Whidbeyboater
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2024
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 35
- LOCATION
- Whidbey Island WA
I picked up a Western, Shasta Aluminum Product W17 side console boat a few weeks back. Boat was forfeited during a divorce and sat in this lady's yard since 2009 rotting away. Luckily all of the aluminum is in near perfect shape and its on a nice shur lander trailer and 60 hp Johnson. I believe the boat is a 1985.
I will post up some pics and keep folks updated on the build.
So far I have removed everything out of the boat, pressure washed and cleaned everything up. Cut out the old dotted transom and made a new transom and floor boards out of 1/2" and 3/4" MDO Plywood with 2 coats of epoxy.
I am currently working on framing out a bow hatch and some storage in the stern, Getting the interior painted, and getting the transom back in and having my welder buddy weld the new supports in where I cut the old stuff out. It is going quite well and I have gotten a lot of great info lurking on this site.
Bout will be used on the Puget Sound for fishing and crabbing and some local lakes.
Right now I have 2 major questions.
1. Is it okay if my deck in the stern extends all the way back to the transom? I plan on essentially having the deck be a big rectangle with a section cut out right in front of the main outboard to access the "splash well" I guess you would call it. But on either side of the outboard the stern deck would extend all the way back to the transom. Under the deck would be storage and floatation foam. I would basically have foam against the transom on both sides. My concern would be that I wouldn't have easy access to the transom for inspection and having foam up against the transom could cause water to get trapped and rot my transom. I feel like I have seen a lot of boats with a deck on the stern but a lot of these seem to be designed that way and have a splash well that extends the length of the transom above the deck. My currant plan is to just do my best to leave an air gap between my floatation foam and transom to allow for air flow.
2. Flotation foam. I have read a lot on this and I think I have a reasonable plan. I want to use pour foam where possible because the hull is pretty thin and just working on it it my shop it rings like a bell. I know it will never ride like a glass boat but my hope is to add some 4 lb pour foam around the sides of the hull to add some rigidity and sound dampening. I plan on using the pink foam boards to fill as much of the areas below the floor / below the waterline as possible while keeping a good channel for bilge flow. Then lay the boat on its side and fill the sides of the hull and bow with pour foam. Anyone ever done this before? I feel like if I keep the pour foam limited to the sides of the hull were it will only see water from splashes, rain, and washing and never bilge water I can keep it from soaking up water. I have debated drilling holes in the low points of the pour foam to allow for drainage in case they do get water in them. Not sure if this would even work.
Any ideas would be appreciated. I will add some pictures and updates later.
I will post up some pics and keep folks updated on the build.
So far I have removed everything out of the boat, pressure washed and cleaned everything up. Cut out the old dotted transom and made a new transom and floor boards out of 1/2" and 3/4" MDO Plywood with 2 coats of epoxy.
I am currently working on framing out a bow hatch and some storage in the stern, Getting the interior painted, and getting the transom back in and having my welder buddy weld the new supports in where I cut the old stuff out. It is going quite well and I have gotten a lot of great info lurking on this site.
Bout will be used on the Puget Sound for fishing and crabbing and some local lakes.
Right now I have 2 major questions.
1. Is it okay if my deck in the stern extends all the way back to the transom? I plan on essentially having the deck be a big rectangle with a section cut out right in front of the main outboard to access the "splash well" I guess you would call it. But on either side of the outboard the stern deck would extend all the way back to the transom. Under the deck would be storage and floatation foam. I would basically have foam against the transom on both sides. My concern would be that I wouldn't have easy access to the transom for inspection and having foam up against the transom could cause water to get trapped and rot my transom. I feel like I have seen a lot of boats with a deck on the stern but a lot of these seem to be designed that way and have a splash well that extends the length of the transom above the deck. My currant plan is to just do my best to leave an air gap between my floatation foam and transom to allow for air flow.
2. Flotation foam. I have read a lot on this and I think I have a reasonable plan. I want to use pour foam where possible because the hull is pretty thin and just working on it it my shop it rings like a bell. I know it will never ride like a glass boat but my hope is to add some 4 lb pour foam around the sides of the hull to add some rigidity and sound dampening. I plan on using the pink foam boards to fill as much of the areas below the floor / below the waterline as possible while keeping a good channel for bilge flow. Then lay the boat on its side and fill the sides of the hull and bow with pour foam. Anyone ever done this before? I feel like if I keep the pour foam limited to the sides of the hull were it will only see water from splashes, rain, and washing and never bilge water I can keep it from soaking up water. I have debated drilling holes in the low points of the pour foam to allow for drainage in case they do get water in them. Not sure if this would even work.
Any ideas would be appreciated. I will add some pictures and updates later.