got rot? 85 comp stringer and floor project

HI all
new member here and would like to share some pics of the project i just started on my 85 comp
also thanks to member rickr for all the helpful info he posted from his stringer and floor project.
I got the boat a few weeks ago from a guy that had it sitting in a barn for the past 15 or so years. his son got hurt and ended up passing away, thats why he put it away for so long. he sitll thought it was in great shape when he advertised it for sale but when I looked at it i showed him it had rot issues with the floor and stringers, so he sold it to me for a discounted price. but besides that the interior is about perfect along with the rest of the boat. It has 320 hours on it and the motor runs strong.
Im going to try and have this done in the next couple of weeks if I dont get to busy working on everyone elses boats lol.

Wow, that thing sat in barn for 15 years and was still that rotten???? I don't want to know what my boat looks like.....I'm gonna have to do the stringers at some point......
Welcome to the board....lotsa great people here.....

Not to jack your thread but how could you tell it had stringer rot? What are some good tests. I know the try and tighten the engine mount bolts and if they grab you are cool in that area at least. What are some others? I am looking at a 91 sunsport and would like to be able to tell if it has stringer floor rot. Also did you just sheer off the top with a body saw or is there a rivited edge? Can you post a little more info on pulling the top off.
THanks,
Tres

+e f

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Originally Posted by tres0422

Not to jack your thread but how could you tell it had stringer rot? What are some good tests. I know the try and tighten the engine mount bolts and if they grab you are cool in that area at least. What are some others? I am looking at a 91 sunsport and would like to be able to tell if it has stringer floor rot. Also did you just sheer off the top with a body saw or is there a rivited edge? Can you post a little more info on pulling the top off.
THanks,
Tres

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with the carpet out and the rubrail removed the top deck seperation becomes obvious.....no body saw.....rivet drill'in though
get the removable floor piece out behind the engine and stick a flash light down in the bilge...look for cracks in the stringer's......

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Originally Posted by mapleleaf

Wow, that thing sat in barn for 15 years and was still that rotten???? I don't want to know what my boat looks like.....I'm gonna have to do the stringers at some point......
Welcome to the board....lotsa great people here.....

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thanks,
my guess and what it looks like to me is it took on a little water for what ever reason and was put away wet. every inch of the stringers and floor was rotted to dust lol, but was bone dry. not even a ounce of water in any of the wood or foam. so i guess it sat so long the water did its job and moved on.
broke the dudes heart when i showed him how bad the wood was.

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Originally Posted by tres0422

Not to jack your thread but how could you tell it had stringer rot? What are some good tests. I know the try and tighten the engine mount bolts and if they grab you are cool in that area at least. What are some others? I am looking at a 91 sunsport and would like to be able to tell if it has stringer floor rot. Also did you just sheer off the top with a body saw or is there a rivited edge? Can you post a little more info on pulling the top off.
THanks,
Tres

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another way i check for rot is to tap on the fiberglass that coats the transom or stringers. if it makes a hollow sound its bad. along with that if u can push on the fiberglass and it moves its bad. you can also take a small drill bit and drill into it and see what comes out, and how much pressure u had to use to drill into the wood. a sign that its bad is damp wood left on your bit, or even a dark color like the color of rotted wood

pic from today

Hey the pic's are great, please don't stop...The thing that gets me about these restoration's is all the original measurments for engine alignment or even the ski pole in your pic..
I assume you'd take the measurement's off the old stringer's before gutting????

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Originally Posted by mapleleaf

Hey the pic's are great, please don't stop...The thing that gets me about these restoration's is all the original measurments for engine alignment or even the ski pole in your pic..
I assume you'd take the measurement's off the old stringer's before gutting????

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I left one side in and just coppied it to the other and the ski pole bolts to studs that come up from the hull so it can only fit in the correct position ( I hope). im pretty much using the ski pole as a guide for the entire build. and u can still kinda see where all the old wood was because i did not grind the fiberglass flat that was used by the factory to coat the original stringers. it helps as a guide.

Project looks like it is coming right along. The work looks good. Thanks for answering my questions.
Thanks,

Tres

c43
Are you using pressure treated? If so, there are some suggestions on how to prepare it on
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/fib...boat-building/

You are a lot faster than me ;)

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Originally Posted by rickr

c43
Are you using pressure traeted? If so, there are some suggestions on how to prepare it on
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/fib...boat-building/

You are a lot faster than me ;)

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yes i am, thanks lots of good stuff there.
heres a pic from today

I am doing the same project on the same year and color boat... I found a few other problems with mine that I had to deal with >> Had 2 cracks in the hull and one hole... The "repairs" were done all wrong so I had to tear it out and completely re do them... I am getting ready to repaint the bottom and then flip it back over onto the trailer.
Lot of work and it is HOT here in Texas! I work for about an hour and then jump in the pool.. then go back at it for another hour...
Slows progress down but it makes it doable.

OG

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Originally Posted by Oilguy

I am doing the same project on the same year and color boat... I found a few other problems with mine that I had to deal with >> Had 2 cracks in the hull and one hole... The "repairs" were done all wrong so I had to tear it out and completely re do them... I am getting ready to repaint the bottom and then flip it back over onto the trailer.
Lot of work and it is HOT here in Texas! I work for about an hour and then jump in the pool.. then go back at it for another hour...
Slows progress down but it makes it doable.

