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what's causing this floor bulge?
steves	#1  Posted on 03/02/09 - 5:58 PM
Member Posts: 3 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/02/09	Hi Everyone. I'm looking at purchasing a '86 outrage. It's nice and clean. The only thing that troubles me is the floor seam on the starboard side of the floor. It's covering the fuel tank, I think. I've included a pic to show. The seam starts to bulge up slightly at the console and runs almost to the transom. It becomes slightly higher as it moves from front to rear, but at its highest is still only about 1/2 inch. My guess is something swelling, but I must admit my knowledge of the inner workings of the whalers is limited. Is there a piece of wood under here? What am I possibly taking on if I buy this boat. It's really not so bad that I couldn't live with it. But I don't want to ignore something that shouldn't be ignored. The thought of pulling up the deck is distressing. Any body venture to guess. Thanks ahead of time. Steve S steves attached the following image: [43.88Kb] Edited by steves on 03/02/09 - 6:00 PM
mattgeiger	#2  Posted on 03/02/09 - 6:02 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 310 Comments: 2 Joined: 02/22/07	If it's not shoddy work from a prior repair, I'm guessing the floorboard core (wood) is saturated with water and has swollen. No reason not to buy the boat. Edited by mattgeiger on 03/02/09 - 6:03 PM
Phil T	#3  Posted on 03/02/09 - 6:04 PM
Administrator Personal Page Personal Album Project Albums Posts: 6994 Comments: 6 Joined: 03/26/05	Steve - Welcome to WC. You have posed a clear question and the photo helps us tremendously. The deck cover has a fiberglassed plywood layer. While not an expert, I would hazard a guess that water has infiltrated the seam and gotten into the ply, causing it to expand. A second opinion is the screws has stripped and the cover has warped. I would wait for a veteran member to confirm my opinions. 1992 Outrage 17 I 2019 E-TEC 90, Viper 17 2+ 2018 Load Rite Elite 18280096VT
steves	#4  Posted on 03/02/09 - 6:12 PM
Member Posts: 3 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/02/09	wow, really quick responses are always great. So, if I do buy it, does this need to be dealt with? And if so, what's the best way? Thanx again Steve S
Joe Kriz	#5  Posted on 03/02/09 - 6:13 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11434 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	steves, You must have missed this article in the article section: http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...ticle_id=8 I turned down buying an Outrage 18' because the floor was bulging like you describe. I did not want to go through all that work. If the boat is cheap enough and you want to do the work, then that is up to you. Edited by Joe Kriz on 03/02/09 - 6:19 PM
todd12	#6  Posted on 03/02/09 - 6:54 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 220 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/27/06	Check your private messages Todd
ioptfm	#7  Posted on 03/02/09 - 7:05 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 1533 Comments: 3 Joined: 10/28/06	WOW! That article of Jeff's is a reall eye-opener............I think that I would contact Jeff Rohlfing and see if you can give him a call for first hand advice Tom 1979 Sport 15'
regentsbay	#8  Posted on 03/02/09 - 7:34 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 60 Comments: 0 Joined: 04/02/07	If the floor is bulging like that there is know doubt a real problem, I'm justing getting my floor back this week from the fiberglass shop. My Outrage 18 floor just had a small soft spot in the stern which I did'nt see nor did the marina but the fiberglass repair worker did. When we pulled the floor it was a wet soggy mess. So $1800.00 and 4 months later its back home. I would imagine an lot of the 18's out there if the owners pulled the floor up would be shocked.
Jeff	#9  Posted on 03/03/09 - 7:00 AM
Member Posts: 1987 Comments: 34 Joined: 04/02/05	More than looking like it is swollen I am sure it is delaminating. Though the floor repair took time it really is not that hard of a job. You just need a good work space, the right materials, and time time time. I would be happy to talk...PM me and I will send you my phone number. I would not necessarily pass on the boat but I would take that into consideration in making an offer. Most have been charged 2 -4 thousand to do a fix like this. Also, if the boat is a 100% saltwater use I would expect to replace the fuel tank as well. Add $1000. Also here is a link to Dave Buckalew's 18. He replaced the floor with a teak and rubber planked plywood floor. Dave's 18 Here is a link to an inspection document I wrote which covers surveying for rotted decks. Edited by Jeff on 03/03/09 - 7:03 AM
steves	#10  Posted on 03/03/09 - 8:38 AM
Member Posts: 3 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/02/09	A virtual wealth of info. My compliments to Jeff for the detailed processing info w/pix on the outrage floor repair. I'm not sure if I'll be able to accomplish that with the resources I have, but, again, I'm really grateful for so much input by everyone. I'll let you know where I end up. Thanx Steve S
Binkie	#11  Posted on 03/03/09 - 9:01 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 2012 Comments: 0 Joined: 12/19/05	There are a lot of good boats out there now, at good prices. that boat would have to be really cheap. to interest me. Rich
95Outrage17	#12  Posted on 03/03/09 - 2:12 PM
Member Posts: 32 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/09/05	Hi Steve, I'm in the middle of fixing the exact same problem in the same place on a 1987 Outrage 18. It's really interesting that this is not uncommon it seems. On the boat I'm working on, I have removed the deck plate and it appears to be in fairly good shape with no apparent rot. I've done a few repairs to the deck plate itself, but mostly due to some imperfections from the factory. On this boat all the screw holes in that section were stripped where they enter the boat's deck. Someone in the past had installed larger screws; obviously a temporary fix. It's a fairly labour intensive problem to solve as the console, seat and deck plate need to be removed to do the repair properly. Plus the holes will likely have to be dried. I drilled out the holes, dried with methyl hydrate/acetone and a heat gun (not at the same time!). I have filled the bottom of the holes with thined epoxy and next I will fill the top part of the holes with thickened epoxy. Then redrill and install the deck plate, properly sealed, with the proper sized screws. I had not seen this problem before. I will look for it on other Outrages. The cause puzzles me though... As for buying the one you're looking at; If the boat is in nice shape otherwise and there aren't comparable boats around without this problem, then I would use it as a bargining point. It also depends on if you're capable of repairing it, or if you'd have to pay someone you trust to repair it. if you're paying someone, you might want to ask them to look at it before you buy. If the deck plate is removed it's a great time to check the tank, replace the fuel lines and reseal the deck. All of which most boats of this age need. The fuel tank appears to be in serviceable condition in the Outrage I'm working on, so I've just cleaned around the tank, I'm replacing the hoses and repairing a corroded gounding point. Also I'm replacing the bilge drain tube as it's easy to get to with the deck plate removed. Email me if you want to see some pictures with the deck plate removed. Cheers, - Chris