not for the weak at heart

[chesapeake_dreamer]

This is my baby the Chesapeake Dreamer a work in progress that was left neglect for too long.
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150013.jpg
Notice the empty string glass
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150034.jpg
and the holes cut into her
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150035.jpg
here it should say Triumph vee 18
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150015.jpg
did I mention some bulkheads look bad too?
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150025.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150029.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150020.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150019.jpg

[tsubaki]

Keep em comming.
My grandfather (the original owner of the V I got) was from Brunswick. Owned a few businesses there also.
Good part is, you almost got a clean canvas to work on.
Do most anything you want.

[chesapeake_dreamer]

She has her fair share of dents and dings but, I did salvage the original seats
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150036.jpg

and these are two of my new friends
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150026.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150024.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150017.jpg
heres just before I started surgery. That's a cowling that someone built out of 1/4 pluwood and glass cover a 30 gl fuel tank that well I'll show ya
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/blackpearl3.jpg
sure the tanks seen better days a new one is on the list but the seats did clean up nicely.
Now, anyone got any advise on how to redo the stringers? And I sea a lot of starboard in my future
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150030.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P6150037.jpg

[Airslot]

I don't know about starboard, but I see a grinder in your future. How are the stringers? Any rot, mostly rot, or are they solid?

[chesapeake_dreamer]

if you look closely in the pics you will see the glass is empty!!! I found sawdust and slithers of wood. The stringers are totally gone. Someone cut through them and ran cabeling at one point and never reglassed them. Either that or they didn't seal the screw holes from replacing the decking. In anycase, new stringers all around and two maybe three bulkheads. I too see a grinder in my future, the force must be strong with this one. the good news is, the transom, solid as a rock, THANK YOU GOD, and the hull is tight. The boat was also stored at an angle so the bow stringers are good. From the console back, it's a different story.

[Airslot]

Let me start by saying that I'm no 'glass pro...

I think what I'd do is leave all that glass intact. Cut new stringers out of 3/4 ply and glass them to the existing glass and box in what you got. She'll be stronger than new when done. You'll have to scuff the old glass pretty good, clean it up, and the you should be able to get a good bond. There will be other ideas along shortly...

[chesapeake_dreamer]

I considered that but, being there is no wood where the stringers were and just empty glass tubes, I'm worried it wouldn't be strong enough. My plan here and if I'm wrong somebody please stop me before I spend money I don't have, is to cut out the old glass cut new stringers and girders and bulkheads and glass them all back in. The original stringers where or looked to have been 2by's and the girders 1 by's can I replace it with a couple of pieces of ply? Like tsubaki said, I have a pretty clean slate and am drawing and thinking before I go grinding away. I do thank all of you for all and any help.

[tsubaki]

I'm no big fan of replaceing wood where wood had rotted. What ever you do, do not use pressure treated plywood, it will seperate and be spongey.
Two great tools for cutting fiberglass like you are fixing to do. Battery powered circular saw and a air powered cutoff wheel, both of them kick up little dust compared to anything else.

[randlemanboater]

I think someone on here cut the top off of the stringer, got the rotten wood out, and put new wood into the old shell that was left. They slathered the new wood w/ resin when they put it in, then glassed over the top that they had cut off.

Or maybe that was a dream I had after sniffing too much 5200.

[reelapeelin]

Dreamer, I LUV yer boat...when I was lookin' at one, I WANTED it SO bad ... on those stringers...how 'bout ya cut the top of 'em off where rotted, clean junk out and pour Seacast in there...has anybody ever done that ... someone made the point just the other day, the glass is the strength ... the 18 I's lookin' at was in about the same shape ;) ...


Skools or anybody that knows...Dreamers 90...can it be bumped to 140 w/ carb swap?...I had '84 140 Rude and someone told me that??...

[tsubaki]

Someone has and I agree with reel, also add cloth or matting as you fill.
Doing completely in some sort of resin and cloth may not be pheisable (is that a word), but the best long run approach.

[tsubaki]

I'll have to check the years but basically the 4cly 90hp Rudes can be improved to 140hp easily with the parts. The kicker is the parts, so many people have opted to do this that they are in high demand and rare. I got them to do one and ain't ready to share yet, only got one shot and they are real iffy as to the condition.
Basically change (or drill out the jets) the carbs and the reed plates.

[randlemanboater]

pheisable (is that a word),

If only we had spellcheck.

Hey MJ, can we get spell check?

[macojoe]

You have a big project there and it will be Nice when she is done!!

But let me ask, how is it that all the stringers have no wood?? I mean there has to be something some place??

Now the reason I ask this is BS showed us a bot on another thread that had no wood and that was the way they made the boat, just empty tubes!!

Could it be that what you have found is dirt and stuff from the floor or even left from its build??

I just find it hard to believe that every stringer from front to back is empty cause of rot?

