TOPIC: Mid 1970's - Deck Boat - Restore or?

Well....I got my hands on a 1974 Deck Boat (Brand). It was totally neglected. I believe this boat has sat uncoverd on a trailer since 1995. It is 18' in length and powered by a 140 hp I/O Merc. The engine is missing a fuel pump; however, the motor turns freely and the old engine oil appears normal. Anything is rebuildable right. It might start up with a little fuel....Anyway, I'm not worried about the engine.....That is a very commone engine and simple enough to repair/replace.

Initial inspection reveals the deckboat's exterior hull (upper & lower) is in very good condition with almost no spider cracks scrapes, dock rash or other blemishes. After vacuuming & cleaning the interior of the boat (almost two cubic yards (half of a small dumpster) of leaves dirt, tree limbs, mulch, etc. followed by pressure washing with hot water. I have found that the original interal decked floor of the boat is virtually gone.

Backing up.....This fiberglass (frp) boat was manufactured with solid wood stringers (Side keelsons) overlain with frp. Solid wood was a poor choice by the manufacturer. Internal structures (ribs & floors) of the boat were 7/16" marine plywood overlain with a single layer of frp (poor choice - but effective for a while). The intire area inside/between the floor & hull was filled with pourable polystyrene and covered by the floor. This construction method's premise was relatively good as the entire area between the original floor & hull was originally completely sealed as a composite structure. Since the floor somehow rotted from the neglect.... allowing rainwater into the originally sealed area....This area is now in poor condition. Is it repairable? Sure.....anything is repairable! Question is does anyone have any simple effective solutions?

With the internal flooring or what was left of it removed...I tested areas of these side keelsons. I have found that these solid wood side keelsons (rib runners, stringers) are totally internally rotten. The frp tops of these runners can be easily removed; whereas, the rotten wood core can be removed. Can they be filled/fitted with marine plywood and/or a closed cell foam/frp product. Ideas? I'm sure someone has some ideas? Originally, the solid core keelsons & frp casing were bonded to the hull frp. I'm not sure if it would be a good idea or necessary to cut this completely from the inside of the boat's hull.

With the internal flooring or what was left of it removed...I tested areas of this waterproof foam. I have found that rainwater has penetrated the hull/foam contact. I have found that a water/fuel mix has penetrated and actually destroyed (saturated) the foam near the fuel tank area. Therefore, most of the foam has to be removed/replaced. Ok, fine....I can handle this too. They do make a pourable closed cell foam; although, I have forgotten the brand name. Ideas?

The transom plywood is likely in poor shape; however, I have found no significant breaches. I have found a small hole in the outer hull edge of the lower transom. I have not removed the transom's internal frp; however, if there is no viable cost effective solution(s) to the repair of the side keelsons & stringers mentioned above. I need a cost effective repair solution or I will not look further.

Don't get me wrong....I have replaced a transom before in a houseboat with twins & I had use of a chopping gun; therefore, I am familiar with the process. Right now, I do not have a chopping gun. I plan to frp any new repairs by hand with cloth & mat.

I guess....what I am asking is.....can anyone help me with a cost effective & timely solution to these repairs? Or do I need to get out a chainsaw & cut the boat up & throw it away. I mean...in good restored repaired & running condition....this deck boat is still only a $5K boat. Right now, I am budgeting no more than $3k for all hull/motor repairs. I plan to complete almost all of the repairs myself.

I have removed the upper hull and some of the internal foam. The floor (whats left of it) can be easily removed.

I was reading along in the repair section of this website; whereas, someone mentioned that the core material of the side keelsons (stringers) is not as critical to the strength of these units as is the shape and outer construciton of these keelsons. Can I fill these keelsons (tops removed) with a combination of something semi-structural and reglass over the outside of these units with more frp cloth and back/bonded to the interior of the hull? Thus achieving a decent, functional result?

Thanks......Comments would be appreciated!

