NOOB with many questions

You bought a pit to fill with money, lots of work ahead.

 

Bazzgurl,

She appears to have something of a proper motor well, to keep water from coming up over the transom into the boat. This is good- many small boats don't have one.

Except for a hairline crack where the transom meets the motor well shelf, your photos don't show much (if any) of the usual cracking or crazing in the finish, even around high-stress points like the cleats or the windshield mounts. This could be a sign that the fibreglass is rather on the thick/stiff side and might be holding up fairly well.

There are a couple of places where you can check the transom for rot. Removing the metal sleeve around the drain plug will give you a place to jab a screwdriver up into the transom core to see if it's gone spongy. You could try the same thing at the motor well drain hole (the one with the brown stain dripping from it) or by removing one of the motor mounting bolts. Alan's suggestion of tapping with a hammer handle will also give you a good idea of what's going on in there.

If the plywood sole is rotting, it'll probably have to be replaced. Poke the damaged spots with something sharp to make sure- rot will feel weak and spongy when you jab it with a screwdriver or knife. If it really has gone bad, it'll be a bit tedious- but not difficult- to cut it out, cut some new plywood to fit, coat it with epoxy/fibreglass and put it in. A rotted transom would be a somewhat more complex issue.

Of course, if the sole is out, you have a great opportunity to check the stringers (the long structural beams in the bottom of the hull) for rot and cracking, and to clear out four decades of mouse turds and fungal growths.

 

OK so I took a screwdriver to the hole with the brown stains and its very firm. Nothing soft or spongy. I tapped on the transom with a wooden end of a hammer and it sounds solid... no dull thud sounds or anything. I will have to wait till my husband gets home to pullout the metal sleeve for the drain plug so I can check there. (dont want to break a nail, ha ha Just kidding)

I did take the screwdriver and I poked at the cracked area on the sole.... without much force the tip of the screwdriver went in easily. I didn't puncture it but its very soft and brittle. If I would have used a little more force I am sure I would have gone thru it.

 

Yep, you need to tear that sole out, either partially, or better, wholly. The brass sleeve for the drain plug is easy to take out. Wet but solid means it needs to dry out and the extent of the moisture ingress should be determined. Nothing can be put back until all is bone dry and the hole is epoxy-jacketed. Why boats of that era had their transoms drilled for drain plugs is a testimony to the irresponsibility of builders of that era. The inside could have been glassed right through to the outside, sealing the hole completely. I bet most rotton transoms owe their destruction to drain plug holes drilled right through the wood. Most drain holes are underwater all summer long.

 

Lovely! So is replacing the sole a hard job? Is it something we can do or should I swallow my pride and pay to have it done. I realize this is gonna be a money pit and we knew that getting into it. I dont have kids so might as well spend my money on something I am into and enjoy... RIGHT??

How do I know the stringers are bad? Same way by poking around?

Thanks again for all your imput! You have no idea How much I Appreciate it!!

 

You may want to check the hundreds of previous threads on this site for things like "sole replacement" transom replacement", and variations thereof. This will give you an idea of what you're in for, in regard to repairs.

Both jobs can be done by the novice, but enthusiastic owner. They are not fun jobs, in fact messy, nasty, itchy tasks that will make you wonder what color a smurf changes to, when you ring it's neck in frustration.

In the end, I'd strongly recommend you evaluate the position you're in. How much can you do yourself? How much will need to be jobbed out? Can I buy a better example of boat, for the money I need to toss at this one, just to get it solid again? It's very probable that you could save the effort and fix up a better project boat, with about the same cash outlay, but much less busted knuckle time.

 

The elbow work I am not worried about. I dont mind getting dirty. However... I do not want to get in over my head!! I just want to know if I am doing it right and if its even worth it to DIY.. There are tons of marine repair shops in and around Portland that I will check into.

I will have a long talk with my hubby tonight. I realize this boat will not be a quick fix and will take time and effort and lots of benjamins....

I will look at the other threads as well. Thanks Again!

 

Oh...He bought a boat!

 

I didn't notice... thanks for pointing that out.

 

I don't (and assume that you don't either ) know what shape the old Sea Horse is in; if you start an appropriate thread in Propulsion/Outboards you can get a diagnostic sequence to follow. You may also try PMing REDTECH :idea: here, he has been very prompt and helpful to me regarding my 1960 Evinrude Sportwin 10 HP. Once you determine the problem(s), should you need parts; try contacting :

David Spurgeon
8621 Hillridge Drive
Midwest City, OK
731-2229
(405)474-0137

He has several barns worth of old Evinrude & Johnson parts, is very knowledgeable and very pleasant to deal with and doesn't demand your offspring in return.

