STRINGERS 83 2001
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: General Correct Craft Discussion
Forum Name: Common Questions
Forum Discription: Visit here first for common questions regarding your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42230
Printed Date: November-24-2024 at 7:30am
Topic: STRINGERS 83 2001
Posted By: chuck kemp
Subject: STRINGERS 83 2001
Date Posted: December-15-2017 at 7:59pm
| Replacing stringers in a 83 2001 SN When i removed the flooring, it has a 1/4 inch of fiberglass on top of the foam between the stringers. (no wood) I was thinking of actually laying 1/2 inch plywood on top of foam and glassing it all in. Has anyone done it like this? Boat drives and handles like a champ and I am worried about the added weight. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. THANKS |
Replies:
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: December-15-2017 at 8:06pm
| Yes people have, including many other tournament ski boat manufacturers. There are downsides to it too though. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-15-2017 at 9:04pm
|
Typically ply is used when the stringer/sole (floor) job is done with no foam. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Webster
Date Posted: December-15-2017 at 9:17pm
|
I am also restoring a 1983 2001 SN. The guy doing the work said he could put foam in but some don't. Why foam? Flotation? Also, There seemed to be wood on the floor where the seats had been. Totally rotted out and lots of stringer rot. Where I could see the floor around the engine compartment, there was 1/2" plywood. What to do? Completely rebuilt the engine, replacing everything....gauges, carpet, vinyl, gelcoat, bilge, blower, pitots. Will essentially be a new boat. Prop and rudder stay, shiny brass. Need 1983 SN sticker package. Anyone know where to get a set of decals? Thanks! ------------- Ski Nautiques deserve a second chance...... |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-15-2017 at 10:01pm
|
David, The foam is there for flotation to meet regulations but, many leave it out which is also my suggestion. The wood forward is to screw seat bases down. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Webster
Date Posted: December-16-2017 at 11:38am
|
Thanks, I heard the foam could trap water too...... Also, since I'm redoing the floor, should I go back with screwing the drivers seat back into the glass and flooring? Maybe rig some kind of mount underneath to the joists? It seems like 1/4 inch of ply or glass wouldn't be enough to keep the seat secured, especially with someone weighing 200 plus lbs bouncing around on it. I also like the seats with the front that folds to the back of the seat to get greater height and perspective. Thoughts on a totally different seating options? I've seen some new seats that swivel on a round base. ------------- Ski Nautiques deserve a second chance...... |
Posted By: Duane in Indy
Date Posted: December-16-2017 at 12:03pm
Thanks, I heard the foam WILL trap water too.. ..is what should have been typed. Seating options: It's your boat. Build it to your needs. ------------- Keep it as original as YOU want it 1978 Mustang (modified) |
Webster wrote:Posted By: Morfoot
Date Posted: December-16-2017 at 12:08pm
|
David.........YES....Foam soaks up water! I'm pretty sure that the latest and greatest foam is a "closed" cell foam that won't absorb water. There is a thread deep in the site where a member did a sunken foam test. Weighed several different types of foam before they submerged it in water for a couple weeks under a weight then weighed it again to see if the foam absorbed water. I dug out a couple of 30 gal trashcans worth of wet foam in the 72 Mustang a couple winters ago before a bulkhead job was done. I kept digging and digging till I hit dry foam. DID NOT replace it. I'm with Pete and I say leave it out and YES I would add a couple of webs or glass in a plywood doubler underneath the plywood flooring where the driver seat attaches too. I'd go back with the original seat and if you want height for the driver then sit on your throwable boat cushion. Works great and it doesn't take up any storage room plus it's handy if you ever need it as a boat bumper or for it's original intent. I think Zack is the only CCFan that has Coast Guard approved Phonebooks as a booster seat so check with him on that. ------------- "Morfoot; He can ski. He can wakeboard.He can cook chicken.He can create his own self-named beverage, & can also apparently fly. A man of many talents."72 Mustang "Kermit",88 SN Miss Scarlett, 99 SN "Sherman" |
Posted By: Webster
Date Posted: December-22-2017 at 7:35am
Thanks Tim. My Stringer guy is not going back with foam. He's also putting PVC for the blower tubes under the floor, which was previously "dryer vent" BS. When he removed the stringers there were areas that were not glassed, just exposed wood. Said the guy building this boat must have been hung over. He curiously found 2 1/2 pounds of cat food underneath the flooring, Must have been a little home for squirrels at some point. I've decided to use the original seat and base. Looked pretty good all cleaned up with new seat tracks. I've attached pics of the powder coated speedo's and box handle. Anyway, he should be finished Tuesday after christmas. He'll then gel coat with red metal flake on the hull and transom. Engine goes in after the paint just after the first of Jan, then carpet and new skins. Keep you posted.   ------------- Ski Nautiques deserve a second chance...... |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: December-22-2017 at 10:01am
| I hope he has a lot more grinding left to do... new stringer gel will not make a high strength connection to the hull if placed over old bilge gel. |
Posted By: Duane in Indy
Date Posted: December-22-2017 at 5:34pm
 Ditto !!!------------- Keep it as original as YOU want it 1978 Mustang (modified) |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-22-2017 at 5:55pm
|
David, It's always a pleasure to see someone do a restoration on an older CC. The powder coat on the speedos is interesting as an alternate to having them chromed. Make sure you pass on our concern of more grinding needed before the new stringers are laid in. Grinding for the best bond is down to where you just see the actual glass in the original. What is the guy who's doing the stringers using for material for the actual stringers? Wood? If so, I do suggest a good CPES treatment and then epoxy for the glass layup. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Webster
Date Posted: December-23-2017 at 10:22am
|
