1972 13-footer: Hull Drains; Wood Location; Hull Weight; Bow Eye

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
Robertl211
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:28 pm

1972 13-footer: Hull Drains; Wood Location; Hull Weight; Bow Eye

Postby Robertl211 » Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:47 pm

I'll start with an introduction. My name is Rob, I am from Cape Cod, and I work in the offshore oil industry. Some of you probably know me from THT, DEBF, and Red Regulator. I have a 26 Regulator, a 19' Seaway project, and now a 13-foot Boston Whaler semi-project boat.

I recently picked up a 13-footer in bad, yet salvageable condition for $175. I spent a good amount of my childhood on this boat and had to have it. The boat was easily lifted off the trailer by three people so I don't anticipate a crazy amount of trapped water, but there is absolutely some. I need to replace the hull drains as they are broken free, and allow water into the hull. The boat sat on land in the sun for the past 10 years and never was in the water until I float tested it a few booze cruises last month. I put a brand new trailer under it and I'm going to start grinding this month. Planning on a full sand/grind/fair/re-gelcoat of the bottom, transom and maybe interior.

Some questions:
What size brass/copper is the garboard drain?

Where in this hull can I find wood? I will be cutting out and replacing with Coosa or Nidacore.

This boat should weigh 250 to 300-lbs, dry, correct?

I plan on removing the stupid thru-hull bow eye and replacing with conventional. Any problems to this?

Thanks for your input and I cant wait to get started.
1999 Regulator 26FS twin 250 ox66
1972 Whaler 13' Mini-project
1983 Seaway 19' - 75 OMC - Restoration in progress
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...ld-thread.html

Robertl211
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:28 pm

Re: 1972 13' Whaler Question

Postby Robertl211 » Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:57 pm

I have already read the FAQs I know you guys like to reference those!
1999 Regulator 26FS twin 250 ox66
1972 Whaler 13' Mini-project
1983 Seaway 19' - 75 OMC - Restoration in progress
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...ld-thread.html

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dg22
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Re: 1972 13-footer Hull Weight; Wood Location

Postby dg22 » Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:19 pm

The CW reference below says weight of the 1959 model is between 250 to 275 so I'm guessing the 1972 model would be close to that weight. There are also diagrams of the embedded wood. All the best with your project.

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/13/

Robertl211
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:28 pm

Re: 1972 13' Whaler Question

Postby Robertl211 » Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:35 pm

Thanks dg22, that was very helpful. I now understand how little wood there is in the hull, and will only plan to replace the transom section. When I do this I'll bring it up all the way to flush with the rest of the transom. Thank you!
1999 Regulator 26FS twin 250 ox66
1972 Whaler 13' Mini-project
1983 Seaway 19' - 75 OMC - Restoration in progress
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...ld-thread.html

jimh
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Re: 1972 13-footer: Hull Drains

Postby jimh » Tue Aug 23, 2016 6:16 am

Replacement of the hull drains is described in the FAQ. See

Q12: How Are Drain Tubes Replaced?
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q12

The answers in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section have been carefully researched. Do not confuse their terse language for a lack of information.

jimh
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Re: 1972 13-footer: Wood Location; Hull Weight

Postby jimh » Tue Aug 23, 2016 6:17 am

The location of wood reinforcements in the 13-foot hull and the typical hull weight are given in the REFERENCE section article on this model. See

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/13/

Please note that the resources of the website are not just the discussion forum. There are a great many articles in the REFERENCE section on a variety of subjects related to Boston Whaler boats and other general boating topics.

jimh
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Re: 1972 13-footer: Bow Eye

Postby jimh » Tue Aug 23, 2016 6:22 am

I am not sure what sort of replacement you plan for the "stupid thru-hull bow eye" on your classic 13-foot Boston Whaler hull. The bow eye assembly also provides a lifting point for the hull in the bow with the pad eye just forward of the anchor locker.

Can you elaborate on your plans to improve this feature?

Robertl211
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:28 pm

Re: 1972 13-footer: Hull Drains; Wood Location; Hull Weight; Bow Eye

Postby Robertl211 » Tue Aug 23, 2016 8:54 pm

[Explains that to replace the "stupid thru-hull bow eye" that was used on a Boston Whaler 13-foot boat he will use] a regular stainless U-bolt type eye such [as used] on every other boat [and will] cut the threads off so the nuts don't pose a cut hazard. The current one lends itself to be easily broken free and damage the surrounding hole material as it has done on my boat.

I don't need any lift points in the bow other than the eye to hook to the trailer. Back in the day this boat was the tender for a large yacht and unfortunately they built their own stupid lift points into the boat. When I remove all of the console, seats and hardware those will probably go, too.

I have read the REFERENCE sections. They compile a large amount of good information in one place. I have the wood location drawing already downloaded since dg22 pointed me in the right direction. I guess my question was more which wood will be rotten first, and which wood doesn't need any attention at all.

