My 88 dilemma

[88pirata]

I have an 88 pirata and I thought that this winter in would replace the interior but when I removed the interior I found some soft spots in the floor so I figured I would ask here and see if this boat is worth the effort , it sure is a great boat out on the water , it feels like driving a big couch around the lake ,lots of room
and lots of power
My concern is how far do I go at this point it sure looks like a lot of work and is a 23 year old boat worth the time and effort I haven't seen too many piratas on here
If I do take on the task. Do I really need to pull the engine out or can I pull the cap off and see what's under the floor with the engine still in place ,I just rebuilt it last year and when we pulled it everything seemed dry and tight ,as far as the stringers in the engine compartment
I will try and put some pics with this post but it's my first time posting and I've already lost everything twice
Thanks in advance for any advice you can share with me about my boat
88pirata

[88pirata]

here are some qwik shots to give you and idea

[Jetlink]

That floor looks rough man, how are the stringers away from the engine? You said the engine area was solid last year when you did the rebuild on your engine right?

[88pirata]

I haven't pulled up the floor to see, when I re mounted the engine the stringers seemed pretty tight and I've noticed that the soft spots are only in those 2 spots ,1 under the rear seat and the other where the step is .

[lively]

Hey bud , take your tank out and check the floor there also , the (5200) seal that supra used on the supertrapp tips tends to let water I'n , so first I would take your center nut off the tips and inspect the flange that mounts on the transom , there never really was a seal it's just a rubber coating that the pipe slips into and hopefully seals it up lol ... If the motor lags will still tighten up you might be lucky and only have to replace the rear section , but u won't find out till u cut it out with a skill saw and pop some holes into the stringers and test for rot .. , my 86 sunsport held water all the way to the bow .. And I found out later that the exhaust tips and the swim platform mounting were the main cause ,... I would think if you only have to do the rear section it would run you around 1k if u were to install new tips and glass new wood and carpet and seal the platform up ... Good luck and shoot some pics of the foam under the deck and if the tips .. -lively-

[TitanTn]

If YOU like the boat and want to use it for several years, then it's absolutely worth it.

[88pirata]

Well I got the gas tank out and it appears someone has been here before,and didn't do a very good job of whatever it was they were trying to do. I have also removed one side of the floor and started to remove all the foam,which seemed like a good idea until I got to the bottom couple of inches,which was totally water logged.
I will post some pictures as soon as I can figure out how to get them from my iPad to this forum?
Anyone know how that's done?

[DAFF]

Nothing is better than saving another Pirata from death. Not many of these big boats out there so treat her well.

[TitanTn]

I will post some pictures as soon as I can figure out how to get them from my iPad to this forum?
Anyone know how that's done?

Upload them to a service like Photobucket. You can then get a URL for each image you upload. You then create a link here to the image using the insert image tool above. It looks like a tree.

[gogger]

Well I like my '89 pirata pretty well and haven't had it on the water yet.

[Century63]

I have an 88 Pirata. The boat was in great shape and well take care of. However, the floor and stringers were toast. I had Donnie Bennett do the work. He told me it won the contest for taking near two months to dry out after he took about 500 lbs of foam out of it. It is all new and will last me the rest of my time. The Pirata cost near 50,000 new back in the day. Where else can you get a boat like that today for less than 15000 (cost and repair).

Century63

[csuggs]

Everyone here has good points. From what you've described, I would bet money that you've got wet floors and stringers all the way. Before you dig any deeper you need to decide if you like the boat well enough to keep her. Because soon you will dig yourself to the point of no return and a rebuild will be inevitable. Not trying to scare you from that, because I did the same thing and have no regrets! But my boat is now a "keeper" with around 20K invested. Again, NO REGRETS!

[88pirata]

Well I've removed most of the floor and the foam as well,as much as I could anyway
I think I am now ready to pull the cap off the boat,I've drilled out all the rivets and built myself something to lift the cap with
My question now is ,I was planning on lifting the cap off by using the cleats in front of the windshield and a 4x4 beam going from speaker hole to speaker hole in the rear
Is that adequate lifting points
There are pictures in my album of my latest progress
I am going to pull it apart this weekend

[TitanTn]

Well most importantly it looks like you've got some quality help! I love the look on your son's face where you can tell the fun of ripping out foam has become work. Great looking lift for the cap, but also it's a great looking garage where you lifted the boat off the trailer. I'm guessing you had temporary access to that place, but what a luxury! Keep it up. You're making good progress.

[Salty87]

My question now is ,I was planning on lifting the cap off by using the cleats in front of the windshield and a 4x4 beam going from speaker hole to speaker hole in the rear
Is that adequate lifting points
There are pictures in my album of my latest progress
I am going to pull it apart this weekend

where's the photo album, i don't see a link?

the windshield/bow area will be very heavy...esp closed bow. i ran (3) 2x4s standing vertically, tied the cleats to the boards and then separately the boards to my lifting frame. at first i had the 2x4s laying flat but they snapped pretty quickly. the 4x4 beam should go closer to the driver area. mine had speaker-sized holes that were hidden by upholstery...right behind the drivers seat area. the rear can be held up with 2 fingers...there isn't much back there that's part of the cap.

you can get a pretty good view here:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a10/salty87/IMG_0263-1.jpg



I almost forgot...once you've got the hull out of the way, you'll want to support the bow area from below too. I can almost see a bend in the bow.


good luck!

