Looking for advice

I new to boats and have learned a lot so far in a short time. I bought a 1973 steury i/o with a 165hp straight 6. On the maiden voyage the engine mounts gave way. After some damage assessment and talking with the previous owner who "rebuilt the mounts" I know they need to be replaced correctly. Here is where I have a lot of questions.

The stringers are hollow core as far as I can tell. They run from the transom to a
bulkhead just in front of the engine. The stringers are demolished where the mounts attach. I have a West System book on basic fiberglass boat repair. They do not go into hollow or Inactive core stinger repair. What can I do to support the glass while it sets? The middle of the stringer is intact should I only repair the damaged area or replace entire thing? What kind of hardware should I use when I reinstall the motor?

I have yet to pull the motor when I do I will post pictures.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

are you absolutely sure they're hallow?,,no foam,, no wood?,,,,ill wait for some others,,,,but im 99% sure your gonna NEED to rip em out and replace,,,,,they are suppose to be filled,,,THATS why the mounts came through,,,ask the old owner how he rebuilt the stringers,,,,,,,some "harry homeowner" had to have either replaced them,,,or the filler has rotted out,,,,,,,,either way,,,any way,,,they NEED to be done right,,, or every trip out your gonna have the same problem

 

and pics of as close as you can get will do more then none.

 

He jacked the motor up then slipped in a 2x6 lag bolted to it and then used spreader nuts inside the stringer

 

well taking out the motor first step,,yank it,,, and dont make no fast plans,,, this may take you a few weeks,,, because after you pull it,,, you'll need to show pics of the "damage",, and you'll need to shove a wire or coat hanger in your stringer and see if it is truely empty,,,,,if so,,, you'll need to fill it. if its not empty,, then you'll need to pull out all the rotten wood,, or any foam thats crappy and has gotten wet.

 

I have no intentions of taking the boat out till next year. From your response i will assume foam is no good and to cut and fit wood. Is this a repair a mechanically inclined person can do? I called a marina to get a ball park estimate and he said 2500 to 5000 to repair. This is not economical. I am waiting for a friend to be free to help pull the motor (he has a backhoe). It should be next week.

Just for a little more background on the boat. I took it out last week for the first time. It became apparent very quickly that there was a major problem. I got out onto the river and brought it up on plane. I hit a 1' foot wave and the boat kicked out sideways laying down on the starboard side. I immediately backed the throttle down to idle. Me and a friend were trying to figure out what. We were not sure so we brought it up on plain and it did it again. When i say it kicked sidways i mean the boat turned very violently. It felt like we were going to get thrown out of the boat. When it did it the motor came loose tearing the transom seal. The boat was taking on so much water we had to get rescued by the coast guard. After talking to the previous owner he said it had did it to him for as long as he had it.

 

so he only took it out once too?,,,,i dont know much when it comes to the engines and all that,,,,,,,,,foam is alright to use,,as long as its done right,,,,myself, i would always use wood,,,,,just cause im stuck in the old ways,,,,BUT,, on all the yachts and stuff i've built,, we've used styrofoam,,,,, people use the 2 part pour in when replacing bad spots in stringers,,,,,but i ALWAYS think of the safety aspect,,, and my 2 little girls ( or anyone elses) riding on the boat,,,,and with the holes you have,,, and the water that came in,,,,, and you like learning,,,, i would replace most of the stringers back there just to make sure all ROT and WET is out of it.
and even though this sounds like a BIG deal,,,,,it really isnt,,,i personally think if you dont have a rip in the side of your boat, replacing stringers is 1 of the best ways to learn to glass,,,,,and it isnt hard at all,,,,,( if i can do it,,ANYBODY can)
nother thing on your stringer and filler,,,,,,,( here comes my soda can),,,take a soda can,, open it up and pour it out,,,,now step on it,,,,,take another empty can, and fill with sand, and tape off the opening,, now step on that. hehe
and if you use the search button and search stringer repair,,,theres thousands,,,,i would read through them first,,, then ask about any "leftover" ?'s ,, or have something uncleared explained better for ya

 

After reading some more i have a couple of questions. what is the best way to bolt the engine to the new stringers? What kind of layup schedule should i use?
Thanks

 

Foam in the engine bed areas isn't the best idea in the world. These areas are highly loaded and should be quite solid. Wood is a common choice. A fairly well engineered laminate schedule could be used if foam (or other light weight core material) was desired.

The easy way out is to build it like it was originally, which I'm 100% sure was wood, likely Douglas fur or southern yellow pine, though it could have been one of several species.

The previous owner is kidding you (read lying). He knows full well what's really wrong with the boat and you probably have a lot more issues then some busted up engine beds. Hire a boat carpenter to look her over and give you the real story.

A 35 year old boat, in the condition this one appears (considering the limited view in the pictures) suggests the soles, transom and stringers are all rotted away.

 

Thanks Par.,,,,,,,,,nickle,, you would be ahead of the game to listen to Par,,especially if your gonna use epoxy,,,,,,,,,what kind of resin will you be using?

 

From what I understand epoxy is better to use. I believe I read a article that said that poly does not stick well to poly. I am just guessing. I want to use the best resin for the job. I am going to replace at least part of the sole. When i purchased the boat i did the jump up and down test. All seemed solid except for the floor immediately in front of the engine bay. I planned on cutting forward at least 3 ft the soft spot is only 6 inches or so. When replacing the sole is running a 3/8" sheet then glassing over a suitable repair or should it be heavier. Currently the floor appears to be all glass but that is a very preliminary guess. Will know more when I get the motor out. Would a angle grinder with a cutoff wheel be good to remove floor?

 

YES epoxy is the best resin to use ( i dont use it,,, it doesnt have enough fumes) and poly will stick to poly,,,,but in your case,,poly will ONLY have a mechanical bond,,,epoxy will be both mech. and chemical bond. and since your not sure what the boat is made with,,epoxy is really the best and safe way to do it.,,,,and plywood and glass is the perfect way to fix the floor. and ya a 4" grinder and wheel will do fine,,,, but you REALLY need to watch your angle so you dont go through ya hull,,,,,i would start about 6 or so inches away from hull,,,,, cut out the spot,,then while sitting in the hole,,grind it back to the hull,,,,,,,,,but according to how the deck was made,,, you may have to keep a 3" lip of the old floor, to connect your new floor to.
i use an air saw tp remove floors,,,,but it shouldnt be used by people that havent done it before, because its REAL easy to cut through ya hull,,,,,,if your gonna "work" ya way to the hull,,,,even a saws-all with carbide blade will cut it out faster then you can say it,,,,,,but AGAIN,,if your not used to it,,it could cost ya a few extra hundred bucks.
Par,, the usual,,please read what i said and fix my wrongers hehe

 

Jim, this hull is choppered polyester. Polyester will work fine, but epoxy is easier for the novice to work with, though you will not get a "buzz" from the hardener or cleaning solvents, which probably explains why Jim's posts always have some interesting typing going on.

A grinder is the really messy way to cut 'glass boats. Use a reciprocating saw, it make much less mess and is more precise. Watch what you're doing, it's real easy to put a hole in the hull.

The sole is probably 1/2" plywood covered in polyester and fabric. The stringers and other supports are likely wooden, again covered in chopped mat and polyester.

You could just hack out the offending area and slap down a new piece of plywood, but you'll be closing your eyes to other issues. If you've found soft spots, then you've got a lot more then the eye can see. Once the sole is opened up, you find soaked foam, rotten wood (probably lots of it) and other lovely things to piss you off.

The first thing is to strip the boat of everything, engine, tank(s), controls, seating, carpet, in short anything bolted or screwed to the sole and surrounding areas. Now you know what you're working with and access is possible. Take lots of pictures. It's not that we want to see them (okay, some folks do), but it will help you figure out how to put everything back together.

You're looking at major surgery and nasty, itchy, messy and probably bloody work. You'll curse the day you bought the boat and it'll cost more then the boat is worth. Welcome to the wonderful world of yacht ownership and repair.

Your issues have been covered many times in previous threads on this site. Read up on past threads (the search tool) and get some back ground on us (this way you can avoid guys like Jim ), the processes you'll need to understand, the methods and techniques used in these types of repairs.

For what it's worth BOAT literally means Bring Over Another Thousand. When you're done with this project you'll be proud and have a pretty nice boat, but the best part is you'll truly understand I'm not kidding about the "Bring Over Another Thousand" line.

 

Well today I ripped up some of the floor. Of the 2 bulkheads that I can see are rotted away. The bilge between the two is covered in pulp. I am surprised it did not break in half on the water. The lower foot or so of the transom is rotted. I am going to attempt to part it out. The engine is listed on ebay. I put a reserve of 1000. The motor has about 5 hours since it was rebuilt with a long block. Does this seem like a fair price? Hopefully I can recoup most of my money. What can I do with the hull? I am going to keep the trailer it will make a nice flatbed dump trailer. Thank you for all help and advice.

 

Most of these old 'glass hulls are little more then a container to hold the equipment, electronics, controls and engine. Without these things, it's landfill material. They'll grind it up and burn it, to generate power.