New to me boat

[Kyleschmid]

at the end of last summer I bought a 1996 268 islander. Over the winter I started looking more into the boat. I have started to see things with the boat I did not see when I bought it. I have attached photos of 2 of the issues I have found. I was wondering if they are big issues I need to fix before putting the boat back in the water. And advise would be greatly appreciate.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Can't help you out with the boat, just thought your location was pretty ironic as I bought my 2004 GW 228 Seafarer from Tri State Marine in Deale, Maryland last October. Good luck!

 

[Hookup1]

I'm less concerned about the bow eye than I am about the aft bilge. The bow eye may be just a gel coat crack. No coring up there. The aft section needs to be checked out as well as the transom. It may be minor as well but needs to be addressed before it gets worse.

 

[mleads310]

I would be very concerned with the aft bilge area. Bow eye, I would look from the inside and if it checked out then it's of no concern.

 

[Chessie246G]

I would open up the crack in the bilge knee and see what's going on in there. I can only guess its water intrusion that froze, swelled and cracked the glass.

BTW I'll be dry docked at Hidden Harbour Marina in about a month.

 

[DennisG01]

It's just a knee wall, so really no big deal to fix if needed. FROM THE PICTURE (you can see better than us), though, it doesn't look that bad. However, it's also hard to get a good read on things since there's a lot of dirt in the way. Drill a core sample at the top and bottom in a few spaces and assess. You may just need to lay a piece of glass over the exposed wood edge.

Bow eye - disassemble and assess. That's about the best we can tell you.

 

[seasick]

Do I see hull damage above the bow eye? If so, I suspect the boat ran into something . As mentioned, you need to look inside the anchor locker to see if there is structural damage,
As for the bulkhead, take a narrow screwdriver and press into the crack in a few spots. If you feel firm coring, great.You can lightly grind/sand and glass over the section after filling the crack with thickened resin. If you feel mush, you will need to look further.

 

[Kyleschmid]

Thanks everyone. I went back k o er to the boat today and it seems like the whole run is rotted I poked with a screw driver and pulled out a bunch of wet wood. Drilled some holes down through it and more of the same. I also pulled up the rest of the floor and found more issues. Not how I wanted to start the season.

 

[HTHM]

As a wise man once said to me ....... crap.
You have my sympathies.

 

[efx]

I have a 99 islander. I’m going to be straight up with you, from what I can see that boat may have been sunk or held a lot of water from rain or a leak. I’ve seen bilge hose cracks pump water from the hull, right back into the hull and kill batteries. I suggest you get a real surveyor or shop to asses what you can do to fix the rot. Best of luck, hopefully it’s just in spots.

 

[Ekea]

at this point, i think you need a professional evaluation. hopefully the damaged area is limited to what you have already found and can be repaired somewhat inexpensively.

this is why you should always get a full survey before you purchase a boat.

 

[Chessie246G]

Oh man.... I feel your pain. I bought my Explorer last year. Was replacing the thru hull and found water in the transom.

 

[PointedRose]

Sorry to hear but don’t despair. Anything on a boat is repairable. If you are handy and up for the work it will save a lot of cost. Any friends that might be willing to help you?

 

[SouthFork]

My last boat was a ‘95 Islander and I can tell you that the glass work was pretty crappy in a lot of areas. In your second picture on the second set you posted are those the stringers? Did you take off both floor plates? They did not glass in the top of the stringers for some crazy reason and the stringers are right under the joint between the floor plates and deck so if not properly sealed water collects in the top of the stringers since the sides are glasses about 1/2” over the top of the stringers creating a channel for water to collect. You definitely need a pro to look at that. My surveyor missed all of that on my Islander

 

[glacierbaze]

Is that wood around the gas tank a lengthwise stringer, or crosswise bulkhead? I would think a stringer would be more than 3/4".

 

[DennisG01]

Is that wood around the gas tank a lengthwise stringer, or crosswise bulkhead? I would think a stringer would be more than 3/4".

Must be a bulkhead - looks like it's separating two tank.

