seat and gas tank out with it.

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Empty dash -

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Man now that is a project!

Better get busy so you can get back on the water come boating season.

Remember Kevin Brown up in Bucyrus if you need any help with the fiberglass. This guy is GREAT!

Good luck

Nice project. Thanks for sharing. Keep us posted on the progress.
:ernaehrung004:

man that looks just like mine did!!!!!

I have been redoing the same thing for about a year now, on the side. It was a friends boat that he was going to junk so I took it. Good luck and get ready for hell. Any questions give a shout.:ernaehrung004:

Do yourself a favor and foam the fueltank in after u mount it back in the boat .
4# poorfoam 1/2 gallon of each mix 1:1 and do little at a time kicks of in 15 sec.

Can't believe they where not foamed in back then ,,,,,,WOW :eek:

The watersoak/rot was what I expected but a lot worse than I was hoping for. I was hoping, not very optimistic but still hoping, that the stringers would be ok and all I would have to do is the bulkheads and floors but didn't get so lucky. We fixed our old Checkmate a couple years ago that had everything but the transom rotten, just need to get the glass/resin ordered and start cutting the old crap out. I've hated the way this boat was rigged since I bought so I'm looking forward to rebuilding it and re-rigging it.

I was considering doing this since I found one of the mounts cracked off anyhow and I wouldn't have to screw into new stringers. What is the benefit of this? So you don't have to screw into the stringers and it surrounds the tank entirely?

Minor update - Alot of family things going on lately and not much time to work. Not too mention other little problems non-boat related popping up, last one was a finicky water heater that needed a thermostat and new elements. Finally got my 'cocoon' built around the boat to try to contain as much of the dust as possible. Figured it would be easier to cover that boat than try to cover everything else in the barn. Now that its up, time to finally start cutting/grinding things out. It's going to be a push to try to be done and put back together by Memorial Day :rolleyes:

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Ahhhh - Baja and their funky a$$ engine mount bolt retainers - Now which wiz kid up there thought that was a good idea? If your so concerned the lag bolts may back out you have to cover them with that whateverthehell it is - how about making a real engine mount and thru bolt it?? Those things suck when you have to pull an engine and the mounts are rusted to $hit!!!

wow that looks like my boat, I am going to but a rear bulkhead all the way up the gunnel and put to side pieces in where they had the plexi, I hope my stringers are good cause I have had 600 to 670hp in that thing from 95 until now and the new motor is a 1050hp:evilb: so I need my floor replaced at the back 5 years ago we checked the transom and it was good. since I have been injuried I am having three options two are going to look at it and see if we can and if not it s going to a pro in maine that works at a good price but I want to finish stripping it for them. its such a good hull and it sucks that some stuff wasn't done better but hey I stuffed mine in a 15ft wave and it didn't come a part like the conn SB 24 did and my buddy has one with a 100hp less than me and I beat him in the rough or calm water:evilb:. well I was unbolting my gas tank its good to see its not foamed thats real hard and I had made my center floor over in 02 and its fine. no more screws in my floor I will glass blocks of starboard like stuff to the floor or make pockets inbetween the foamed areas to through bolt, I have a bunch of ideas if you want to talk about tighting up these hulls one is my exhaust was raised in 95 4'' I put on a new set of dry stainless marine 4'' setup which I am selling I have to go to 5'' stainless marine for the new motor so if you want a good set up let me know and I have a custom engine hatch which weights about 30lbs not 300lbs its decolite with a pro stock scoop you can see it here at [ Pics of my boat] thread keep me posted I will start one soon for the motor build and glass work the keel looks like balsa or is it wood, thanks art