[sybrmike]

I'd use 6 points on the Priata. Like Salty said, most of the weight is up front on the Salt & imagine it's even worse on the Priata. I used the rear cleats, front cleats, and then ropes passed through the fresh air vents to a 2x4 underneath the vent openings. Otherwise, I think you risk cracking the top cap just ahead of the windshield.

9093

9094

[88pirata]

1232212323floor is off and foam is on its way out

[88pirata]

123251232412326there goes the top

[TitanTn]

Congrats on your progress. What's your timeframe for this build?

[88pirata]

I actually just put the top back on so I hope to be on the water by July, I just figured out how to post pictures so the progress will look quick
but ive been at it for a while

[TitanTn]

That's great! And speaking of pics, they're coming in upside down. I think there may be a way to rotate them in the pic uploader app thing.

[88pirata]

1233412335see if that works

[TitanTn]

Nope. They're still upside down.

[Jetlink]

Rob, just flip your monitor, problem solved.

[TitanTn]

Rob, just flip your monitor, problem solved.

Huh. That worked. Wish I'd thought of that.

[wotan2525]

I just took it that he was rebuilding this thing in Australia....

[Salty87]

that's genius...drop the top...a heck of a lot easier than lifting it!

https://forum.supraboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12332&d=1371528650

[88pirata]

12337here is todays pic of her
hope I get this right

[88pirata]

123381233912340think I may have it now
should have used a samsung phone from the start
darn I padthis is anoying

[88pirata]

12341123421234312344some pics of the journey

[TitanTn]

Yep, photos are looking good. And you ARE getting close.

Did you (or someone) paint this boat? That looks like some shiny black paint.

[88pirata]

No it's a full wrap , I bought it in the fall of 2011 I think , I had plans to re upholster the boat and wrap it ,but then found the rot and just kept digging

[DAFF]

Another saved from death.... Looks great and enjoy the beautiful scenery of your back yard for us. I see someone is extra ready to get out there and play. Kids at that age are great and will keep you young at heart.

[88pirata]

12443got my bilge blowers hooked up12444also got the back end together12445picture of my new exhaust going from 2" 3/4" to 4 "12446 new tips and flappers

[mabbore]

Holy cow, you are a one man wrecking machine, Great job so far. on question. I see you made some cut outs in the highest stringers. Are these weep holes? did you fiberglass in those tabs to the floor?

12450

[88pirata]

I bedded my stringers down with pl then glassed and gelcoated it all after I was complete

[haugy]

Even though I know this boat is the same size as mine, that first upright picture makes it look like a damn battleship. It just looks MASSIVE.

Looking great, good job on the work.

[88pirata]

12453some pics of where I was12454

[88pirata]

1254612547some of the nw upholstery showed up1254812549access holes and venting holes for engine12550and my new exhaust

[88pirata]

12551back end almost complete12552my buddy travis building my exhaust12553this place is on the way to my friends place

[villain]

Looks great man!!

[TitanTn]

Agreed. Looking good. Are you going to fill those holes in the motor mount area, or is it intended to be open?

[88pirata]

the bigger holes will be filled in with the same vent covers as the back of the boat , thats where my air intake from the front vents in, the smaller holes are for my steering cable and wireing harness on one side and battery on the other side

[TitanTn]

the bigger holes will be filled in with the same vent covers as the back of the boat , thats where my air intake from the front vents in, the smaller holes are for my steering cable and wireing harness on one side and battery on the other side

Got it. I just hope you have great drainage for those areas because there'll could be water that high at some point

[88pirata]

12644new dog house ,made of aluminum126451264612646putting tower on and hooking up speakers12647where I hope to be on sunday
just the rub rail to go

[88pirata]

12648just a front pic

[TitanTn]

Looking great! I hope float day is a huge success.

[88pirata]

Boat in the water for the first time in almost 2years12909
All went well till we wanted to go home and the boat didnt want to start
Luckily I didnt have rear seats screwed in yet as it was not getting any fuel
Went to fuel filter, no fuel , checked fuel pick up tube and right at top a little steel bearing was blocking line
so with a #2 Robinson screwdriver I knocked it out , reassembled fuel line , turned it over for abit and away we went12910

[TitanTn]

It'll take a couple of shakedown cruises to get all the bugs worked out, but congrats for getting on the water again!

[villain]

The steel ball is part of the anti siphon valve. When a boat sits for a while it is common for them to become sticky and stick shut. Pull the valve out and clean really good. It might be a good idea to have the tank cleaned out while your at it. Prolly have chunks of crud floating through your tank.

[88pirata]

I rinsed it with a gallon of methyl hydrate just before I put it in
Went out today and discovered a tranny leak
Not a bad one but I hope I can stop working on this boat soon

[gogger]

Not a bad one but I hope I can stop working on this boat soon[/QUOTE]

I think you always have to work on them.