Removing Water from Saturated Hull: Interpreting Stencil Number: Specification for 15-footer

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Author Topic:   Removing Water from Saturated Hull: Interpreting Stencil Number: Specification for 15-footer

Canuck posted 04-04-2010 09:53 AM ET (US)
We have a 15 foot Boston Whaler. We purchased this vesel 3 years ago and were informed by the preious owner that they puchased it from a Police auction. The metal identification plate has been worn down and is unreadable. We are not absolutly sure of the year the boat was manufactured - we are thinking 1980 - 1986. The transom number is 5A5034 if this helps. The hull is saturated and weighs so much more than it should that we could not get it to plane out last spring. We covered it - drilled holes in it - allowed to drain out over the winter - removed all electronics, outboard, controls, woodwork & trim - lifted it from trailer into garage and placed on support to work on - it is very very overweight - four of us could not lift it - had to push and pull it off the trailer and support it on wood with bricks and blocks. We began by drilling old holes out that were filled by previous owners and found many other screw holes that once drilled out produced black mushy wood or vacant foam areas. Next day we found water escaping through these holes upwards into cockpit and not down through holes drilled in hull. I fear that much of the wooden structure (only in bottom of hull sides are still firm in most areas) has turned to mush - I am trying to see here if using a cutting wheel on a grinder and seperating the cockpit from the hull and assessing the extent of the damage. My first question then is where do I make my cut in the cockpit to attempt to seperate the cockpit from the foam - wood (mush) and hull? We have cedar in the garage to replace all the wood structure and we have a supplier in town that will be able to get all the foam, epoxy and glass we need to repair all holes and other damage that have comprimised the hull and allowed all the water in. Has anyone else had similar issues and have they managed to eventually repair the boat and fly another day. We would also like to know how much the naked hull should weigh as we are going to take it to a recycling depot next week to have it weighed. I am prepared to go the distance with this project and am not willing to give up as I do think the end result will be worth it. We were the owner of a 13 foot sport before this and know that once repaired much fun and sport will be had again with this 15 foot Whaler.
Canuck
jimh posted 04-04-2010 03:13 PM ET (US)
There is no good way to remove water from a Boston Whaler Unibond hull once the interior foam has become saturated with water. The best methods are described in the FAQ:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q3
jimh posted 04-04-2010 03:18 PM ET (US)
Information on how to identify the year of a Boston Whaler boat is given in the FAQ:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2
If only the stencil number is intact, there is no guide for interpretation of a 15-footer's stencil number. The FAQ says:
"Interpreting the stenciled hull number depends on reference to Whaler's internal records."
If you are irresistibly curious about the year of production, you can call Boston Whaler customer service and they can look up the production data in their records. It is very likely the hull is more than ten years old and thus not covered by any warranty.
jimh posted 04-04-2010 03:20 PM ET (US)
The specifications for a 15-foot classic Boston Whaler boat are given in the REFERENCE section in an article about them. You can find a listing of the hull weight included there:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/15/
jimh posted 04-04-2010 03:44 PM ET (US)
It is possible to bring an abused Boston Whaler back from the dead, but it takes a lot of work and materials. See the account of one restoration in
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage60.html
in the sub-heading
pre-1972 Whaler 16 Restoration
There are also some follow-up comments in
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000044.html
After you weigh the boat you will have a better idea of the task before you. One cubic foot of water weighs over 60-lbs. If we use a very simple measurement for the interior volume of the hull--length x beam x draft--we find volume to be about
183 x 68 x 8 = 99552 cubic-inches or 57.6-cubic-feet
Since the hull is generally v-shaped we can divide that by two: 28.8-cubic-feet
Since one end is pointy, we divide half of it in half again: 21.6-cubic-feet.
This is a rough idea of the interior volume of the hull. If filled with water, the hull would hold 21.6 x 60 = 1,300-lbs of water. Of course, the hull can't hold that much water because there is already foam in there, so we might estimate about 50-percent of the volume could be water. Now we are down to about 650-lbs of water weight. It is entirely possible that the hull has that much water because we know its reserve buoyancy is very high, over 1,600-lbs even when swamped and filled to the gunwales with water.
Let us know how much the hull weighs. The number should be interesting.
Canuck posted 04-05-2010 07:20 AM ET (US)
Well that was informative - thank-you very much for all the links Jim. I have just finished reading them all and will send along the weight of the boat and some pictures as well. I am very impressed with your websight and look forward to showing you the finished project someday. I was not fully informed of the shape the boat was in when my brother and I purchased it but that can't be helped now so on with the restoration.
Thanks
Canuck
jimh posted 04-05-2010 08:01 AM ET (US)
As it happens, I do have some anecdotal information about 15-foot hull stencil numbers. I used to own a 1976 15-foot Boston Whaler whose stencil number was 5A0321. Since the production of the 15-footer began in 1976, it is reasonable to interpret the stencil number sequence as beginning with 5A0001, making that boat about the 321st 15-footer made. So we know that in 1976 they made at least 321 15-footers. If we estimate that annual production might have averaged 500 units, we could make a guess about the year of production for your boat, 5A5034. Using the 500-per-year estimate, the 5034th boat would have been build around 1985 or 1986.
jaybird4 posted 04-05-2010 11:23 PM ET (US)
My 5A2411 is a 1978 FYI...Jaybird4
Canuck posted 04-07-2010 02:22 AM ET (US)
Thanks again for the info. I don't think it is imperative that I know the year it was a more curious thing. I like the pictures of the centre console in some of the rebuilt Whalers and am trying to convince my brother to remove the cockpit floor access the damage - replace the foam - replace the plywood floor and strengthen the hull were it is cracked or weak - and then put in a centre console with the seat in front of it. This is going to tye up my garage for some time but I think this will be well worth it in the long run.
Canuck

