Remove and replace bad floor

my 85 SN has some/a lot of soft spots in the floor. I got my first est. and not sure if it is a good price or not. I would love to do the job myself but space is very limited, and way to cold outside. This place said they would prep and grind the area for the new floor. Then fab and fiberglass new floor for $1800. then for an additional $582 replace new carpet. a total of 20 man hours. i personal think the price is way too high but what do i know. any feed back would help. thanks   

in my opinion on this year of boat you are better off to do it yourself because to hire any to do these repairs you will be better off saving that money parting your boat out and buying another one. Agreed they will rip up the floor and say oh your foam is soaked you stringers are rotted etc that will be another 5000. If you are not willing able to do this yourself, run it until it sinks.

also as a side note the cost of a complete floor and stringer replace seems to run around 1700. So you are in for some money either way. I am in the process of doing mine right now. So is ny nautique and bbishop, to name a few. There are countless threads on here in the boat maintenance section many well documented.

Happy reading
In process
My 86

ny nautiques 84

Complete

Buffalo's '88 Barefoot Nautique

Skibum's '87 Ski Nautique rebuild (and his website)

aka's '83 SN

Wakeslayer's '68 Stang

Joe in NY's all composite 60mph Nautique rebuild

The Grinch's '79 BFN

UK79's '78SN

keeganinos 73 skier

thank you some much for the quick response. no way to tell if the stringers are rotted unless you pull the floor up? i have taken a socket and tighten the bolts to see if the still grab and they still do but sounds like this is not the case from all of your experience?

no, take a lag bolt and go down into a new 4x4, thats how it should feel.

The advice you are getting is from experience. These guys know what they are talking about. I was going to just replace the carpet and reupholster the seats and be done with it till I saw what was really going on under that floor.

It is a labor of love. To pay a shop to do it right would be more than buying a newer boat. $2k in materials plus 200 hours of labor @ $10 an hour (ha ha) =$22K. IMO it would never be worth paying to have this done, but to do it yourself is a true labor of love. You have to decide how much you love your boat. I see 2 choices. Ride it till it is absolutely done, ditch it and start over with a newer boat, or go all out and do it yourself. If done right with today's best practices and materials it should outlast your boating days.

It is a big decision to make and the odds are going to seem to be stacked against you, but it is a great project and the gratification of the finished product is amazing! When I got started it was snowing and I was working outside. Tyvek is much more comfy in the snow than in the summer. Read as much as you can from the links posted above on the restorations and decide what you want to do. Forget about the shop though.

TRBenj wrote: Keeganino wrote: To pay a shop to do it right would be more than buying a newer boat. $2k in materials plus 200 hours of labor @ $10 an hour (ha ha) =$22K. Keegan, I agree with your points, but you better check that math!

I was getting all excited thinking about chopping into a juicy one!

Hoggjaws - It's easy to throw money at a boat, we all do it to some extent - mostly because we love them and the enjoyment they bring to our families. But, there is a difference between shouting it a new pair of shiny valve covers and completely rebuilding the entire sub floor structure.

If your boat is still safely conducting its job pulling everybody around the lake I'd give that floor/bearer job a big miss - for now. If you feel it's unsafe and somebody could put their foot through the floor, well then that's a different scenario all together.

As the others have said above, you need to weigh up the costs verses time verses over capitalising. If the boat has sentimental value or is a very rare in any way, then it's worth spending uber bucks on it. But if it's just a ski hack that gets pulled out every once in a while for tow duties I'd say save your coin for a newer model.

Unlike here in Australia, you guys over there seem to be swimming in everything CC, so you've got plenty of upgrade choices.

I too will be in a similiar situation as you one day with our '89, so I don't envy you situation. Remember though, these boats are designed as a recreational activity - working on them is not recreation and most of the time it's a ***************t activity !!

First thing thank you guys again for all feedback. im glad i did not waste money on having someone else mess with my boat. Last night before i put the kids to bed my oldest son (5) said he loves Christmas, but can not wait till summer to wakeboard and surf off. That lead to me looking over all the threads that Jllogan posted(2 hours of sleep last night). This boat is my first boat and i have always wanted this boat. i love the look when it is sitting in the water and the performance and sound. Long story short i will save my money and use this boat another summer. This will give me enough time to make room in my garage and also gather the materials. I am not sure i am up for this job, but i will continue to use this site to educate myself to make the right decision . this may sound crazy but i truly love this boat!

