Shaft length on 18 Fisherman

[jasoncooperpcola]

More pics








Curapa when you said it was built like a tank, you was right. Thats a helluva lot of wood in the hull.

[Stinky_Hooker]

I think you made the right decision. Hate to see her get thrown out but thats alot of work. Good to see the stringer layout. I always knew mine was a solid heavy beast for her size. I see why now.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Originally Posted by Stinky_Hooker

I think you made the right decision. Hate to see her get thrown out but thats alot of work. Good to see the stringer layout. I always knew mine was a solid heavy beast for her size. I see why now.

Stink she aint a total loss. I did get a center console and rubrail, i hope to use them both on the v20 rebuild. So parts of her will live on. I hope the rubrail will be long enough to do the sides. Also i may use the front deck if i dont go with a shortened cuddy. I will tell you she hauled just like the v20 behind the truck so she has got some weight. Also it wasnt the work that discouraged me it was the money it would take. Heck i dont mind working on boats.

[Stinky_Hooker]

I understand.

Just a thought, but a shortened cuddy (mostly only useful for storage) with that center console setup would be sharp. Kinda like the sport cuddy Makos, or contenders. Way more fishable than the V20 cuddys with a ton more deckspace than the 18.

[jasoncooperpcola]

You are correct, thats why i am considering a shortened cuddy is for storage. V20 Sport-Fish??????? lol

[rrichar1]

Thanks for posting those pictures that really sheds some light as to what's beneath my 18 fisherman and will be invaluable for future reference.

Can you elaborate on the extreme rotting of the stringers?

[Kracker Jack]

Originally Posted by jsgeorge4x4

its a shame that this project would cost too much, it would have been cool to see it turn out something like stinkers. how common is the stringer/transom rot on these boats and the 20's anyway?

Rot seems to be pretty common on your average 70's early 80's v20's. I have looked at numerous v20's in my area and all the ones I've seen that are supposively in great shape have rotted transoms. Unless you have a creampuff!!!!

[jasoncooperpcola]

Every joint where a stringer meets a cross stringer (aka floors) it is broken. If i stand on some of the stringers they fold over. Whoever had this boat before me was an idiot. Noway this much has rotted out since they replaced the transom they had to see it, hell they even cut 12'' off the stringers to tab new stringerlets onto. I found spots where i dug wet rotted wood out all the way to the hull.

If only i pulled a rod box out when inspecting it before buying it.

jsgeorge4x4 remove your rod boxes you should be able to get to the floors and maybe the stringers from there. Tap on them with a hammer. It should not bounce. It should sound solid.

This is a stringer i am standing on.


Side of gas tank stringer



Rear of gas tank bulkhead



Wet soaked wood and i just took a hatchet and hacked the skin off. So since 1982 this is the first time this wood has seen light. I dug wood out all the way to the hull here.



This joint is broken.



This is rot where Wellcraft did not seal the cut out for the fuel hoses in the stringer.






This weekend i will take the center console and all the trash out of the boat and take a few pictures of the entire stringer layout for everyone to see how it looks without stuff in the way.

[Kracker Jack]

Them Natural Light beer cans in the last pic looked like my build when I started wacking and jacking on the stringers!!!!!! The Nattys helped out alot to numb the itch !!!!!

[jasoncooperpcola]

I have never tried Natty Light, Kracker. I nmust have found about fifty empty cans in the stringers, some of them i dont know how they got where they did.

Here are a couple pics of the gas tank. You can clearly see the hole in the close up. Notice its only corroded where the foam was.





I linked a website on a thread here a few months ago about the harm of foaming gas tanks in. Give me a while to find it.

Found it; www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm