RickK's 170 rebuild

[RickK]

I know that I've been hinting at my rebuild and with all the other great rebuilds going on right now, my 170 rebuild will add to the fantasia.
Why rebuild it?  1) I had some rot going on in the front edge of the floor. 2) If I was going to redo the floor, I want to do a few other things like putting the fuel tank under the floor and putting everything that is exposed right now, inside the console.

I started by building a gantry on Saturday. This is my buddy/neighbor Eddie - who helped through a lot ("anything but grinding") of this






and a motor stand the next day. We hoisted the engine off the boat (broke down and started this whole thing) and landed it on the stand.








We started to "undress" the engine and then popped the powerhead off using the gantry



I designed the stand a little large (8" wheels and a little long) and when I needed a place to put the lower unit - you know, out of the way - it just so happened that the LU fit perfectly on one side of the stand and incidentally the powerhead fit nicely on the other side of the stand.

[RickK]

The same day I dove in and cut the floor out of the boat. Here is a pic of the non-skid after 10 years, it is dirty from all the de-construction but if I had wanted to clean it up again it does clean up well. You can see how non-skid it is and you can also see the "water-run stripes" made when you tape it off.


I replaced the floor 14 years ago and all but the front 6" felt solid and the underside looked like the day I put it in. I coated it with resin only by advice of the vendor of the supplies - seemed to be sound advice.
I used a circular saw to cut the floor out and as you see there is some wood "spacers" from the last time I replaced the floor.  Last time I did the usual "When you cut it out leave an inch or so around the edge and lay the new floor on top".










This is the trough that is the standard on the old boats - not sure if this is not still the best way to go upon rebuild - open to ideas. I will not be enclosing the transom and there are not going to be boxes in the corners to hide the wiring.


This model has a major liner and I want to make sure when I'm done the boat is self-bailing. I think I need to raise the floor at least an inch, possibly slope it more to the rear and also move the scuppers from the original spots, which were designed for the older narrower engines.
Working with the liner will prove to be a challenge for me and since I want to raise the floor but not raise the whole liner, I cut the casting deck from the liner. We'll see how that decision works out later.


The common concern for the older boats is the cracking along the top of the transom.  Here is a good example of the crack.


I cut into the corner where the lower cut of the transom meets the part that goes out to the hull sides - you can see the cut in the pic immediately above. Lots of glass there.




I cut along the top inch of the transom and started to dig in.




I cut out the sides of the liner near the transom, thinking I would replace the transom core first and then remove the cap - that ended up not being what happened though and I'll have to re-install/repair those cutoffs. 
I used an air chisel and it made the tear out SOOOO much easier (thanks for the tip LilRichard).  Between Eddie using a prybar and me using the chisel we had the wood out in maybe two hours.




More later.

[gman 82 aquasport]

Like the engine stand
Couple of ?
Are you going to reuse the wiring trough or do something different?
Are you going to refoam everything(open areas, stringers)
Are you going to raise the center of your transom to make it one level side to side or leave the dip in the center?

She looks good to have been redone 14 years ago, did you do it then also?

[RickK]

Like the engine stand

It's definitely stout - it will be available after this if anyone would like to purchase it. Gantrys too.

Couple of ?
Are you going to reuse the wiring trough or do something different?

Undecided - the trend is to use big piping but I have no good way to bring up the wires/cables without it looking like chit or allowing water in.  Still open to suggestions on that.  Maybe I'll fabricate a little deeper trough.  It also was part of the deck drainage system.

Are you going to refoam everything(open areas, stringers)

Not sure yet.  Also not sure how I want to make the stringers - I do know that I will probably go from 3 down to 2 stringers with inner and outer bulkheads. Or stay with 3 and bulkhead off the tank.  As for foam - if I build stringers like the original I may need to foam them for stability and some flotation.  Not sure if I need foam in the rest of the boat - I like the foam they use in the boats that Gran's rebuilder makes.

Are you going to raise the center of your transom to make it one level side to side or leave the dip in the center?

Leave it like it is - maybe raise the outsides a bit more - still undecided on that.

She looks good to have been redone 14 years ago, did you do it then also?

Yes. Stringers are shot and in fact the center one was destroyed which was another reason I redid the floor 14 years ago. The hull had no stability and would twist as I was running it over slight waves - scary. I had to patch in some wood and then glass over it to strengthen it.  Worked great and tightened up the integrity of the hull.  In fact it is still solid or was until I cut out the stringers 2 days ago.

[RickK]

Built another gantry. We popped the cap/liner off and flipped it over.












This is the only place that has coring in the entire cap. That's the bottom mount for the front cleat. (See a side view 2 pics up) I will add a bigger piece of coring in the front - not sure what to do along the sides.

[Capt. Bob]

Do you think the stand would hold the Yamaha motor on the 230?

[RickK]

Here is a pic of the capless hull.