 

Ignore the nea sayers, for example Rangerspeedboat is a 14 year old boy who's never owned a boat.

The bottom line is the assessment. Have the engine checked out. Most shops will diagnose the engine for a small fee, usually around 50 bucks. With this information you can elect to do some or all of the work yourself.

The same applies to the hull, the sole looks questionable and I suspect the transom is too, but it should be checked. The "thumping" method Alan recommended is difficult for a novice to do, mostly because they're not really sure what they're listening for. The only good method is taking core samples, This is pretty much as it sounds, drilling a few inspection holes with a hole saw, removing the core and having a look. Typical locations would be on the centerline near the drain and under the lower mounting bolt holes for the engine bracket. These can be filled and faired to restore the strength of the transom if the core turns out to be good. If any of the core samples show signs of a rotten core, take more samples, but as a rule, "if there's rot, it's shot" and should be replaced.

Once the basic assessment is preformed, you then can face the realities of fixing her up, with a better handle of the tasks, effort, materials, labor and outside costs that will be involved in the project.

 

Check and Check!
Lt. Holden: The motor is a 50hp Johnson Sea Horse I am guessing early 60's. When we purchased the boat the guy said it had good compression just no spark. I called a local marine repair shop and they charge a $60 diagnostic fee. I think we will wind up taking it there to see what the deal is.
My husband is trying to locate a manual for ths motor online but hasn't yet. Any idea where one can be found?

Par: Thanks for the tips on checking out the transom. I printed this thread out for him to read thru.... So he can do the cutting into the transom and see what shape it really is in.

I think I have gotten past the overwelmed stage... Now I just want to actually start fixing it up.
My husband works with a guy who fixed up a mid-late 60s Chris Craft and said if we ever need any help he would come over... He is just as annoying as a school yard full of 13 year old girls. (Shoot me now)

Again THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the help!! We are gonna work on it today so I will update with pictures this evening... Thank god for some nice weather finally!

 

Bazzgurl26
That was (as usual) a very valuable statement! Do not underestimate that, please.
We all have seen several hundred projects coming out at least disappointing in terms of time and $ spent.
If there are doubts about the task (issues of the severe sort), bear in mind, there are usually always better boats at lower (accumulated) cost on the market.
Restoring a precious craft (or house) of any sort and breed has been attracting many people at all time. All of them had to agree at the end:
a newbuilt (buy) was cheaper!
Not to compare a fixitup and a restoration, but think about the task twice, as PAR adviced!

Regards
richard

 

Thanks Par and Richard... The Hubby and I both talked about it in length and decided that we are in no real hurry to get the boat finished. We want to take our time on it and do it right. Its nice having a project to work on. Not saying money isn't in issue.. money is always an issue. I still have some saved up from selling one of my quads and from my cake business. So I think without tapping into our emergency fund we will be ok. We are just going to take our time and see where it takes us.

Yesterday we drilled a hole in the sole to see if we could stick his camera thing in there... We couldn't see much so we cut a 4x4 square out. Surprisinly (sp?) only the top part of the wood was damp and starting to go bad.. the bottom part was dry as a bone and hard. We decided to take out a bigger piece where I saw that BIG bubble and it was brittle and wet. So the sole needs to be replaced. The Stringers... I am having a hard time understanding this... When we removed part of the sole.. There are approx 5 or 6 long beams covered in 'glass. Are they the stringers? Because to me they dont seem to be solid pieces of wood. More like Corrugated fiberglass. When I looked in the drain hole under the Stringers it looks the same as up top. No solid wood. Does this make sense?


We got everything removed from the boat. Motor, Cleats, old beat up cassette player, debris. It looks alot better with out all the dead leaves and watersoaked seats and rope.

Today I am a little itchy.. I was laying down in the boat wearing a tank top and shorts trying to remove the stupid cassette player under the bow. I should have done that before my husband cut the first small hole in the sole.
I sliced my arm on a damn rivet from the cleats... Sure hope I had a tetanus shot recentley. Note to self... No drinking beer and working on the boat in hot sunny weather. Does not make for pleasant nights!

 

Can you provide a picture of this corrugated material?