BigHEis taking the plunge! My 1st V rebuild.
 

I figured I'd document my efforts here. You have all been a huge help already. Without this site, I wouldn't have the stones to do thins. Thanks a million!!!

I have already removed the rub rails and the sealant from the cap and hull. I can lift the cap all the way around, except for the splash well where it is still connected. I have also removed all the "furniture." A guy at my marina is going to pop the cap/liner free from the hull for me with the backhoe. Once he does that, its off to the races.

I am going with a full transom with a bracket. I want to stay as dry as possible. I'm thing twins. Nothing too big 150-175. I'm afraid of breaking down since my motor will most likely have some age on it. Any thoughts? I'd like to make the run to the lighthouse out of VA Beach for spades. I think its a 9 mile run. That's the furthest I think I'd like to go. I'm open to all comments and criticism. If I'm screwing up, please let me know. I have thick skin, Lol.

Thanks again!

Here are some pics. You may have seen a couple before.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...o/DSC03318.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...o/DSC03313.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...o/DSC03301.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...o/DSC03291.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-00-33_536.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...4-18_794-1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-00-11_770.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-54-29_604.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-56-17_148.jpg

Feeling like Sanford and Son!!!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...-34-19_247.jpg


It all feels like progress to a newbie.

What year is she? 9 miles is nothing for a V20. I have had mine out 35 miles with a 1985 motor that seen better days. Next year if i have a newer motor i am going to double that with a 70 mile run to the rigs for tuna. I have no problem taking a V that far out.

Also whats up with the disappearing "PENN" sticker? I see it in the second pic but not the third. Its driving me up a wall trying to figure it out. :you:

Looks like a '78? Same interior cap as mine. Are you keeping all the 'furniture'....let me know if not!!!!!


Following this one close so I can see whats under the cap!!

BIGHEIS, where are you located? we obviously must live very close to each other. Im out of va beach.

Nope! They going to be way to heavy for a V!! A single with a 10 hp or so kicker will be all you need, save the extra cash for other stuff!!

Lol. That is weird looking. If you look closely, you may be able to tell that the sticker is actually on the windshield that is sitting on the deck in some photos. The windshield is not in the rest of the photos. There is one where the windshield is on the console. The sticker is on the right side.

35 miles!!! Holy Smokes!!! I may have that confidence one day. Baby steps for now.

Kracker Jack, I live in Stafford, Va. about 2 and half hours north of you.

I think I am keeping everything, but I'll let you know if I decide otherwise. I'm kinda anxious to see what's under there myself. It seems like I'm tied to the original design though. Any mods like a livewell or bigger cooler would involve cutting liner and I don't think I'll be doing that.

I completely agree with MJ... only way I'd hang twins on is if they were smaller sized...like 75's perhaps. Truthfully, if you're only going 9 miles out a 140-150 with a 9.9 kicker will be all you'll need for a pleasant day on the water. 9 miles out you'll still be in sight of land and your kicker can get you back to base if your main ever gives out. Distances are VERY deceptive when you're on the water. Good luck with your rebuild...we're all rooting for you. :clap:

Thanks. That makes sense. Only a 10HP though? For emergencies not trolling. Would save me a lot of dough.

Thanks. At some point (way down the line) I may have the stones to go to the stream if its within 25 miles or so. Would you recommend I bump up kicker then?

Heck for the cost of a used 150 or 175 you can almost buy a new 10hp. If you might be encountering strong currents or wind maybe a 15 or 20hp is more in order. But twin 75's does sound like it would make a unique V20. But remember thats double the cost in outboard repairs etc. One reason i got rid of the 250 Sportsman.

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by going to the stream. :head: (Do you mean the Gulf Stream?) But just as a FYI, if it helps, I have a Honda 9.9 on my boat as a kicker that I use for trolling. I figure that in all but the direst emergency, she could get me home. Slowly, for sure, but it beats the crap out of paddleing. As long as you have gas, your kicker should be able to get you home easily enough....even from 25 miles out. (And that reminds me. one of the capital rules in boating...watch your gas consumption. I try and use the 1/4 rule. 1/4 out, 1/4 fishing, 1/4 back, 1/4 emergency use.)

(And don't forget that there are companies like BoatUS and Seatow that will come and bring you gas or tow you home if you have subscribed their service...and it's cheap insurance considering what the cost could be.)

Good points.

Yes, Gulfstream. That's how far we went out for mahi and wahoo an a couple of occasions. Tuna too, I think on another trip.

Looked into Boatus when I started thinking about getting a big water boat last year. I think that's who I'll be going with. I just heard of Seatow recently. I'm going to check them out before I commit though. Thanks.

Yup, familiar with fuel rules. Use it with my freshwater boat. Gonna need some type of fuel flow indicator or something to back up the gauge. Just in case. Thanks again.

Ihave never had a working fuel gauge in any of my boats, lucky i guess? The V20 had 2 side tanks 20 gal each, and after i converted it i added a 35 gal were the i/o use to be.
I never really had to use more then 35, after a while i never filled the saddle bags any more.
Th sea ox has a 110 gal tank, and i have been out 35miles moved all around, and home, used just 35 gal, leaving 75 gal extra, i just make sure i never go out with less then a full tank, nomatter what, then i have no worries

Speak with Allan Owens with BOAT U.S here in va beach. he is a good friend of my family and have known him for years. The albemarle has insurance with them and they are awesome to deal with.

