1994 Spectrum 16 Sport Rebuild? - Bouncing ideas around

[thill]

DaveG,
Thanks for the replies! Not sure how I missed them.
I peeled off the carpet in the back, and the wood is still solid enough, but it's soaked like a sponge. That has got to go, but the deck is the easiest part of the whole rebuild.

I'll be curious to see what's under the consoles, as the windshields line up nicely. The floor is only 1/2" ply. I'm surprised at how solid it is.

The big issue is that transom. I'm stopped, really thinking it over before going any farther. Once I crack it open, there is no turning back. The core will be easy but trying to figure out which way will make it easiest to put it back together.

Maybe I'll follow your idea of just splitting the top, as that would certainly be the easiest to weld. BUT it would be visible, and I only have a MIG with Argon... HMMM... I need to keep thinking. If it were a different build, I would SeaCast it, but this one doesn't lend itself to that.

UGH. I need to keep thinking about this one.

 

[Daveg]

 

[Daveg]

As long as you have a good grinder you can get away with a mig

I agree it's a pain to get through. You only have to do ir once.

 

[thill]

Thanks for that under-floor shot, Dave.
I see that yours has the ski-locker or storage area, too. It's that center area with the semi-circular cuts on the bottom. Mine has a subdeck under there, and a hatch over it. I'm definitely putting that back in.

Your picture really helps. I didn't know what to think of that area down there. But seeing it all exposed gives me confidence to move forward with the floor. The transom.... UGH. I still hesitate.

Tomorrow, I'm going to remove all the foam back there and make a decision. Time to get to it.

Thanks again.

 

[thill]

Dave,
Thank you again for that picture. It really helped me a lot yesterday. Mine is exactly like yours, except there is roto-molded plastic inside the ski-locker area.

My flooring is still solid, but the back plywood is super-saturated. Waterlogged and very heavy. I decided to run a shallow saw cut just behind the consoles, and I popped the heads off the rivets and lifted the cockpit flooring out.

What I found surprised me. Under the floor was Tyvek house wrap. Huh?? Under that I found DRY floatation foam and shiny, new-looking stringers! WHAT?!?! You NEVER see that in old boats! The Tyvek idea is brilliant. I can't believe it actually worked, but the proof is in the pudding. This really makes my life a lot easier when it comes to replacing the deck.

It was dark and rain was coming, so I covered it up and called it a night. I'll take pictures when I get back to it. Thanks again for the floor picture.

I still need to man-up and start working on that transom. I plan to dig that rear foam out and assess from there. If you can find a pic or two of the transom work, that would be awesome. Maybe I could return the favor somehow, besides plentiful praises and thanks.

 

[thill]

Not sure if I posted this, but I got my title and registration for this boat finally. It's all mine. Now to get it back in running condition.