Help with a Ranger Bass Boat

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by thudpucker, Jul 5, 2013.

  1. thudpucker
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    thudpucker Senior Member

    I'm certain this ol' guy needs a new transom. And the Floor boards are spongy.:mad:

    I wondered about pulling the cap off, hoping someone with experience would guide me.:)
    If I can't get the cap off, I'll cut out what I need to, and repair from there.
    Replacing the transom is the Tough job though. I could use some experience with that job.:confused:

    ranger stitch.jpg last rear look (600 x 450).jpg
     
  2. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    From what I have read, the cap should not be too difficult to remove. The difficult part will be cleaning the crud from the insides of the tight quarters of the hollow after removing the bad wood so that you will get good bonding inside the repaired transom.
     
  3. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

  4. swade
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    swade Senior Member

    there's a thread on here, i remember some guy with a deck boat (four winns maybe?) he's got a lot of pics and received advice on pulling the cap. maybe search deck boat cap,etc

    imho just from looking at those pics you should access the deck and what damage is under neath to foam and stringers, looks put away really wet ie left outside to fill with rain.

    I'd get all the carpet out and see what you got. sure the floor isn't just plywood with carpet over?
     
  5. thudpucker
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    thudpucker Senior Member

    Hoyt your a good guy! I followed your link's(PM) and have a 'pamplet' made up from other's advice.
    We'll have to wait, to see the fully edited 'pamplet' though.

    I recall reading that post on cutting the outside end of the boat off...with Horror aforethought. I'm keeping that in the back of my mind in case this all goes terribly wrong. I'll just keep cutting till it will fin into the trailer and head for the land fill.
     
  6. thudpucker
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    thudpucker Senior Member

    Tonite, just me an them Hoodoo's, I went down to the barn and peeked.
    It looks like I can get started and do quite a bit before I get stalled again.
    Thanks to Hoyt and a couple other guys.
    When I took the Tip end of the seal off, it looked like the rest of the seal is held down with Pop Rivets.

    looking under the seal..jpg Tip end of the seal.jpg
     
  7. stylemismatch
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    stylemismatch Junior Member

    I've repaired a few boats (I'm in the middle of doing a bass boat right now), and I'm guessing yours is going to be fairly similar.

    First off (and it looks like you've already discovered this part), the cap and hull will either be screwed or riveted together. This joint is covered up by the rubrail. Most often after you'll find additional fasteners which will need to be removed.

    THEN the fun begins. There will be a structural filler (quite similar to Bondo) bonding the transom and splash well together. One way or another this bond needs to be broken. On some boats you can get at this filler from underneath the splash well and carefully cut through it with something like a saws-all. On most boats you're going to have to end up cutting off the top of the transom to gain access, then using whatever means will work to separate the transom from splash well.

    Also, I'd wager that once you get further into this repair that you're going to find much more than just the transom that needs to be repaired. More than likely you'll end up replacing the stringers, deck, and any flotation foam filled box structures as well.
     
  8. thudpucker
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    thudpucker Senior Member

    Thanks for that bit of wit StyleMM. I'm still going to try and take the Cap off and put new Treated wood in the Transom, Stringers and Floor boards.
    You made it pretty clear for me.
    I'm pretty certain I'll need another 'Helper' on this job.
     
  9. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    An oak tree with a rope hoist makes a good helper.
     
  10. thudpucker
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    thudpucker Senior Member

    LOL,
    Hoyt, you can see my boat, hung in the barn by the rafters, tied to the Cap, and me standing by wondering how long it's gonna take the Glue/Taped Joints to fail and let my Boat fall to the barn floor out from under the cap!

    See there. I've outwitted the problem already.

    "We don need no stinking Oak tree!"
     
  11. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Well, I don't have a barn, but I do have an oak tree. :)
     
  12. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Most of the time, you'll need to break some bonds and sealant beads, to get the cap off. It's easier if you use the weight of the boat to help or tie the boat down and use a chain fall to lift the cap.

    Identifying these bonds will require some looking around and guess work. The rotten wood helps in this regard. It might be easier to cut out the sole and transom.
     
  13. thudpucker
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    thudpucker Senior Member

    I'm not good with Fiberglass work. I'll admit I haven't tried it in at least 45 years, and maybe things are easier these days.
    But if I cut up that boat, It'd never look like a boat again.
    I'll stubbornly work on lifting the cap.

    The young guy, that could crawl, leap, kneel etc seems to have left the building.
     
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  14. tunnels

    tunnels Previous Member




    Yip !! but that same older young man now has wisdom and uses his still young brain more and does things differently ,quitter with out so much fuss !!:D
     

  15. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    If trying to hank the cap, it helps if you start at one end and work back. The areas that are bonded or have sealant, will reveal themselves as they catch and you can cut each loose as the show up.
     
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