1980 19-6 rebuild

[Capt.Andy19]

Im about to get a 1980 19-6 aquasport that needs a floor. I looking to see what everyone recommends i do. I plan on having a lot of weight in the boat (scuba diving) and want to make sure it doesn't sit too low and water comes in through the drains. Any tips? i have no idea how to begin raising deck and moving drains... will attatch pics after i get my hands on it!

[mshugg]

First, Congratulations on your 19-6!

There's such a huge variety of approaches.  It would be good to look over the rebuilds on Classic Aquasport.  There are a ton of Osprey rebuilds, so you won't lack for reading material.

The basics are cut out the old deck.  This will give you an opportunity to inspect the stringers, transom etc  and repair if necessary.  I think most people raise the deck, but the amount varies. I'm raising the deck on my CCP 3/4" , but Osprey owners may have a recommendation for you.  Then the choices start: Plywood or composite? Which composite?  Thickness?  Laminate schedule?  There's a lot of stuff in this stuff.  There a lot of expertise on this board, so help is here when you have questions.

[Capt.Andy19]

my question is how to raise the deck?

[mshugg]

If your stringers are intact, add 1 or more layers of plywood or foam to the top of the stringers and wrap with glass.  Some folks replace the stringers with taller stringers.

If you raise the thickness of the old deck, you can use the ledge created by cutting away the old deck.  If you're going higher, you'll need to create some kind of cleats to support the outside of the deck. 

Then bond and tab in your new deck.

Look at Florida 196's rebuild.  He's pretty much finished with his 196 rebuild.  You  can also check out my CCP.  I just added 3/4" to the tops of my stringers to raise the deck.  I'll be glassing the risers in when things dry out.

[Capt.Andy19]

Day 1 consisted of cleaning up the crap inside... Plan to cut open the other stringer tomorrow and possibly the transom. Any suggestions on the transom? What material would you guys use for the floor? Divinycell, coosa board or nidacore? How would you cut the transom? Also one of the stringers is peeling up in a few spots... All I have to do is sand and reglass right? Or is there more to it??

[RickK]

Easiest way to cut the transom out is to use a skill saw to cut deeply into the wood and then use an air chisel to peel the pieces of material off the transom skin.  Post up some pics so we can see what you're doing.

[Capt.Andy19]

Day 2- Stringers are empty. foam was soaked... and wood was rotten. removed the wood going to replace with marine grade ply wood. i have to reglass the port stringer where it attaches to the hull (see pics). does the wood only go on the one side of the stringer? what weight foam should i use for the stringers and the outward sides of the stringers in the hull? also im going to drill holes to see if the transom is bad. if i can get away with just glassing in new wood if only the bottom is bad and keeping the top intact thats what im going to do. any suggestions?

[mshugg]

The wood inside the stringers isn't really structural when the stringers are foamed in and glassed down.  Best guess is that it provided temporary stiffness during construction.  Most people don't replace it.  If you choose to replace it Marine ply would be fine.

[RickK]

Looking good.
I would not put wood back in the stringers.  Use 4lb foam in the stringers. The foam is structural inside the stringers.  You can use 2lb on the outboard side for flotation.
Where the Port stringer is cracked where it meets the bottom - think about going inside the stringer to attach it to the hull.  The stringers are pre-made and set into the boat and glassed, so you'd need to grind all that cloth off before laminating it to the hull - going inside should be easier.
As for the transom:

You have the typical cracking at the top where the liner, which used to consist of the floor, sides, casting deck and cap, came up and over the top of the transom and was glassed to the transom rear.  Depending on the amount of water that it was exposed to and being that no one resealed the cracking, water could have gotten in via the cracks and damaged the wood. Also, the transom has a lot of holes in it so the odds that it is still good are slim.  Do your exploratory drilling but you're into the rebuild this far, a new transom is not hard to do.  If you want to replace the transom, cut the liner/cap about 18" forward of the transom, like where the rod storage rack starts.  Cut it where it meets the transom also and remove the pieces - you'll reattach them later.

