Kentuckydiesel
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- Joined
- Jul 1, 2013
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Hey guys, I've been looking around this place for a while, but this is my first post. Here's a little backstory:
I had been looking for a 23' Cruise Liner for a few years. Had to be one of the early 60's models with the smooth hull and no fins. I had this crazy idea that the hull would look great with the roof removed. Well, what do you know...early last summer I found my Cruise Liner.
My wife had never been a big fan of these boats. She just couldn't visualize what I was going for. As it happens, this one was already about there. It had been redone in the 90's...converted to an open bow type setup. The interior was in decent shape and according to the seller, the twin Johnson 70s ran great. My wife took one look at the pictures and told me to make him a offer.
Next thing you know, we were driving from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to buy the boat. All in all, the boat was in pretty clean shape. The seller told me that he hadn't owned the boat long, but that the guy he bought it from was the grandson of the original owner, and that the boat had been around the Chesapeake most of it's life. It was obvious that the boat had hit something pretty hard at some point, right in the center of the keel. They actually had a patch bolted and sealed onto the underside of the hull. There was also a hook in the hull...appeared to be a combination of poor support on the trailer, and whatever they hit. All that said, after 3yrs of looking, and many hours of driving, we brought the boat home with us. (plus I run a fabrication shop...so I can work with metal.)
We got back on a Friday night, and by the next morning I had the engines all tuned in and we were ready to try the boat out. We ran the boat all summer on the Ohio River and had a blast. The only downside was, I could tell I was going to need to do some structural work come winter. Toward late summer, I finally cut a hole in the center of the floor (above that keel patch) because there was a knock coming from under the floor, and it just kept getting louder with every big wake we hit. I had to see what was going on.
As it turns out, whatever this boat had hit, broke a transverse stringer. That keel patch...it was there to secure a 4x4 that they used to support the keel and connect the hull of the boat to some 2x4s that they had bolted across the broken stringer section. I guess it was a decent temporary amateur repair job...but it wasn't right. We only took it out a couple more times after that discovery (and we took it reeeeally easy).
It has been a busy winter, but with boating season coming up, I dug right into it the other day. Pulled the floors, chipped out two contractor bags worth of "Great Stuff", and finally got a good look at what all was going on. Unfortunately, every transverse stringer on the boat has a crack in the center. One has an additional crack (completely broken) on the port side. All of the rivets on the port side of these stringers have either pulled out or pulled a chunk of stringer with them (though they are still in the hull). It appears that the rivets pulling out was a combination of corrosion and improper repairs to the hull. The only up-side is, the hull itself shows no real signs of corrosion anywhere. I'm thinking that they must have used a less corrosion resistant alloy for the stringers. Further...I checked the stringer thickness...They are only 16GA! No wonder they have all cracked.
Anyhow, now you know the story...but I'm not giving up. I am trying to decide between fabricating new stringers of the same design, but out of thicker material...or just scrapping their design and making stringers out of square tubing. If anyone has any thoughts or advice, it would be appreciated. Also trying to decide if I want to add some thickness to the hull while I'm working on it.
I'll get some pictures of the carnage soon.
Thanks,
Phillip
I had been looking for a 23' Cruise Liner for a few years. Had to be one of the early 60's models with the smooth hull and no fins. I had this crazy idea that the hull would look great with the roof removed. Well, what do you know...early last summer I found my Cruise Liner.
My wife had never been a big fan of these boats. She just couldn't visualize what I was going for. As it happens, this one was already about there. It had been redone in the 90's...converted to an open bow type setup. The interior was in decent shape and according to the seller, the twin Johnson 70s ran great. My wife took one look at the pictures and told me to make him a offer.
Next thing you know, we were driving from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to buy the boat. All in all, the boat was in pretty clean shape. The seller told me that he hadn't owned the boat long, but that the guy he bought it from was the grandson of the original owner, and that the boat had been around the Chesapeake most of it's life. It was obvious that the boat had hit something pretty hard at some point, right in the center of the keel. They actually had a patch bolted and sealed onto the underside of the hull. There was also a hook in the hull...appeared to be a combination of poor support on the trailer, and whatever they hit. All that said, after 3yrs of looking, and many hours of driving, we brought the boat home with us. (plus I run a fabrication shop...so I can work with metal.)
We got back on a Friday night, and by the next morning I had the engines all tuned in and we were ready to try the boat out. We ran the boat all summer on the Ohio River and had a blast. The only downside was, I could tell I was going to need to do some structural work come winter. Toward late summer, I finally cut a hole in the center of the floor (above that keel patch) because there was a knock coming from under the floor, and it just kept getting louder with every big wake we hit. I had to see what was going on.
As it turns out, whatever this boat had hit, broke a transverse stringer. That keel patch...it was there to secure a 4x4 that they used to support the keel and connect the hull of the boat to some 2x4s that they had bolted across the broken stringer section. I guess it was a decent temporary amateur repair job...but it wasn't right. We only took it out a couple more times after that discovery (and we took it reeeeally easy).
It has been a busy winter, but with boating season coming up, I dug right into it the other day. Pulled the floors, chipped out two contractor bags worth of "Great Stuff", and finally got a good look at what all was going on. Unfortunately, every transverse stringer on the boat has a crack in the center. One has an additional crack (completely broken) on the port side. All of the rivets on the port side of these stringers have either pulled out or pulled a chunk of stringer with them (though they are still in the hull). It appears that the rivets pulling out was a combination of corrosion and improper repairs to the hull. The only up-side is, the hull itself shows no real signs of corrosion anywhere. I'm thinking that they must have used a less corrosion resistant alloy for the stringers. Further...I checked the stringer thickness...They are only 16GA! No wonder they have all cracked.
Anyhow, now you know the story...but I'm not giving up. I am trying to decide between fabricating new stringers of the same design, but out of thicker material...or just scrapping their design and making stringers out of square tubing. If anyone has any thoughts or advice, it would be appreciated. Also trying to decide if I want to add some thickness to the hull while I'm working on it.
I'll get some pictures of the carnage soon.
Thanks,
Phillip
