Repairing, cleaning & repainting the hull

[Bahi]

I know I asked too many questions, since I joined, but you are the experts...aren't you?  

As some of you know, I got my 170, mid-December '07, and she is my 1st motor boat. Unfortunately, I don't have neither a backyard nor a car with hook to keep my boat on trailer, while not in use. This is why, I kept her in the water for the last 3.5 months.


Yesterday, I got her out for several reasons:
1) engine general maintenance (spark plugs/filters/gear oil...etc)
2) change bilge pump: got new 1500 GPH instead of the old 750 GPH, which doesn't work anymore
3) check & repair hull: started recently to find water inside bilge
4) clean fouled underwater part of the hull
5) re-painting with anti-fouling bottom paint

The 1st two missions will be given to Yamaha Services Center, while the last three, I intend to do take the challenge, and I need your help.

Any suggestions/tips/guidlines concerning how to find/repair hull small crakes, removing fouling, removing old paints, cleaning, repainting...etc?

If it would help, I can take some pics of the hull current conditions and post them, tomorrow.

[Bahi]

It seems that I really asked too much, and no one wants to help me anymore  

[jdupree]

Bahi,

As far as removing the crud from the bottom, I have used "on/off" in the past and works real well.  Just make sure that you wear some gloves and be careful not to get it on anything other than the boat.  I have also used "the works" toilet bowl cleaner and it works goods as well.  Hope this helps.

[RickK]

Hi Bahi, feeling neglected?

I, myself, would have tackled opposite tasks than you.
I can handle the changing of oils, filters, spark plugs and bilge pump. I somehow think you can too, get a manual for your motor and you'll be fine.  The bilge pump is easy especially if you have one in already. Match up the wires. Check the float. Do you have a 12V test light?  This will help you see if you have voltage to the pump. If you have a multi-meter that is also useful for the same thing but is more confusing for the novice.  We can help through these tasks easily.

The tasks of the bottom paint and analysis of a hull leak WHILE it's on a trailer (I think you have a trailer right?) is the daunting part.  
1) I had a leak not to long ago on my 170 that I could not figure out and I looked at it many times while it sat in my yard.  Member John Jones came out fishing with me one time and mentioned that I should look where the boat sat on the crossing timber in the front part of the trailer and sure enough, that was where the hull was leaking. Maybe you can fly him over and....  
2) I don't think you'll find many members here that like bottom paint - not to talk about it nor work on it.  I have bottom paint on both of my boats.  On the 170 I have oil-based house paint because I can get any color I want and it lives on a trailer, not spending more that a dozen hours at a time in the water.  On the 230, I have the ablative type that wears away as you drive the boat through the water but fights against the nasty growth that will accumulate as it stays in the water.  Its not an easy task of removing the paint by yourself and being on a trailer makes it almost impossible.  I tried and gave in to having a shop remove , inspect and repaint the bottom.  That might be your best option although it is not cheap  :cry:
Questions:
1) Why is it that your boat just now started taking on water?  
     a) Did it rain recently and the inspection plates are not water tight,
         letting water into the bilge?  
     b) You say the bilge pump is not working - did it just fail? If so, did the
         boat always take on water and was dispensed by the pump
         normally? If so, it's past time to look at this.
2) Did you run over something recently?  
3) Bottom drain plug failing?
4) Do you have any through-hull pipes for baitwells, raw water intake?

Anyone else think of anything else that I missed?

[Bahi]

Thanks, John & Rick!

John...You really helped alot with the toilet bowl cleaner idea.    I'll definitely try it, if I decide to take the challenge.

Rick...Too late (thanks God)   ; Yamaha Services Center already did the job, today! Now, it's my turn with the hard parts   . After what you mentioned above, I feel that I need Tom Cruise, not John Jones!!!

I asked where to find antifouling paint in Doha, and they guided me to Hempel marine. I checked their site & found it useful
http://www.hempel.com/Internet/inecorpo ... enDocument

Replies to Rick's questions:
1) Why is it that your boat just now started taking on water?
a) Did it rain recently and the inspection plates are not water tight,
letting water into the bilge?
b) You say the bilge pump is not working - did it just fail? If so, did the
boat always take on water and was dispensed by the pump
normally? If so, it's past time to look at this.
OK, I'll make a confession, but let me 1st clarify:
a) there is no more rain in Qatar. It just rains 4-5 times/year here, and this during the months from December to February. The temperature already exeeded 100F, last week.  :(
b) my bilge pump doesn't work due to a short circuit occured while fixing the battery when I decided to change its place from under the seat to under the console  

2) Did you run over something recently?
Now to my confession: about a week or more ago, I took some friends on a cruise to Al-Safeleya Island. On the way back, I didn't see that there were close to the surface rocks, and the engine hit them. Nothing serious happened to the engine, but I think that this may caused a crack somewhere in the transom.

3) Bottom drain plug failing?
I didn't think of this. I'll check it, tomorrow

4) Do you have any through-hull pipes for baitwells, raw water intake?
Nop

The two real problems I'm currently facing are:
A) how to discover leaking spot(s)?
B) how to paint the hull while on trailer? (yes I do have a trailer)
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll go with an engineer friend, who intends to help with these missions impossible, to study the matter.

