Boat #1 =  1972 MFG Sprint
                  
                   Rotten Floor & Stringers
                   Repair Status = Work in Progress
                   Owned by  OHF MEMBER  =
                                JV
                       
                       

                       Joined: 02 Apr 2004
                        Posts: 3494
                        Location: NE Ohio
                                                      
                I bought this boat and it appeared in GREAT SHAPE for its age.
                   I fished out of the boat for 4 or 5 years and I had started to notice a "soft" spot
                   in the floor back near the outboard. I covered a baseball sized soft spot with a
                   piece of sheet aluminum and tried to keep it out of my mind,
                   fearing it was a MAJOR repair. Boy was I right! One rainy day I was at the lake fishing,
                   and I had a "half" roof on, leaving the back of the boat exposed to the rain,
                   I got caught in a storm and it RAINED like never before,
                   I had noticed the boat was taking on some water so I pumped it out with the bilge,
                   I was waiting for the downpour to stop so I could head in to the ramp.
                   I noticed the floor & carpet was  saturated and had standing water on it.
                   I was heading in to the ramp full bore and the boat started to "vibrate" 
                   and I knew something was wrong, I looked towards the back of the boat
                   and noticed a BULGE in the floor and it was right near my "soft spot"
                   that I thought was "fine". It was a HOLE in my floor, and the force of the 75 hp
                   outboard was bending the shape of the boat and that's when it started vibrating
                   I crawled into the ramp hoping I wasn't sinking, at this point I didn't know exactly
                   what the extent of the damage was. Thankfully the boats hull didn't have a hole in it.
                   After I got it onto the trailer I let the water drain out, the boat was really holding
                   alot of water from the rain. I took the boat home to the garage and began tearing out the
                   carpet to reveal my worst fear, it was time to deal with the "soft spot"                                                      
             
                  
                   The boats floor had part of the stringer poking out, and there was a noticeable hole
                   in the floor and you could see where the whole floor was shot.
                   Now Im frustrated
                   I crawled into the wet pile of rotten wood, and began tearing out everything that
                   was rotten and would come out with my hands. Then I broke out the jig saw and
                   began removing the entire floor
                  
                   What I found was rotten stringers , rotten bulkheads and 35 year old saturated foam.
                   I'm guessing the boat was carrying ALOT extra of weight with this slopping mess
                  
                   
                   After seeing the damage, I knew it all had to come out.
                   So I started filling garbage cans with rotten wood and saturated floatation foam.
                   I filled numerous garbage cans with wood from the deck & stringers and a few more
                   cans from foam alone.

                   
                   After I got most of the foam out I got a good look at the stringer grid system so I
                   had a good idea on how to install a new one.

                  
                   Then I got busy with a cutting disk and began cutting out the old stringer grid.
                  
                  Special attention was needed to remove the edge of the deck from the hull
                 
                  I then started to cut & piece the new stringer grid, working it until it fit.
                 
                 
             
       
                   NOTE: After I posted the pictures seen above a member of the forums advised against using the
                   OSB board for the top of the stringers so I removed it and used marine grade plywood as you
                   will see in the pictures below.
                   
                  After I got the stringer grid  cut & fit I was ready to glass it in.
                  I coated the stringers & bulkheads with numerous coats of polyester resin ,
                  (I probably over did it)  and let it dry for a few warm days, after I was sure
                  every inch was completely coated with resin, and formed a clear hard coat,
                  I scuffed up the coating with some sand paper, then wiped clean all the dust.
                  I began to puzzle them together inside the boat with nails to hold the grid in place.
                  I lifted out the grid and laid 2 layers of chopped strand mat cut into strips to the
                  floor where the stringers & bulkheads would lay, and got it good and wet with resin,
                  then I sat the grid back down and inched it into place until I knew I had it perfect.
                  I let it dry until it was firmly affixed to the floor. Then after It was dry I gave it another
                  wet coat of resin and began adding pre cut and resin soaked pieces of chopped strand
                  mat. until the entire grid was covered with chopped strand mat, I added extra mat to the
                  bulkheads and to the corners. Once I was satisfied the grid was covered, I let it dry then
                 did it again, covering the entire grid with another layer of chopped strand mad,
                 again paying special attention to the bulkhead areas and the corners.
          