Here's my thoughts - just invest in the towing service (Tow Boat or Sea Tow) and don't buy the kicker. Invest in plenty of anchor line and 15 - 20' of anchor chain. Also invest in a good VHF and even better ANTENNA, because no matter how good the VHF without a good antenna it is no good. Also a hand-held VHF for backup safety. For less than the cost of a kicker you can get the nice anchor line/chain, VHF/handheld VHF, and probably have enough to buy and EPIRB (Emergency locator beacon). If something happens, you lose power, anchor up so your nose is into the seas (keeps from swamping the boat). Hail Seatow/Boat US on VHF and wait for them to get you. By anchoring, you can give them a more presice location = easier to find you. All of the above and if possible head out with another boat (buddy boat).

I've always had Sea Tow. In addition I have a 9.9 kicker that I used to take on saltwater trips. Now I just use it in the lake (when it is running LOL). When you have a kicker for emergency purposes only, you tend to not run them very often. All of the spray from the saltwater will eventually eat away at your kicker, which you rarely run. Then you will realize it is just hanging on the transom adding weight and getting in the way of fishing. Oh and you have to flush it after every trip whether you run it or not.

At least that is what happened to my thinking about kickers for emergency purposes. :beer:

Also, agreed that 9 miles is nothing. Most I've done was 120 miles total on the water in one day. Burned ~ 50-ish gallons. Fishing Hatteras over Memorial day weekend and we will be fishing 25 - 35 miles off every day for 4 days. Expecting to burn around 35 gallons each day, 3 guys.

Good luck w/ the boat!

I'll give them a call.

That makes a lot of sense. Gonna do some shopping and comparing. Thanks.

You guys and your boats that run on sunshine! I will typically go out 35 miles and start trolling, go where I want then make the 25-30 mile run in. I'll burn around 75 gallons in a day. Total trip will be around 140 miles.

I've averaged anywhere from 1.8-2.3 miles to the gallon.

I'll only go out that far if seas are forecasted at 1-2' and despite this have ended up in 6-8 and building due to misread forecasts. In that case I found the largest boat passing by and grabbed a hold of his transom.

The gulf stream can get to 500' depth real quick. Thats alot of anchor line. You have no cell coverage and if you fry your electrical you have no starters for your engine or radio or GPS.

Like mentioned above, always carry a handheld radio and GPS. But you have alot of fun ahead of you before you need to worry about that.

Right you are!!! LOL. But something to think about while we are at it.

I have hit a wall. I have been scouring the net and racking my brain to figure out how I'm going to flip the cap/liner once I have it out of the hull. Supporting it upside down will be the next issue, but I have to find out how to flip it first. Its heavy as hell!!!

Any suggestions???

The pictures are gone?? but stinky did it once

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/communit...light=flipping

here is someone on another site doing one, but with power

http://www.classicmako.com/projects/xshark/bw7.htm

I did it a couple months ago. Took three of us. Wasn't bad at all. Didn't do anything special just on dirt. Why are you flipping it over again? For mine it is to cut out the soft spots in the floor. One thing I found is that the underside is highly porous and if it rains you may create alot more problems by exposing more wood to water. I flipped mine back over after realizing this albeit too late.

My liner has never been out of the hull yet. This will be the first time it'll be flipped. I need to flip it to replace the floor (or sections of the floor). I am going to water proof the bottom before I put it back in. While its out, I will have it covered with a tarp once its dry, replace the stringers and fix the transom job that was done by PO.

So, you guys lifted it out of the hull and flipped manually?:head:

I don't see why 4 guys can't flip that thing over. You have any fishing buddys to help? I soul buy a case of beer and call in the troops!!!

MJ thanks for the classic mako link. I enjoy going thru all those pages. FYI i like the tan Durabak. :love: Evidently the guy that built that boat lives here in Pensacola based on who he has had done the aluminum work and he uses the same ramp i do.

Yes, but we are all over analyzers. I think I have figured it out though.

I'm going to take the boat off of the (roller) trailer right side up. Then we are going to roll it upside down in tact (I'm thinking onto 2x6s so we can move the liner around by the boards). Then we will lift the hull off of the liner, flip it over and put it back on the trailer where the stringer and transom work will happen.

That should do it.

It took three of us, we did not use any old tires for to distribute weight on the edge but I probably would just as some insurance. I did not strain at all lifting and another guy asked "who is taking all the weight while we rolled it over."

When I flipped it back over I did it myself with the help of an excavator, lifted it up by one corner to where just the bow was touching earth, rolled it by hand and lowered it down. It probably weighs 400 pounds and its pretty strong. I did take every hatch cover off before lifting out.

Here is something to consider. The floor is attached to the stringers with putty. Mine popped loose without a tremendous strain, actually....that's hard to say for sure with a machine that can lift 15000 Lbs. Others have had a tough time because that putty grabbed hold to the stringers and top really well when they were mashed together at the factory. But what will you do when you flip your boat upside down, undo all the screws and the top does not drop out like you envision and it turns out yu have a tough one?

I would stick with the way 999 out of 1000 do it. Pull the top, roll it over. You're making more work for yourself than necessary. Sometimes that old addage "work smarter, not harder" leads to more work. I've lost alot of time trying to come up with better ways and techniques only to go back to what I had in my notes when I first started doing research.

Have you seen the pic of the cap suspended in the thread I started "So Here She Is?"

I have seen your thread. I don't have the opportunity to use construction equipment or the likes. I have a guy with a back hoe willing to pop the cap free of the hull and stringers before we roll it over but that is it. All the screws are already out.

Still thinking and researching. I've done a ton of looking and that's the first I've heard of using old tires. Thanks.