TOPIC: Quick & Dirty Fix needed

For all you boat tinkerers & bargain boaters out there - I have a question.

I picked up my 1983 Bayliner trophy bass boat - 16ft a couple years ago - didn't have any engine - I used my 15hp tiller outboard for the past couple years & it worked well enough - till I started river fishing - I need more drivability & power on the river.

Enter Craigslist & I installed a new (to me)1974 Johnson 85hp this weekend - running nice.

While installing though I noticed some rot. The transom is solid no worries there (yet) & I was able to re-use existing holes to mount the big engine.

But under the hatches in the back - where the batteries sit - the jell coat was long ago cracked & flaked away the plywood was SOAKING WET! This is with my boat being garaged all winter. The wood was rotting and it took a while to clean up with my shop vac. I now have the boat parked outside with all the hatches open trying to dry it out.

What I want to do is get a couple gallons of fiberglass resin & re-seal what remains of my plywood & maybe toss on a couple sheets of fresh glass.

I want to do this on the cheap & will NOT be doing a complete re-hull rebuild etc etc. I can't be the first to do this - I'm looking for advice.

Will this work - at least for the next couple years?

I think you're going to find that resin is not going to stick to wet wood very well. (Even temporarily!) The best bet would be to replace the wet and rotted wood, then fiberglass it in properly. It's not that expensive to do it right, acx plywood will work just fine for a utility repair like that.

Thanks mark. I agree it won't stick to wet wood. I'm drying it out now.

I do like the idea of tossing in some new ply. Really looking at less than 1 sheet. I may reinforce the transom too & use slightly longer bolts to hold the end.

First, after the old wood is dry enough (use a heat gun to speed things up), coat liberally with clear penetrating epoxy sealer (CPES). When dry, load that old wood up with 3M 5200...solid coat covering everything. After that, lay in your new plywood and fasten with SS screws. Fiberglass the new plywood, running the cloth up the sides a couple inches, then prime and paint.

It's really tough to get wood dry and completely rid of the rot spore without removing all if the wet wood. I've seen this on multiple "fail safe" repairs. Keep this in mind in how long you want to use this boat, resale and safety precautions. If you are going to all of the work and expense to fix, why not do it correctly? Food for thought....

Yep what Nautilus said!

Bob

I'm not spending any real cash on this boat. It will last me the 5 or 6 years I need it to. Then I will be in the market for a new (as in not previously owned) boat.

While an 83 Bayliner may not be a collectable, dont give up on old boats. Some hold up better than others, and I have yet to see a boat as sexy as my 71 Kona at my lake. the new style just isnt as cool! I got lucky, Kona was built damn near bullet proof (but that does make it a bit heavier) and no rot.
And best part, $2500 for boat, trailer, and motor. I replaced the impeller and fuel lines. no payments.

Will

That's what I'm talking about brother! Low buck joy!

I used my boat for a full season with just my 15hp tiller

Now I have a good running 85! & all in with trailer I'm at $1100.

When I sell the doner boat & other 85 engine I have it will be even less!

I love doing this stuff!

Do it all yourself, save a ton of cash. You may LOVE the boat when your done so much you won't be shopping. Do it right and safely. I put a ton of work in my boat and it's not worth more than several hundred to anybody but me. To me it's PRICELESS. I'd replace the wood.