                  I then decided to fill the compartments with flotation foam just like the manufacturer MFG
                  had done 35 years before this repair.
                  I bought two 2 gallon foam kits from an online vendor, and it was simple to use,
                  you mix the 2 parts 50% to 50% and quickly stir then pour, and I mean QUICKLY!
                  I quickly got the knack for how much to pour in each compartment and the job went
                  flawless, I filled up the boat with 3 times the foam the manufactured used for
                  safeties sake, I used the entire 4 gallons of foam , saving a little bit if I need
                  it sometime for another similar job.
                  The foam quickly expanded and hardened rock hard in between the stringers & bulkheads,
                  One again this boat felt stiff and rigid and that's when I realized, I had been fishing in
                   a soggy boat that was actually bending with the force of the water, not very efficient and
                  not very safe, I never imagined the damage under the floor could be so catastrophic,
                  and at this stage in the repair with the hardest part done I'm now GLAD this happened,
                  I neglected a soft spot , and I'm glad I was forced to have a look under the floor,
                  because I would never have been on the lake in the first place. If you have found a soft spot on
                  your boat floor, so yourself a favor and sell it or fix it, just don't neglect it,
                  or you may be sorry someday. 
                  Here is a shot of the front of the boat , the manufacture was cheap with the foam in this area,
                  I filled this area with 5x the foam they used, and poured foam to the MAX in all areas I could.
                  I figured the more foam the better, I plan on pouring more foam later on in this repair
                  above deck behind the side wall panels.
                  I bet this boat has 3 times the required floatation foam.
                 
                  Now the boat regained its solidness and I knew it was never going to sink!
                  So I was ready to Glass down the deck.
                  Here is a shot of the  sections of the new deck after I glassed it in.
                 
                  I cut the deck ( 5 ply plywood) in 2 sections, each a perfect fit , I took them outside and gave
                  it multiple coats of polyester resin , about 3 coats top and bottom, even the sides.
                  I let it dry for a day or two in the sun then coated it again, after I was sure they
                  were completely covered and sealed I was ready to glass it down on the stringers
                  and glass it to the hull.
                  I started in the back half of the boat by coating the tops of the stringers & bulkheads
                  with a good amount of polyester resin, then I added strips of chopped strand mat to cover
                  all of the stringer and bulkheads anywhere where the deck would touch it, along with
                  the sides of the hull where the deck would touch. After I got all the contact areas soaked
                  with resin with a paintbrush, I was ready to set the deck in.
                   I set in the back section, a PERFECT FIT ! I then made sure it was flush and making contact
                  with the entire grid and the sides of the hull, after I was sure the deck was flat,
                  I set a few marine batteries on it to hold it in place while the resin dried. The following day,
                  I did the same process to add the front section and the deck was now attached to the grid.
                  After the front dried, then I scuffed up the coating with some sand paper, then wiped clean
                 all the dust. I gave the whole deck, a good slopping with the resin, and added big
                  pieces of chopped strand mat, making sure I got every inch if the deck and paying special
                  attention to the sides of the deck where it met the hull, I was sure to overlap.
                 
                 
                 
                  I let it dry for a couple days, and repeated the process giving it another layer of
                  chopped strand mat. After it dried, I got in the boat and was testing the new floor,
                  I jumped as hard as I could on the floor, something I would never had imagined doing
                  with the old soft floor, I felt the new floor was solid and tight, I knew I did a good job on this repair!
                  I used a total of 5 gallons of resin, but again I over did it and I could have gotten away
                  with probably 3 gallons for this job, but I know it will take alot of water to get to this wood.
                 
                   With the new floor in solid, I decided to do something else, I decided to sand down the entire
                   boat and look for any small cracks or areas that would let more water in. Also after sanding it
                   of course I would be painting it. I started with a belt sander and just went to town sanding.
                  
                   I was not able to take the boat off the trailer, so I used a floor jack to give me just enough
                   room to work comfortable. To my surprise, after I started sanding the gel coat,
                   I found 2 identical cracks, on each side of the boat, in the same spot, they were stress cracks,
                   and I wouldn't have seen them until it was to late!
                  
