1966 Fairliner Golden 330 Sedan bottom Rebuild?

[RadRanch]

Hi all,
So I bought an old boat mostly to get a slip where I wanted, didn't pay much for it, and it ran. After inspecting it, it appears to be a plywood over frame construction that is fiberglassed on the outside. The topside of this boat is in good condition its been in a covered slip on the same lake since brand new, the engines are running really well, original 1966 Crusaders 350's two of them. In the back starboard corner, it has some de-lamination of the plywood bottom, and behind the stuffing box there is a small piece of soft frame. Its got a couple of inches of water all along the bottom, bilges seem to keep it down to a min. Its a big boat, 33'9" long and 11' beam. So I am seeking advice on 3 options

1. I am tempted to pull this thing out of the water, flip it over (not sure exactly how) and redo the bottom, there is some structural damage as well that will need to get replaced. I have a big shop that I can do this in, how completely nuts am I? Is rebuilding a boat bottom this big even possible?
   1. If I flip it do I need to take out the engines first?
   2. Can I brace it on the gunwale?
   3. To flip I was going to build two big 2X6 and plywood wheels around it, and roll with my tractor.
2. If I scrap it, how, and how much?
   
3. Use it lightly to avoid catastrophic failure?

 

[bajansailor]

Welcome to the Forum Jacob.
Your 330 Sedan looks very nice.
From what you have said so far, the damage sounds fairly minor - definitely don't scrap her (at least not until a more detailed inspection has been carried out with the boat out of the water), and you certainly don't need to flip her over.
Can you post some photos please showing the areas of concern that you have found (so far), re the soft framing and the delaminated plywood?
You might well find further areas of concern when you haul her out, hence it would be a good idea to do this.
If there is timber hull damage underneath the engines, then you might have to take them out.

 

[fallguy]

2nd the man from Barbados.

Assessment first.

No rot can remain on wood boat repairs.

Sounds highly repairable. I see no reason to flip it either. They don't flip ships. It can be repaired upright or on a side.

Search for the sources of ingress. It may help determine the damage.

 

[gonzo]

You can usually do repairs on the bottom by simply laying the boat on its chine. A few wooden blocks on the keel and old tires for the chine will hold the boat. That is, unless the structure is really bad.