New member first ski nautique

**wayoutthere** · 05-22-2020, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by SilentSeven View Post

OK. Different from my 82 Mastercraft. In that boat, the areas outside the stringers were closed and foam filled - basically a sealed flotation pocket. Same for the bow portion. Didn't realize that entire stringer area could be wet.

This was foam filled as well, if you go back and look at the pics, where the floor and hullsides meet didnt need to be cut, it was popped loose, (no cut or grind marks)
all the foam except up in the bow by the footrest was wet, engine oil water muck funk and junk made it all the way into the air tubes and under the battery box, it was all bad.

the only dry piece of wood was the rudder port, everything else was rotted away or dripped water when a screw was pulled out.

**SilentSeven** · 05-22-2020, 06:00 PM

So on my 82 Mastercraft there was the same double stringer and front bulkhead system. What seems to be different (?) is that the flooring was glassed down from the gunnel edge to the inner stringers and the bow pocket was sealed from the bulkhead forward (also glassed down). There was no way to pull up the flooring without cutting the glassover loose from the stringer tops and away the sides of the gunnel.

What killed that boat was a water leakage into the port stringer and into the sealed side pockets.

Specifically, some factory rocket scientist had decided to wood screw in cable clips about every 12 inches along the base of the port stringer breaking the fiberglass seal and allowing bilge water into the stringer pocket over time. Lame. The starboard stringer was fine..port, not so much.

Water entered the sealed side pockets via the swim step mounts. Mastercraft used L brackets to support the swimstep with bottom of the bracket being below the waterline and lag bolted (!!) through the transom. Water seeped past these bolts over time and soaked the pocket, ultimately rotting the floor from underneath. Again, just dumb construction technique.

Tore it apart with the intent of doing what you're doing but life got busy and had to abandon the project mid-effort. Sold her as a project boat. I have some pictures somewhere...will have to dig them out.

You're a better man than I was.

I've gone full on tupperware now...no more wood boats for me.

**wayoutthere** · 05-22-2020, 07:00 PM

Yeah, filled with foam and glassed over, no access, never get the water out until you cut the boat open.
Everywhere the stringers were drilled or cut were never sealed, this boat began rotting right after the the first drop of water came thru the packing gland.

i'm not putting foam back in, and instead of access panels, the floor in between the main stringers in front and behind the engine will be hatches.
the dog box will be part of the floor ( out to the outer stringers),
the only parf of the floor that will be permanent is along the sides and under the front seats.

double 1/2 ply cleats are bonded onto the inner and outer stringers for the floor to be bedded down and for the 3 hatches to rest on.

wood is not a bad thing, it just has to be sealed. Fiberglass channel is a great idea for stringers correct craft started using them in 1993 per literature seen on correctcraftfan.

My opinion; the integrated stringers system (fiberglass channel) along with a one piece deck and cockpit liner is the way to go, just dont fill it up with foam.

Thanks again for the kind words

**wayoutthere** · 05-22-2020, 07:53 PM

On the other boat rebuild, i glassed every thru hole inside and out unless it was too small, then they just get filled and soaked with 635 thin epoxy for about 5 minutes. Cant say its waterproof, but its not bare wood.

**SilentSeven** · 05-24-2020, 10:58 AM

You're doing it the way the factory should have done it. I have no doubt that once done that boat will last at least three times longer than the original.....

Posted via phone. Sorry for the tpyos.

**wayoutthere** · 05-31-2020, 06:38 PM

**wayoutthere** · 06-07-2020, 03:02 PM

Finally a break in the rain.
ran out out of time and couldnt cap the last bit of stringer, will have to try tomorrow weather permitting fingers crossed.

**wayoutthere** · 07-01-2020, 04:45 PM

Been a few weeks, other projects and so on but today i got back in and ground the last of it smooth on the overlaps so there wont be any sticthes when it it gets rigged and serviced. Front half of the floor is cut so i got a week to get the rest cut and fit before company comes. The floor only goes back as far as the rear seat where that cleat runs side to side.