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Author Topic:   Water In Hull

aburr posted 09-18-2002 08:34 AM ET (US)
I bought a 1966 17-foot Whaler approximately 3 years ago on eBay for about $1,500. The hull had one two-inch hole on keel and many many many drill holes on the cockpit side. Also had foot-long soft spots in certain locations in the cockpit.
I will try to make a long story short and hopefully get some advice. Completely worked over the boat and painted over old gelcoat. Dark blue sides, red bottom (with a white stripe on waterline), Hatteras off white inside and consoles stripped, sanded, and revarnished with Sikkens. The boat looks great and I repowered last year.
Traded in the 93 Evinrude 50 that the boat came with for a Suzuki 50 4-stroke. Got $1,100 for the trade-in. Also bought a new Caulkins trailer. So I love this boat, but I put 3 new big holes in the port stern area during a noreaster this summer. The new damage has got me thinking about my future with this boat. The boat still floats very high, but you just know it has a ton of water in there. These three or four new holes are about 2-4 inches wide straight through into the foam.
Other than being really heavy and constantly worrying about the trailer cracking in two, what are the real downsides?
It is not a performance boat and I am not worried about the hull cracking or the engine falling off the back. One dry winter is not going to do much.
Can I sell the boat and if so how much??
The engine was $6,000, new. Trailer was $1,200. The hull is pretty, but not worth much. Was told about a guy named Scopinich in Long Island who would cut the two hulls apart rip out old foam and reinject new foam for a relatively cheap price.
If you were in my shoes and used this boat very often to fish and loved the boat what would you do.? The 50hp engine is not enough power for the boat that I would consider next. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry this was so long
JFM posted 09-18-2002 09:07 AM ET (US)
aburr,
I would take a crack at fixing the boat yourself. There are many good threads in the repair section to help you every step of the way.
However, if that is not in your plans. I would separate the package. You may get more for the motor than the package, but you will not recoup the money on the motor in my opinion. I think you would get far more if you broke the package up.
Regards, Jay
Bigshot posted 09-18-2002 09:17 AM ET (US)
How do you know there is water in there? it takes time for foam to ingest water. If the boat still pulls the same rpm and speed, no water, etc. Before I condemned it, I would make sure she is wet. It takes a lot longer than you think(sometimes years) for foam to absorb water.
Cpt Quint posted 09-18-2002 10:41 AM ET (US)
Unless several seasons of water froze inside the hull than only the surface foam around the exposed area is probably effected. Should be fixable and the boat I wouldnt think would be watterlogged.
David Livingstone posted 09-18-2002 08:22 PM ET (US)
Aburr, try fixing her, Bigshot is right it takes awhile for the foam to absorb water. Use a shop vac and a mild heat to dry the area and use epoxy and fiberglass cloth to repair. They wouldn't have used these boats in Vietman if a little damage like this would kill them. Check out page 30 and 60 on Cetacea to see my old 66. This summer after spending 5 months last year restoring my boat, a guy ran into the back tow ring head-on with a PWC. My boat was tied to a dock. The impact cracked the inside of the transom, cracked the hull to transom joint on the starboard side and made a small crack in the splash well. That guy is my brother (who is also my best fish'n buddy - and it wasn't his PWC, and he promised me that he would never ride another one). When he called me to tell me the news, I took a deep breath, and asked him to haul her out on the trailer and point the stern to the sun. It was 11:00 AM in July and 80 degrees. We started the repair at 12:15 PM using a shop vac, a 5" orbital sander 60 grit paper, a Dremel tool, a heat gun (I was in no mood to fool around), West System Epoxy and fiber glass cloth. Two hours later we were finished. Sanded down and painted it the next day. She still gets me through 4-5 seas with no problem and has towed my teenage boys on the tube and water skis all summer. If I get a break in the weather I'll be using her shark fishing this fall.
Good Luck in whatever you decide,
David
johnnywhaler posted 09-24-2002 07:39 PM ET (US)
Is there any difference bewteen a classic waterlogged whaler and a brand new dry one? They now weigh the same.
jimh posted 09-25-2002 08:55 AM ET (US)
[This thread has been edited to remove off-topic material--jimh.]