I appreciate your responses and sorry if I have offended you, because it seems that I have. Between the old and new forums I have been trying to find the information on my own, but it is much more effective to ask. While some of my questions have been covered in the REFERENCE section, a discussion into them cannot ever hurt.
1999 Regulator 26FS twin 250 ox66
1972 Whaler 13' Mini-project
1983 Seaway 19' - 75 OMC - Restoration in progress
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...ld-thread.html

Robertl211
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 8:28 pm

Re: 1972 13-footer: Hull Drains

Postby Robertl211 » Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:27 pm

jimh wrote:Replacement of the hull drains is described in the FAQ. See

Q12: How Are Drain Tubes Replaced?
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q12

The answers in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS section have been carefully researched. Do not confuse their terse language for a lack of information.


I know HOW to replace it, I just don't know what size it is and how long. I am currently offshore and do not have access to the boat, but trying to get materials together so I can start when I get home. Thanks
1999 Regulator 26FS twin 250 ox66
1972 Whaler 13' Mini-project
1983 Seaway 19' - 75 OMC - Restoration in progress
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...ld-thread.html

jimh
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Re: 1972 13-footer: Hull Drains; Wood Location; Hull Weight; Bow Eye

Postby jimh » Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:05 am

I do not know how long the drain tubes are on your boat, either. Perhaps when you actually undertake the replacement of the drain tubes, you can make some careful measurements of their length. Please send me that information. I will include the measurements of the length of the drain tubes on your boat in a revised version of the FAQ so that the content of the FAQ becomes more informative and useful. The general process for the information on the website to become more useful is to have many people contribute to it. I welcome your contributions.

As the FAQ explains, the stock length from one likely source is three feet. Do you anticipate that a three-foot length of tubing might be insufficient to accomplish the repair of the drains on the 13-foot hull? I suppose it could be--if you mess up the repair several times, you might run out of tubing.

In terms of making improvements, some owners of older Boston Whaler boats have replaced the brass drain tubes with plastic or PVC tubing and have sealed them in place at the ends.

As for the diameter of the tubing on your boat, I don't know what it is, either. Since the boat is 44-years-old there is some chance that the drain tubes are not the original ones. I would rely on actually measurement of the tubes on your boat in preference to a citation that they were supposed to be a certain diameter. They very well could have been altered from the original. And who can say that the construction of 13-foot hulls always used a consistent size for the drains?

jimh
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Re: 1972 13-footer: Hull Drains; Wood Location; Hull Weight; Bow Eye

Postby jimh » Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:53 am

Regarding using a U-bolt to replace the bow eye on a 13-foot Boston Whaler boat, I think you will need a U-bolt with rather long threaded stock. Boston Whaler uses that approach on their larger hulls. For example, on my 22-foot hull the bow eye is made from a long U-bolt.

Using the bow eye as a towing eye and towing a 13-foot hull behind a large yacht could exert a lot of strain on the bow eye and lead to it becoming loose and working in the hole in the hull that was drilled for it to pass through. That a boat from 1972 in year 2016, after 44-years of use, has developed some loose fit of its original bow eye hardware is not surprising or particularly remarkable. The original bow eye seems to have been quite serviceable. To call its design "stupid" seems a bit harsh and judgmental, that is, I think you are being too critical in regard to the utility, form, and function of the original design.

I think the general remedy to avoid the bow eye becoming loose and working and enlarging the hole in the hull is to periodically check it for tightness and good fit. Since the bow eye is steel, and often attached to lines exerting a lot of pull onto the eye, and since the hull is just a thin laminate of fiberglass and foam, the steel can easily abrade the fiberglass. This same wear can occur even if a U-bolt is used.

If you do fit a long U-boat to the stem of the hull to replace the original bow eye, please let us know what size and what material you used. If possible give the source or vendor, and the cost. And show us an image or two of your improved bow eye.

Also, I anticipate that your improved bow eye will also require it to be mounted through the hull. In your criticism of the original design you called it a "stupid thru-hull bow eye." I am not clear if you thought the through-the-hull mounting was an aspect of the design that needed improvement. Perhaps you can clarify if your improved bow eye will also be a through-the-hull mounting.

jimh
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Re: 1972 13-footer: Hull Drains; Wood Location; Hull Weight; Bow Eye

Postby jimh » Wed Aug 24, 2016 11:10 am

ASIDE: Please do not infer that I have taken offense about anything you said because in my reply I mentioned the FAQ and gave a link to it. It is my practice to mention the FAQ section frequently and to provide links to it, so that readers who might not be familiar with the organization of the website can discover other sections of the website that exist outside of the discussion forum. It is so prevalent today that a website has only a discussion forum and little else in the way of information resources that I prefer to acquaint readers with the other information resources available here. You should not infer from that practice that something you wrote was objectionable. Also, please do not infer that because I do not conclude my replies with aphorisms like "Best Regards" or "smooth sailing" or include emoticons or ASCII smiling faces that there is anything about my reply that is intended to be unfriendly in nature.