Any more suggestions? I'll keep you posted with progress.

[Marcq]

how to paint the hull while on trailer? (yes I do have a trailer)

Bahi, do you have rollers in the center of your trailer + bunks on each side of  it ? I did mine in two stage, did the port side first by removing the bunk on that side, once finish I replace the bunk and did the other side the same way, but you need rollers in the center

Marc..

[RickK]

Rick...Too late (thanks God)   ; Yamaha Services Center already did the job, today! Now, it's my turn with the hard parts   . After what you mentioned above, I feel that I need Tom Cruise, not John Jones!!!

Replies to Rick's questions:
1) Why is it that your boat just now started taking on water?
a) Did it rain recently and the inspection plates are not water tight,
letting water into the bilge?
b) You say the bilge pump is not working - did it just fail? If so, did the
boat always take on water and was dispensed by the pump
normally? If so, it's past time to look at this.
OK, I'll make a confession, but let me 1st clarify:
a) there is no more rain in Qatar. It just rains 4-5 times/year here, and this during the months from December to February. The temperature already exeeded 100F, last week.  :(
b) my bilge pump doesn't work due to a short circuit occured while fixing the battery when I decided to change its place from under the seat to under the console  

If I had a QAR for every mistake I've made ..... hey, live and learn.

2) Did you run over something recently?
Now to my confession: about a week or more ago, I took some friends on a cruise to Al-Safeleya Island. On the way back, I didn't see that there were close to the surface rocks, and the engine hit them. Nothing serious happened to the engine, but I think that this may caused a crack somewhere in the transom.

You'd either had to hit those rocks VERY hard or your transom was already weak to hurt it.  Your motor would bounce up unless you have a locking pin in.     While you have the boat out of the water trim up the motor and bounce on the lower unit watching the transom for flexing.  We'll keep our fingers crossed for you.

3) Bottom drain plug failing?
I didn't think of this. I'll check it, tomorrow

At least you remembered to put it in - been there done that  

The two real problems I'm currently facing are:
A) how to discover leaking spot(s)?
B) how to paint the hull while on trailer? (yes I do have a trailer)
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll go with an engineer friend, who intends to help with these missions impossible, to study the matter.

Any more suggestions? I'll keep you posted with progress.

Get it on the trailer and look carefully at it. Take some pix so we can see too, especially of the suspect areas.

[Bahi]

Marc...This is an old photo of my boat even before buying her (beginning Decemeber '07).
   
I believe that this is the best shot I have of the boat on her trailer. Do you still think it's possible to follow your plan? We'll do a physical check this afternoon to see possibility.

Rick...Thank you for your usual great support! I'll take some photos, this afternoon, but I doubt to discover anything before removing dry seaweeds. It's not a big leaking; something like 1.5 - 2 gallons/week.

[Marcq]

Do you still think it's possible to follow your plan? We'll do a physical check this afternoon to see possibility.

You won't be able without the rollers in the center since the boat will have the tendency to slide if you remove one of the bunks

Marc..

[Bahi]

Finally, I managed to take some photos:










I believe that I can take the challenge. Just give me a couple of days before receiving the photos of either my success or my failure!!!

[RickK]

That bottom doesn't look too bad.
Hit it with a pressure washer before it hardens.

That crack doesn't look good though - going down the transom.  Have you bounced on the lower unit of your motor to see if there is flex in the transom yet?

[Bahi]

Three days progress (Thu/Fri/Sat):  8)




   
What do you think?  

[BowMovements]

Man, that's lookin' good.  Good work.  

[RickK]

   

Good Job Bahi.
I relooked at the crack and it looks like there was some kind of reinforcing/thickening plate where the motor mounts.  It almosts looks like it was factory too?  Now it looks like you took that off.  What was that?

Did you find anything that could be the leaking culprit?

[Bahi]

ThAnKs GuYs!  8)  I, myself, can't believe that I did all that alone in three days/11 hours (Thur 5 hours/Fri 2 hours/Sat 4 hours), only!!! I think I can beat Tom Cruise now.  

Marcq wrote:

You won't be able without the rollers in the center since the boat will have the tendency to slide if you remove one of the bunks

After painting the bottom, I used one of Yamaha Services Center's forklifts to raise the boat off the trailer from the back, I pushed it a bit while hanged, and asked the forklift operater to go down, while pushing. When I looked at the bottom, the unpainted parts were clear & easy to be reached.

RickK wrote:

I relooked at the crack and it looks like there was some kind of reinforcing/thickening plate where the motor mounts. It almosts looks like it was factory too? Now it looks like you took that off. What was that? / That crack doesn't look good though - going down the transom.

I didn't take it off. It exists, but it's just the angle of the picture. Frankly speaking, I thought that she was originally built like that, because I feel that nothing was added. Don't you have the same?!

I removed the old paint off & arround the crack, went deaper as much as I could with a screw driver, cleaned the whole I made, and filled it with epoxy then a thin coat of a local made sealing paste.

Since it seems that I succeeded, I decided to paint the rest of the hull. The only problem I'll face is the "Aquasport" signs on both sides. I won't find them again in Qatar.  

Wish me LUCK, and wait for the next photos  :arrow:  :arrow:  :arrow:  :arrow:  :arrow:...