I appreciate the heads up from everyone. No worries, he was still prepping, totally covered in dust and full body suit. The guy is using wood for the stringers, not sure of the epoxy, but he is impossible to get to rework/restore these old boats. The only reason he took on my project is because he's a very good friend of a friend. He works for Master Craft and before that Malibu during the last 15 years.. He's restored a dozen old SN's, MC Stars and Stripes and occasionally he'll do some repairs for "friends". His restoration pics are incredible. He is an absolute perfectionist. Yeah, the speedos were a crap shoot, but the rechroming place here in Knoxville did not work with "pot metal" and the closest alternative was in Nashville 3hrs away for $300. I'll post pics of the speedos once I get the guts installed. Thanks again for all the input guys. ------------- Ski Nautiques deserve a second chance...... |
Posted By: shierh
Date Posted: December-26-2017 at 4:02pm
| I have an 83. No foam replacement. I used coosa board stringers and floor. Why bother with wood, go composite. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: December-26-2017 at 4:06pm
Some may factor in the extra man hours and the cost of composite. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: tryathlete
Date Posted: December-27-2017 at 12:41am
|
Seems to me going all fiberglass is the way it’s done today. Is coosa pretty close to an all glass hull? I get that it won’t rot. Will it be structurally similar to an all glass boat in terms of ride and feel? To me at least, if you build it properly it will outlast you even with wood. Just apply best practices and don’t put foam in there and if you drill make sure you seal. I’d sure feel confident buying a boat rebuilt to the standards many of you have pursued here, but the factory jobs from the 80’s sure didn’t impress me. |
Posted By: shierh
Date Posted: December-27-2017 at 3:22pm
| Factory jobs from the 80s was pretty poor, Basically sea ray/bayliner quality but at a premium price. |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: December-27-2017 at 7:46pm
|
Not sure what the design life was intended to be, but most of their boats blasted quite a while given the poor stringer wrapping. ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: shierh
Date Posted: December-28-2017 at 4:05pm
|
They did last but no excuse for some of the stuff they did using poorly encapsulated wood and ferrous fasteners within the floor and stringer structure that rusted badly. also they used ferrous bow lifting ring bracket that was glassed to the hull and they rusted badly, Ferrous seat slides, Cutting holes through dash that is encapsulated plywood, cutting holes in stringers or installing lag bolts and not sealing them properly. etc . An 83 2001 was about 18k in the day, which was a ton of money for a boat. Stuff they did wasn't acceptable even then. Use of composite decks and stringers is nothing new. Some builders have been doing it since 1960. Glad to see CC changed in the 90's. CC of today however does seem to use the very best at least in the hull construction, best resin, glass , gel-coat etc. that is available. |
Posted By: jterr
Date Posted: February-19-2018 at 11:45pm
Now I'm really cornfused.. If I understand what you say there is no wood floor up front in the 83 just fiberglas??? |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: February-19-2018 at 11:58pm
|
There is a plywood floor in the front half of the boat. Rear half is fiberglass only. I think the transition is at the front of the doghouse. ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: jterr
Date Posted: February-21-2018 at 10:02pm
What is supporting the Fiberglass?? |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: February-21-2018 at 10:04pm
The flotation foam. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: gun-driver
Date Posted: February-21-2018 at 11:50pm
http://s256.photobucket.com/user/gun-driver/media/85%20boat%20rebuild/IMG_0501.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"> [/IMG]
|
Posted By: Webster
Date Posted: February-23-2018 at 10:43am
 Engine installed few days ago. Carpet is going in and seats, etc are all ready for installation. New stickers, platform, shifter, cables, gauges (completely rewired from harness), dripless shaft seal. Had the windshield frame powder coated. The speedo's turned out nicely too.   ------------- Ski Nautiques deserve a second chance...... |
Posted By: tryathlete
Date Posted: February-23-2018 at 11:17am
| Classy resto! Nice touch with the platform and the powder coated windshield frame. |
Posted By: jterr
Date Posted: February-23-2018 at 12:13pm
| Great looking , Nice job...Hope mine even comes close. Still getting a game plan-LOL |
Posted By: JoeinNY
Date Posted: February-23-2018 at 1:08pm
I don't know why this thread is coming back up now but to be clear it wasn't plywood in any CC that I have been into that was holding the seats down it was combinations of 1x board stock. Putting in 3/4 plywood in its place would hold all the dimensions the same, but if not done with specific attention to sealing all penetrations and using well treated wood it would last even less time than the original board stock. If I was only going to use Coosa in one spot in a boat this area would be it, seats can take abuse over the years and wet people sit in them allowing water to infiltrate in almost any well used boat. Additionally the seat coming loose in a boat makes it unusable. Even if you pulled the screws out of a coosa floor the repair is relatively simple and reliable compared to repairing wood. There is also a comment in this thread comparing the CC construction to the bayliners and Sea rays of the time, that is just nonsense. Yes they could have done better in sealing wood that was exposed to foam but they used real wood chosen for rot resistance. I was rebuilding those other boats boats built in the eighties by the mid nineties the quality of wood wasn't close with extensive plywood use in the stringers and floors and even OSB in many interior/seat pieces, combine that with copper gun layups and no energy spent to seal anything anywhere. The CCs easily lasted twice as long even when abused. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1477 - 1983 Ski Nautique 2001 1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5MkcBXBBs - Holeshot Video |
Posted By: Webster
Date Posted: February-25-2018 at 8:39pm
Thanks John. Good luck with yours. Having a fresh memory of the rebuild and a list of all parts and suppliers, I'd be happy to help if you need anything. So the seats go in tomorrow, final securing of the windshield, a few odds and ends and she'll be ready for the maiden voyage.  ------------- Ski Nautiques deserve a second chance...... |