Jllogan wrote: Keeganino wrote: TRBenj wrote: Keeganino wrote: To pay a shop to do it right would be more than buying a newer boat. $2k in materials plus 200 hours of labor @ $10 an hour (ha ha) =$22K. Keegan, I agree with your points, but you better check that math! I was getting all excited thinking about chopping into a juicy one! your multiplication was off and I think your hourly rate is a little low unless you are hiring the neighbor kid. I agree with everything else as well.

$10 an hour was a joke, hence the ha ha. The multiplication was just a mistake. Geeeeeeez

You are doing the right thing by waiting and reading. The great thing about taking on the project is that you will never be intimidated by any maintenance tasks down the line.

paper mache?

In the remodel they had skipped the fiberglass floor and replaced it with plywood instead. Every screw hole had left an opportunity to let water soak the wood and eventually soak the foam. The floor started to separate from the hull. They disregarded the cross member under the hatch so that led to a soft deck in the rear. To support the hatch they had just screwed 2x2's to the mains as a ledger board. Not to mention every fastener used in the rebuild was a regular drywall screw. They were all rusted and only about 1/4 of their original diameter. They also neglected to do the build out of the main stringers. In the original design the main stringers are widened with the 1x and foam and I believe this also helps reduce the twisting associated with the torque of the engine. When I would hole shot you could see the mains torque with the engine. Not by a lot but you definitely could see them twist. I figured that this motion after a few years would lead to the mains coming loose at the hull. My engine cover had gaps into the hull around it due to their poor planning and build. The secondaries were 2x, which is better than original but the tops of them were not in line with each other so to make up the difference they used Fairing compound (1" thick in spots). Another thing that I think they did was rebuilt it on the trailer. During my demolition I had the boat on stands. Once I removed the plywood floor my boat made a sudden "CRACK". My keester puckered up like a eyelet of a sewing needle when I heard it. All it was was the boat going back to it's original shape. I noticed 3/4" gaps between my mains and the foam. So I concluded that it was built on the trailer and was tweaked when the filled it with foam. Then when they screwed the deck down it just held it where it was. When I removed the plywoood on stands it just let it go back to original I'm assuming. Hopefully this cures the boats tendency to turn to the left when you let your hand off the wheel. I believe that they had caused a hook in the hull. They also had removed the hump of foam in front of the driver seat leaving the floor flat. The corrugated hose for venting the bilge had been torn and every time water went to the front of the boat on the deck it would find its way down in to the cavity ahead of the battery compartment. Taking measurement from the top of the freeboard down to the deck the drivers side front was roughly 1 1/4" higher than the other side. All in all I was very unimpressed with the professional rebuild. When I started my project it was only suppose to be a new carpet install, but after I pulled the carpet I was able to see that the ply had started to de-laminate. One thing led to another and this is where I am today.

As scary as that "professional" rebuild sounds, Ive seen worse! I have a Skier whose floor was rebuilt using particle board. Glassed only on the top. Just another testament to doing your own work, I suppose.

A few comments/corrections though:

- The additional build out of the mains around the engine compartment on the 2001 may add some strength, but their primary purpose is to allow access to the engine mount nuts on the underside of the cradle. Neither the cradle-less CC's before the 2001, nor the wood-stringered '89-92 boats had this additional build up, as it is not required for strength... a simple 2x with an appropriate glass schedule is more than adequate. Im guessing yours was rebuilt with sub-par materials (or built too thin).

- Its unlikely that the improper support would have added "hook" to the hull... that would be a fore/aft change, where the trailer bunks are probably ok (not so much side to side). The proper hull shape may improve the way the boat handles, but my guess is that your boat's tendency to turn left under power has more to do with your rudder (possibly ground for preload). You'll find out for sure once you get back on the water though! Good idea in supporting the hull properly.

- A foamless build (especially one with coosa) will not simplify the design of the structure. Instead it will make it quite a bit more complex. The additional laminations (stringers), support pieces (ribs/bulkheads) and floor panels will all need to be cut, shaped, pre-glassed and bedded properly... and because the stuff isnt cheap, it will require careful planning to minimize your waste. Certainly a worthwhile endeavor if you plan to keep the boat forever, though- assuming you have the time and budget to support it.