Trophy 2152 WA (Boat Construction?)

Discussion in 'Powerboats' started by Catboy, Dec 12, 2020.

  1. Catboy
    Joined: Mar 2009
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    Catboy Junior Member

    I recently bought a 2011 Trophy 2152 WA this year and have been going through the boat trying to stay ahead of problems that come with all boats. I can't find any specific forums out there that discuss this particular boat vintage. I see really old posts about Trophy vs. Bayliner vs. other boats. I'm not interested in dissing any particular brand. A lot of these middle tier boats had lots of problems in their early years of development but this 2011 boat is one of the last years the Trophy boats were built and it seems well made (mostly), there are zero spider cracks or any type of gel coat failure.

    I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge about how these late models were made.What type of marine plywood was used? There appears to be plywood in the main deck and in bulkheads with fiberglass on both sides. The bulkheads I can see are not in contact with the hull bottom and I see no sign of rot anywhere.

    I'm mainly curious if the stringers are fiberglass over wood or foam or molded or what? Also in NADA I see a reference to these boats being built with the "PRO" system. I can't find a reference or explanation of this anywhere else on the internet.

    I've found no structural defects anywhere except the fish well doors were completely de-laminated (probably a bad bond originally) and I'm having them rebuilt. I have not been able to find any other de-lam issues. I've tapped out the whole deck and it seems solid. Again, I'm pretty sure the deck has marine grade (hopefully) plywood bonded to it. (In a previous life I built fiberglass boats and did repairs so I have an idea what to look for.)

    I've noticed that pretty much wherever there is a fastener in the deck, if it was to leak it would leak on solid fiberglass down into the bilge (clear of any wood, mostly).

    I'm wondering if there are any problems with the gas tank on these boats? Hopefully it's never a problem because it would be impossible to get to without cutting out the deck.

    While inspecting the anchor locker I discovered the anchor locker bulkhead is fiber glassed to the deck EXCEPT in the upper corners! There are two small triangles 3" x 6" x 8" in each corner (port and starboard) that are open to the cuddy cabin just aft! There is carpet over the open triangles and you can push your finger through to the cuddy cabin. Now, those areas are high up and the anchor well drains at the bottom but that's pretty scary.

    The "Alaskan Cabin" has a painted aluminum frame which is in pretty good shape but is starting to flake and corrode in a few small places. There are some small hairline cracks in the welds that I probably need to have fixed and reinforced.

    I've had the Mercruiser 4.3L V6 220 HP gone over and worked on but that's a separate subject. It's currently in very good shape with 230 hours on it with an alpha 1 Gen 2 that has been taken apart and all looks good. The work space is SUPER tight in the engine compartment and hard to clean the bilge.

    Any other thoughts, experiences or things to look out for would be appreciated.
     
  2. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    I should also say that I very much like the boat, it is meeting my needs quite well and for a 9 year old boat it's in great shape. I'm just kind of OCD and want to stay ahead or address any problems, hence my inquiry.
     
  3. Ike
    Joined: Apr 2006
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    Location: Washington

    Ike Senior Member

    here is a link to the recalls on Trophy boats. None involve the fuel tanks. Recalls https://uscgboating.org/content/recalls.php Type Trophy in the field that says MIC or Company and select search. You should see four.

    Number MIC Company Name Model Name Problem 1 Last Date
    100006S THM TROPHY 163 & 183CC TROPHY 163 CC & 183CC NAVIGATION LIGHTS 2015-10-20
    040140S THM TROPHY SPORTFISHING BOATS 2503 CC & 2502 WALKAROUND ISOLATION BULKHEADS 2006-01-19
    040123S THM TROPHY SPORTFISHING BOATS 2103 CENTER CONSOLE TRIM TAB BREAKER WIRING 2010-01-29
    090003S THM TROPHY SPORTFISHING BOATS VARIOUS NAVIGATION LIGHTS 2011-02-28

    The last one is a 2011 boat. If you want more info on it e-mail
    Eric Johnson, Eric.A.Johnson@uscg.mil

    There is a forum on iboats for Trophy. Trophy Boats https://forums.iboats.com/forum/trophy-boats.68/ Mostly its older boats. There are other forums that have threads on Trophy. Search on Trophy forums. And a Facebook page Trophy boats owners https://www.facebook.com/TrophyBoatsOwners
     
  4. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    Ike,

    Thanks! Not sure how I missed that forum on iboats. I will check it out.
     
