Dauntless 13 - Rotten Wood - opinions needed

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
credditt
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:13 am

Dauntless 13 - Rotten Wood - opinions needed

Postby credditt » Sun Apr 04, 2021 8:00 pm

I have a badly neglected Dauntless 13 in need of full restoration. I was planning to grind out all of the cracks (hundreds of them), fill, fair, sand, and paint. Then rewire and repower. I was hoping for like-new restoration. However, I've found enough rotten wood that I'm reconsidering.

I recently found that the plywood core on the stern deck, console face, and bow deck hatch was rotten, which I can repair. However, today I removed the cracked plastic motor well drain tubes. When I removed them I found the wood transom core was wet. I can scrape off bits of rotted wood with my finger inside the holes. I have a wood locating diagram for the boat (attached), and the wood in my transom is at least 6" wider than shown on the diagram. I'm trying to determine how major of a project it would be to remove the wood from the transom and repair it with coosa board or similar, but without knowing the correct size location of the wood in the transom it makes the decision more difficult.

Additionally, since all the wood I've encounter so far is rotten, I suspect that some of the wood under the floor may also be rotten, but I'm really hesitant to drill any exploratory holes.

Given the abundance of rotten wood I've found, I'm reconsidering restoring this particular hull. I can do most of the work myself, but have limited free time to work on the boat, so if the project gets too major it will be never ending. For those who have restored Whalers I welcome you opinion.

Q1: What is the true location and dimensions of the wood in the Dauntless 13 transom?

Q2: is there concern about the wood beneath the deck being rotten? The boat had standing water inside when I removed it from a storage yard, so I'm concerned water seeped in through screw holes in the deck.

I welcome any input on whether I should move forward with this hull or go a different direction.

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jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Dauntless 13 - Rotten Wood - opinions needed

Postby jimh » Mon Apr 05, 2021 6:11 am

credditt wrote:Q1: What is the true location and dimensions of the wood in the Dauntless 13 transom?
I don't see any indication in the drawing shown above of the location of the wood in the transom. The drawing appears to show only wood reinforcements in the deck or liner section, not in the hull transom. I recommend you contact Boston Whaler to get a better drawing, one that shows the layout of the transom and wood reinforcements there.

credditt wrote:Q2: is there concern about the wood beneath the deck being rotten?
Rotten wood in the transom is a serious concern. Replacement of the wood in the transom is a significant repair.

credditt wrote:I welcome any input on whether I should move forward with this hull or go a different direction.
Were this boat my boat, I would be hesitant to make further investment in restoration--but that is entirely related to my own personal situation, viz., I am not really interested in major structural repairs, the boat is not particularly a model that interests me, I don't have the appropriate space for the work, I am not skilled in the work, and so on. Whether this is a good project for you is impossible for me to know. But it certainly appears to be a boat whose restoration will be quite a project in terms of time, labor, materials, and new parts.

credditt
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:13 am

Re: Dauntless 13 - Rotten Wood - opinions needed

Postby credditt » Mon Apr 05, 2021 8:43 am

Jim,

Thanks very much for your input. I contacted BW customer service to see if they can provide a drawing of the transom. If I have a drawing showing transom wood locations I'll consider repairing the transom. I'm more concerned about all the wood under the floor being rotten--that would be a deal breaker. I'm hesitant, but I may end up drilling some exploratory holes in the floor to see what I can find.

This boat has been in my family since new, so I probably am more inclined to put additional labor into restoring it than I would another random boat, but if the hull is too structurally compromised it's not worth my time and labor.

Thanks again Jim. If anyone else has any input I'm all ears!

jimh
Posts: 11670
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Dauntless 13 - Rotten Wood - opinions needed

Postby jimh » Mon Apr 05, 2021 10:32 am

A boat with a legacy and provenance is always worth more effort in restoration. You may find this article to be interesting:

Grandfather's Whaler--a 1959 classic reborn
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage51.html