New project - Sprint 277 bass boat gonna be a crappie boat

OK, y'all may have seen some info on this project already. Bama S (Lee) was given a boat by his good friend Eric Cagle. He sat in it one time and could not get up. Bass Boat got low seats, and Bama S has bad knees. He was gonna fix it up but it just wasn't gonna work for him. He asked me if I wanted it. I made an offer, and after speaking to Cagle, Lee said sure. So I went to the Crappie Expo in Birmingham Alabama, with Lee, watched Eric Cagle place 7th (I think, I don't see the final results posted yet). Spoke with Eric, and came home with a boat!

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First things first, I replaced both hubs (complete with bearing and all of course). Glad I did, they were not in good shape. Ugliest axles I've ever seem. Looks like bearing seats were previously cut off with a torch. Heck I had to chisel one bearing seat off. I had to do this for the 400 mile trip home.

Let me back up. Eric Cagle only bought this boat for the engine. I'm not sure he even looked at it close, he just had the engine moved to his other boat (his other boat is kinda his back up boat, not even the primary one he fishes/guides with). Lee picked it up and bought it home, and he barely looked at it. And now I took it home. It was a lost boat looking for a home. Or maybe it just was looking to retire in the sandal state, Florida! doh

So now I got it. Made it home without incident. Sure glad I replaced the hubs.

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Got it home late last night.

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I removed the carpet off floor to investigate.

Good looking boat. Came with two Lowrance fish finders, and a 24 volt trolling motor. Plus a couple of battery chargers as well. Seats are nice. Carpeting could use work. Gelcoat needs work as well. But wow, what a deal I got, Thanks Lee, thanks Eric. This will be a fun project. It is solid everywhere except the main lower floor. It's a little soft. I felt around in it and I can feel soft runners. I'll lift up that floor soon but for now I need to get it and keep it dry. And that's hard in Florida, especially this time of the year with the daily rains. So I covered it up, with the ends open. This should keep the water off that floor, and keep airflow through it.
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Oh, the boat came with a ton of those "big ants" (not necessarily carpenter ants as I know those, these were those big black ones), has an ant nest I guess. I bombed it, three cans, ain't nothing gonna be living in that boat for a long time! lol.

Hopefully Mrs. Slab doesn’t make you live in it! Another project….I would be residing with the chickens :Rofl

Good times. Yippee! :popcorn

Whoop whoop. Get after it boss. You are quite the tinkerer of the group.

Looks like something I would drag home. :Rofl My wife would definitely agree with me.

Looking good boss. But rough enough to keep you busy for a bit. But you may need to make room in the shop to work on it in the dry. Or maybe erect up one of them carports long enough to keep it dry.

Good thing you know how to make windshields.

We all love watching boat rebuilds.

MERCY!!!!!!!!! Ed, why do you punish yourself??????????:yikes:yikes:yikes

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The boat is in the garage. And the jeep is out. Let's see what's under the soft floor. Running dehumidifier and fans on the boat now. We will see what we got in this new project real soon!

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Yay! Whatcha gonna do for a motor? May I suggest….you know Tim the Toolman always advocated for more power. :biggrin

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Slab if you need advice on how to "Un-Zip" the hull so you have something to work back to I'm here for you. I've cut up a bunch and put them back together kinda like the 6 Million Dollar Man, Stronger, Faster, Yada, Yada, Yada.

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Originally Posted by rojoguio

Slab if you need advice on how to "Un-Zip" the hull so you have something to work back to I'm here for you. I've cut up a bunch and put them back together kinda like the 6 Million Dollar Man, Stronger, Faster, Yada, Yada, Yada.

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Thanks. The floor is so thin as it is so it'll be a new floor no matter how I unzip it. I'll try to make sure I have enough left to use for a template to make a new one though. Thanks [emoji106]

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:popcorn

Well, I prolly shoulda called John about unzipping because I didn't quite do what I had planned. Anyway, a guy just gotta see. Had to know what was under the floor. So I did what I did, and here it is.

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So yeah, who puts wood in a boat. Don't they know it's gonna get wet. The picture is of after I removed the rotten wood on top that foam. I think this is just gonna be a case of opening it up further and further till I got something dry and solid. Then start slapping penetrating epoxy and fiberglass all over.

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Here's the underneath prior to cleaning out that wood, if that's what you want to call it!

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Yuck, doesn't look good boss. Rot gotta go.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Yuck, doesn't look good boss. Rot gotta go.

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Sure hope you ain't talking about my foot! lol :yikes

Yeah, you gotta check on the "insulation" stuff, too. If that flooring stayed wet long enough to rot out that bad, the insulation foam could also be "waterlogged", and need replacing. :dono

(* sorry, just thinking back to my first boat from back in the 1970's, that had foam flotation that was so waterlogged that it would have sunk like a rock if it ever got swamped. :Doh: )

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Yeah, you gotta check on the "insulation" stuff, too. If that flooring stayed wet long enough to rot out that bad, the insulation foam could also be "waterlogged", and need replacing. :dono

(* sorry, just thinking back to my first boat from back in the 1970's, that had foam flotation that was so waterlogged that it would have sunk like a rock if it ever got swamped. :Doh: )

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Yep, gonna dig that out too. In the mean time, this fiberglass dust has me itching like crazy. I hate cutting fiberglass. Might have to use spray bottle of water next time to keep that dust down.

