23' Fish Nautique Restoration Project

I am going to use Nida-Core 8HP 1 inch for the deck. What are you doing with that console you made? Are you using that as a template or is that going to be the underlaminate for the console? I like that design, just wondering if there would be enough room under there to fit the motor. I guess I am still a few weeks from worring about that. My console is not in the best of shape so I either need to rebuild it or build a new one.

Have you looked at www.boatbuilderscenteral.com They have good info. on stringer replacement.

Nice fish I cought a 58lb dorardo (dolphin) one week before our tourny.. and a 20 lb the day of our tourny...I lost!!!! With a console that size I can imagin all the tackel compartments etc. you can do with it. I'm not sure yet wether or not I'm going to have to tear my boat apart. I found some punky wood when I was mounting a new power assist steering cylinder. Plus I can only get 3,600RPM and top speed is only 28 so I felt with the age of the boat I was heavy because of water in the foam and wood. First I'm going to weigh the boat and do some more trouble shooting on the engine before I dig into the hull. If I do tear into the hull I would keep the boat an inboard. Keep the pictures comming.

yeah i talked to a guy that built a FN from the ground up and turned it into an outboard boat also so i took his ideas and started at it and so far this is where im at. gotta get some more supplies from US composites when im back down in WPB. Keep up the good work

your exactly right im not saying to underbuild the stringer system by any means, all i meant was if he was having trouble with placement of his fuel tanks etc etc, that it is possible to refab the stringers in the boat... The stringers that were in the boat b4 were garbage 2x4. So yes overbuild the stringers if your going to pull the old. Sorry for the misunderstanding

lol whats that supposed to mean???

firefight-n wrote: your exactly right im not saying to underbuild the stringer system by any means, all i meant was if he was having trouble with placement of his fuel tanks etc etc, that it is possible to refab the stringers in the boat... The stringers that were in the boat b4 were garbage 2x4. So yes overbuild the stringers if your going to pull the old. Sorry for the misunderstanding

Yes, reconfiguring may be acceptable- so long as you determine that the new structure has as much or more strength than the original did. While you may not be impressed with the factory design, those 2 sets of main 2x4 stringers added a lot of rigidity to the hull, and were covered in a hefty schedule of glass. The ribs and the floor/foam/hull sandwich served their purpose well- keeping the v-hull in the shape of a vee.

I have my doubts that a single set of foam-filled, piecemealed stringers will have the same strength as the 2 sets of one-pieced wood encapsulated ones... but thats just an armchair observation. If youve done the analysis to determine that your method is acceptable, by all means, clue us in. Otherwise, you may not want to recommend that others follow your lead. If I understand correctly, youre repowering with outboards- so maybe your hull wont need to be as strong as the factory set up (since its not supporting the engine). Again, just an observation.

I fish in the sea of Cortez not the Atlantic. Most of the time it's like a pond where I am.

firefight-n wrote: as long as you have strength in the main line stringer, youll be fine but if your going to take both stringers out and put only 1 back in, you will have to split the difference b/w the keel and the side line chine and put the stringer there. this will gove you your integrity back.

Im not trying to be a jerk, but I just found this statement to be a very dangerous one and wanted to weigh in on the other side of the coin. Anyone rebuilding one of these boats should consider the ramifications of changing the design very carefully. I wouldnt state that you can remove 2 stringers and replace them with 1 if you "split the difference" unless I had done the analysis to prove it was acceptable OR had made provisions to recoup the strength you lost in another way. Thats a pretty big design change and would be highly dependant on the methods and materials used, glass schedules, etc.

Im not saying that you shouldnt make changes- Ive done so on my projects as well. I think this forum is a great place to share ideas and encourages people to pioneer some nice improvements on these boats. However, it is also a place where people will be brutally honest- so if misinformation is presented or questionable practices are endorsed, you can expect someone to say something.

Either way, its great to see some Fishes being restored. Im not a fisherman, but I think they are very cool boats.

TRB, right on. I understand that completely! I appreciate your input and it makes good points but now you have me geting worried as im sure lots of people do while "re" building their own boats lol... i guess as i finish this project and others i will keep you informed as to how the boat held up. There will always be question in my head when i hit a big wave as to how my job will hold up. ya know

Tugger, thanks bud! im trying to build a strong and trustworthy boat so i guess we'll see... neways yeah its probably going to take a little bit to finish but if your ever in the florida area, hit me up and we'll see if we can get off into the deep...

firefight-n wrote: Tugger, thanks bud! im trying to build a strong and trustworthy boat so i guess we'll see... neways yeah its probably going to take a little bit to finish but if your ever in the florida area, hit me up and we'll see if we can get off into the deep...

Already lived in florida so it's a slim chance. I have lived here for 10 years and it's paradice so it's hard to get me out of here.

firefight-n wrote: oh i know! when i dug into this boat, i was real surprised at what i found inside. It looks like they were sitting in a little garage and built the stringer system out of scrap wood in the back yard... other than that i love the boat and its lines and cant wait to get her back into the water.

You know how manufacturers are they worry about the bottom line and cut corners where they can't be seen. I love the lines of the boat and the wat it handles. She really fishes well also. another project I have on the list is to put padded bolsters on the comming boards. I like to stand up fish so I like the fact that the comming is low and I can get my feet under the gunnels. It really locks you in when your rocking and rolling.

yeah i hear that... Have you ever heard of sea-dek seadek.com they are awesome and im also planning on doing the same thing with that brand around the whole boat

i gotcha. I dont know what im doing with the deck yet, i havent started to think about that yet but will shortly im sure. do you have any picturs of your FN yet