I will also be selling parts off my 509 dart intake with 850 flame art, so if your thinking about making some cheap engine changes you could get 600hp with of my stuff and a cam change. I am going to change my 509 intake to a custm DEAN GELLNER one with the new carb I bought over the summer from him and cam change so we would go from 650hp to 720 to 730. the carb gave me 20 to 25hp extra. oh and if you can buy a imco shortie grab one I wet from 76gps to 83.2gps by putting on the shortie and carb change I ran out of prop at 6000rpm. so I think the boat would have gone 85. but you need full hdy steering:eek: otherwise your fighting chinewalk so fast your arm will want to fall off after a few runs keeping the boat straight. well IF YOU WANT TO TALK about our boats call me I have owned mine since 1990 it was a friends and his wife wanted to pic out a boat together its a 88 and they bought a 90 and were splits vill 93. I will send a PM TO YOU NOW. ART

hey something else I will try and post if any one needs to make there bolster taller I added 8'' to mine so when you stand they were half way up your back and if you sat they were under your armpits,, that was great, but now I have some custom made ones that go in out to hold you in. I won't have mine out until mid feb it looks like.

hey I plan on glassing in my dash and extending it to the floor so it doesn't sound like its breaking when your in the rough:eek:. I cracked mine in the connor to the right of the steering wheel:mad:and will add steps like in the new boats to put your feet against and glass in panels where you go into the cabin no more plexi there also Iwould like to move the rails to the middle get rid of the rear to update the boat. what do you think.

hey I plan on glassing in my dash and extending it to the floor so it doesn't sound like its breaking when your in the rough:eek:. I cracked mine in the connor to the right of the steering wheel:mad:and will add steps like in the new boats to put your feet against and glass in panels where you go into the cabin no more plexi there also Iwould like to move the rails to the middle get rid of the rear to update the boat. what do you think. also I would talk to some glass guys about stringers it looks like they used 2x6 or 2x10 to make them. plywood glassing a few sheets together would be a lot stronger I believe check out audiofn jonsthread on stringer replacement it was good.

Didn't get a whole lot accomplished this weekend. Cut out the soggy rear boxes. The barn is unheated except when we are out there working so all the water in the wood was frozen! Kind of funny but it also helped getting the wood out because I think the frozen water was all the was holding it together. Foam had a nice half inch of ice on the bottom of it too. Will start cutting out the transom next weekend.

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I never really cared for the dash insert, I plan on making an entire new one if time allows. One with the steering wheel tilted forward a bit and a smaller insert panel. Mine is so chewed up is basically junk anyhow and needs replaced. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do for stringers. I think when I replace the engine stringers I'll probably go with 3 layers of half inch plywood glassed together but may use foam for everything else. I'm thinking about removing the rails as well, mainly because I fell on my port bowrail last summer and put a nice dip in it. You can see it in the pic below, left a nice bruise on the bowrail and a nice bruise on my hip as well!

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Here is what mine looked like.. I had to replace everything up to the cabin bulkhead.. I used 3/4 douglas marine grade plywood to make the transom and stringers.. I sandwiched 2 pieces together with a layer of Bi-axial cloth between them and then screwed it all together with screws every 4"..

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Just a tip for ya.. Cut the fiber glass about a inch above the bottom of the boat on the stringers that way after you dig all the rot out, you will know exactly where to place the replacement stringers, just be sure to bond the stringers to the bottom before glassing them in place!!!

My finished transom!!

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I have to go at least to the forward bulkhead in front of the gas tank, its dry-rotted too. I haven't pulled the cabin apart yet to see if the stringers that run along the tank run all the way up or stop at the bulkhead. Where did you get your plywood from? There is a place in Toledo I used to get marine grade from but it was $80 a sheet.

There was a lumber yard here in Cincinnati called Funch Lumber back in 03 I want to say that I paid a little more than $60.00 a sheet..

I actually gave it some serious thought in using the MICRO lam beams instead of the plywood.. I know that they are strong as **** and full of glue so I doubt that rot wood be a issue..

Also notice in the last picture of the finished transom at the keel how I cut the plywood and packed that area with resin and AEROCEL and chopped mat, did it that way with the bulkheads too.. Reason for it was so when I drilled through for the drainage holes it was solid glass no wood that way no water would be able to penetrate the wood in the transom and bulkheads!!!

Once I settle with my insurance company, one of you guys may want to pickup my boat and re-do it...

-mike

Whats wrong with it?

I'll pick it up if your gonna give it away?