Call wellcraft ask them if they ever made no wood stringers?

ok I will shut up now, I have to sleep!!

[msbhammer]

So where;s Glynn County ????
Gotta agree with others, thought it was posted somewhere that no wood was used on some models, and just the glass stringers was the strenght. Good project. keep those pics. a rolling for those few Pic. Ho's that we have here. ;) ;D

[reelapeelin]

MJ...go back and read it again...I think he says wood in the front as boat was stored tilted up ... when me, Franco and Willy toured the Pursuit Factory w/ Franco's brother, their stringers have no wood or any other core material ... open and hollow...but it's also not "stringers" in the sense we're talkin' here either ... all the stringers, cross-members, bulkheads, everything below the floor-deck is molded into one structural frame, then glassed into the bottom of the hull as one bow-to-stern unit 8) ...Willy got a pic of it, but Franco's brother said if he published it on the net, he'd have to kill him...



Oh yeah...it's feasible ;) ...

[tsubaki]

Oh yeah...it's feasible *;) ...







Sorry I was (am) over at daddys drinking.

[chesapeake_dreamer]

I considered that maybe they should be empty. The bulkheads are plywood and glass byt the stringers... well I just don't know. I've heard both sides here and from friends. The guys at wellcraft had a resounding I dunno so no help there.

I'll pray to the sea-tow God and I'm sure it will come to me in a dream.

Interesting enough, the hull is supper solid even with empty stringer.

[tsubaki]

Hammer,Glynn County is between Florida and South Carolina. Brunswick,Jekyll Island, about 70 miles south of Savannah and 60 miles north of Jacksonville.

[msbhammer]

Thanks Tusa. ;)

[tsubaki]

ches, you would be surprised at how much of the wood installed originally is not needed after the hull and molds are joined.
We were looking at another boat today to decide about cutting the keel or not to put a battery in the bow. The end decision was "it's not doing much of anything since the glassed sections are in place".

[chesapeake_dreamer]

Glynn County is in SE Georgia. Brunswick, St Simons Isle Jeckyl Isle. It's where the hammer heads breed. I've wondered about leaving the stringers empy but worry they won't do the job. I've considered seacast but not sure I can afforn it. The bulk heads have rotten wood so the stringers should to and don't so maybe they should be empty. I've put yet another letter to wellcraft and Lee, I should no more soon til then, more ripping out and prep work. Thanks for the encouragement guys, I was on the verge of trashing the whole idea and am now glad I didn't.

[chesapeake_dreamer]

I tend to agree, I'm going to rip the rest of the floor up and check it out. Seacast is expensive, and after further review, the stringers were 3/4 ply with kleets nailed at the top so, they can't have a lot of structural integrity to begin with. I'm just waiting on one last email from wellcraft befor I cover up the empty stringers. Makes me nervous.

[reelapeelin]

Dreamer, I wouldn't leave 'em open...if nothing else, cut 3/4" ply or something, heavy coat of resin in cavity AND on board and shove in to place ... that can't cost much, but would be better than leaving open ;) ...

[Monkey Butler]

Hey CD,

I had pretty much the same boat...

http://www.monkeybutler.com/boat/IMG_2143T.jpg

except mine was an I/O.

http://www.monkeybutler.com/boat/IMG_2141T.jpg

I just sold it a little over a week ago. Mine was a 1968 and boats from that era were from a time when the builders didn't know or want to know how little fiberglass they could get away with using so it is definately overbuilt. I did some real wave bashing with mine and I remember thinking to myself how solid it seemed. I mean there was no pounding sounds or the kind of resonance you get from thin 'glass shaking around in lighter boats. I think that you can get away without putting wood back in there.

I really didn't have any complaints about the boat. I just found it a little cramped for my family of five, plus I wanted to bring along a couple of friends now and then. For it's size the boat is narrow by today's standards. If you notice in my pix the hull is well within the fenders on the trailer. A current runabout would extend out over the fenders by quite a bit. I think I measured it once and the beam was shy of seven feet. The narrow beam makes it a better sea boat but it does cut down on the elbow room too.

Something I always wondered about but could never figure out... maybe since you've got your's opened up you can answer this for me? On mine there didn't seem to be any way for water to get from the bow to the aft bilge area. The bow had an inner liner that made up the forward cabin vee berth and a footwell that extended out into the cockpit. There was an anchor locker in front of this liner so it was possible for water to get under there I guess, but I couldn't see how it would get out. Looking at your pics doesn't make it any clearer.

Good luck, it's a worthwhile project for sure.

Steve P.

[chesapeake_dreamer]

I've wondered the same and noticed a small gap between the bulk head and the hull. At the same time, the foot locker doesn't have a drain and when it rained last week and I didn't put the tarp on her, I noticed standing water in the cuddy area. Nothing a shop vac couldn't fix. Do you have anymore pics of your old boat? I'm restoring mine but have no original pics and wellcraft doesn't have much to go on either.

