What's under my deck???

[hapaboy]

I got this boat for free, so don't bother saying it was a waste of money! ..oh yeah, what kind of boat is this also?? haha
Anyway, I pulled out pretty much everything today, and started wondering what's under my deck? I found another thread (http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12710), and I was wondering if mine is foam filled also? Is there any way to tell? Can you tell if it's rotting or filled with water other than taking a circular saw to the deck?
I only ask because there were a few holes left in/through the deck when I took off some pole holders, seats, etc. and there's no way for the space between the deck and hull to drain into the bilge.

I'm tempted to just plug the holes and forget it.. as long as it floats. Thanks peoplez!

[yokebutt]

Nice trailer.

Y.

[PAR]

It has foam, judging from the era, likely open cell, which absorbs moisture.

That boat needs everything but a container to hold it all, which is the least costly of the things you need on a powerboat of this class.

Price up a used 100 HP outboard, steering, instrumentation, plumbing, electrical and controls (those 70's vintage ones will not be worth fooling with), maybe some upgrades for the trailer, like working lights, wheel bearings, winch, etc. and you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about. These parts will still be married to a tired old boat, but some elbow grease could pretty her up a touch, assuming the sole or transom aren't soft, which is very possable, on a boat that age.

The landfills around this country have literally tens of thousands of these boats in them, most ground up and used as fuel to burn other trash. I recently bought a 1992 BayLiner for $600 bucks. The owner was tired of working on it, the trailer had a broken axle and it didn't run. I paid him and temporarily fixed the axle with a piece of 3" angle iron and some bolts, in his driveway. I got the engine going with a few new parts and cleaned her up. I parked her at the end of my property, where she sat for about 6 weeks, before a nice couple wanted to buy it. We took it down to the local lake the next morning and blasted around for about 10 minutes. They drove off with it before noon.

There are many of these kind of deals around, but you do want to start with a fairly complete project, unless you are particularly handy with several different repair disciplines ('glass, wood, electric, plumbing, engines, etc.), which in my case provides a distinct advantage.

The question you have to ask yourself is how much can I afford. Time, effort, tools, materials, skills and value all should be considered. "Free to good home" can mean a wonderful pet or could mean a dog that bites it's owner. Figure out what you can do and what you have to pay real money for, then decide if this belongs next to the others in the local landfill or in you car port.

[hapaboy]

Thanks for the help PAR! I have to admit those pictures are definitely of the boat at it's worst!!! There's actually good steering and new controlls that I yanked before the picture to give it a good scrub down and learn all the insides and stuff. There's a brand new battery, new wiring and gauges (tach.,fuel, volts, fish finder, cb etc.) and an old Johnson. It's old, but it started up no problem! It also has a 04' 9.9 hp kicker that's barely used, so that gives me some peace of mind when I finally take it into the big blue..
It's been out to the 10 mile buoy a couple months ago, but I think I'll stick to swimming distance of land for the first few times.

But anyways, I guess I'll just fill the holes with glue and a screw so no (more) water get under the deck and hope for the best.

Aloha!

[hartley]

Hapaboy....I cannot see any reason why this boat cannot be given a new lease of life. It's difficult of course when one cannot see the boat,but it looks in reasonable condition .it would appear that someone has glassed in a new cockpit floor at some stage ,it's what's underneath that ,such as stringers etc that is a worry ,as noted above you will need the necessary skills to undertake the job.I do not know anything about Hawaii ,but i do know that boat would not be consigned to the scrap heap in this country (Australia)and also in many other countries ,in one way or another that boat WOULD be given a new lease of life .As regards the machinery onlly you can answer that ,and the trailer anyone with the most basic handyman skills could get that in a roadworthy condition.As a matter of interest ,a few years ago there was in this country a lot of interest in refurbishing old fibreglass boats .cockpit floors ,stringers ,transoms,seating upholstery all replaced,machinery rebuilt etc the object being to bring the boat to as new condition.this worked out as being a economically good proposition (compared to the price of a new craft) admittedly these were larger craft in the 20foot range.sterndrive powered .In fact one marine coating company did such a refurbishment as advertising for its products, it looked better than brand new,by the way it will be much easier to work on if it's in a shed .......cheers