Almost 2000 posts

bradford · #1 08-03-2011, 11:42 PM

Been here almost 5 years now and this is still the coolest, most likable, most helpful and knowledgeable group of folks around. I owe more than a few of ya'll a favor for getting me out of a pinch, offering helpful and free advice, and a bunch of good laughs.

Now I have a confession to make....

....I've been holding out on ya'll.

Sometime in late April the wifey and I took the V for a ride. We went out Bull River, through Wassaw Sound and offshore a short ways on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon with light winds. I turned around at the "R2W" buoy and headed back in to anchor off on Salt Pond Shoal to have our picnic lunch. The V was really riding well until I underestimated the outgoing tide and the virgin skeg of my ETEC touched the bottom as I ran aground on the shoal. I immediately trimmed up the engine to see a nice sanding job on the skeg. I had been pretty proud of myself for never having touched bottom with my brand new engine for over a year now. Pretty bummed out I motored over to the north end of Wassaw Island. I anchored off the beach and trimmed the engine up again to survey the damage again as the wifey got out our picnic lunch. Turns out the sanding job on the skeg was the least of my worries. I leaned out over the stern looking at my engine and noticed that the small gelcoat crack in the top port side corner of my transom now continued down the transom and across and up the other side following the line of what I soon figured out used to be a 20 inch transom. The crack didn't go all the way through to the splash well and we weren't taking on water, Thank You God! The transom had some minimal flex when jacking up and down on the engine, but not enough that we couldn't make it back home. Needless to say it really bummed me out because I knew our summer with the V, one of my few escapes, was pretty much shot.

I had been talking to a couple of guys about getting her painted. I figured with dropping all that serious dough on a new engine the year before I should probably bring the rest of the boat up to speed to at least match the engine. I had planned on using her this summer and then use the autumn and winter to sand and fill all the screw holes from previous owners and get her painted. Well now I get to do a transom job as well. One of the guys I had talked to about doing glass work flaked out on me and another got his "real" job back and didn't have the time to do all that I was now thinking about doing. A few people In the marine industry that I knew recommended a fella named Jerry Adams down in Richmond Hill. I called and talked to Jerry and arranged to meet him at his shop with my V the following week. Turns out Jerry's boat happens to be a 70's model V20 and his family owned the Wellcraft dealership in Savannah back in the day.
After talking to Jerry and going over different scenarios in my head for about a week and a half, (find a different hull, fix the transom and get back out on the water, do a full blown redo,)and some soul searching, I decided I've been blessed with a unique opportunity to build/restore one of these classic hulls that our little community here loves and appreciates. I'm open to suggestions from ya'll, and plan on making changes that I've seen on ya'lls boats and adding features that I feel will make her one of a kind.

Here's the short list: Half of this is already done.
Rebuild transom
Recore sagging topdeck over cuddy cabin and add support (not to mention get rid of the lambs wool headliner)
Replace hatch covers and recess hinges into deck.
Fill all screw holes and remove all cockpit cover snaps, un-needed clam shell vents, and antennae mounts
Dremel out and fill all spider cracks
New rubrail
Cut new hatch in deck between fish box and cuddy cabin door (Like Phatdaddy's)
Move batteries forward to new deck hatch
Replace aging batteries and upgrade to larger gauge cables (Suggestions on size?)
Re-route deck drains to drain to splash well, fill scupper holes in hull
Replace all thru-hulls and deck drains with stainless
Upgrade rear cleats to 8 inch, add 8 inch cleats just forward of the windsheild
Add custom fiberglass anchor pulpit contoured to fit the forward edge of the cap and modify bowrail accordingly
Add hawse pipe to top deck to allow anchor rode to pass to anchor locker
Add additional bilge pump and float switch
Remove all stickers/decals/stripes
Remove all decals on ETEC
Paint hull and cap Awlgrip Cloud White, paint deck Awlgrip Sea Foam green cut with white to lighten.
New back to back seat for the wifey
New teak sliding hatch trim, teak dash, and arm rests. Remove all teak trim on gunnels and splash well
Custom Boykin Marine hardtop/half-tower with black sunbrella

Let me know what ya'll think. When she's finished I guess I'll have to get Tsubaki or Whatknot to come over and take some pics for ya'll.

nipper · #2 08-04-2011, 12:42 AM

Very sorry to hear about the transom, Bradford, but it sounds like Lady Luck was with you in the way the problem manifested itself. You could have been out in heavy seas and dropped that nice ETEC into the deep (or even worse). You and your wife are here to tell about it and boat another day, and that is a very good thing.

