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I am fairly versed in boats, but I need some of my fellow Whaler owners input. I recently acquired a 1968 whaler 13' sport with a lot of stress and structural cracks, which i have repaired with a dremel, duraglass and glass .
I have successfully built and molded boats before so I am not afraid of glassing. I'm just wondering number one what is the make most sense way to dry the core?
Here is my plan. I was going to remove the center floor ( I want to make a flat floor anyway) and carve out as much foam from everywhere I can reach. I have replaced rotten stringers in boats where i recall pouring acetone into the areas non reachable to wick the moisture out of wet wood. I think the acetone would harm the remaining foam here however so I was thinking about drilling 1" holes with a 12" spaid bit through the top of the gunnel all the way around and finding a product that evaporates but wont harm polyurethane like isopropal alcohol or something. also I have built curved transoms with balsa and honeycomb in layers before but its a lot of work and am intrigued by this pourable transom material I read about where you vertically cut out the old wood transom with a chain saw and then simply pour in your brand new transom.
Lastly, there seem to be alot of nice features fom all the different model years that i would like to combine. The sourpuss interior has the center steering which leaves the throttle too far away and aykward with a passenger yet the sport interior has the steering too far to the Starboard leaving the boat unbalanced with just the driver.
Should I keep the boat the original blue and white? Awlgip or gelcoat? What is the most desirable classic 13 whaler for resale? Any input would be appreciated.
What are the known problems with the hull other than the old gelcoat?
Posting photos helps us help you.
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If you think the hull has significant water intrusion, you need to get the bare hull weighed. The only way to really know is this step.
There are NO STRINGERS in any Boston Whaler hull.
The foam is a structural element of the hull and if you cut it out you need to re-bond new foam or add stringers.
If removing the foam is appealing, and you want a flat floor ,you don't really want the features of a Boston Whaler and should just sell what you have and buy something else.
Why do you think the core is wet? the only way to tell is to weight the boat and generally it is not worth the effort to dig out the foam. Even if you do dig out the foam you will end up with a heavier hull. If you follow whaler recommendations you would need to replace the 2# foam originally injected with 4# foam for the stability it provides.
It is your boat but if your looking for resale leaving the boat as original as possible is the most desired state.
If you want to see a refoam job in progress check out my project album.
