November 29, 2012

Jim was right….we really didn’t want to know…

We had lifted up the small pieces of plywood in the back of the boat, and could see the fiberglass was cracked and split. The wood was wet, very soggy wet.

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Naturally, I had to see what was under the rest. I figured Jim could bondo over all the cracks once we dried it out….(that’s what I get for thinking). So Jim proceeded to pull it up.

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The plywood he’s pulling up is 3/4”, and this is what it looked like under it. A rotten soggy mess.

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2 layers of wet plywood…..not just wet….but dripping wet. I picked up a piece about the size his feet are on and couldn’t believe how heavy it was.

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Jim says we could put an 80 hp 4 stroke on the back and never know the difference in weight, since we are removing so much soggy wood.

We also found out the outer hulls are filled with foam….soggy foam.

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He removed it from the bulkhead to the rear. The port side on the L didn’t go completely to the back of the boat and had a few inches of water in it.          The one on the R still has a bit of water draining from the foam under the cabin.

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He’s sure made use of the shop vac.

All the fiberglass and wood, except 2 or 3 inches around the edge have been removed. He’s making  supports and stringers now.

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This was the second one to go in under the cabin floor, by the doorway. It made a big difference.

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Before I let my curiosity get the best of me…..we could have gone boating…..now I have to wait till the floor is in. Oh well, it’s a job that truly needed doing.