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Author	Topic: Water In Hull
aburr	posted 09-18-2002 08:34 AM ET (US) I bought a 1966 17-foot Whaler approximately 3 years ago on eBay for about $1,500. The hull had one two-inch hole on keel and many many many drill holes on the cockpit side. Also had foot-long soft spots in certain locations in the cockpit. I will try to make a long story short and hopefully get some advice. Completely worked over the boat and painted over old gelcoat. Dark blue sides, red bottom (with a white stripe on waterline), Hatteras off white inside and consoles stripped, sanded, and revarnished with Sikkens. The boat looks great and I repowered last year. Traded in the 93 Evinrude 50 that the boat came with for a Suzuki 50 4-stroke. Got $1,100 for the trade-in. Also bought a new Caulkins trailer. So I love this boat, but I put 3 new big holes in the port stern area during a noreaster this summer. The new damage has got me thinking about my future with this boat. The boat still floats very high, but you just know it has a ton of water in there. These three or four new holes are about 2-4 inches wide straight through into the foam. Other than being really heavy and constantly worrying about the trailer cracking in two, what are the real downsides? It is not a performance boat and I am not worried about the hull cracking or the engine falling off the back. One dry winter is not going to do much. Can I sell the boat and if so how much?? The engine was $6,000, new. Trailer was $1,200. The hull is pretty, but not worth much. Was told about a guy named Scopinich in Long Island who would cut the two hulls apart rip out old foam and reinject new foam for a relatively cheap price. If you were in my shoes and used this boat very often to fish and loved the boat what would you do.? The 50hp engine is not enough power for the boat that I would consider next. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry this was so long
JFM	posted 09-18-2002 09:07 AM ET (US) aburr, I would take a crack at fixing the boat yourself. There are many good threads in the repair section to help you every step of the way. However, if that is not in your plans. I would separate the package. You may get more for the motor than the package, but you will not recoup the money on the motor in my opinion. I think you would get far more if you broke the package up. Regards, Jay
Bigshot	posted 09-18-2002 09:17 AM ET (US) How do you know there is water in there? it takes time for foam to ingest water. If the boat still pulls the same rpm and speed, no water, etc. Before I condemned it, I would make sure she is wet. It takes a lot longer than you think(sometimes years) for foam to absorb water.
Cpt Quint	posted 09-18-2002 10:41 AM ET (US) Unless several seasons of water froze inside the hull than only the surface foam around the exposed area is probably effected. Should be fixable and the boat I wouldnt think would be watterlogged.
David Livingstone	posted 09-18-2002 08:22 PM ET (US) Aburr, try fixing her, Bigshot is right it takes awhile for the foam to absorb water. Use a shop vac and a mild heat to dry the area and use epoxy and fiberglass cloth to repair. They wouldn't have used these boats in Vietman if a little damage like this would kill them. Check out page 30 and 60 on Cetacea to see my old 66. This summer after spending 5 months last year restoring my boat, a guy ran into the back tow ring head-on with a PWC. My boat was tied to a dock. The impact cracked the inside of the transom, cracked the hull to transom joint on the starboard side and made a small crack in the splash well. That guy is my brother (who is also my best fish'n buddy - and it wasn't his PWC, and he promised me that he would never ride another one). When he called me to tell me the news, I took a deep breath, and asked him to haul her out on the trailer and point the stern to the sun. It was 11:00 AM in July and 80 degrees. We started the repair at 12:15 PM using a shop vac, a 5" orbital sander 60 grit paper, a Dremel tool, a heat gun (I was in no mood to fool around), West System Epoxy and fiber glass cloth. Two hours later we were finished. Sanded down and painted it the next day. She still gets me through 4-5 seas with no problem and has towed my teenage boys on the tube and water skis all summer. If I get a break in the weather I'll be using her shark fishing this fall. Good Luck in whatever you decide, David
johnnywhaler	posted 09-24-2002 07:39 PM ET (US) Is there any difference bewteen a classic waterlogged whaler and a brand new dry one? They now weigh the same.
jimh	posted 09-25-2002 08:55 AM ET (US) [This thread has been edited to remove off-topic material--jimh.]