1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Questions about boat repairs with our resins and fiberglass: hull patches, transoms and stringers, foam, rot etc.
Fuzz
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by Fuzz »

VT_Jeff wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 11:01 am Tom,

Somewhat off-topic: could a saturated transom alone account for the extra draft you're seeing? I don't know the PPI or DWL of that boat but it feels to me like the space in the transom couldn't hold enough water to change the draft much, I could me completely wrong. I've been a bit obsessed with draft and weight recently so this jumped out at me.

Jeff
X2 I had the same thought. No way a wet transom would make that big of difference in the way she sits.

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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by t_mcgarry »

Jeff and Fuzz, so your thinking the stringers are wet and adding weight and increasing the draft? Or some other untold problem? I’ll put up some pictures I took when I first looked at her. You can see the old dirty waterline above the striping. Don’t know until I get there? Cowbro thanks for your 2cents I think that’s a good idea! I have some hole saws. When I unroofed the transom you could tell somebody tried to seal it. When I got down to the wood it was pretty wet. I could push my screwdriver in about an inch. But I think a little more investigation is at hand. Tomorrow is supposed to improve weather wise. Less rain. I can crawl around. Will see what I come up with?
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fallguy1000
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by fallguy1000 »

I don't know is Grady White experimented with balsa like so many did in the 70s, but it is important to know hull construction before proceeding on repairs. If it has a wet core, the boat is done for.

On the brighter side, I thought they had given up by the 80s.0
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VT_Jeff
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by VT_Jeff »

t_mcgarry wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 7:33 pm Jeff and Fuzz, so your thinking the stringers are wet and adding weight and increasing the draft? Or some other untold problem?
I'm no expert Tom, ask anyone. But if it were me I would check the stringers, the core like Fallguy mentioned, and check any "closed" cell foam for saturation. Also curious how much weight the re-power added, if any. My antique glass ski boat had a saturated wood keelson but the stringers were dry and solid. We replaced the keelson with solid glass. And when I say we, I mean the guy who did the work and me who paid for it.

Also, if you quickly edit a photo on your phone, it tends to orient it correctly by some black magic. I just crop mine a bit and it seems to work.
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by Jaysen »

VT_Jeff wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:00 am Also, if you quickly edit a photo on your phone, it tends to orient it correctly by some black magic. I just crop mine a bit and it seems to work.
Alternatively you could use the built in or coppermine image galleries that allow for rotation, sizing and auto scaling. It take a couple steps but is a lot nicer for long term thread health. As in fewer missing images because imagur level stupid business decisions.

Not that I’m biased or anything…
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by VT_Jeff »

Tom, are those deck scuppers on the transom?

Is the red line I drew the waterline you were referring to? Is that where it's drafting?
GW.PNG
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by Fuzz »

How does the weight of the current motor compare to what it would have come with?
I ask because something is making it sit low in the stern and it has to be more than just a wet transom. You will start getting answers when you open her up. Being able to push a screwdriver a inch into the transom says it neds to be replaced for sure.

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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by VT_Jeff »

Fuzz wrote: Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:55 am How does the weight of the current motor compare to what it would have come with?
I ask because something is making it sit low in the stern and it has to be more than just a wet transom.
I had the same though Fuzz: my marina re-powered their GW 19 from a 150 2-stroke to a 150 4-stroke and it sank the back end, they needed to move the batteries forward but it still nearly buries the scuppers. The way Tom's boat is squatting, I'm wondering if adding some weight forward may trim it out, clearly the bow is quite high.
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by t_mcgarry »

Hi, yep Jeff that’s the old waterline. Sitting pretty low, the scuppers were underwater. I checked the weights of the motors. “83” Johnson 150 Seahorse was about 385.I put a 2001 150 Johnson Ocean pro and it weighs 370lb’s according to the spec’s. I went down to the boatyard yesterday and remove the stern access panel to get to the stringers in the bilge. On the port side I drilled two 1 1/2 inch holes in the stringer with my hole saw and another on the starboard stringer. Both are wet. My battery died on the drill so I didn’t make completely through the stringer and course the other one was charging at home! I can see the foam in the bulkheads on either side. I’m not sure if it’s wet, but at least water didn’t seep out..I’ll need to find access. I’d hate to cut a hole in the deck. Any ideas? Or it won’t matter if I have to redo the stringers?🤔

Thanks for the info about the pictures. I tried cropping them. Hope it works. We’ll see how they turn out. I took a few of the bilge Before and after drilling.
Now I guess I’ll need to decide if I’ll need to remove the upper shell? Or cut the deck out? I like the boat. Got two rides before I pulled her out.I’ve read a few reviews and they were great on the Great Lakes and coastal waters. It has that cut out in the transom and some guys said you had to be careful in following seas. I used to fish in 4-5 footers. I don’t like getting banged around a lot anymore. I doubt I’d be fishing like that anymore. Anyway, one of my concerns is a good place to do the rebuild. I can’t use my driveway. City ordinance. I’m at a marina and they do fiberglass repair. I’m hoping if I decide to open the can of worms they will work with me ? I need to talk to the manager again. So, any thoughts on the project are appreciated. Open to all! Another straightforward boat project.😂 I’d hate to scrap the boat. Top half is in good shape. Love those old Grady’s. Tom
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fallguy1000
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Re: 1983 Grady White 19’ Fisherman transom rebuild

Post by fallguy1000 »

The sole must come out.

Be careful doing it. If you are smart, you'll leave say a 6" perimeter around the entire boat, save ir not the transom.. To this, you can fasten a cleat with thickened epoxy and temp screws for the new sole. The 6" width may also help you avoid blowing a hole thru the hull.

But, first...

You need to access the hull to see if it has a core. If it has a wet core, the boat is junk. It will be real ez to tell. Just push on the inside of the hull in the aft sections near the hull centerline. If there is movement or you feel like there is a liner moving, then take an oscillating tool and cut a hole the width of the blade square, but only thru the loose liner. Take out that section you cut which is about an inch or so. Then stick your finger in.

On the other hand, if there is no discernable movement, then the boat is probably solid frp.

If you have a wet core, you can decide to pull the sole and determine the extent of wet core, but based on the stern being low, if it has a saturated core; she is probably done. You could do a small area core repair, but most balsa core boats rotted throughout. If it is foam core, not sure.

Either way, report back the hull type. It really is the deciding factor.

Here is the best video I can find that shows a core removal. It is a horrid job. I can't believe the guy is in a t shirt. I'd have to drink myself to sleep with all that glass in my pores.

https://youtu.be/9rbGY4ntmPM
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