Road King Cole · #3 08-04-2011, 08:06 AM

Sounds like that will be a beauty when it is done.

Is the wiring original?

That's what should be done with my boat. I am still waiting for inaforty to come over and show me how to do it while I hand him beers.

rkc

Destroyer · #4 08-04-2011, 08:36 AM

Grats on making it home... Grats on deciding to "geterdone"... MAJOR Grats on your next post for the deuce.... now, there's just one final thing that you need to do....

reelapeelin · #5 08-04-2011, 09:45 AM

Impressive list...seatback for wifey would shoot to 1st position if mine...LOL!!...

About yer transom...my newly acquired '84 HAS a 25" transom...so how did yours become a 20" for somebody to build up like that...did Wellcraft offer both back then?...

...and the reason you didn't see the inside crack is because what we see looking at the back of the splashwell is not the true inside of the transom wall...what you see is part of the "cap" that fits into the stern position against the transom...if you pulled the entire cap off the hull, that piece would be a part of it...

THEFERMANATOR · #6 08-04-2011, 10:13 AM

In the 80's you could order either a 20", 25", or SEA-DRIVE for an outboard V-20. Along the way many would cut a 25" down to a 20 when the top of the transom would get soft instead of rebuilding it and this would buy some time before a rebuild.

reelapeelin · #7 08-04-2011, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEFERMANATOR

In the 80's you could order either a 20", 25", or SEA-DRIVE for an outboard V-20. Along the way many would cut a 25" down to a 20 when the top of the transom would get soft instead of rebuilding it and this would buy some time before a rebuild.

Well I guess they'd have to replace the motor instead of fixing the transom...

...they musta had motors squirting outta their a$$es...but at least it explains the question...

Blue_Runner · #8 08-04-2011, 12:17 PM

Congrats on joining the 2000 club with your next post. What you are planning for the V sounds great. I wish you all the best of luck from here on out!

RWilson2526 · #9 08-04-2011, 01:14 PM

Sounds like a hell of a plan....as I was reading your post I was sure you were going to end up with "and thats why I'm sellin' the boat fellas and moving onto to something else" Was pleasantly surprised when I read your plan. Good luck with it and dont forget photo documenation

bradford · #10 08-13-2011, 02:26 PM

Well it's been a week and a half or so And I can't just not post till she's done So I guess this makes number 2000.

Made a few changes since the last post.

Decided to remove all the non-skid on the front deck over the cuddy and the tops of the gunnels. Gonna go with a smooth finish. This should cut down significantly with the scrubbing and cleaning, as well as give her a more clean and somewhat custom look.

I also decided to install a Blue Seas Systems automatic charging relay and dual circuit battery combiner in place of the 1 both 2 off switch that I have now. I installed a Blue Seas switch panel when I redid my dash a couple years ago and am impressed with the quality and functionality of their products.

I decided to change out both bilge pumps with everybody posting stories of 20 footers sinking and am thinking about adding a third just for overkill. The ones I'm installing are Rule 1500 fully automated pumps with the built in float switch. These cost a little more than installing ones with separate float switches, but I figure it's a cleaner install with fewer wires to become accidently disconnected.

I purchased two new Interstate batteries from River Supply in Thunderbolt. They were even cheaper than the Interstate distributor in Rincon. One battery is a deep cyle for all the house loads and the other is their extra heavy duty cranking battery which will be dedicated for starting.

I'm wondering what size wire to run from the new forward battery compartment just aft of the cuddy door to the engine. I'll be routing the wires up behind the helm and down the inside of the gunnel to the transom.. I'm thinking either 2 or 4 gauge? Tell me what ya'll think.

That's all for now.