                   They were located in the front of the boat near the curve of the bow.
                   I sanded the heck out of the area, and exposed the entire crack, at the ends of the cracks,
                   I drilled tiny holes, to stop the crack from spreading, I then filled the holes with
                   marine tex filler, and let it dry. Then I sanded it, and coated it with poly resin,
                   and some wet cloth. I let it dry and repeated the process until the crack was completely gone,
                   it looks perfect like a crack never even existed!
                  
                   I then chose a good barrier coat,  Interlux 2000e.
                  
                   INTERLUX 2000E
                   

                   Its supposed to be the best there is when it comes to keeping water out. After I had the boat
                   completely sanded perfect, and all spots that needed attention fixed up ,  I took it to the car wash,
                   and sprayed it down to remove all the while gel coat dust, after it was spotless,
                    I took it home and let it sit in the summer sun, for about 3 days until I knew it was dry.
                   Then I coated the entire boat with interlux, I was able to get about 5 coats (more on the bottom)
                    with the 1 gallon kit, the stuff goes on thick and fills any spots that need it, it was easy to work with and
                    I'm very happy I used it.
                    I then let it dry and got ready to paint the boat.
                   For the bottom coat I decided on VIVID ANTIFOULING PAINT in color white
                  
                          Vivid
      

                        and for the topside I chose  interlux premium yacht enamel.
                  
                 
              Interlux Premium Yacht Enamel
          

                  If you prefer another type of paint you can look here for a wider variety.
                  This is where I bought all my marine paint for this job
                  Follow this link to view complete line of marine paint.
                 
                   
                   Because I had the boat jacked off the trailer, I had to do 1 side at a time, but I was able to accomplish
                   complete coverage, I did have to go back and fix a few spots that bumped the bow roller,
                   but it went fairly smooth. The bottom antifouling paint, on the boats bottom half,
                   is actually a shade darker white than the topside, but you can hardly tell.
                   Here is a shot of the boat after its first coat. Keep in mind for safety sake
                   (kids playing outside etc) I sit the boat back down after the coats dried.
                   But when painting the boat must be completely free with 6-8" to work with between the boat & trailer.
                          
                    After I got the boat painted with multiple coats, I was very happy with what I accomplished.
                    I fixed a few spots I didn't like, and all looks fine.
                   Then while I had the boat up I put some fresh carpet on the bunk boards.
                   The ones that were on there were just about bare wood. Also while the boat was up,
                    I gave the trailer a good painting with white rustoleum , and I gave the axle & leaf springs
                    and hubs a coat of rustoleum black,
                    I also took off the fenders, sanded & painted them also rustoleum white and added sand steps.
                    Im also very happy with the trailer. The trailer looks very nice.
                    
                   I then bought some 3M Marine 5200 Adhesive sealant and went over everything on the boat
                   including my motors, brackets & vhf & fm antennas, etc.
 
                   I also topped off the fresh paint with some stickers pointing HERE to OHFISHING.COM
                  
                   Then I decided trying to find an MFG emblem off a used boat, would be costly and a witch hunt,
                   so I made my own , which is good enough for me
                   
                   My next task will be replacing the side wall panels, pouring more floatation foam into the
                  "dead space" behind the panels ,again, every available area on this boat which has space
                   not accessible to me, will be filled with this foam, its rock solid, and gives you a good feeling
                  to know that you may get wet, but your NOT SINKING! Then on to adding new carpet, new seats
                  and if my wife doesn't get angry at that... a new canvas roof.
                  I think that after all I have done to keep water OUT of the boat.
                 
                  Winters almost over and so is this job! I got alot done here and I'm almost ready to fish. I kept attacking
                  the trailer with another coat of paint, all new rollers, shafts, pins, end caps,  marker lights, wire harness,
                  tail lights, and I recarpeted the bunk boards, added sand stickers to the fenders and walkway.
                 
 
                  Next I went on eBay and found some new speakers, the ones I had were from the early 70's and rotted out.
                   I found pioneer door speakers 100 watts brand new sealed for $11, I installed them and hooked them to the
                   boats original 1972 radio, and they sound GREAT! Also I went to Bass Pro Shops and picked up an electric
                  trolling motor mount for $14 , I have a Motorguide and I wanted to use it more than a few times at the boat
                  ramp and fishing the breakwall at Lake Erie.  Then I installed the new carpet and seats
                 
              
               My last fishing trip in this boat I wrecked the prop , skeg & torpedo, so I had the outboard repairman make a
                  house call and remove the lower unit and take it to his shop, a few days later he informed me that no internal
                  damage was done to the gears or bearings and that he had sent out the parts to be welded and ordered a new
                  prop. Here is the damage to the motor.
                 
