Never again, Again !

[wayoutthere]

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I bought the 96 nautique open bow from NautiqueJeff that he has listed for sale. The sale included everything minus the engine and transmission. I spoke with Sandra the owner of CS Marine in New Jersey and the remaining interior items are getting shipped to me. First off, Jeff. Solid guy who stepped up and made a good deal a better deal by trailering the boat from North Carolina to Orlando. Obviously Jeffs a busy guy and had a reason to travel to Orlando but trailering the boat down as something he didn't need to do. It gets better, 0400 the 21st en route to the er i call Jeff and leave a message, on the way to the hospital, hold off. Later that day from the hospital we text back and forth. Released on the next day and back home by 2030 hrs and Jeff says he'll come down monday with the boat. So he put his business on hold over the weekend and delivered the boat in Orlando that monday. Honest, straight to the point, clearly attached to these boats and his work, Jeff (NautiqueJeff) is a solid stand up guy that i wouldn't hesitate to do business with or reccomend him to my family, friends, and the members across 3 boating sites I belong to. Next, Sandra at CS Marine in Jersey. https://www.candsmarine.com/ Sandras shop is the only uholstery business licsened by correctcraft to reproduce factory vynil, color, patterns and embroidery and in business for 40 years. Please visit the link and read up about her shop and the work they do. More to the point, I spoke with Sandra over the phone and upon hearing I was taking on the 96 nautique project from Jeff she offered to crate up and ship the remaining interior parts to me. The combing pads are long and in order to help save on shipping she offered to make paper templates of them. Sandra has gone over and above helping me with this project and the rest of this story will have to wait until i speak with her again to forward the shipping costs. Suffice to say Sandra turned the great deal that Jeff made me into an incredible deal. Again, across 3 boating websites I will reccomend to all members that i wouldn't hesitate to do business with Sandra (C S Marine in New Jersey) as well as reccomend her to my family and friends. I could go on about Jeff and Sandra both as to how they act professionaly as well as to the personality traits i observed while meeting and talking with them. I can't thank enough for their time and help afforded to me connection with this project by both Jeff and Sandra. We all know who Jeff is and the great work he does restoring these ski boats.Please consider calling Sandra at C S Marine for licsensed nautique upholstery as well as any upholstery needs you may have in any boat. Pics in a couple days, parts cleaned, carpet pulled off and out to the bow eye (saving for patterns) including the carpet on the underneath of the bow rider. Who puts carpet there? Thank you again, Dan

[Scooter G]

Integrity, honesty, and follow through is a theme often lacking today.
In the end, it's the story we leave behind. Don't ever promise more than you can deliver, but deliver more than you promise.
Great write up wayoutthere, thanks for sharing!

[MN Ryan]

That's good to hear. I actually plan on contacting C&S today.

[NautiqueJeff]

Thanks for the kind words, wayoutthere! I am so glad this boat is going to get another life!

[wayoutthere]

Out there drippin, 3 days now. I like this hull so i'm moving forward and starting to work up a plan.

start by cleanly cutting out the battery box / cooler assembly so it can be reused.
probobly have to cut a rectangle hatch out of the floor under the observer seat and forward a bit, if needed for foam removal.
(it's some kind of cored panel but i don't know how far forward it goes) and re use it.

i layed out the floor under the gas tank and rear seat, those areas plus a few inches either side will stay intact. Everywhere else between the back seat and tank
and from the tank to transom will come out for foam removal and access to the thru hull nut and bolts that always leak.
those removed sections will not go back in.

the floor from the back seat to the front floor cored/panel will come out for foam removal, i'm hoping it will give me enough room to de foam.
this area is approx 22 inches by 58 inches so 1 sheet of airex core cell 3/4 will cover the rebuild.

I would prefer to not cut it open but the boat is disassembled now.
If anybody has been inside of a 96 nautique and can shed some light on an approach to cutting i'd appreciate the info.
I can see the outboard stringer by looking down into the air box hopefully that will help with layout and cutting which will go slow so the
composite stringers don't get wacked.

[bionaraq]

Are you gelcoating the interior to place seadek type material?

[wayoutthere]

Quote removed by Admin for not following the Guidelines for Quoting Previous Posts in a Thread.

