Trojan Boat Forum

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2017 8:50 am**

Hello! I am brand new to this forum, I am a ski boat guy but have an opportunity to purchase and restore a 79 F26. The boat is currently sitting in a lot with a hull and cabin full of water. The water in the cuddy is about up to the bottom of the cushion on the bed. My question is, is there any wood in this boat that I need to look for rot ?( structural, not cabinets) I know on an older ski boat that the stringers are prone to rot if they stay wet. Being new to Trojan, Im trying to learn as much as I can. What would the concerns be with a water situation like this? Keep in mind, although the boat was well taken care of, It has been sitting for about 4 years and I intend on replacing most of the interior anyway. Thank you for your input!

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2017 12:56 pm**

Stringers would be my first concern .

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2017 2:08 am**

That's a lot of water !

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2017 10:09 am**

With that much water in the cabin your engine is fully or close to fully submerged you probably need to figure a new engine into the decision because when water gets in that way it's bad news. The wood is fiberglass coated so grab a moisture meter eveb a cheaper one will give you an idea and hold it to the stringer in the cabin bilge when it becomes accessible that will tell you what you need to know. Im no professional I've just bought sunken boats before.

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:37 pm**

Strypes wrote:I'd look for another boat.

I would be HUGELY concerned about that amount of water and how long it has been there. Making a mess of stringers is one thing. Making a mess of engine mounts is another. Has it penetrated any wiring? Depending on how the boat has been blocked or where its trailer supports are, has the weight of the water distorted the hull? If it's up to the cushion on the bed, that's potentially 2' of water.

Lets do some simple math : 26' x 8' beam * 75% overall area (boat is narrower near the bow) is over 150 square feet of boat / bilge / interior area. If the water was that deep - 2' off the keel - you could have had up to 300 cubic feet of water in it. That's 2200 US gallons, at 8.3 pounds per US gallon, that's 18,000 pounds of water! The boat only weighs 1/3 of that. Boats are designed to hold tons of water OUT, NOT to hold tons of water IN - especially while on blocks or a trailer!

In my opinion, whether water got into stringers is the least of your worries. If the boat was on land (trailer or blocks), and had that much water in it, fundamental structural integrity being compromised (stringers and ribs detached from bottom or hull sides due to excessive outward water pressure) and hull distortion (making for unfair running surface hence planing, performance, and handling issues) are much more likely if you really did have water to that depth.

Don't walk away. Run. The previous owner killed this boat. The only way it could have that much water in it is if they never pulled the bilge plugs for storage. If they didn't know enough to do that, what other stupidity or damage have they also done?

It's a write-off.

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:38 pm**

captainmaniac wrote:
Strypes wrote:I'd look for another boat.
I would be HUGELY concerned about that amount of water and how long it has been there. Making a mess of stringers is one thing. Making a mess of engine mounts is another. Has it penetrated any wiring? Depending on how the boat has been blocked or where its trailer supports are, has the weight of the water distorted the hull? If it's up to the cushion on the bed, that's potentially 2' of water.

Lets do some simple math : 26' x 8' beam * 75% overall area (boat is narrower near the bow) is over 150 square feet of boat / bilge / interior area. If the water was that deep (up to the bottom of the cushion on the bed)- 2' off the keel - you could have had up to 300 cubic feet of water in it. That's 2200 US gallons, at 8.3 pounds per US gallon, that's 18,000 pounds of water! The boat only weighs 1/3 of that. Boats are designed to hold tons of water OUT, NOT to hold tons of water IN - especially while on blocks or a trailer!

In my opinion, whether water got into stringers is the least of your worries. If the boat was on land (trailer or blocks), and had that much water in it, fundamental structural integrity being compromised (stringers and ribs detached from bottom or hull sides due to excessive outward water pressure) and hull distortion (making for unfair running surface hence planing, performance, and handling issues) are much more likely if you really did have water to that depth.

Don't walk away. Run. The previous owner killed this boat. The only way it could have that much water in it is if they never pulled the bilge plugs for storage. If they didn't know enough to do that, what other stupidity or damage have they also done?

It's a write-off.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:26 am**

thank you all for your input! I went back to the boat again (being stored on a trailer) and stuck the drain plug hole (plug was out) with a screw driver and immediately the water began to drain. I didnt feel any obstruction so I dont know what was blocking the hole but it was light. Rag, leaves? who knows but I will be going back for better inspection. If I can get this boat for 1K or less I can make it a diamond in the rough I believe.If structurally sound as you say. Thank you!

