Cap is off

[jasoncooperpcola]

Started at 6 this morning and at about 9:30 I had the cap off. I had to jack the boat up and put a 2x4 under the cap edge on the bow then lower the trailer and bounce on the tongue to get it broke loose. To discover foam we sprayed in the bow. Glued it up pretty tight. Next came the transom, after winching, raising and lowering the bow, and opening a pretty good sized stress crack in each corner of the cap I figured the splashwell was glued to the transom. Tore the fiberglass off the back edge of the splashwell, and it was glassed in. I think I hit it with a hammer and flat bar about five times before it gave way.

Got the hull out from under the cap. Now some bad news. Looks like I am replacing every stringer and floor (cross stringers) in the boat, up to the cuddy liner. Everything is rotted out and where one stringer meats another stringer its broke. After seeing this on TWO Wellcrafts now, I am thinking about running twin stringers glassed together in place of one stringer.

I did not know the stringer cavities on the outside edges were completely filled with foam. There should be enough foam in it, to keep it afloat if something bad happens. Right now I am removing the foam around the gas tank with a chainsaw to have a look at the tank. Pics a little later.

[RidgeRunner]

Get er done.. Those 4x6 do the job? Pictures, please.. I gotta see.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Yes, the 4x6 did not even bend the slightest.

Bow broke loose





Cap off and winched all the way to the 4x6s.

[jasoncooperpcola]

And now the bad.

Transom rot.





Broken stringers

[jasoncooperpcola]

Gas tank removal FUN!! And I still have not got it broke loose even with all the foam removed from around the sides of the tank.





Why the cut down stringers???





Hull as it sits now



Cap, resting on a 4x6 up front and a 4x4 on the rear



Here you can see where I tore a section of the splashwell lip out to break the cap loose from the transom.

[Kracker Jack]

Holy smokes Batman!!!!! That's a lot of work dude.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Had three teeth pulled today and hoped to work on cleaning the garage. No luck, I was hurting so bad I HAD to get my pain medicine script filled. I had hoped to throw it away as I have done all the others.

Anyways the V had a substantial amount of water in it from rain. And it was draining out......... from around the high speed pickup mounted on the hull. Pretty good drip too. The V has always pulled hard to the starboard side. the pickup is mounted on the starboard side about a foot from the keel right where the cuddy starts. its in a bad location for what i need. i need it towards the stern for my livewell and washdown. should i move the pickup to the rear and repair the hole? just because it is a hole in the bottom of the boat i may have a pro do it.

[bgreene]

Wow that's some incredible work you've done ...... all the way to the bone.

Now you can re build the transom to be stronger than original - and therefore handle nearly any outboard you want to rig.

Good luck with it.

[smokeonthewater]

glassing the bottom is no worse than glassing anything else BUT if you for some reason don't want to then seal it up with a new thruhull and 5200 then plug it with a bronze pipe cap or a bushing and a bull plug.... my montecarlo had 4... 3 'ducers and 1 speed temp when I got it.... I put 1 'ducer in w speed temp built in and plugged all 3 of the others this way.

This also leaves you a place to hook up a raw water washdown in the future.

[Kracker Jack]

Jason I have all the confidence in the world that you can repair that hole. The internet and YouTube and other boat sites will tell you all the info you need to do a progressive patch on that spot. Can you acess the inside of that repair or only the outside?