MotoBoat wrote:[quote="Toni] He told me no cost for labor. That isn't the issue. Dry warm area is. Me and money for supplies is an issue. Even with costco carport and heater there would be high humidity.
At least with these videos and pictures I have an idea about what he is talking about when it comes to the repair.
That is awesome, someone stepping up to help you like that. Based on the videos and pictures giving you a better sense of what is involved.
I am curious, which free repair has the gentlemen or gentle-lady discussed using to repair your boat?[/quote][/quote][/quote]
That would be me. Toni is a good friend and I actually met her when another scumbag took advantage of her posing as a friend who damaged a good motor and kept her from using it for a whole summer a couple of years ago. She asked me and another guy to look this boat over for her before she bought it, unfortunately I wasn't available or I would have suggested she not buy it. Either way, it is now hers and it is a great looking boat, but it's kinda' like a cute chick with a split personality - looks great on the outside but once you get her home you're in for some heart ache and disappointment!
So now, after looking at it, I'm almost certain the transom is shot. So much so that the motor has distorted the top line of the transom, pulling it out of line a good 1/2" or so. Although the motor still seems solid, it's a matter of time. The glass on the outside of the transom is perfect, not a crack in it. The cracks are all at the top, where the motor has pulled the top plate out. It looks to me as if it is the victim of trailering over rough roads without a transom saver. Once the top cracked, the problem began and ply wood will wick moisture pretty fast over pretty extensively. My first thoughts were how to fix this the cheapest and easiest way, which could be to plate the transom with aluminum stock. Where I'm beginning to think this might not be the best idea, is there isn't much structurally inside the boat to mount anything to. There are two stringers along the bottom of the hull, but not much on the sides to attach anything to. The stringers on the bottom are under the replaced floor, so their condition is also suspect. I could brace everything on the inside, but if there isn't anything solid to tie it all to, it's a wasted effort. Also, to plate the inside, you still have a couple inches of spongyness between the outside glass and the inside plate, so nothing mounted to the outside will ever be real solid. Trying to weight out all options I can think of. I'm now leaning more towards replacing the wood, which will be a very big undertaking. I don't know how much materials would be, but easily several hundred dollars or more when all said and done.
The issue then is, if the transom were to be fixed, are the hull stringers any good? What is under the new floor is also a key item of concern. I have been offered shop space not too far from my place to work on it, however the time involved is also a concern as in how much time I will have to work on it. My lovely wife isn't too keen on my spending all my spare time away from the house when I have plenty of projects that need attention here to. That being said, Toni has many friends that I'm sure would be happy to pitch in their time and labor to help her out, she is very deserving.
It just sucks all the way around that this has happened. I am more than willing to do whatever I can to help her out, but there just isn't going to be a real easy way around this. She's in for some more expense and time off the water I'm sad to say. I think she could use it the way it is for a while and not worry too much, we all remember Iceshark's experiences, however she isn't going to be using it the way he used his boats, luckily she doesn't have a big Merc tower of power hanging on a rotted transom. BUT, the problem is still there and who knows how long it will last.
The water she had in the boat, didn't come from the transom, there are no cracks whatsoever below the water line on the transom, anyway. She did point out to me two patches on the bottom of the hull where it looks like the forward rollers on the trailer cracked the hull. How good these spots were repaired is a bit sketchy, from what I could see there are still some cracks around these patches.
It's a sad thing. Really a cute little boat with classic lines and it looks fantastic if you don't look too close. I'm just sick over it for her.
