2000 MA Repair Thread - Stringer issue

[Strid56]

On 3/26/2018 at 8:48 AM, whichwaysup said:

Here's the cliff notes version of what's going to be addressed here:

1) I bought this boat sight unseen in November of 2016.  The boat was nearly pristine and had clearly been babied it's entire life.  Hardly a scratch on her, upgraded poling platform, great engine, and (arguably now) a very good deal.  I had a few guys from the forum check it out, didn't get a survey, and when she arrived here, she was everything I had hoped.

2)  Almost to the day, one year later, I discovered a new crack in the hull on the port side chine when running down a small leak.   This eventually revealed a much more serious problem - I had a delaminated stringer.   According to the insurance company and their surveyor, this is a manufacturing defect that caused the stringer not to fully bond to the hull.   Apparently, it was exactly because the boat had been babied all of its life and hardly used that the issue remained hidden - a little hard to swallow that theory.   How this "defect" remained completely hidden for 17 years only to manifest itself dramatically and suddenly, I can't explain.   I take the boat out 2-3 times a week, and the stinger separated more and more over time until the hull began to fail.   Thankfully, I caught it relatively quickly.   Unfortunately, insurance doesn't cover manufacturing defects, and Maverick isn't going to take responsibility for an issue they caused 17 years ago, so I'm on my own.

3)  Getting someone to take this on has proven MUCH harder than I had ever dreamed.   The first guy was recommended by the insurance company, and he was willing to fix it until the  insurance company declined the claim.  After that, he increased the original price (which I understand and was willing to pay) but shortly after went AWOL on me.     I had 2 other shops simply refuse to take it on, because none of us knew exactly how bad the issue was and how big the job would get.  Given the fact that I don't have an unlimited budget, I get their point of view.   The next shop has probably the best reputation in the area, but really wanted to do a full cap-off restoration.  Again, I understand his point of view.  Without knowing how bad things were, better to go in with a plan to address everything than to go in "cheap" and come out expensive.  Eventually, I'd love to do this, but I don't have that kind of money with 5 kids headed off to college in the next few years.   The tank (poly) and wiring are in good condition, and I don't have the money to go that big, so that wasn't an option.   I was about to bite the bullet and drive her down to Bob at Inshore Marine Specialties to get his opinion, but with 5 kids and a crazy work schedule, that trip was proving impossible.  Bob has been great throughout this process giving advice and guidance on what to consider when addressing this.

4)  Spence/NagJuice has been pushing me to check out a guy 2 hrs north of here who he's been following on the Hull Truth.  It's taken me 5 months to finally reach out to the guy, but he's got the experience and ability to do the job right.   Some of you  have seen his build threads on The Hull Truth, where he guts old SeaCrafts and restores them.  

 

So, here's the plan:

1) We don't have any reason to believe that the issue is broader than the port side stringer, but we don't want to leave anything to chance.   Popping the entire cap off of a boat is not a small matter and frankly, we don't have enough reason to believe it is necessary at this point.   The plan currently is to cut the cap off just aft of the cockpit, cutting across the narrowest sections where the gunnel meets the back deck, then across and mid-way up the rear wall of the cockpit.    He will have to cut around the splashwell because the cap is likely puttied impossibly to the transom there.     Doing this will allow him to remove the rear portion of the cap and have full access to the entire stern.   

2)  He will check out the starboard stringer to see if there are any issues there, and then confirm that the issue on the port stringer is isolated to the rear, port quadrant.    If you are a praying type, say a prayer for me that it doesn't extend any further forward.  

3)  He will then cut out the stringer, fix the crack in the hull from the inside, then repair the stringer.   If there are any issues with the starboard stringer, he'll obviously address that as well.   

4)  From there, it will be a matter of replacing the rear section of the cap, glassing/reinforcing, and repairing.

If this boat were in less pristine condition, a full restoration would make sense, but the fact is, the boat looks new, the wiring is in great shape, and all of the various builders/repair shops have agreed that the tank has many many years left in it.   

Work won't start on the boat for a month or so, but I wanted to put this out there to get any reactions to the plan.   While I plan to keep the boat for a very very long time, I am having it fixed with the idea that the repair should be done in a way that only increases the confidence in the boat's structural integrity.   

The shop will be taking a ton of pics to document the repair from start to finish, which I will post here as I get them.   

