Just purchased 1975 19-6.

[gran398]

Ry, post 'em up one at the time for now.

Re the hatch paint...Krylon Fusion for plastic is the way to go. They don't have it in our Lima Bean Green. They do however have it in some flat camo-style colors.

[Capt. Bob]

Port stringer:

My eyes are old but that sure looks like a piece of coring between the stringers.

How about a pic straight down over the mounting holes for the pump?
Can you see the "V" in the keel?

[SaltH2OHokie]

My eyes are old but that sure looks like a piece of coring between the stringers.

How about a pic straight down over the mounting holes for the pump?
Can you see the "V" in the keel?

Yeah, that's part of the batch I was trying to upload this last time...its definitely cored, between the stringer and the keel, for about 2-2.5ft from the transom forward.  That's what the bilge pump was screwed into on either side of centerline, and the holes are weeping like the stigmata.  Almost definitely like that from the factory, because this is almost certainly the deck from the factory, and the only access to this area prior to my busting out the jigsaw was a 4" pie-plate.  Plus all of the glass is the same crusty color and texture.

[Georgie]

its definitely cored, between the stringer and the keel, for about 2-2.5ft from the transom forward. That's what the bilge pump was screwed into on either side of centerline, and the holes are weeping like the stigmata.

 Sounds like another piece of coring you can remove (grind out) and strategically replace to reduce a bit of weight.  Most bilges only have a smaller (i.e 1ft. X1ft.) wood pad glassed into the bilge to allow for bilge pump mounting.  That way, over time it can get waterlogged as all heck, and still not weigh more than a couple lbs.

[Capt. Bob]

Almost definitely like that from the factory, because this is almost certainly the deck from the factory, and the only access to this area prior to my busting out the jigsaw was a 4" pie-plate.  Plus all of the glass is the same crusty color and texture.

That's OEM no doubt.
Aquas have all manner of things running along/perpendicular to the keel, from wood strips to an additional stringer. Plywood glassed across the keel was used for tank shelves, rode lockers and of course bilge pumps. Once Aqua began using bilge access, I would guess the plywood shelf became the norm.

I would be surprised if it's glassed underneath. :|

[SaltH2OHokie]

Almost definitely like that from the factory, because this is almost certainly the deck from the factory, and the only access to this area prior to my busting out the jigsaw was a 4" pie-plate.  Plus all of the glass is the same crusty color and texture.

That's OEM no doubt.
...

I would be surprised if it's glassed underneath. :|

But no harm in removing it as Ryan suggests, correct?  Does it serve any structural purpose?  Reason I ask, is it certainly wasn't for a bilge pump as I was led to believe Aquasport of 1975 had "sealed" bilge compartments, so no need for pump, nor access for one...meaning even my pie-plate I removed came at a later date.  That being the case, what was it there for in the first place?

[fitz73222]

I suspect it was there for actual keel reinforcement. Remember (I forgot Ryan you can't remember those days!) in those days, 99% of trailers were keel roller type and I do remember when the first "Float-on" trailer debut in 1975 and it was a thing of beauty. Many boats today will void the warranty if you put them on a keel roller trailer because it will crack the hull in that area and the hull weight now is to be carried on the stringers. So although this wood may be rotten; leave it alone for now. Thats not your weight problem anyway.

[SaltH2OHokie]

Behold, the stigmata of the 19-6:

That's centerline where the water is, the hole I'm point at was the starboard screw hole for the bilge pump.

[SaltH2OHokie]

So I vacuumed the bilge clean and dry day before yesterday, got home yesterday and there was water back in it. Not much, and not much of a wet spot on the concrete under the boat, so I vacuumed each hole (put suction on the stringers) and vacuumed the bilge clean and dry again.  Jacked the boat up another few notches on the tractor jack and wedged a 1pint mixing cup under the transom drain to hopefully catch any water so as to quantify results...

I'll keep you posted.  Headed to the new house this weekend, so it'll be up in the air for at least another 3 days without any temptation on my part to give up on the process.

Where is the foam located outboard of the stringer?  All the way front to back or just in a section?  Reason I ask, every time I put the vacuum on the drain tube running through the starboard stringer (presumably to a cavity with wet foam) I get a pretty good slug of water out (still not enough to amount to any weight, but more than I seem to be producing on any of my other "test wells".)  Figure that seems to be the most productive area, but with the rigging trough right there, I wouldn't know how/where to locate a hatch.

As for the transom:  Wife is leaning very hard toward just using it for the summer and then next winter redoing anything and everything that needs it (Turns out two mortgages makes her nervous about spending hundreds or thousands on "non-necessities"     )

ALSO, was just pondering on this while staring at it last night...could I have strategically located two 1" holes in the transom to run straight through and into the stringer?  I'm pretty good at transferring measurements from one side of an obstacle to the other, so I think I could hit it where I needed on either side...then jacked up would drain right out the back.  Could then either fill it up with thickened epoxy or put a well bedded/sealed drain plug?  Just thinking out loud.

[fitz73222]

I wouldn't breach the transom anymore than what it is. Nothing is going to stick to the mush anyway when you go to plug the holes back up. That water in the stringer foam is in suspension and it took years to migrate in there so it's not going to drain out overnight, this may take a month or two to drain completely. Pretty sure your boat has no foam outboard of the stringers from what I've seen. Later models did have foam.

[SaltH2OHokie]

To update:  transom replaced, 26lb Coosa, Both sides of transom (either side of the motor) raised ~4.5".

Boat sits slightly higher in water.  Good thing.  Removed bow rail, windshield, grab rail on console, spring cleats and some vestigial bimini hardware.  When transom replacement was done, those holes were filled and faired.  

Fuel tank is not okay.  Sprung a leak.  New one on order, just fought the old one out.  I think Ted Nugent wrote "Stranglehold" about the foam that AS used to keep that tank in place.  Was not fun.  Used a strap and a tractor jack and had to do it at the fore and aft end of the tank (like 75% of the tank was clear of the foam, and that 25% still in there kept me from pulling it out by hand).  Now using a jimmy bar to chisel the foam out of there.  Fun stuff when its 85deg and 85% humidity.

Gotta put new tank in, paint the repaired areas, think about painting the decks...and that's all that's on the current agenda.  Of course, none of that stuff that happened over the past few months was on the agenda...right up until it was...