I'm not sure yet as to the finish material because of how some of the interior pieces are carpeted. gel and sea dek are great but all that sanding is tough.
not to mention the floor is not flat at all,carpet hides wjat gel will highlight.
right now it's just layout to inspect for water intrusion and cost effective rebuild.

[FMSKI]

You could pop some holes into the foam cavity at the transom. I had holes for my interceptor mounting plates. Tilted the boat back and water started dripping out. Used a shop vac to remove faster. Left it open for a week until everything dried up.

It is true that my buddy's 98 boat has a wavy soft floor, and a 97 I ski with is pretty uneven. I would just pour epoxy onto that to a) level and b) stiffen up.

[wayoutthere]

fmski i'm looking for a reason to buy a vaccum pump ( besides the other reason i actually need one). Pulling a vaccum might get the water out or more likely help to find all the leaks made from assembly.

Plans are evolving right now and theres not much of a rush. For example the 1984 nautique is staying put and the 96 is getting de-foamed. Yep 2 ski boats 2 rebuilds. Keep an out for a donor engine and trans boat.

Today the 84 got powerwashed in the bilge and the cushions have been disassembled and inside the house all week, they are for sure dry and ready to get bagged up and stored in the boat with the boat covered.

my powerwasher died and i picked up the tiny one from lowes, it's compact light and it made fast work de greasing the bilge. For 89 bucks and a 30 day return it's worth a try if you need one and don't have the room for or want to spend big bucks. Hope it lasts 8 years like the sunjo did.

[wayoutthere]

Well, looks like the 96 is headed to that big waterski lake in the ski. It's full of water front to back and from the bottom all the way up to the floor.
at first i figured defoam it but the stringers are full of water too and in some spots very soft. ( see videos )
the boat is structurally dependant on the foam the foams soaked and the stringers are only a few layers thick and flimsy.

I almost caved in a few months ago and considered dropping 10 - 15 grand on a boat so i could hit the water now. Glad i didn't but i can offer some advice;

I f your looking for a ski boat go to the brochure section get the boats weight, call the trailer manufacturer get it's weight tell the seller i'll meet you at the scales and if oit passes muster we'll go for a sea trial.
second, if you want a surf boat, save yourself 300 grand and buy a used ski boat, i mean they may as well fill them up with water at the factory.

called uhaul and cancelled the Ubox being dropped off tomorrow the 23rd at the upholstery shop to have everything sent back to me.
I'll have to call sandra in the morning and apologize, even with a new set of free skins she was sending me, with the rest of the interior parts, it's just too much to totally gut and start from scratch on that boat.

the hull is great, the assembly as usual, stringers, foam and floor are what you'd expect, and heck i figured since roller boogie, disco and cocaine was a thing of the past and the guys at the factory aren't all hopped up on coke conga lining on roller slates around the shop floor hook shottin globs of over saturated chopped strand mat into the boat and callin it good were ever it landed ike they did on that 79 i had i figured assembly might be better this time but nope, not to be.
.dam it, I really wanted a bowrider ski boat

https://youtu.be/n_nycYalEmA?si=N_F8PeQabSCBIDPr

https://youtu.be/Xqc6T-9NSpo?si=F7D9dftAwceCcfMb

https://youtu.be/cqDVL7bJCrA?si=321b3BfUIz8o-RDt

[SilentSeven]

This is super interesting. Let me get this straight....this is a completely fiberglass boat right? No wood laminates in either the floor or the stringers? If I recall, Nautique ended using wood laminate construction in 1993.

Watched the videos...see the water. Looks a lot like my '81 Mastercraft when I cut open the floors exposing the foam filed side pockets.

Now you are saying this boat is junk as the stringer pockets are full of water. AND...that the stingers themselves which are also foam filled (? for strength?) have water in them? This is scary as 'popular wisdom' suggests that there is no risk with all fiberglass construction. Maybe I just haven't been on enough boating forums where boats are deconstructed.

I get how having the floor pockets filled with water is a problem. Lots of weight and big work to fix. Have to cut the floors out, scrape the foam out and replace everything. But how does this kill the stringers? And I guess the next question is - how the heck is the water getting into both the floor and stringers..

So many questions. Thanks for posting this. And I was looking forward to another great rebuild thread - I really enjoyed your last project.