  5. ondarvr
    Joined: Dec 2005
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    Location: Monroe WA

    ondarvr Senior Member

    When Trophys were built in Roseburg Oregon they used marine ply. But there's no real spec for something to be called "marine ply"

    It was locally sourced fir, what I saw over the years looked good.

    Again, while in Oregon the stringers were wood.

    When they moved production to Tennessee I didn't go to that plant while they were built there.
     
  6. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    The only thing I would worry about is making sure they put enough buoyancy foam in them so if the boat has a problem; you don't end up under.
     
  7. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    Any idea what year that transition took place?
    Were the stringers used encapsulated in fiberglass? Thanks for your response.
     
  8. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    From what I have read that size boat is sort of the cutoff size where positive buoyancy is used (or 19-20 ft.), no?
     
  9. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    I don't know, but that Robalo those two firedighters were lost in must not have had it.

    For a refit and the cost of doing it; I'd want it pos buoyant if I could make it so.
     
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  10. ondarvr
    Joined: Dec 2005
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    Location: Monroe WA

    ondarvr Senior Member

    Winter of 2008-2009 is when they closed.

    Yes the stringers were encapsulated.

    Does your boat have a build date?

    They had Trophys stacked up everywhere, Bayliner kept building all models at the normal rate of production well into the recession.

    Boats were being shipped around the country to plants with acreage to store them, even renting land.

    It's entirely possible you could have a boat that sold in 2011 but was built in 2008.

    They shut down production in all plants and planned to move all the molds to the 3 Tennessee plants, then in 3 months start production in those three plants.

    The shutdown lasted much longer, and then they slowly opened only one plant.

    I don't know exactly which plants were eventually reopened.

    I was doing tech service and sales for gel coat, Bayliner was one of our long term customers. Our company had about 50 employees West of Kansas City, after the recession I was the only one still employed.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2020
  11. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    Thanks for all this info, very interesting. The last three digits of the HIN are 111 so I assume that's 2011?
     
  12. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    Is it possible to identify the gel coat type at this point? I used to do a LOT of gel coat repair so it would be helpful if it was possible to get some. However I have no current need for it.
     
  13. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    I'd be interested in that Robalo story if you know where to point me. It has occurred to me to come up with more buoyancy for emergencies. Inflatable air bags for instance. Something I could throw on the boat when I go for tuna which could be 20 -40 miles offshore.
     
  14. Catboy
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    Catboy Junior Member

    Ondarv (or anyone!) I have been scouring the internet looking for this "vinyl/plastic snap in screw cover" (see photos) that will fit the aluminum extrusion for the 2152WA window system. I am currently pulling the trim, re-caulking and tightening the screws that hold the window frame to the deck. I have tried many, many resources and can't find a match - Great Lakes Skipper, Taylor Made, Taco Marine, etc. I'm also looking for the window gasket material but haven't pulled that yet. Any ideas. Much appreciated! IMG_2028.JPG IMG_2029.JPG
     

  15. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    Here is a link to the story. The issue for these guys is they were probably not vested; water got a little rough; caught a rogue wave and flipped the boat or were both injured in the flip. Vessel sank it appears. If you want to be found at sea, a boat bottom 6x20 is 120 square feet and your head is about less than one square foot, so searchers have 120 times better chances of seeing you. And worse, a weary searchers eyes train to find the boat; not a man treading water; despite all intents to do so.

    Searchers have found a gear bag belonging to firefighters who disappeared on a Florida fishing trip - CNN https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/18/us/missing-firefighters-boating-search-trnd/index.html
     
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