Nice looking project boat

Slab I take cold showers. It does not need to be ice cold just cold enough for you to be able to feel the pores of your skin close. Don't get in a hot shower then turn it down or the glass will get "Set" in your pores. You have to use a wash rag with lots of soap on it and only wipe away from your torso with the soapy rag. Rinse with the rag too in the same manner and it will pull out the micro fibers stuck in your pores from the days work. If you already do this please disregard.

As far as unzipping, it's best to do the entire skin in one piece for a pattern. Check your stringers for rot too. Caution must be maintained so that the weight of the wet boat on the trailer does not deflect the hull inward creating a massive hook where the trailer boards are sitting. I always block the aft corners of the boat up to prevent that. Also I block the Keel forward of the boards so the keel has most of the weight. If the rot is really bad and I am concerned the gunnels will sag away from each other I stabilize the gunnels too.
Here is the link to my Champion, it is mothballed here to be completed after the Camper is out.

CHAMPION 171SC Full Restoration
The type of cap you have is the same as my Blazer VL100. That flange extends over the floor to be screwed down. Quick fix you leave a 2in flange in the deck skin so you have something to work back to and just dig out the stuff remaining under the balance of deck. This is not uncommon the manufacturers were notorious for not glassing under the deck before laying it down.

My Champ is repaired in stages so the hull is supported while the stringers were replaced. I still have to do the stringers and deck from aft of the cockpit to the transom. It has a lot of references to getting the job done too.

I'd pull it to Kiln Mississippi, leave my checkbook and a phone number to call when it's done........:Rofl

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rojoguio

Slab I take cold showers. It does not need to be ice cold just cold enough for you to be able to feel the pores of your skin close. Don't get in a hot shower then turn it down or the glass will get "Set" in your pores. You have to use a wash rag with lots of soap on it and only wipe away from your torso with the soapy rag. Rinse with the rag too in the same manner and it will pull out the micro fibers stuck in your pores from the days work. If you already do this please disregard.

As far as unzipping, it's best to do the entire skin in one piece for a pattern. Check your stringers for rot too. Caution must be maintained so that the weight of the wet boat on the trailer does not deflect the hull inward creating a massive hook where the trailer boards are sitting. I always block the aft corners of the boat up to prevent that. Also I block the Keel forward of the boards so the keel has most of the weight. If the rot is really bad and I am concerned the gunnels will sag away from each other I stabilize the gunnels too.
Here is the link to my Champion, it is mothballed here to be completed after the Camper is out.

CHAMPION 171SC Full Restoration
The type of cap you have is the same as my Blazer VL100. That flange extends over the floor to be screwed down. Quick fix you leave a 2in flange in the deck skin so you have something to work back to and just dig out the stuff remaining under the balance of deck. This is not uncommon the manufacturers were notorious for not glassing under the deck before laying it down.

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Yep John, I know about the cold shower thing, and I immediately did once I started scratching! Great advice for those that dint know. I gotta re-register at BBC to see the pics though. I wanna see. I wanna see. Funny, you let the termites remove all your wood! lol


Great advice about blocking and stabilizing. I know me, I got a feeling I'm gonna block and stabilize the heck out of it. lol

Slab I have a whole bunch of 1708 S-Glass 48in wide on a roll, Woven Roving 24in wide on a roll, and Chop 40in on a roll if you need glass reinforcement. I'm not taking anymore glass work and will still have plenty to finish my Champ.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rojoguio

Slab I have a whole bunch of 1708 S-Glass 48in wide on a roll, Woven Roving 24in wide on a roll, and Chop 40in on a roll if you need glass reinforcement. I'm not taking anymore glass work and will still have plenty to finish my Champ.

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Awesome. I'll trade you for stuff in my store. And I'm still gonna get your lime green color long sleeve poly shirts you requested. Just waiting till I need to reorder product. Have to meet a minimum.

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I think I bit off more than I can chew. I may have to remove the whole top of the boat?

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Pulling the cap is not too bad with a flange boat. My Champ I had to cut all the dividers of the forward storage area, where they boxed it in at the console, all the way around the cockpit, the bulkhead between the livewell system and fuel tank area, the aft flotation boxes, and break it loose where the splash well is. The splash well lamination takes patients, all the caps I have pulled the top cap is laminated to the transom core behind the splash well. They are easier to fix with the cap off but you do not have to pull the cap. A section can carefully be cut and removed and to reinstall it you must epoxy little flanges all along the cut line gluing from the underside. When returning the channeled section you epoxy it to the flanges you created epoxying it down as you go. After that cures you do the 12X Grind of the seam then glass it back together from the top. Can't say which is easier both methods are used professionally.

Sitting back and watching, learning on these builds. Trying to get some of the materials on hand to do mine when I can. Cajunlady wants me to wait on my boat till that Navy settlement comes in for Camp Lejune and we get into the new house...When ever that will be...Just went over and read all three pages on BBC on rojouio's build there. Lots of great info for sure. Have to replace a closet light fixture, then onto catching up on his boat build blog on here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slab

Here's the underneath prior to cleaning out that wood, if that's what you want to call it!

Attachment 472063

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Was there a dead body in there? :Rofl