Kyle, I feel for 'ya. That must be like a kick in the gut.

If you're comfortable with the repair - go for it - just realize it's going take a lot of time and the amount you need to repair will get 2 or 3 times larger than what you think. Sometimes, it's more about knowing when to stop otherwise you end up just keep going and going and going with the destruction phase.

For the kneewall, you could cut the top off like you did and than also one side. Don't cut flush with the floor or transom - leave 1/2" or 1" "lip". You can even re-use the cutoff sections of glass along with a layer of something like 1708. You'd overlap the 1708 on the floor and over the top of the kneewall. The bulkhead can be cut out and tabbed with glass into the stringers. Obviously the tanks need to come out... which is probably good to check and consider replacing as they sometimes get holes in them from lack of air circulation around them. And... you might as well replace all the fuel hoses, as well. See what I mean? It can be like going down a rabbit hole.

Depending on how much you paid and what you what to invest (time and money), you may consider parting it out. Don't get me wrong - it's all fixable - but you really need to think things through before you too far into. Enlisting the help of a pro to further check things out may not be a bad idea. But since you dove right into drilling the kneewall, you may very well be capable to figuring it all yourself.

 

[Kyleschmid]

Is that wood around the gas tank a lengthwise stringer, or crosswise bulkhead? I would think a stringer would be more than 3/4".

I believe it is just separating the 2 tanks. I am going to try and remove the tanks this weekend and see if it is removable. Seem like it is I see a seam as far down as I can see.

 

[Kyleschmid]

Must be a bulkhead - looks like it's separating two tank.

Kyle, I feel for 'ya. That must be like a kick in the gut.

If you're comfortable with the repair - go for it - just realize it's going take a lot of time and the amount you need to repair will get 2 or 3 times larger than what you think. Sometimes, it's more about knowing when to stop otherwise you end up just keep going and going and going with the destruction phase.

For the kneewall, you could cut the top off like you did and than also one side. Don't cut flush with the floor or transom - leave 1/2" or 1" "lip". You can even re-use the cutoff sections of glass along with a layer of something like 1708. You'd overlap the 1708 on the floor and over the top of the kneewall. The bulkhead can be cut out and tabbed with glass into the stringers. Obviously the tanks need to come out... which is probably good to check and consider replacing as they sometimes get holes in them from lack of air circulation around them. And... you might as well replace all the fuel hoses, as well. See what I mean? It can be like going down a rabbit hole.

Depending on how much you paid and what you what to invest (time and money), you may consider parting it out. Don't get me wrong - it's all fixable - but you really need to think things through before you too far into. Enlisting the help of a pro to further check things out may not be a bad idea. But since you dove right into drilling the kneewall, you may very well be capable to figuring it all yourself.

I called a boat repair place next to where I is dry docked now. I ha e a few ideas one was what you recommended. I feel like I got a OK deal on the boat from what else is for sale around me. I have never messed with fiber glass before. I'm always up to learn new skills. Any friends I do have would definitely not be of any help so I'm in this alone. I appreciate the advise.

 

[Chessie246G]

check out boatworkstoday on youtube. top notch on fiberglass repair, procedures and tips and more importantly.... what NOT to do.
another good one for basic boat knowledge is bornagainboating.

Ill be down in Deale pretty much every weekend once I get my boat ready for the water again. Likely about 2-3 weeks. Id be happy to stop by and give what advise I have to offer. I'm not an expert by any means buy owning several boats over the years, there is always something that needs fixed.

First step would be to pull the tanks and see for sure how far the rotten wood goes. Fiberglass is pretty easy to work with...

a few simple tips,,,,
air bubbles/voids are your worst enemy, be sure to get them out.
more resin isn't better, buy the correct rollers for rolling out excess resin. They are cheap on amazon, I paid about 15$ for a 5 pc kit.
sharp corners are a big no no... round them off.
and make sure everything is wiped down with acetone, work surface must be clean...

 

[ItalianAngler]

We've all dealt with surprises at one point or another, boats...

Keep us updated, I'm not far from you either, Edgewater.