Not to be mean But ill be honest . Ild probaully bail on that boat . Pull the motor and other good parts and grab a chain saw .Youll have a ton of hours and money stuck in her . If it was something really disirable Ya I might consider it .In my area Deck boats can be bought real cheap .I bought a 18 foot Sylivan with a trailer for $300 last fall .The Sylivan needed a little bit of the floor replaced but nothing else just gone threw .Seats are great to .She was trying to sell it all summer for $1,700 .She didnt want to pay a guy up north here $500 to store it for the winter so she sold it to me cheap . If the Boat was a Old Hydrostream or a Glastron GT or anything cool thats rare Ya maybe then ..My guess is if you hit the Old Craigslist in your area youll find a pretty cool boat that has a bad motor or I/O in that you can get for a song and a dance .You could drop your motor in her and be on the water enjoying life instead of itching for 1/2 the summer while your covered in Fiberglass Dust . Another option would be Get the motor and drive unit running good so somebody could here it and sell it to buy another solid boat .In the past ive had boats given to me or bought for next to nothing that people wouldnt have given 2 nickles for .Ild pull the motors and anything else worth something then sell those parts . Alot of people are always looking for nice trailers to so give yours a $10 rustoeum paint job and yould be suprised ..Again this is just my honest oppion and not trying to be mean ..Good Luck to you ..

You would really, really have to love the deck boat design to go any further. Personally, having done a similar project with a 70,s inboard outboard I would not do it again. Pull the outdrive and motor, scrap the rest, remove any usefull trim or ornaments.

Thanks so much for your input! I am posting some more photos of the boat. The upper & lower hull components are in good to very good condition. It is the interior side keelsons, interior flotation (foam), interior floor and some of the seating supports that are in very poor condition. Oops! I don't know if the transom is bad; however, if I was to replace the other.....I certainly would replace the transom too.

I am not trying to defend your suggestions to strip & scrap the boat. I am trying to make an intelligent decision here! I just hate to scrap it if there are some good suggestions for the necessary repairs.

I would like for you to take another look. Please feel free to state any additional comments. Mean comments are OK! I believe in stating the facts.....Mean or Not!

This is an 18' boat (big lake boat!)with lots of room. There is relatively little exterior work to be performed. The foam core for the seats is still intact. Of course, they need to be recovered. The railings are all perfect. The instruments cowling, instruments, steering & motor controls (maybe) appear in good condition. Hell, I even have a prop!

Take another look at the photos. Please comment!

Another photo.

Another photo!

Another photo!!

Ok, glad you posted the pics. The hull and the topside look pretty decent. My concern is foam and the stringers. If the foam is saturated it Must be removed and replaced. The cellular structure of the foam needs to be intact to act as flotation...very important in a boat Saturated foam will weigh a lot and your boat will never perform correctly and will be unsafe. Once the foam is removed you need to check all the stringers including the ones that were previously not visible. The stringers would have been fir encased in fiberglass. The stringers provide the structural support, the fiberglass just keeps the water out, or was supposed to. You will have to cut new stringers and they will have to run the entire length of the old stringer. You cannot just cut out the bad section and put some wood in its place. The stringer gets it strength from its continuous length and its vertical orientation. You can construct a composite stringer from plywood, laminated together with waterproof glue. Overlap any joints so that there is no continuous breaks in the stringer, just like a hardwood floor has staggered joints. Dry fit the new stringer into the fibreglass cavity that was created when you dug out the old stringer. When you are happy with the fit you can glass it back in. The stringer has to sit flat on the bottom of the boat, not just rest at each end.
When you get to the mounting blocks for the engine check them very carefully, they were fabricated the same way. These will have to be replaced with solid wood, not a laminated process like the stringers.
During all this the boat must be properly supported on its trailer or cradle since the hull will warp bend sag and buckle when the stringers are removed and replaced. The weight of the motor will be a big factor here. It is best to remove the motor and outdrive, if you find the transom is rotten you will have to do that anyway to replace the rotted wood.

Like I said, you really have to love this boat. Its a lot of work.

Not sure where you come up with that being a 5k boat, even in pristine condition.I would never spend 3k to rebuild that mess. For that kind of money there are a ton of boats that require nothing but gas.You could buy 5 Glassics and spend less on rebuilding all of them than what you have alloted for that crazy project. Take the previous advice and bail,pun intended.

All right! Thanks for the comments!

I think I will reply to the last comment first. I have seen a 1976 15' (outboard type) and trailer locally for $3K. The boat is in fair/good condition with an old 1970's outboard. It as most boats go.....likely has some issues and you will have to put more money into it. The most common, significant repair from neglect is the need for a new transom. I mentioned that I had replace a transom in the past in a 1974 Nautaline Houseboat. It had only been 10 years (1984) and when I had replaced the transom. Water invasion of the internal, structural wooden parts is disasterous! I sold the Nautaline in 1994.