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Author	Topic: Removing Water from Saturated Hull: Interpreting Stencil Number: Specification for 15-footer
Canuck	posted 04-04-2010 09:53 AM ET (US) We have a 15 foot Boston Whaler. We purchased this vesel 3 years ago and were informed by the preious owner that they puchased it from a Police auction. The metal identification plate has been worn down and is unreadable. We are not absolutly sure of the year the boat was manufactured - we are thinking 1980 - 1986. The transom number is 5A5034 if this helps. The hull is saturated and weighs so much more than it should that we could not get it to plane out last spring. We covered it - drilled holes in it - allowed to drain out over the winter - removed all electronics, outboard, controls, woodwork & trim - lifted it from trailer into garage and placed on support to work on - it is very very overweight - four of us could not lift it - had to push and pull it off the trailer and support it on wood with bricks and blocks. We began by drilling old holes out that were filled by previous owners and found many other screw holes that once drilled out produced black mushy wood or vacant foam areas. Next day we found water escaping through these holes upwards into cockpit and not down through holes drilled in hull. I fear that much of the wooden structure (only in bottom of hull sides are still firm in most areas) has turned to mush - I am trying to see here if using a cutting wheel on a grinder and seperating the cockpit from the hull and assessing the extent of the damage. My first question then is where do I make my cut in the cockpit to attempt to seperate the cockpit from the foam - wood (mush) and hull? We have cedar in the garage to replace all the wood structure and we have a supplier in town that will be able to get all the foam, epoxy and glass we need to repair all holes and other damage that have comprimised the hull and allowed all the water in. Has anyone else had similar issues and have they managed to eventually repair the boat and fly another day. We would also like to know how much the naked hull should weigh as we are going to take it to a recycling depot next week to have it weighed. I am prepared to go the distance with this project and am not willing to give up as I do think the end result will be worth it. We were the owner of a 13 foot sport before this and know that once repaired much fun and sport will be had again with this 15 foot Whaler. Canuck
jimh	posted 04-04-2010 03:13 PM ET (US) There is no good way to remove water from a Boston Whaler Unibond hull once the interior foam has become saturated with water. The best methods are described in the FAQ: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q3
jimh	posted 04-04-2010 03:18 PM ET (US) Information on how to identify the year of a Boston Whaler boat is given in the FAQ: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2 If only the stencil number is intact, there is no guide for interpretation of a 15-footer's stencil number. The FAQ says: "Interpreting the stenciled hull number depends on reference to Whaler's internal records." If you are irresistibly curious about the year of production, you can call Boston Whaler customer service and they can look up the production data in their records. It is very likely the hull is more than ten years old and thus not covered by any warranty.
jimh	posted 04-04-2010 03:20 PM ET (US) The specifications for a 15-foot classic Boston Whaler boat are given in the REFERENCE section in an article about them. You can find a listing of the hull weight included there: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/15/
jimh	posted 04-04-2010 03:44 PM ET (US) It is possible to bring an abused Boston Whaler back from the dead, but it takes a lot of work and materials. See the account of one restoration in http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage60.html in the sub-heading pre-1972 Whaler 16 Restoration There are also some follow-up comments in http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000044.html After you weigh the boat you will have a better idea of the task before you. One cubic foot of water weighs over 60-lbs. If we use a very simple measurement for the interior volume of the hull--length x beam x draft--we find volume to be about 183 x 68 x 8 = 99552 cubic-inches or 57.6-cubic-feet Since the hull is generally v-shaped we can divide that by two: 28.8-cubic-feet Since one end is pointy, we divide half of it in half again: 21.6-cubic-feet. This is a rough idea of the interior volume of the hull. If filled with water, the hull would hold 21.6 x 60 = 1,300-lbs of water. Of course, the hull can't hold that much water because there is already foam in there, so we might estimate about 50-percent of the volume could be water. Now we are down to about 650-lbs of water weight. It is entirely possible that the hull has that much water because we know its reserve buoyancy is very high, over 1,600-lbs even when swamped and filled to the gunwales with water. Let us know how much the hull weighs. The number should be interesting.
Canuck	posted 04-05-2010 07:20 AM ET (US) Well that was informative - thank-you very much for all the links Jim. I have just finished reading them all and will send along the weight of the boat and some pictures as well. I am very impressed with your websight and look forward to showing you the finished project someday. I was not fully informed of the shape the boat was in when my brother and I purchased it but that can't be helped now so on with the restoration. Thanks Canuck
jimh	posted 04-05-2010 08:01 AM ET (US) As it happens, I do have some anecdotal information about 15-foot hull stencil numbers. I used to own a 1976 15-foot Boston Whaler whose stencil number was 5A0321. Since the production of the 15-footer began in 1976, it is reasonable to interpret the stencil number sequence as beginning with 5A0001, making that boat about the 321st 15-footer made. So we know that in 1976 they made at least 321 15-footers. If we estimate that annual production might have averaged 500 units, we could make a guess about the year of production for your boat, 5A5034. Using the 500-per-year estimate, the 5034th boat would have been build around 1985 or 1986.
jaybird4	posted 04-05-2010 11:23 PM ET (US) My 5A2411 is a 1978 FYI...Jaybird4
Canuck	posted 04-07-2010 02:22 AM ET (US) Thanks again for the info. I don't think it is imperative that I know the year it was a more curious thing. I like the pictures of the centre console in some of the rebuilt Whalers and am trying to convince my brother to remove the cockpit floor access the damage - replace the foam - replace the plywood floor and strengthen the hull were it is cracked or weak - and then put in a centre console with the seat in front of it. This is going to tye up my garage for some time but I think this will be well worth it in the long run. Canuck