Oh I tagged a log in the hudson river. Insurance company won't pay, claims "Prior Damage or Manufacturing Defect". We hit right on the stringer and so it wicked up the water while we tried to make it back to the dock with the boat. We are taking the insurance company to arbitration to hopefully be made whole on what they owe me. I'll be selling the whole she-bang once it's settled.

-mike

At least call Kevin, 3 of us in your thread know him, you may be surprised....

Ahhh!! the memories! glad thats over...good thread, I likeseeing boats get fixed up!!


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Yeah I noticed you did that. I was planning on doing the same thing, or at the very least seperating that part from the rest of the transom/bulkheads. What did you use for resin? Originally I was going to go with vinylester, but now I am thinking of doing all epoxy since it really isn't that much more than vinylester and the working time is a little better. Still not entirely decided...

I was told by the person that I was getting the material from that it was vinylester.. But hell if you can go epoxy go with epoxy much stronger.. Only thing I didn't do that I wish I would have was foam in the tank!!!!

Made a little more progress this weekend. Spent all day Saturday chipping away at the transome. Got the first layer off and working on the second layer. Only the starboard side was bad, area around the gimble and port side were still rock solid and thus making removal difficult. I can't tell quite how many layers of ply are on there, looks like two layers 3/8 and two layers of 1/2 ply, overall it was 2 3/8" thick. And the staples keep mucking up my chisels!!! :mad:


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Looks like fun!

glad I am done with that part of my boat...

That is a tedious project to say the least. Question for you. Why not focus on the section that includes all the rot and another 6" of good wood to be sure and then glass it back up? I ask this question because I have seen several posts where the x-dimension was changed or a drive was changed and the patch to the transom was never very large. I read somewhere that you want to overlap the plywood 6 times it's thickness, so if you are using 3/4" ply then make your joint overlap 4 1/2" outside the hole that you are trying to cover.

Man,,,when isee this ,,,$hit i have been there.
Its tuff work and itchy ,but once its done ,,your happy u did it.

Good luck !:ernaehrung004:

I thought about that, problem I've been coming across is that on the surface the wood will look ok. Then I'll pop a piece off and find wet wood/rot underneath. Believe me I would like to be able to leave the good half on there but in the end I think it will be easier to just pull it all off and then start from the outer skin in with full sheets. It's coming along, I just need to quit partying so hard on Saturday night so I can get something accomplished on Sunday...

You slacker, I can't believe you aren't done yet! :)

Been busy getting the rental ready to rent. Give me a call if your out there this weekend. I'll stop by and bug you

Looks good and like alot of work!

looks good the snow has melted a little, I hope my transoms good, I know the side shelfs are chit I fixed one in a hurry:rolleyes: so it did last more than 2 yrs. the rails suck cause water can get in spread like in the hatches and thats all balsa:eek:.

Oh I may have to shorten my gas tank, do you know how much room there was from the gas tank to the rear bulkhead was it a 1'' or a few , cause for us to put the blower in I need to move about 8'' wide of bulkhead back to pick up a couple of inches, I have seen it done on other boats just one 24ol which was for sale in the class under baja they had a 1471 blower motor out of penn I think and it was a 93 or 94. I tried to bend my knee to kneel on it:eek: no way, Iwas out lineing my stainless marine exhaust on card board to send to illos so they can see if they will work on a fountain 27, mine are dry and were made 4'' higher than stock so my tails are always out of the water so the transom won't have water trying to soak in. I resin my everyother yr and glue silicone on top of that so the pipes and gasket won't let water in. so you should change yours if you can.

I'll check next weekend. From what I remember there was about 1 inch in front of the tank and 1 inch behind. I'm going to move the rear bulkhead forward a little bit, I haven't decided how much yet. At least two, maybe 4 inches.

At it again, there was two layers of half inch and one layer of 3/8 inch and about a quarter inch of 'goop' between the skin and the first layer of ply. Looks like resin and low density filler used to bed the wood to the skin. I was a little disappointed that the skin was only about 3/16 of an inch thick, but I'll take care of that with a few layers of biax once I grind/chisel all the good off.

Second layer gone, only one layer left!
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