I've noticed that these 1970's deck boats are still around. No....they are not the most desirable; however, I would think an 18'er with I/O engine would be more desirable....if not the most desirable of these boats. No....I may not get a great return on my investment (monies spent on repairs); however,.... Go purchase a new boat....drive it off the lot....you just lost 20 to 30%. If it was a 30K boat....You just lost somewhere between $6K & $9K.

Ok! The stringers (side keelsons)...fir...solid likely; but, gone now. Yes, they will extend the full length of the boat. Yes, a plywood composite stringer of marine plywood would work. My question is how to go about it. Like I said...cut the top off of the existing encased stringer with frp sides bonded to the boat hull and stuff new composite stringer inside and then fill remaining gap with resin & mat (or other?) and recap with frp?

Or....cut off top and only one side of existing stringer while prebuilding a new composite stringer which could be pre constructed with frp coating. Bond this new composite stringer to the remaining single side of the former stringer and followed by bonding all to the hull? I hope this is not too confusing!

Yes, I agree with checking the motor mount! Yes, I intend to cut off the entire interior floor/seating structure.....

I will ultimately take this boat completely apart. Motor removed from the hull is next. Yes, the motor needs to be removed....I'm with you on the hull warping. Once the boat is apart....I still may throw it away! My time spent on cleaning and stripping this boat thusfar was only 12 hrs. I'm not scaird of work! I'll take it apart....finalize a repair budget using an Excel spreadsheet (I already have one!) If I spend a few more days getting to a real project budget....It's ok! If I ultimately throw it away....well, you just can't say that I didn't try.....Right!

Here is a photo of the 140 hp Mercruiser I/O engine.

Great comments!....Thanks

You said ..

I think I will reply to the last comment first. I have seen a 1976 15' (outboard type) and trailer locally for $3K. The boat is in fair/good condition with an old 1970's outboard. It as most boats go.....likely has some issues and you will have to put more money into it. The most common, significant repair from neglect is the need for a new transom. I mentioned that I had replace a transom in the past in a 1974 Nautaline Houseboat. It had only been 10 years (1984) and when I had replaced the transom. Water invasion of the internal, structural wooden parts is disasterous! I sold the Nautaline in 1994.

I've noticed that these 1970's deck boats are still around. No....they are not the most desirable; however, I would think an 18'er with I/O engine would be more desirable....if not the most desirable of these boats. No....I may not get a great return on my investment (monies spent on repairs); however,.... Go purchase a new boat....drive it off the lot....you just lost 20 to 30%. If it was a 30K boat....You just lost somewhere between $6K & $9K.

I just checked my Local Craigslist A guys got a 1980 Viking Deck boat with the same Motor and drive as yours . Just put new Floor and Carpet in it and Motors Tuned and ready to go .$2250 he wants for it .Seats look great and comes with CD player and Polk Audio sound system . Viking is one of the better Deck Boats .
2 Other boats on there 1. Hydrostream Vector Recored with new transoom and a 150 Merc .Good seats and ready to fly .. Needs some paint work $3500 and a Glastron GT 150 Pretty much in the same shape as the Hydrostream . $1600 .. First if Old deck boats are going High priced ..Why this man still got a Nice one for $2250 ?? Should be gone fast ..The one I bought cheap the Lady was trying to sell for $1700 all summer long . It needed Minor repairs and I had it on the water in 3 days ..The 2 other boats I found will only be worth more as Time goes by .And when there on a lake and looking Pretty you get that WOW factor from people who see them .Aint many people gonna rush down to the dock to see another Deck boat . When I put my 1975 Glastron CV16 in the water or the Carlson Challenger in my pic People come down just to look at them .Way to many Cookie Cutter looking boats and Pontoon boats on the water already ..And the Hydro or the GT will make you feel 25 again ...L.O.L..I found the 3 boats Mentioned and it only took me 3 minutes of Searching ..Imagine if I would have spent an Hour looking threw different cities ..?? I/O more desierable ?? Worth More ?? Alot of people dislike them . Parts are generally higher .You have to stand on your head to work on them . Arent much better on fuel if at all .They can be a pain to drain and set up for Winter if your in a area where it Freazes . If you have a outboard that Blows up you can put any on them and your not at the mercy of the only guy that has the part you need ..You can swap a Outboard out and be back on the water in a hour or 2 instead of Days if your changing a I/O motor ..Ill take the outboard any day over a I/O ...Bottom line is its your Cash and Labor ..Ild spend it on something Cool that will only pick up in price and your Grand Kids will thank you someday for buying ..