[wayoutthere]

I have an update on both the 84 & 96 tonight, in short, no the 96 isn't scrap, it's just uuuggghh !

I'll eat my words and clear this up best i can.
The wide portion of the outbaord stringer are only a few layers thick and it flexes in the video.
When i cut the rest of the floor out and remove the foam it should be easier to see that.
The inner stringers are for sure going to be pretty strong.

The front part of the floor is or looks like 1 inch core cell wirh some fiberglass on it.
I'll add a picture.
They drilled and filled the front floor, hence all the voids and gallons of standing water.

The rear floor is foam filled sanded( nowhere near flat) and covered with fiberglass

The foam is really for NVH but it is totally relied on structurally for the floor, not the whole boat.

It's a safe bet the hull and deck are laid up real good and are strong on there own.
The hull would probably work without stringers and floors but not that great.

My bet and who cares would be theres a void by a bad foam pour in the stringers before assembly which allowed the flex or the water froze, expanded and popped the glass off the foam allowing flex and more room for more water.

Again, i'll eat my words but not about assembly, it's where it all goes down hill.

Which wraps this up;
When i bought this boat it was without the upper sections of the interior parts and upholstery and I had somewhat of a plan as to the finish. It was luck of the draw i called jeff and he again advised me to call sandra about those pieces.
Theres no way this boat could come back to original nick without a very large sum of money.

Second, theres no way i could install the complete set of new skins sandra so generously offered me at the level they should be fitted. The fiberglass and roto molded bottom parts of the interior that were covered in carpet and came with the boat are rough to say the least, gel and sea dek would be an easier fix than carpet and upholstery which i suck at and would screw it all up.

Is the whole thing a bust i don't know but it's disappointing to find it so full of water.
Every screw and bolt hole into the stringers floor and transom must've ran like niagra falls.

There is no story or reason to justify it being waterlooged period.
It was sunk, nope the brochure brags about superior construction
It was a hot tub, nope the brochure brags about superior design and construction methods that are above industry standards.
It was abandoned and uncovered in a field for 20 years, nope these boats were made from ame 5000 resin WOW !!!! and the brochure goes on about the genious and legacy from which these boats have spawn.

[wayoutthere]

Update on both boats today, start with the 84. Ups dropped off the steel i ordered to make new load/launch uprights because, well look at the pictures. Ups also dropped off all the paperwork for the 84 in a big correct craft envelope, good news.

Ups came around 1900 after i got done working on the 96 and i got good news for all of us about that. I found a note in a ziplock bag stuffed in void under the driver side floor. I'lll post a picture of it later along with pictures of the stringers and floor after some foam chipping.

[wayoutthere]

Some foam chipping in between rain as hurricane somebody or other is approaching.
This is low on the list but i wanted to clear up on the stringers with some pictures.
The wide part of the outboard stringer that flexes has a sawzall blade resting on it
The narrow part of the outboard stringer is pretty tough.
The inner to outer srringer tie-ins have some flex as well.
The front floor will have to be cut out but for now you can see how it was constructed from 1 inch foam sheet cut in strips (why ? Who the F knows) the hole in the drivers floor with the sawzall blade sticking up was the hole drilled in the video. How water got there and the void was dry as far as i can see into it is any body's guess but 100 percent the foam under it will be soaked.
Also there is a sawzall blade and an awl pointing at a gap in the floor that they filled with a tube of silicone, setting industry standards i'll tell ya. And how does foam not touch the bottom in the rear under the gas tank, frickin aqua fir down there

[wayoutthere]

Like mentioned earlier, i have good news for all of us. There was a note in a ziplock bag located in the void under the drivers side floor. I'll read it aloud and then you'll see how it's such good news. It reads;

This Boat Holds Special Reverance to all who assembled her, for as the story goes,,,

Once Upon a Time,
The old man walked onto the shop floor and called the men to gather.

While placing a hand upon the deck of this creation of his, a tear ran from his eye and he spoke of his pride for his men & their work.

Once the old man left the men to their duties they choked back emotions and continued assembly of this boat.

Since the men were choked up, they could not Correctly finish their task.

Be it known then that this is the only waterlogged hull and that therefore all the other boats are perfectly fine & not blown full of industry leading technology like a whole tube of silicone to fill a gap in the floor.

Signed,
The men who work for The Old Man Himself
this day 3-28-96