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 12:52 pm**

spike wrote:thank you all for your input! I went back to the boat again (being stored on a trailer) and stuck the drain plug hole (plug was out) with a screw driver and immediately the water began to drain. I didnt feel any obstruction so I dont know what was blocking the hole but it was light. Rag, leaves? who knows but I will be going back for better inspection. If I can get this boat for 1K or less I can make it a diamond in the rough I believe.If structurally sound as you say. Thank you!

A Trojan F26 in good shape will sell for $5K ( https://www.thesaltydog.com/SearchBoats ... tID=127117 ). How much do you estimate to fix it up? A new engine alone will cost you much more than $4K. If you can get the water damaged boat for free than MAYBE it might be worth it. If you get it for free there is a good chance you will still spend more than $5K fixing it up. As said before, RUN AWAY! The F26 is a good boat (I own one), but there are plenty out there in running condition for between $4K and $5k. Buy one of those and start enjoying boating.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 5:41 pm**

Project boats = financial, and personal life killers

Never buy a project boat, unless... well, actually, never do it. In the last 20 years, I've bought three of them. Each of them have blown by any fantasy budget, and caused nearly irreparable damage to my marriage. The latest one, our F32 is great now, but I'll never get the money I put into it - out of it when I sell. A wise boat broker once told me - "always have an exit strategy". When you're so upside down in a project boat, all the exit strategies suck.

No offence meant, but find a boat that works, surveys well, and just pay the money upfront. Don't fix much other than paint, Impellers, belts and hoses - and enjoy the thing.

Good luck - and run away from that thing!
Brooks

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 8:56 pm**

My boat was a "project" boat when I bought it for $3000. The engine was recently rebuilt and ran great when I bought it, but everything else (trans, V drive, gauges, etc., etc.) needed a lot of work. I put another $6000 into the boat ($9000 total) and I ended up with a pretty good boat. If I sold it today I could MAYBE get $5000 for it. I would never get my $9000 back.

The F26 on Salty Dog that I linked to previously cost the current owner much more than $5000 (newer engine, remodeled interior, etc.). It's much more cost effective to find someone like me who previously fixed up a project boat and pay them half of what they put into it.

I plan on keeping my boat 10 - 15 years before I sell it, so I can justify it by amortizing the $4000 I'm going to lose ($400 per year). Compared to slip fees, gas, insurance, etc., a $400 depreciation per year is probably my lowest annual cost.

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:32 pm**

The Dog House wrote:a $400 depreciation per year is probably my lowest annual cost.

Lot better then a New boat for sure . On our older boats there is not much depreciation . My boats worth about 20k less then when I bought it over 13 years ago . so that's just over 1500 a year not to bad .IMO . With that said I have spent $$$ on her . Some repairs , some upgrades .

Posted: **Fri Jul 14, 2017 12:33 am**

$5500

Posted: **Fri Jul 14, 2017 12:35 am**

$4200

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:27 am**

The only reason to buy and fixup this boat is because you want to buy and fixup a boat. Otherwise, heed the advice above. Boats that are already in service provide plenty of opportunity for projects if you want to work on project. Oh, and in the meantime you can go boating!

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2017 10:48 pm**

I'll chime in since I have a 1973 F36 project on my hands. The ONLY reason I am entertaining this one is the bones are good. That is the stringers are solid and the hull is in good shape. Everything else can be changed and in this case is being changed. It also helps that most of the systems were updated in the late 80's / early 90's, including the engines, steering, and genset.

What I will have is a boat that I know just about every inch of when it is done. No hidden gremlins from someone else. What I also have is a HUGE pain in the arse that is happy to absorb the spare funds in my wallet. It can be a huge time suck and at times makes me wish I had a vessel that was at least close to being in the water and able to be used.

As much as I hate to say this, if the stringers, bulkheads, and most of the mechanical systems are not good, heed the advise given and pass on this one. The ONLY reason to take on anything else is if the boat has sentimental value, i.e. A boat your parents or grandparents owned and you want to restore. Otherwise, feel free to PM and I can lead you to 18 other boats that are actually good projects to tackle.

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