Are some years better than others?

[gatorheuss]

Looking at Aquasport hulls to do a total rebuild, are there any particular years that are better than others?  I know about the late 60's and early 70's flat back years and modified v years, but what about the boats in the late 70's and 80's?  Were the hulls built better in any particular year?

[dbiscayne]

Don't have much to say about the late 70's or 80's other than I've heard that the boats built around the time Aquasport was being sold (80's?) might have been put together a little sloppier, but that's probably more isolated incidents than across the board.
I've got a 19-1 from 1970, just a couple of build issues I saw when tearing it apart-
seems they put the wood transom in then the foam filled boxed stringers which butt up to the transom, THEN glassed over the rest of the exposed transom.  That left raw wood behind the foam, which eventually got wet through loosened screw holes (seat, side rod holders).  The transom wasn't completely gone though, actually felt pretty solid & only the inner layer of 3/4" ply was wet & mushy around the stringers, the outer layer was barely damp but still solid.  They didn't take much time sealing the inner bottom of the transom either, bottom edge was wet & nasty.
And the middle stringers weren't continuous, sort of.  The tops of them are, but where they intersected the forward bulkhead, just about where the casting deck begins, the vertical sides of the stringers end & begin again on the forward side of the bulkhead.  The boat definitely flexed a little there, basically pivoting at that point.  That led to a crack across the top of both stringers just forward of the bulkhead.

Other than that everything seemed to be holding up pretty good, stringers were still pretty solidly attached to the hull.

[Capt. Bob]

Here's some earlier rambling.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5418&p=36067&hilit=best+year+aquasport#p36067

[fitz73222]

Well heres my $.02,

I just drove up to Wilimington NC via Hilton Head SC on vacation from Florida to meet Scott (gran398) and spend some time with his boat builder. We both have 1973 22-2's and both are 73 D hulls meaning ironically they were both serial numbered in November 73'.  They lived different lives but one could assume they are very similar in build quality. Scott, the builder and me talked about the strenghts and weaknesses of the design and construction. The design of the 73 was robust and ahead of its time in many ways. The main issue appears to be the introduction of water into the foamed stringer girders that eventually lead to delamination at the stringer bases at the transom connection points coupled with a wood core transom / floor and the use of random wood pieces some glassed and some not to aid in support during the layup process and not necessarily used for structural support. I think one thing we often overlook is that we are talking about boats built almost 40 years ago that have outlived their original design intent by decades. The foam used in those days was not closed cell and soaked up water like a sponge in a pretty hostile, closed, environment. One unsealed screw hole is all it would take to start the water intrusion process to begin. So the bottom line is that a great design fell hostage to a lack of modern day materials. I would say that any Aquasport, Mako, Robalo, Seacraft, etc that were built with wood core and the old style foam will suffer from similar issues.  I have personal and second hand experiance that all mentioned have fallen to the same root cause. So if you are going to purchase a 60's-80's original AS or others expect issues at some point and anticipate and extra $10-$15K in rebuild expense plus rigging assuming you will outsource the project and your engine(s) are in good shape.  Its the price you pay to own a classic; just like an old Camaro, Chevelle, Mustang or a 70 year old house! Your going to dump money into it, whether you like it or not...

[Mike Answeeney]

Of course some years are better!  For instance, the 1973 22-2's are the best!   8)

[gran398]

Fitz, it was a pleasure to meet you!

All of the observations are accurate. The foam-filled girder system was indeed ahead of its time. But as stated, through various methods, water manages to get in the stringers.

When we dug the foam out, it was dry at the top. The deeper we went, the wetter it got. At the very bottom, it was soaked.

The builder made a good point. He feels a major source of water intrusion through the years was the hull bottom bilge drain, specifically the bronze fitting the plug screws into. Once the seal is broken, with the boat in the water, the sleeve leaks. When in the water, water will naturally seek its own level, that is, it will rise from the bottom upward through the transom to the water line. This would be true regardless of what transom coring material was used. When cored with wood, the wood eventually rots. And as Fitz says, the point where the girder system joins to the transom is also weakened.

It was so weak/delaminated at that position that the builder removed that part of the stringers with his bare hands, slight tug. He called it "bad glass". That's why in John's pics...its gone. So agree...any boat made with girder style stringers to a greater or lesser degree could exhibit this problem.

Make the assumption that due to this, the Tampa Aquasport rebuilders replace the girder system with a Coosa box system. This eliminates as Fitz says the "hostile, closed environment". And plus, from a labor standpoint, you just take a big side grinder to the stringers and you're there. No cutting off the tops, no digging out the foam, no internal retabbing, no top replacement, lamination, etc., etc. Go back in with an open system, no chance for water to hold inside, because the "inside" is eliminated.

We are too far into the project now for this, but if were to do it again, that would be the best option. Coosa transom, Coosa stringers....ready for the next fifty years.

[RickK]

So I wonder if the threaded type bilge plug was the fix to the brass/bronze sleeve which you have described the problems?  
On my 230 I have the threaded type which I imagine is standard on all boats after at least the vintage of my 230 (I would hope anyway).  So the threaded insert has, I think, 3 screws where I guess I could get water intrusion and also around the sleeve itself and on a wood transom you would have the same problems - rot.
The difference between the older and "newer" AS is that my transom is poured and if there is any intrusion I won't get rot and also the insert should not let water in around the outside unless I got a Monday morning or Friday after lunch boat which wasn't sealed well or not at all.
My stringers are massive in the 230 (like 2ft high) and I still see the trapazoidal approach that AS are famous for.

[gran398]

Rick,

Not hardware specific. Believe it to be a time thing...a long time. Sooner or later, the bedding/adhesive bond goes loose...regardless of the adhesive, when hydrostatic pressure is introduced...exterior sleeve failure. May be later, may be sooner.

Float her (use her) but sooner or later...the transom can leak internally.

Tough to be the bearer of news such as this....but is something we need to be aware of. Not only our Aquas, but as Fitz discusses, most production boats then used similar construction methods.

[MarshMarlowe196]

My 73' has the threaded type  

[gran398]

Jesse, mine does too. Should have explained it better. Sorry 'bout that

[dirtwheelsfl]

man i wish i had a picture of what i did for the drain on mine. basically i put a piece of 1" pvc inside of a 2" piece and filled all around it with epoxy/sawdust/chopped glass, then drilled the transom and glued/ glassed it in. the threaded section fits in the 1" hole and then the screws go into the epoxy slug, not the wood of the transom.