OG

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Ya its been kinda hot and humid here also, makes it a pain in the butt to do this kind of work.
heres a pic from today

that's amazing progress......let me send you my address!!!! LOL

wow, that's quick and looks great. i like how you didn't notch the stringers for the cross-supports....wtf was the factory thinking back then?

are you going to add any drainage?

any other changes you've made from the original design?

incredible work and fast too, not messin around!

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Originally Posted by mapleleaf

that's amazing progress......let me send you my address!!!! LOL

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thanks

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Originally Posted by Salty87

wow, that's quick and looks great. i like how you didn't notch the stringers for the cross-supports....wtf was the factory thinking back then?

are you going to add any drainage?

any other changes you've made from the original design?

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Im just doing the bare basics, pretty much how the factory had it , I filled it up with foam for support so I did not add any drainage.

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Originally Posted by 87SunSportMikeyD

incredible work and fast too, not messin around!

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thanks

pic from today, glad the messy part is done, I think.

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Originally Posted by c43amg

pic from today, glad the messy part is done, I think.

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what part of Pittsburgh are you from? Can I bring mine over to you for stringer work? :-)

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Originally Posted by chautauquasun

what part of Pittsburgh are you from? Can I bring mine over to you for stringer work? :-)

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sure bring it over.
my shop is in bridgewater, on the beaver river. I do fiberglass/gel coat and canvas.

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Originally Posted by c43amg

sure bring it over.
my shop is in bridgewater, on the beaver river. I do fiberglass/gel coat and canvas.

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Hey your work looks great from the pics! Better be careful - there's lots of us that need stringer work including myself! I'm in Parkersburg, WV so not too far to go. Maybe I can visit your shop when you've got a rebuild in sometime.
Keep up the good work, and as always - thanks for the pics!

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Originally Posted by csuggs

Hey your work looks great from the pics! Better be careful - there's lots of us that need stringer work including myself! I'm in Parkersburg, WV so not too far to go. Maybe I can visit your shop when you've got a rebuild in sometime.
Keep up the good work, and as always - thanks for the pics!

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thanks, stop by any time

pic from today

went with red carpet

That's why it's such a pain to replace carpet, I've been doing it wrong!!!
Should'a taken the top deck off first!!!!! LOL

New guy here. Wow! What a great thread. It makes me feel .... better, I guess about my flexi-flyer. I'm looking at this coming winter for the big job. Question, when you pull the deck, how do you grab/support it? Pictures are great!

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Originally Posted by vtrider22

New guy here. Wow! What a great thread. It makes me feel .... better, I guess about my flexi-flyer. I'm looking at this coming winter for the big job. Question, when you pull the deck, how do you grab/support it? Pictures are great!

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I think if you go to Rickr's comp restoration or Salty's 87 Saltare restoration you'll see how they pulled the top deck, a long 4X4 with straps in a few places seems to be a preffered method....
Welcome to the board, good luck with the project......
Pics are always good, lets see her!!!!!

so close c43, it's looking great. where's the rest of the boat at?

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Originally Posted by vtrider22

New guy here. Wow! What a great thread. It makes me feel .... better, I guess about my flexi-flyer. I'm looking at this coming winter for the big job. Question, when you pull the deck, how do you grab/support it? Pictures are great!

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drive under service. i left mine in a sling for something like 9 months, it was frickin heavy.

use whatever you've got. i've seen pics of people using the boom on tow trucks, fork lifts, hoists under trees, all sorts of cradles built with lumber.

check my signature for some pics of mine

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Originally Posted by Salty87

so close c43, it's looking great. where's the rest of the boat at?




drive under service. i left mine in a sling for something like 9 months, it was frickin heavy.

use whatever you've got. i've seen pics of people using the boom on tow trucks, fork lifts, hoists under trees, all sorts of cradles built with lumber.

check my signature for some pics of mine

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its outside undercover. I used a 20 ton boat lift to lift mine off. we had a strap under the bow about halfway to the window, another under the stern about where the seat goes and a third tied off and through the railings on the inside of the deck, ill post some pics when we lift it back on.
gonna be a little while though i have some work to get caught up on.

Wow! Rickr - what can I say? What a job. The quote we use in the shop " better than new every time" doesn't even come close to your craftsmanship! The long 4X4 with lots of straps hooked to anything and everything looks to be the way. I do have 2 rolling chainfalls on an I-beam but my ceiling is only 10' 6" to the top of the 16" beam. I'm thinking picking the boat up (which I've done before) and setting it down on some sort of cradle with casters would be key. How easy does the windscreen come off? That would get the deck a little higher and less in the way. By the way, this 86 comp I stumbled onto for 100 bucks running and floating. I've already done alot of topside work and engine love and other than the floor/stringers she's pretty good. The tower is something I made from Dairy-tube (2" SS) that came out of a defunct dairy barn. Taught myself how to TIG and the whole deal. Kind of fun. Oops, need to switch computers to attach photos.

Sorry guys, That was a typo - I got it for 1100 bucks not 100. I wish. Here are some pictures of where it started and where it is now. I continue to use the boat regularly for both skiing and wbing. I'm just real ginger when it comes to bumps both in the water and on the trailer.

got the lid back on it this weekend.
the first pic is of the lift i used to remove and replace the deck.
might even git it in the water tomorrow?

Good luck! Please let us know if it feels any different. Quieter / louder.

This is definitly a cool build thread!pm me what you would charge me to do just the stringers and floor! I got the top seperated and about to yank the motor

When you set the stringers, are they cut at an angle at the bottom to match the shape of the hull? Did you use the originals as a template? From the time you starting removing the stringers until they were glassed back in place, how long did it take?

How is the sub-floor supported around the outside edge of the boat?