 

Stay tuned, and feel free to PM me with any thoughts - 

Whichwaysup

 

 

I had a similar problem, right in front of port trimtab. Removed tab and then cut large opening inside port aft bait well to see a gigantic fracture thru Hull. My glass man repaired but to be honest, not sure if stringer was examined. I could be in trouble!

[whichwaysup]

what year, what model?   I considered that apporach but went all in.  the difference between your approach and mine is that 1.5 years in, I am still boatless!!!

[whichwaysup]

A few pics of the final deck fitting.  that hole in the gunnel is where Maverick put the 2 part foam.  It has been a useful landmark to make sure we gave the deck exactly in the right alignment.   Perfect now . .  .  If the old adage "measure twice, cut once" is a truism, then this is a case of measure 900 times, glass once . . .

 

Plumbing work going on now, then . . . hopefully will never see the bilge this open again!

[whichwaysup]

Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread, but I'll keep it going anyway.   

Just a quick update - work continues to grind away.  I stopped by the shop this a.m. to check things out.  Plumbing had been dry fitted and missing hoses were identified and purchased.   They were in the process of installing the plumbing when I got there, and the deck was in position to be put into place.   He had obviously been doing work to test and re-attach the wiring, because he discovered that one of my trim tab actuators had gone kaput.   Took it to a shop and it's DOA, so ~$200 later I have one new trim tab actuator.  At that price, I'll ride the other one as long as it works before replacing it.    Man, expensive little suckers!

On a bright note, I sold my ipilot yesterday, so I'll be installing the new version with the blue tooth puck when I get the boat back.   I'd considered doing a jackplate, but the poling platform would have to be modified too much.  I'd considered a power pole, but just couldn't get excited enough about it.   I use the TM 99% of the time and that wandering spot lock always drove me crazy, so I figured I'd start there and add the other elements down the road.   

Shop says 4/15 completion which I got excited about until I realized they hadn't specified the year.   

[CaptainCalf]

Congrats 

[HoneyB]

Can’t wait to see it whole again 

[hurricane]

24 minutes ago, whichwaysup said:

Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread, but I'll keep it going anyway.   

Just a quick update - work continues to grind away.  I stopped by the shop this a.m. to check things out.  Plumbing had been dry fitted and missing hoses were identified and purchased.   They were in the process of installing the plumbing when I got there, and the deck was in position to be put into place.   He had obviously been doing work to test and re-attach the wiring, because he discovered that one of my trim tab actuators had gone kaput.   Took it to a shop and it's DOA, so ~$200 later I have one new trim tab actuator.  At that price, I'll ride the other one as long as it works before replacing it.    Man, expensive little suckers!

On a bright note, I sold my ipilot yesterday, so I'll be installing the new version with the blue tooth puck when I get the boat back.   I'd considered doing a jackplate, but the poling platform would have to be modified too much.  I'd considered a power pole, but just couldn't get excited enough about it.   I use the TM 99% of the time and that wandering spot lock always drove me crazy, so I figured I'd start there and add the other elements down the road.   

Shop says 4/15 completion which I got excited about until I realized they hadn't specified the year.   

Im still reading.............

[lurem]

DITTO! STILL READING!

It's a wonder you did not start a gofundme page so people could donate to your cause? Heck, I have seen some doozies for gofundme ideas! haha

[whichwaysup]

1 minute ago, lurem said:

DITTO! STILL READING!

It's a wonder you did not start a gofundme page so people could donate to your cause? Heck, I have seen some doozies for gofundme ideas! haha

Don't worry, the way this thing is adding up, and the pace is going, there is still time!    I'm going to sell T-shirts that say:

"I supported whichwaysup's project" for the mere sum of $500.   I hear they are quite the status symbol for MBG owners.   I accept paypal, cash, and boat parts if you are interested.   

[hurricane]

7 minutes ago, lurem said:

DITTO! STILL READING!

It's a wonder you did not start a gofundme page so people could donate to your cause? Heck, I have seen some doozies for gofundme ideas! haha

Gotcha a dolla!!!!

[smilemaker]

With that completion date you better hope the glass man doesn't  owe Uncle Sam and get the payment from you. 

[whichwaysup]

I think that date has slid out a bit.   He had an unexpected deathin the family and is dealing with that.   No updates this week.

