Fletch's 1976 170 Rebuild

[Fletch170]

The Prices ARE higher here, simply because there is less inventory. We only boat half the year....lame eh? Less boats, less engines, and the ones here sit a lot. (they tend to).

The motor IS NOT the ocean pro. It has the old style Cowl, and it does not say SPL on it. Some people say the VRO is great, some people think it stinks. I'm assuming it stinks when you don't maintain your motor an keep the oiling system clean? Or are they just prone to failure?

[Fletch170]

craigslist up here......what a freakin mess guys, seriously. Terrible. There is nothing out there, and the stuff that is....is complete junk. We usually find motors over a beer and a "yea, i know a guy who has a......".

[gran398]

craigslist up here......what a freakin mess guys, seriously. Terrible. There is nothing out there, and the stuff that is....is complete junk. We usually find motors over a beer and a "yea, i know a guy who has a......".

Fletch, unless we're in Florida (and I'm not either) winter is coming.

So, in terms of a motor search, most folks this time of the year, anywhere, tend to hang on to what they have.

It may be a good thing to think outside the box...expand the search. We have members all over that are willing to help/advise/check on behalf of a fellow member.

If a comparable motor here is 30% more there...but the same can be shipped from here to there for cost plus 300 bucks...

Let's expand the box...keep shopping.

If nothing shows this fall that looks worthachit...spring trade-in time, 2012.

[slvrlng]

Check this one out. I bet you can find some controls cheap.

http://savannah.craigslist.org/boa/2603905510.html

Here is another one.

http://savannah.craigslist.org/boa/2613271294.html

[Fletch170]

Gran,

I sent a message to the guy in Tampa, the motor was listed about a month ago....so I'm sure it's long gone, but it's worth a shot.

I'll check CL down there in Florida. If anyone sees anything of interest, please let me know!

-Fletch

[MarshMarlowe196]

Check Charleston, SC too.  A buddy just picked up a freshly rebuilt and documented late 90's 90HP OMC from this area for $1200.  That thing is cherry.  

I wouldn't mind taking a look- I like looking at boats and their motors  

[Fletch170]

Hey guys, just a quick update!

I'm going with the Evinrude....it's just too good of a deal and the thing has 120 hours on it. $1800 for the botor and all controls.

I will be wrapping glass over the transom where the liner met the hull. I will be using 1708.....should I use 45/0 or 90/0???? Or does it not really matter?

Here is the progress, check it out...also see my friend chris...he's doing all the hard labor in the pictures......sucker.

http://fletch170.blogspot.com/

[Fletch170]

I noticed when I pulled up the floor, everything was suprisingly dry.....everything but the floor boards, which were ringing wet...literally. The foam they poured on top of the stringers is rock hard. Everyone that has done a floor before.....did you all remove this? Since everything is dry, I was thinking of just grinding down the small amount of adhesive that bonded the deck to the foam, and just putting the new deck right back down. I'm just trying to avoid unnecessary work.

-Fletch

[slvrlng]

I would not worry about the foam on the outside of the stringers as much as the foam on the inside of the stringers. Even if the foam on top is dry it is very likely it is wet on the bottom. This is usually the case, if not you are very lucky! I would drill out a hole down to the hull through one of the pour holes and check to see if it is wet. Now is the time to fix this! If you don't grind off the "cement" on top of the stringers it will make it very hard to get a good bond between the new deck and the stringers. You can glue a strip of either marine ply or coosa to give you the proper thickness to place back in correct level.

On your other question use the 45 biaxial, it has much more strength in multiple directions compared to the 90 degree.

[Fletch170]

So, that cement is about a half inch thick.....and on my boat....they put it down thick as hell. I mean, ive seen other pictures where it is done ever foot or so in a circle....mine is the entire stringer. SO,  basically what you are telling me is that all needs to be grinded off? Take a look at the pictures....there is a ton!!!

I'll go with the 45 then.

Tankfully, the transom is dry besides the upper port side, the outter sheet of ply is wet at the top, where the crack was between thetransom and cap. Can I simply dry and epoxy, or replace a portion of the transom?

[Capt Matt]

Don't worry too much about the bedding compound until you check out the foam in your stringers.
That concrete like stuff is bedding compound and what they used to stick the deck to the tops of the stringers. It took a chisel to get that crap off my stringers then I found they where wet and ripped them out anyway, so it turned out to be a waste of time There is no easy way to get rid of this stuff. My buddy had a power chisel he used on his rebuild that worked pretty good.

Not to be a downer but if and when you find wet foam in your almost 40 yr old stringers you are going to have two options
 -cut off the tops and scrape out all the wet foam. Then you will have to grind it before you reglass the stringers back to the floor.  Then comes refoaming them and reglassing the tops of the stringers to support the deck.

-This was such a nasty project i decided it was easier and would give me a better end result to just build new stringers with a grid system of bulkheads. Two of us ripped out the old stringers, even though they looked good it did not take much force to pull the 40 plus year old stringers up from the hull. Even though the foam was dry on top the lower sections were soaked. I had to remove almost a 1000 pounds of wet nasty foam.

I then had the whole inside of the boat sandblasted before laying a layer of 1708.  Then I built the stringers and bulkheads. This way you have all new glass to lay glass to and it will give you a better bond

Capt Matt

Capt Matt

[Fletch170]

Damnit.

Ok, so where should I drill to check? So you are saying there is a chance this damn thing has doubled it weight if there is water in there? Should I drill holes in the base of the stringer? Are they generally water logged toward the stern?

Where is the best place to buy the foam?

Should I have bought a new boat?

Is this the Boating version of Tom Hank's "the money pit"

Am I going crazy?

Horse shes? What about horse socks?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Help.

[gran398]

welcome to the forum! sounds like you have a project in you future!

Brother Pete had a crystal ball back in August!

Hey don't fret. 99% of 70's boats are like yours, to a greater or lesser extent....they leaked through the console holes into the stringers.

No biggee...just fun to come

[MarshMarlowe196]

Damnit.
Should I have bought a new boat?

I have those same thoughts all the time...  

The best places to check for water in your stringers would be towards the bottom of the stringers, closest to where the  console screws mounted the console to the floor (as Gran mentioned), on back to the transom.  But honestly, you might as well plan to rebuild them, Firstly- because they are most likely full of water, and Secondly- because you'll feel better knowing you did.

Don't be daunted by rebuilding the stringers.  I rebuilt the stringers in an old SeaCraft with The Boatdood in only a few hours one evening.  I know it doesn't seem like this would be the case, but rebuilding and reglassing the stringers is the easy part when it comes to what's ahead of you.  Nothing needs to be beautified below deck, so as others have mentioned, cut the tops off, remove the foam, reglass and then drill some holes and pour some foam in.  Eazy Peezy kind of.

[Fletch170]

S&*t GODD&amit Mo%therF*cker.

HAHA.....I hate how I always think I got lucky with this boat....then I come on here and eveyone is like "Yea.....I mean you COULD do that if you want a crappy boat and do it all wrong like an idiot... ORRRR you could take you time and do it....you know...RIGHT. Thanks guys, looks like I'll have another couple weekends of sucking in fiberglass dust and itching like a crack head

My main concern is that it's gonna start getting cold soon.....and I believe, you need above 50 weather for glass work, right? I'm hoping to have all the glass work done, then paint and rig the boat in the spring.

The good news is, I'm learning.

Thanks everyone.

....But seriously, what kind and where do I get this foam?