Ok....I'm getting the picture. How about listing some names of some larger deck boat models or open bow boat models (high passenger lake cruisers/ski boat) that you would consider worth restoration.....Or worth purchasing? Price range - $1 to $5K.

Viking - years to look at - models to look at -
Kayot?
Glastron - same
Hammond (John Hammond designer used to work for Glastron in Austin. He built boats on his own from 1974 thru 1984) - I used to have a 1984 open bow 18'er with rear ski deck. It had a 455 Olds with Mercruiser outdrive. It was beginning to have the same issues as this boat. Interior was needing replacement (Lots of skiing & water in the floor over years of use!). Floor was needing replacement. However, the engine was excellent, transom & stringers were not inspected. I sold it in 1995 for $7K. I would like a boat about 2' longer than this deep v open bow. I do not want a twin. I do not really want an outboard...but would still consider.

Thanks - Einsteinlivesintexas

Glad you took all the comments well. Most of us have gone down this route before and are just trying to add perspective to your project. Ultimately you decide what you want to take on. It is your project. If your comfort zone is inboard/outboards then you are in the right State to enjoy them, no winterizing. You,re the Captain...whatever floats your boat.

Ok! I guess I'll ask this question...Does anybody have a larger deep V open bow or deck type boat (18 to 22' in length) with trailer with full clear title that they have decided not to restore for one reason or another (blown engine, bad transom, minor storm damage, health reasons)? This would need to be a "free" boat?...I mean FREE....as it does take a lot of money to rebuild & restore. The boat would need to be located in the Austin or DFW area +/- 200 mile radius from each. The boat would need to be classfied as "desirable" - as so many have pointed out. This might be a laughing question; however, maybe someone would accommodate me and contribute one!

Yes, I can look on Craigs list and find one....however, why not ask?

Thanks for taking what I said in the way it was intended ..Everybody thats Messed with boats on here know they can become a Money and time pit on alot of them ..Sometimes you get Burried in a Project in both Money and time and get fed up with it then it sits ..The Old WHAT WAS I THINKING Problem ...L.O.L..Kinda like when you get married .. Seems like a Great Idea at first ...L.O.L..Restoreing a Old boat Only cost $50 ..$50 for this 50 for that Another 50 for something else ..Can get to be never ending to do a Full restore ..So make it a Boat you really Love ..I saw a 1956 Glasspar Delmar and fell in love with it .Had to have one ..I mentioned I was looking for one on here and Neil had one ..That took me on a 2000 mile Adventure , Met some great People and saw some cool sights ...When I got home Friends thought I was kinda nuts for doing that when they saw the boat .As its coming together .. Not so nuts anymore ..Theres a sight you can go on that can search Craigslist for how ever many miles away you put on the search ..Somebody on here posted the site once maybe they will again or ill look .Ild just keep checking around and Youll see one Thats YOUR BOAT And your efforts will be all worth it to you ..If you stay on this site you will be amazed at how Great the guys are on here and will jump threw Hoops often to help each other ..Heck do a search for Delmar and youll see my adventure with Neil ..And Again sorry if I sounded roght on you . I had only Good Intentions And if your new ... Welcome Aboard ....By the way I see your from TX ..Know anybody down there with a good set of front fenders for a 55 threw 57 Chevy truck ..

Sorry....No Chevy Truck Fenders....

I think I scored a good one....I found something that will suffice as a large "deck boat". I found a 1994 VIP Deckliner.....It will get a new (remanufactured) 260hp Chevy engine with 3 yr wtty. Looks to be in good shape. Yes, the boat costs more than the $3K that I wanted to spend. It always seems you have to spend more!

I'm going to pull the engine on the 1974 Deckboat and scrap the rest. I will sell the engine on Craig's List.

Say....Have you heard of "Crazedlist.org"? It works (searches) multiple sites on Craigslist instead of individual sites like Craigslist! You have to run it from "Mozilla Firefox" (browser) instead of "Internet Explorer". Check it out.....I really like it.