Then, using a skilsaw cut slices into the transom and use an air chisel to peel it off. There are plenty of examples of transom replacement here in the rebuild forums.

Raising the floor - that is another whole process.  First thing to realize is that you're going to have to attach the flooring material to the liner, transom and casting deck at the new height.  Along the liner sides you see there is a vertical ledge about 3" high - that is where you can attach the new floor. Do you still have the drain trough that was at the back of the floor and bottom of transom.  Did you plan on re-using it? The stringers are notched for it.  If not you'll need to plan the scupper holes. Have you decided how high you want to raise the floor? A couple inches is the norm.  You can add glass to the sides of the stringers to get to the height you want, lam some strapping across the top to keep the stringers in form and then pour the foam.  After it hardens you can snap lines at the height you want and cut the foam and new side glass at the height and then cover the stringers top and sides with 1708.  It is also a good time to plan for a t-top and re-enforcement can be added into the stringers too.  It all is easy to do, just have to think it through.

[Capt.Andy19]

The boat is now off the trailer. Crafted a stand with wheels to sit the boat on to move it around easier. A couple things im stuck on... I dont know where to cut the transom to remove... I want to raise the deck becuase im planning on carrying heavy loads in the boat (scuba diving)... and im stuck on what floor material to use as well as transom material. i need something strong enough to resist the abuse of dive tanks as well as a ttop/tower. i plan on putting a 200-250 on a bracket. also how do you go about foaming the stringers? im concerned when i pour the foam it will break the stringers right off the hull??? also i have lots of big holes in the gunwales (rod holders, fuel fill, ect...) how do i go about filling those?

[love2fish]

looks like you are off to a good start with your demo.
couple of thoughts:

Stringers:
1. while they are empty, get a grinder in there and rough up the soul (bottom) and inside edges, then go back with some structural glass that will rebond the hull to the stringers. leave the tops open for now.
2. add 3" or 4" PVC rigging tubes in the cavity for future control wires
3. add some melomene or some type of ply that is coated or covered and then form that to the outside edges of your stringers, (think: to make the walls higher)... then mix your 2 part foam in the boat and pour into the stringer cavities.
4.Then get a large sawzaw blade and make a smooth flat cut along the top of the temporary forms. that will give you the higher stringers you desire to raise your floor.
5. cover the new foam and lap down each side of the stringers to encapsulate the stringers

transom:
it looks like you have about half of the existing interior skin cut out already, why not go ahead and cut the remaing skin out and go back with new Coussa board (1.5" minimum thickness) and some structural glass. if you are adding a bracket, you will want to add knees from your stringers to the transom to really strengthen it.

then you are basically good to replace the floor- using Nidacore (popular option on here).

[love2fish]

before you do any transom work, make triple sure you have everything squared up and brace the hell out of it. that has to go back square and flush. (leaving the outter skin on helps with this step)

[Capt.Andy19]

I have the chance to get this for a steal! What do you guys think?  I'm also thinking about just putting one steering station up top. But am second guessing if I want to do that because if it's rough I won't want to be up there. Any thoughts?

[love2fish]

looks like an older tower, and has the 1.5" legs, which can be a little tricky running several lines though the legs (if you do that route), otherwise you can get the flexible chase tubes to run along the tower legs for your rigging.  not sure what waters you run in, but the tower I have on my boat provides an amazing benefit for spotting fish, seeing the best track to run in, and added room when 6 people are on the boat. but if it gets too rough, I definitely run the boat from the bottom station.
just a general thought on pricing towers... buying the tower is the "cheapest" part of the whole deal. it's adding double of everything that gets to be the expensive part (steering, controls, trim, hydro controls, electrical, looks like that one will need a ebox up there)... also, brace the heck out of it, even my half tower with 2" tubes needed additional bracing after my first uses with it.

[Capt.Andy19]

im thinking of cutting it down to something like this. and making a dive tank holder underneath the tower. any concerns of it being top heavy?