project (changing a galaxie into a deck boat)

Just got a galaxie boat given to me with a I/o mercruiser 5.0 83 model question being is it possible make a deck boat out of this hull by separating the halves and building off the bottom

 

Do you mean an open deck or splitting the hull and making it wider?

 

Want to take top half off and make it like a pontoon on top

 

I'm not really clear on what you mean by "building off the bottom". Do you want to modify the deck layout only or are you trying to cut off the upper part of the hull too? Modifying the layout alone is feasible. Cutting the hull is not a good idea.

 

I want to separate the top from the bottom and make a flat surface like a pontoon boat

 

Welcome to the forum.

What year, make and model boat is this? Can you post pictures, maybe a sketch of what you have in mind?

I think he wants to remove the deck cap/liner and install a flat deck plate, Gonzo.

Yes, you can do this, but you do have to be mindful of the CG, plus the structural considerations that are involved with this type of project.

I've removed deck caps and unless you're really familiar with how these puppies are assembled and more importantly repaired, you better be careful what you wish for. They rarely come off without some level of laminate damage and they often also provide a great deal of hull shell stiffening. Simply put, if you pull the cap and aren't prepared, the hull can distort and you've screwed the pooch.

 

That would be a really high deck. An open deck boat would be OK.

 

A deck boat isn't really much different than any other boat, except for it's layout. The sole height is about the same as a bow rider or center console.

The idea of just topping the hull shell with a deck at the sheer wouldn't be wise or recommended, as the CG would be way above where it needs to be and she'd become very tender and capsize would become a real possibility.

Now, if the Galaxie (whatever that is) just had a new sole, about where the cockpit is now, simply from one side to the other, it would work and offer some bulwark height to keep the crew and skipper in the boat and the CG wouldn't be much affected. This would probably require at least some side deck or other sheer reinforcement, but that's fairly easy and of course hull shell reinforcement, in the form of stringers and athwart stiffeners, under the new sole.

I think this is what he has:



We'll need his input for what he actually has, because I see listings for 16', 17', 18' and 22' I/O powered Galaxies. One of the 16's appears to be an outboard conversion, while the 17 and up appear to be only I/O's.

It's about 17' LOD and about 1,600 pounds dry.

 

I'll bet the motor and I/O is no good, all the instruments and linkages are worthless, the transom, stringers and deck are rotted and this thing will end up in a landfill.

 

Given the era of this boat, your odds of being correct are high Sam. 3 decade old controls, plumbing, electrics, hydraulics, etc. will all be at the end of their live, if not dead, then there's the condition of the hull and it's structure, which will also likely be in serious need of major surgery and probably why it was "given" to this fellow. A hard lesson to learn, as your first project for sure (my assumption). Maybe he'll return and tell us a bit more about what he has and his desires for the boat. I hope he doesn't mind itching.

 

Oh, I was a bit harsh, puncturing dreams and all.

Still...

 

Well, it's possible he's found a rare, relatively low hours, stored indoors boat, but considering the odds . . .