I bought a 19x19 blue tarp and attached it to the gantrys to make a temp garage.  Then I cut the stringers out.




Then the fun of the grinding started - definitely learned my trunk muscles are not what they used to be 








Took half a day.  Here is the hull rinsed out.


I still need to pull the front eyes (yes I have 2) and then pop that glass off up front - just no easy way to kneel in the boat way up front. 

Today I'll lay some 1x2s across the hull to keep it in shape.
Then it's planning time to put together my glass shopping list.

[RickK]

Do you think the stand would hold the Yamaha motor on the 230?

I think so, with it tilted up a bit since the 230 is a 25" model.  The wheels are rated for 400# each.  The weight of the 250 is, I think, around 600#.

Wait, is this a curse  
I'm not about to pull that motor off, she's still in great operating health.  

[RickK]

I want to lay some fresh glass across the entire hull - maybe some 1708 in the chine areas in increasing widths and then two layers of 1808 on the bottom and sides.
If you look at the front portion of this pic the prow of the boat drops down below the plane of the rest of the hull.
Here is a side view and if you look closely you can see the prow dropping down.


I'm not sure how I will get glass to lay well in that area and into the strakes. I think I'll have to do this in small overlapping pieces.  This area needs to be strong.
Any ideas from the Master Rebuilders?

[Blue Agave]

Excellent progress Rick.  

[gran398]

Wow, you have been BUSY! You're getting a great job

I'm thinking you'll be happier if you lay the stringers with a chase tube in mind. Doesn't have to be huge....the only reason ours was a big as it was is due to the twins. That original deck chase would  be a PITA down the road.

Pulling that cap and the liner as one piece was the way to fly. That will save a chitload of time and money....Good job :rendeer:

[gman 82 aquasport]

This is going quick The cap looks in great shape for its age ..and since you can do your stringers as you choose now, have you thought of pipe chases down the starboard side , turned up at the starboard rear right before the transom and then exiting in the cap wall about half-way up.I basically followed the original through and just turned it up between the liner and the hull :) ..if you look at my floor rebuild, thats where I put mine, I get no water in them( 2 in for hydraulic steering and fuel and transducer)( 3 in for the engine harness battery cables and control lines)I did have to put the control lines in before the pipes were glued together ... not to hard, the Johnson control cables don't like to bend to much, and if they ever need replaceing I can pull new ones under the floor and up to the same exit area..The chases in mine exit under the console right under the controls, left about 1 inch of pipe sticking up and sealed it to the new floor..even with the control cables in the 3 in pipe I still had room to pull the engine harness and all the wiring to the rear in 1 pull and it really wasn't to tough still have room if I need to pull another wire or 2..I sealed the ends at the rear with rubber sheets glued and zip tied..it works and I hated the through

[dirtwheelsfl]

I'm not sure how I will get glass to lay well in that area and into the strakes. I think I'll have to do this in small overlapping pieces.  This area needs to be strong.

Big fillet of putty in the keel section (probably cabosil and a mix of milled and chopped fibers), and for the strakes id lay a few strips of mat followed by some strips of bulkier glass til even with the rest of the hull. Then continue with the whole hull lamination...

[RickK]

I'm not sure how I will get glass to lay well in that area and into the strakes. I think I'll have to do this in small overlapping pieces.  This area needs to be strong.

Big fillet of putty in the keel section (probably cabosil and a mix of milled and chopped fibers), and for the strakes id lay a few strips of mat followed by some strips of bulkier glass til even with the rest of the hull. Then continue with the whole hull lamination...

Thanks Dirt.
They originally just covered the strakes with the roven that was part of the stringer system.  So you'd fill the strakes in totally? Makes sense to have a flat surface. How much build up would you try to do at one time?
The putty in the keel section is to build it up to make it easy to lay glass cloth in?  How thick at one time?

[RickK]

This is going quick The cap looks in great shape for its age ..and since you can do your stringers as you choose now, have you thought of pipe chases down the starboard side , turned up at the starboard rear right before the transom and then exiting in the cap wall about half-way up.I basically followed the original through and just turned it up between the liner and the hull :) ..if you look at my floor rebuild, thats where I put mine, I get no water in them( 2 in for hydraulic steering and fuel and transducer)( 3 in for the engine harness battery cables and control lines)I did have to put the control lines in before the pipes were glued together ... not to hard, the Johnson control cables don't like to bend to much, and if they ever need replaceing I can pull new ones under the floor and up to the same exit area..The chases in mine exit under the console right under the controls, left about 1 inch of pipe sticking up and sealed it to the new floor..even with the control cables in the 3 in pipe I still had room to pull the engine harness and all the wiring to the rear in 1 pull and it really wasn't to tough still have room if I need to pull another wire or 2..I sealed the ends at the rear with rubber sheets glued and zip tied..it works and I hated the through

Thanks Gman - I'll have to re-look at your rebuild and see what you're talking about.