83 Osprey 200 rebuild

[Islander]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking for a while - trying to read as much as I can about doing this before I took the plunge. It's been a few years, but I think I'm finally ready to fix this old gal up.



I've had this baby for a while. I had some trouble with the motor when I got her. I rebuilt it and had it running for a few years. Last year, there was an electrical problem in the motor that I couldn't figure out so she sat in my yard for a whole season. I've decided that I'm going to try to sell the motor and replace with a newer model (I'll need advice there soon too) but in the meantime, I'm going to finally fix the rest of her up. Here's what I think I need to do but I'll let you guys guide me a little. I'm a bit nervous to do this myself.




The transom feels solid to me. I have smacked it all over with a rubber mallet and it sounds great. Not sure if that's the best method to do this but, it made sense to me. There are cracks on the cap as you can see in the pic. There are also some spots that were filled by the previous owner. My first question is do you think I need to rebuild the transom or can I let this go if I just fill the cracks and repaint?

Next...the sole. This part has me worried and excited at the same time. I haven't done any repairs at all but I swear it wasn't this bad before last year. It has soft spots but the cracks came from sitting for a whole year. That's totally my fault but I'm here to make it right.






As you can see in the pics, there are pretty solid cracks in a few spots. The stringers feel very sturdy though. I have been bouncing around and the soft spots are only in non-stringer areas. I'm guessing that it's better to replace the sole than to fix the cracks, right? I would like to eventually get her back in the water sometime soon but I want to do this correctly too.

I have read a bunch of posts on how this is done and I'm excited to take it on. (Work sucks, so having something to look forward to at night and on the weekends keeps me going.) I am a bit nervous that I will screw something up though...

That's all for now. Looking forward to your wisdom.

[RickK]

For the transom I would tilt the engine up and put your body weight on it and bounce up  and  down while watching the transom for flex.  If it is solid I would fix the crack and repaint.
Look at this post and in the pics is what my transom looked like and I cut into it to expose what we were seeing.
http://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=10101.msg89247#msg89247

If the transom flexes you can  use the same link to see how  I replaced the transom. 

I would agree on your  assessment  of the sole.  If you're gentle on the demo you can probably reuse the stringers but will probably want to open the tops and dig out the foam and refoam them before putting in a new sole.
I would also plan on re-coring the front hatches, which is very easy.

[Islander]

Thanks Rick! I just gave that a try and bounced up and down on the engine. The transom didn't move at all. It seems really solid. Hopefully that will be one less thing for me to worry about.

I opened the forward hatch and took a look inside. Stringers seem solid, but I guess I'll find out how solid they are when I get that floor out of there.

I'm going away this week on a job but I'm going to continue to research. I want to start as soon as I get back.

[Islander]

So I actually did some work this weekend.  I know it's not a lot of progress but I'm doing my best to plan this out correctly. I was able to get the tank out and started making cuts to the floor until I realized that I had the wrong blade on my circular saw. What I was able to cut out ended up being completely saturated with water. So I'm afraid that I'm going to have to attack that transom after all. Might as well do it all now, right?



The tank sounds like it's aluminum but it doesn't look that way. What is the best way to dispose of it?

I have to go away for work this weekend, so that puts me back another week but I'm really hoping to spend a day or two to get that floor out of there and see how much work I need to do on the stringers.

[Capt. Bob]

The tank sounds like it's aluminum but it doesn't look that way. What is the best way to dispose of it?

Looks aluminum to me.
Recycle it. Beer money.

[Islander]

I like the way you think. That's exactly what I'm going to do. Thanks

[Islander]

I've been nervous about taking the plunge and cutting the deck out but I finally did it! No turning back now.

I was surprised that there isn't more damage. The deck was completely rotten throughout - so I'm glad I did this. For the most part the stringers look good to me. They seem solid and don't appear to have any problems with the exception of a crack at the base of the port stringer. Definitely needs another couple layers of glass on the hull. The transom seemed solid to me but I drilled a hole at the very bottom and found some wet plywood...so it needs to be rebuilt. I'm nervous about doing that. I've been reading so much over the last few months on this site though, so I feel like you guys can help me if I have questions along the way.



Here's a close up of the crack on the port stringer



Both stringers seem to be well attached to the hull. They don't budge at all. The crack looks like it's just that top layer of glass, but is there a better way to tell if that is a bigger problem?

[RickK]

Stringers look great. Drill some small holes at the inside base of the stringers near the aft of the boat and see if you get any water out of them. If not, you may have lucked out.  If water comes out, now is the time to dig it out. Several ways to do that, once you come to the realization that they're wet...
Then you need to decide what you want for a transom when you are done - full or notched?

[Islander]

Just drilled some holes in the stringers. The starboard one is bone dry but the port one is damp. Probably a safe bet to do them both now.

I was planning on keeping the transom the same as the original. I have looked at quite a few rebuilds on here with a full transom and I've definitely thought about it - they look great. But since this is my first rebuild, I think it will be better to keep it the same.

[RickK]

Figure out a way to cut the stringer tops so you don't lose the shape and strength, like maybe cut a 3ft section out of the top, leave a 6" and then cut another 3 ft. Or maybe 2ft cut outs.  You only need to cut out enough to allow you in to dig out the foam. When you refill the stringers, after it kicks you can cut the foam across the top and then glass right over the top and the stringers will be like new.  If you think you'll be getting a t-top, plan that into where you cut the stringer tops so you can re-inforce those areas.

[Islander]

Took advantage of the cool weather and spent the weekend grinding down the hull. I probably have another day to go.



I also cut out the casting deck. This one made me nervous but I've gone this far...might as well continue.



I cut a two-foot section in the port stringer near the transom and the foam that I dug out was completely dry. I'm wondering if I should continue?  I tested in the middle on the port side and it was dry too. I guess I was mistaken when I drilled the other holes.  I bought new foam to replace already, but is it worth it if the stringers are solid and the foam inside is dry?

[RickK]

If it's dry, don't waste your time - take the foam back (hopefully you bought it locally) and use that money on other materials.

[Islander]

Ok, grinding is done (for now.) I think I'm ready to start glassing the hull if the temps are good tomorrow. I'm going to leave the foam in place and not touch the stringers. However, there's a crack at the bottom of the port stringer on the inside, mid way up. It looks like it's just the outer layer of glass. My plan is to put a layer of 1708 over the whole hull and over the stringers. Should I reinforce the area with the crack...or will the 1708 that I plan to lay across the entire hull do the trick?

Also, should I lay the 1708 lengthwise (bow to stern) or across the hull? I'm trying to figure out how to lay the glass with the original stringers in place.  Is there one method that's better than another? 

[RickK]

I would rough up (extra) around the crack (to smooth glass) and plan to go over it at the same time you're lam'ing the hull/stringers. As are as which way?  1708 comes in 2 weaves - 45 and 90.  Seems the more common is the 45. You have to figure out how much cloth you can handle at a time.  What are you using for resin? That will dictate the open time you have to work.  I ran it front to back but I didn't have stringers in the way.  When I set my stringers in place I tabbed them in.
So I think the resin will dictate some of this.

[Islander]

I'm using epoxy for the hull and the transom, so I think I have more time to work than I would with poly. But I haven't done a lot of fiberglass work in the past, so I should probably be a little cautious.

On the plus side, I tested out my glassing skills today on the casting deck and re-cored the rotten plywood that the hinges for the hatches were screwed into. It didn't turn out too bad and it helped me understand how the epoxy works. It may not be the best job in the world, but I learned a lot from it. It seems solid as a rock too.