311 Cabin "shift"
 

The interior wall of my head locker is obviously moving around more than it should and has pulled the L-bracket away from the ceiling. Does anyone know what this thing is screwed into? I am guessing there is a piece of resined-in ply up there. I would like to know how wide and now thick it is so that I can guess-ti-mate what I can run into it to anchor the wall back down.

Luckily, Lake of the Ozarks is a calm, inland lake with no rough water . . .

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Don't know. Interested to find out though in case mine starts migrating to other area of the cabin :eek:

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Why not just pull back the carpet and glass it in? Would be MUCH stronger then the screws.

Jon

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Jon- I agree . . . and I know you are "aggressive" when it comes to boat repairs having seen the pics. I am looking for an interim fix for the rest of the season and will be making the permanent fix once she is winterized. :D :D :D :D :D

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

What would make you say I am agressive??? :drink: :drink:

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

I mean seriously don't you have a chain saw on your boat? :D :p

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

"Massachusetts Chainsaw Massacre" :D :D :drink: :drink:

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Yesterday, I bought Jon's main repair tool.

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Cuda - You're not going to have to take the chain saw to one of your Birds are you?

Man, when I see those pics of Audiofn's boat I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Mine is an '85 so it may be just a couple of years away from major repairs.

Jon - Did you pull out your cabin also? Just wondering if all of your stringer and bulkhead replacement was around the tank. Or, did you pull up the floor in the cabin also?

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

bford that is next..........

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Maybe aggressive is just too harsh a word for it . . . "thorough"?

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

bford
What makes you think you will need to do structural repair? I have an 86 357 looks similar to yours with kaamas. Are these boats proned to have stringer probems?

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Yup every single one of them..... You should be heading to Home Depot to get a chain saw now before the next natural disaster hits... :D:D

It all depends on how the boat has been taken care of. How they filled/sealed holes after they drilled them, and how the glass guys did at the factory. Some will be mint and others may look like mine. Most of my damage was due to poor all of the above and owner neglect.

Jon

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Jon
Awesome job on the 302. Cant wait to see the finished product. I was just wondering what led you to dimantle boat. Is there visible signs that indicate potential problems. My boat looks to be in great condition but there are some stress cracks here and there on the deck around the windshield and a few around the rear deck. None on the hull. I have heard this is not a problem just an older boat that is showing some age. I hope that is it. Keep up the good work!
Josh

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

While we are off my topic . . . hehehhehehee . . . I am getting some cracking in the center section of the floor aka the gas tank cover. Anyone experienced this? If so, were you able to repair it back to factory sano?

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Perfectmix -

Sorry for the slow reply. I don't necessarily think I need structural repairs but i may. That what sucks. How do you know unless you pull the thing apart? Mine has stress cracking like Seaweasel is talking about. Mine has some in the floor where the driver would put their feet and also at the base of the windshield in the middle of the deck. The boat seems to flex but I understandis pretty normal for the 357.

Audiofn is my hero. I wouldn't take that project on myself. I think I could do it. I just don't know if i have the patience for it and I sure don't have a place to do it. I keep my 357 in a 40'x12' building and there isn't much room to work.

I blew an outdrive and a transmission a the start of the summer and that put a serious hurt in the wallet. I know guys who dump tens of thousands into these old boats and I jsut can't do it. I'd rather buy a newer one and make payments then have to keep coming up with thousands.

So, I think I am going to look to trade or sell mine in a year or two and get something newer. I hate to do it. I really love the boat. I just really worry about the age and not knowing how well it was maintained.

If I did have to have a stringer, bulkhead, etc. replaced I don't have a clue what it would cost but I know it can't be cheap.

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

What started this all out is the transome. When I first got the boat I ran it that first year. Then I pulled the motor and found that the transom inside was delaminated and rotted. I had a guy come over and replace the transome. I was SO pissed that he did a crappy job that I decided that from that point on I would do everything on the boat myself. I then found a guy that has turned out to be a good friend and a UNREAL glass guy that I pump for info all the time. He is arguably what used to be the #1 Foil guy in the world. Now it is all done on CNC so he is a bit of a dinosaur. At any rate I started in the back and have been working forward. The entire stringer grid is rotted out so when I am done with the cockpit then I will start with the cabin.... There were the ussually stress cracks and what not that I knew about but there were also some definate signs of rot if you knew what to look at. If you guys are really stressing out about things, get a guy to put a moisture meter on it or even get a infra red photo taken. The old Formulas they did not totally encapulate the stringers this was a HUGE mistake as water ran down the dash and into the stringer :mad: :mad: Another 5 bucks in material and the problem would never have happened. :mad: :mad: I have re-engineered a lot of the boat and we have taken a LOT of weight out with some higher tech solutions. I may to the bow in all foam but we shall see :D:D

Jon

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Jon--
I'm not that stressed, just wondering. These old birds are cool. The fact that you are resurrecting the classic 302 is heroic! I had an 81' 302, I loved the boat. First 30 footer I owned. Seemed like a giant at the time. Now everyone has 30'+ boats. Thanks for the reply.

Josh

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Jon, talk about a labor of love. I guess I'm fortunate, my only stress cracks are back by where the engine hatch hinges to the gunale. Am going to take care of these when the hatch is off, which I've decided is a good idea while tackling my exhaust swap out. I'm going to then reinforce the underside of that area with some extra cloth and resin.

Had some stress cracks on the port side of the hull but already had them repaired. So far nothing around the windshield or anywhere on the floor. My stringers in the bilge are fine.

I also have a 311, not a 357.

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Another thought would be to caulk the bottom of the moving head wall in with "5200" on both sides. That should set it permanently in place and would be a less work than glassing it in. Just a thought.

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Thanks Jon and Josh. I'd sure like to know more about mine and if there are big repairs in the future. I guess you could call me stressed. Although I do tend to be a worry wort? At least my wife says so. Any idea where I could find a moisture meter or have an infrared pic taken? I'm in Central Texas so it's not exactly the performance boat capital of the world.

Jon - That is sure fortunate to have found someone you can rely on for advice. Given that money wasn't that much of an issue and that you had a quality person do the work - would it have been worth it to have someone do all that work to your 302? I assume that the work would cost more than the boat would be worth but I dunno. What do you think it would cost to re-string a boat? $10,000, $20,000, more?


Brent

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

As for the photo or moisture meter you want to get a survey guy to do that. It is hard to find them.

What would it cost? Well I am guessing in the 20K range to do everything that I have done with the stringers and floors.

Does your boat have a wood or glass front to the cockpit

Jon

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Thanks Jon -

I had the boat surveyed about a year ago and they said everything was solid. However, I know he didn't use a meter or take an infrared picture. I think the survey was really a joke. There were things on the survey they said were a problem that absolutely weren't and there were other things that they missed.

By the front to the cockpit are you referring to the bulkhead separating the cabin from the cockpit? In the front bilge (under the steps to the cabin) it appears that everything is glass except the maybe the steps themselves. I know the floor to the cabin needs replaced. You can see it flex under your feet if you push on the two sides of it. Of course standing in the middle over the stringer it feels solid. My worry is what I may find under the floor when I pull it up.

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

One of the real bad spots was the wall at the front of the cockpit like were your feet would go when you are sitting in the bolster. On my boat it was not only wood with just carpet on it but there was also nothing keeping the water from running down that and into the bulkhead, stringers, foam, and so on. It really was a VERY bad design flaw. I THINK that in 82-84 they changed that and made it glass?

Jon

Re: 311 Cabin "shift"
 

Jon - I sent you a PM