[George Seither]

Good thread don't stop, what your putting under the decks will make her last another 20 years

[whichwaysup]

My repair guy had an unexpected death in the family so progress stopped for the last two weeks, but he is back at it today.  We have trim tabs now:

[George Seither]

Getting closer to getting wet and fish slimed

[whichwaysup]

Stopped by the shop Friday and again today, things are progressing steadily, if slowly.   Very very pleased with the work, though, and I have the luxury of time as long as the quality of work is there, which it is.

Trim tabs are in and sealed.  He re-worked the holes  (filled in/re-drilled) for the trim tab hinges so there was plenty of bite for the new screws.   I replaced one actuator, and was tempted to replace the other, but it's a fairly easy job later and that sucker was expensive.  I'll ride the pony till I need to replace it.   

New bow lights (LED) are wired up, tested, and dry fitted.  He'll be sealing them this week.

Plumbing has been configured in a nice, clean way, will be very easy to access and replace parts in the future.  Replaced all of the old valves with new ones, and we are replacing the old basket filters with inline ones that take up less room.  All of the through hulls are now stanless steel, and all of the plumbing is brass - no more plastic.   We've replaced all of the pumps with new ones except for the recirc pump on the baitwell, which is running fine and extremely easy to replace in the future if necessary.

All wiring will be brand new.

Once the "guts" are fully replaced, installed, connected, and sealed (90% done already), which should happen this week, we'll be done with phase 2 of the project.   

This was the first time I've had a chance to see the boat with its new rigging and new stringer system.   It's really an impressive thing to see, kind of surprised me to see how well it has all come together.   It's been an epic journey and I suspect I have a long way yet to go before I'm back behind the helm, but as long as there is progress, I'm a happy man.   

A word of advice for anyone who ever finds themselves in need of doing a project like this through a shop - after my first experience, and even part of my second one, I realized that you are doing the shop - and yourself - a favor by drafting up the project plan yourself and breaking it into clearly defined phases - with partial payments along the way.   I didn't do this initially, thinking that they would do it, but I found that we were having a lot of conversations, a lot of head nodding, but their estimates were vague and I knew something would get lost in translation.   On a whim, I went home and drafted up a very detailed, very specific project plan.   I reviewed it with the shop and it was like I'd given them an early Christmas present.   I actually was afraid I'd offend them with it, but instead, every time I'm in there they comment on how much that's helped them stay on track, not miss things, and know when to expect payment.   I honestly think that if I'd done that with the first shop, things would have gone a little smoother.   Lessons learned.   Happy to post it up if anyone would be interested, but I'll be removing the payment amounts. 

Pics to follow.

2000 Maverick Master Angler Repair contract postable.docx

[whichwaysup]

Here are some recent pics

[George Seither]

😎

[Moderator]

You sure have had a journey !  Thank you for honestly sharing your setbacks and successes.  Others will go through this work, and will benefit from all you have shared.

It will be great to see your boat back on the water,  so a few more pics will be  appreciated  !!

M-M

[whichwaysup]

Quick update - stopped by Sunday to take a look at her, gave final approval on the plumbing design, definitely going to be much more room in there and easier to access, zero plastic parts that could break and lead to an issue (everything is metal from the through hulls to the shut off valves).   New wires to be run this week, then the cap goes on.   Still having to work around other projects, but still seeing progress.   

 

EDIT - the final solution is different from the pics above - we added in the strainers.   Most of the rest looks similar though.

[George Seither]

Better than new, should be very sweet once completed.

[whichwaysup]

Got word that new (tinned) wiring is in and hooked up, plumbing sealed and deck to be put on this week.  My gosh to have this thing back in one piece . . . could it be??  

[George Seither]

Yes it could be, wet time for the trial run sound like very soon!

[whichwaysup]

Couple of quick updates.  Wiring is done (in the stern, still needs to be hooked up under the console), plumbing has been done, so nothing standing in the way of the deck going on.   Going by the shop tomorrow to make a payment for the completion of phase 2.   Spoke to my guy and he indicated work will accelerate now, but we will see.  Still more interested in quality than speed but happy if I can get both.   

 

Dropping the prop off tomorrow a.m. to get reconditioned and cupped a bit.  Have always been really happy with the numbers I get but it blows out in sharp turns in the creeks, which at the speeds I run leads to some exciting moments!   

[George Seither]

Are you going to install a bubbler in the live well?