[email protected] is my email address if you'd like to send them there, it would really help.

[tsubaki]

Tally if you do have them, post them here.

[Monkey Butler]

I don't have the time to resize all the pics so I'll just post up some links.

First off look here for some pics, it is the ebay auction with the welching winning bidder...

http://cm.ebay.com/cm/ck/1065-29323-2357-0?uid=31911766&site=0&ver=EOISSA080805&item=330123 766863&lk=URL

Some random pics I had around...

The seatboxes are not origianal. I could never figure out what the bronze piece sticking out of the floor behind the drivers seat was...
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_2148T.jpg

The engine bay. The front mounts are on a raised area. Behind that it drops down to the hull bottom. No limber hole I could find...
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_2152T.jpg

The only shot I have of the cabin. It had a fiberglass liner in the cabin area. Behind the door is the anchor locker area.
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_2154T.jpg

If you look closely you can see a blue cover that fit over the footwell that extended int the cockpit from the cabin...
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_2157T.jpg

In this picture you can see a hawse pipe that was missing the cover when I got it. It opens into the anchor locker IN FRONT OF the cabin liner. Where did the water go?
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_3368.jpg

That's all for now.





A roadside relic I spotted...

http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_3334.jpg
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_3335.jpg
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_3336.jpg
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_3337.jpg
http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_3338.jpg

http://www.kci2.com/b/IMG_1008.jpg

[chesapeake_dreamer]

Hey Tally,

Much thanks. Those pics are better then anything Wellcraft has sent me. I agree the boat sometimes seems a bit cramped, that's how my restoration began. I noticed a small soft spot and decided if I was going to cut the floor and fix it may has well put the fuel cell below deck. Next thing ya know, I have gaping holes in my floor and the rest is soon to be history.

I'd like to find the original plastic decor pieces that belong on the bout IE Wellcraft and Triumph but have had no luck finding them. Again thanks for the pics and info.

[chesapeake_dreamin]

Ok so it's 120+ and I took a sickday from work so what to do! That's right cut out old flooring and stringers. Most of the old glass had no wood but once I started cutting, I found little pieces everywhere. Took a few hours but her's what I got done today.
THE PLAYERS
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8090001.jpg
The biggest piece of wood I found in the old stringer cavity
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100002.jpg
more wood fragments
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100004.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100005.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100003.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100006.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100010.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100011.jpg
Even the bulkhead was missing her wood
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100012.jpg
wanted to use the old floor pieces for a template but, after cutting them out, I noticed a 1/4 gap between the hull and floor so this is trash
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100009.jpg
cramped and itchy but it will be worth it in the end. I vacuummed for ever to get it this clean. Figure if I clean as I go it won't be as bad. I know still more grinding but it won't be long now.

[chesapeake_dreamin]

also want to replace these but floor and stringers first, I can take these out this winter and put rod boxes in
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100008.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100007.jpg
also thinking of running a piece of conduit through the floor to get all that cabeling out of the way. What yua think? I know the batteries will be up front under the portside jump seat I'm building/ordering.

[macojoe]

Your doing a great job to the old girl!! Keep it up!!

[msbhammer]

Great Pics. We both have alot of work to do ahead of us.
Keep those pics coming. ;)

[chesapeake_dreamin]

figured while the floor is out, I'd replace the old fuel tank. So last night, I bought this baby
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/31qOlGf4flL._AA280_.jpg
and she goes here
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z197/chesapeake_dreamer/P8100011-1.jpg
should be here by the end of the week and the wood is in, just need to go get it in the am.
meanwhile, I'm reading the Johnyrude manual for my 1984 909 vro. Hope to do my own tune up and water pump before getting back on the h20

[msbhammer]

Sounds like a plan. Dont stop...and keep the camera charged, ;D

[rhahn427]

What about just drilling a whole and placing a long tube in there and filling with some sort of foam .......... .this will add some strength and flotation and won't rot and encase anything that might be in there ......... also it's simple and should be cheap ......... when finished ..... just glass the whole ........

[chesapeake_dreamin]

I considered that but after finding old rotten wood in the stringer cavities, I figured it best to just replace but do it correctly. IE resin everything. I'll just be glad to get it done all ready.

[Pipe_Dream]

Awesome job, Ches. Keep at it.

[chesapeake_dreamin]

Thanx guys I need all the encouragement I can get. Working 24 hour shifts makes it hard to get things done on your next day off then add working doubles because we're short handed 100 + temps and wife kids grand kid. Keep your fingers crossed, wife swears to me I have all weekend to work on the boat. I want her in the water in time for the fall bite. Dog days are here and fishing is real slow. But in a few weeks it will be redfish stripers and sea trout. Not to mention the reef bite (1-20 miles out) will pick back up.