              
               I took some light sandpaper (emery cloth) and lightly WET sanded the boats original top blue gelcoat.
                  After that I gave it a good polish with aurora boat scrub (polishing agent). When I was finished the boats
                  gelcoat shined like it did in '72! These pictures from the garage do the finish no justice, I will take more
                  outside when the sun comes out!  How's it lookin?
             
                
                 
                 Next I spend a good amount of time and masked off the windshield frame, then I painted it with a fresh
                 coat of black paint, I had not planned to do this, but after I painted or replaced everything else on the boat
                 the knocks & scratches  else really stood out so I had the idea of fresh black, when I was done I used the
                 rest of the rustoleum paint coating again the trailers axle
                
              
              Next I removed the boats original stearn light, which had a short or something. I replaced with a new light
                 pole that I had my eye on for its clear lens cover which I thought would be brighter.
                 The pole is removable and it wont be in my way while fishing. It just pops in and out and its that simple.
             
              
                  My boat had wooden strips on the gunwale and I liked the look of them, it matched the other wood grain
                  on my dashboard and my side panels. My wood was beat up bad over the years and I wanted to polish
                  them up, they were so bad I decided to just replace them with oak.
                
              Here is a shot of the old one next to a new unfinished piece of oak and the pieces I cut for my transom.
             
         
                  I used OAK and I made them thicker then the originals, I began by sanding and filing all the edges off
                  the strips of wood until all corners were smooth and the surface was completly sanded smooth.
                  I then took some scrap pieces and tried a few different stains until I found a perfect match for my boats
                  wood grain. The matching color was Miniwax "Special Walnut" stain that I had laying around the garage.
                  So I stained all of the pieces to match my boats wood.  The first warm day we have I'm going to coat each
                  section in 2 to 3 coats of polyester resin to encapsulate it from water so it last a long long time.
                  Here are some pictures of the stain. I will also take pictures of them once encapsulated and installed
                 
                 
            
               My next step is to deliver my boat next week to the shop to have my lower unit installed on the
                   Merc 75 and have my 9.9 kicker's electric start switch replaced along with a tune up and have a new
                  fuel tank fitted. When the boat comes home, I have about 3-4 weeks left until the official "fishing season"

                   The outboard repairman made a winter house call to remove my lower unit for repair. He took it to
                   his shop and took it apart to inspect it and send the parts out to a weld shop. He called and informed
                   me there was no internal damage to the gears or bearings, and a new prop and some welding would be
                   all it needed.

                  

                   In that time I plan on cramming in more work. I bought a new bilge pump which needs installed, also I
                  bought a new thru hull fitting for the bilge to drain directly into the lake instead of through my well,
                  that will also help me hide the hose from the pump. Then I plan on crawling under my bow, and drilling
                  a door knob sized hole in the bottom, to fill an empty cavity with floatation foam. I had this idea a while back
                  but never did it, but I'm going to do it, you cant have to much foam, and it will also help even the weight out
                  between the front & back of the boat, after I drill the hole I will pour in the foam, then I will fiberglass over
                  the hole like it was never there, after that Im going to lay OAK board across the area move my batteries to the
                  FRONT from the rear, this also being done for weight issues in the rear, I now have a 12 gallon fuel tank,
                  2 batteries, 3 motors all in the back, I figured a gallon of foam and 2 batteries in the front will even the load.

                  I started by drilling a doorknob sized hole under the bow , then I got an idea on how much foam I would mix,   

                  I decided to mix the whole 2 gallon kit as the cavity was a lot bigger than I expected it to be.

                  I mixed the whole kit and began pouring, as it was "rising" I watched and got nervous that I over poured

                  and that it would blow out the bow! It rose right up to the hole and stopped just short of running out of room.

                   Next I will fiberglass over the hole I drilled with chopped strand mat, then cover the entire area with

                  thick oak boards (coated in resin of course) and then carpeted, this is the new location of my batteries.

                  Again with the added weight of the new foam and 2 batteries im hoping to take a load off the transom.

                  
                   
                        Stay Tuned ...............


       
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