Major Searider rebuild.

M-125 · 03 January 2007, 20:19

I have just started my project. I bought an old SR 5.4 with some flaws. The transom and the deck must be rebuilt as all the plywood inside is rotten. So far I have cut out the deck and removed al traces of wood in the deck. Next thing to do is to open the transom and do the same thing here. Then rebuild the transom and then the deck. However, anyone got a tip for what kind of materials I should use for the transom and deck? My plan is to use GAP reinforced divinycell for the deck, as I think this would be more than strong enough with some stringers undernesth. Further I will seal the hull completely. The idea of the flooding hull is good, but as I have gutted the deck I have found why the ply inside has gone bad. It starts to leak from the underside, and it is no way one could repair a crack inside the hull unless you open it from the top. I am even thinking of making an internal tank or lower the area just forward of the middle section to get the fuel tank low and forward. I do not want to use any wood in the boat if it is possible to avoid it. Woodboats are nice, but I do not think it should be a wood core in a serious working boat. I know this post is almost worthless without pictures, but I drowned my camera last week so you will just have to wait for pics.

Biggles · 03 January 2007, 21:05

Hi,

Sounds like you got a load to work and sounds like you got some good original ideas. I've not heard of anyone ripping the deck out of a Searider and puting a tank in there. Very Novel. I would love to see some pics of your work once you get the camera sorted.

Don't know if you can do it but my camera was submerged last year whilst at sea and my home insurance paid for a new one.

M-125 · 03 January 2007, 21:07

Yes, it is a lot of work... But what else to do in the winter?

Come to think of it.. I have travel insurance. hmm....

Watchemrocks! · 04 January 2007, 00:00

Good luck with your project. I recently bought a
Searider 4.0 and discovered bad transom rot. I have a fair bit of experience building wooden boats using epoxy and fiberglass and considered replacing the transom myself. Through reading many of the excellent posts on this forum I learned that the stress on the transom is formidable especially when the boat returns to the water from being semi or extremely airborn. Amazing! I haven't tried it yet. Anyway here in North Carolina I found a good fiberglass shop that specializes in church steeples and boat repair. The boat is scheduled for a new composite transom this week. I'll report if satisfactory or not. The advantages should be lighter than wood, impervious to water, and rot proof. If I were considering replacing the wooden deck elements in a boat such as yours I would look for Okume mahogany plywood if available as I have found it to be extremely durable. As an alternative any good exterior grade plywood should be fine unless the boat will remain outside most of the time. CPES sounds like a good product to seal wood and prevent rot. My boat is a 98 model with very good condition tubes, Hence I am wiling to spend 800 bucks for the new transom. I have built a few boats, repaired or resurrected a couple more. The next one I buy will be NEW.
Post pictures of your progress, please.

Biggles · 04 January 2007, 00:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watchemrocks!

Good luck with your project. I recently bought a
Searider 4.0 and discovered bad transom rot. I have a fair bit of experience building wooden boats using epoxy and fiberglass and considered replacing the transom myself. Through reading many of the excellent posts on this forum I learned that the stress on the transom is formidable especially when the boat returns to the water from being semi or extremely airborn. Amazing! I haven't tried it yet. Anyway here in North Carolina I found a good fiberglass shop that specializes in church steeples and boat repair. The boat is scheduled for a new composite transom this week. I'll report if satisfactory or not. The advantages should be lighter than wood, impervious to water, and rot proof. If I were considering replacing the wooden deck elements in a boat such as yours I would look for Okume mahogany plywood if available as I have found it to be extremely durable. As an alternative any good exterior grade plywood should be fine unless the boat will remain outside most of the time. CPES sounds like a good product to seal wood and prevent rot. My boat is a 98 model with very good condition tubes, Hence I am wiling to spend 800 bucks for the new transom. I have built a few boats, repaired or resurrected a couple more. The next one I buy will be NEW.
Post pictures of your progress, please.

Hi,

I'm amazed that your 8 year old boat needs a new transom. And I'm doubley amazed because its a Searider..

Watchemrocks! · 04 January 2007, 00:34

Hi
I was very unpleasantly surprised myself because I have owned several Avon whitewater boats and 2 sibs, all great boats. I can only suppose that the boat was left outside in the winters and subjected to freezing and thawing which accelerated the rot. I tried to email Avon for some advice but received no reply. Perhaps a response was blocked. I cannot help thinking that the wood in this particular boat was substandard from the beginning. Sh-t happens.

Biggles · 04 January 2007, 00:41

As for Avon replying Sh_- does happen.

Watchemrocks! · 04 January 2007, 01:41

Next time for me, RIBCRAFT happens!

Tomas · 04 January 2007, 13:44

I've got a ten year old 4.7 Searider and it remains bullet proof. I am as well somewhat surprised at transom rot at eight years. Avon is not perfect however...they fitted my boat with a collapsable A frame and their response to my inquiries and comments matched yours.....ZERO.

Tomas

Watchemrocks! · 04 January 2007, 22:31

Hi Tomas, I've enjoyed reading many of your posts and I am still an Avon fan. I was in St. Thomas in September and did some marlin fishing. What a great place to enjoy a RIB. I'm envious! We need some more builders of "hard ass RIBS in the US. After 8 years I didn't expect Avon to be responsible for my problem, but a little advice would have been welcome. My boat has been repaired and I'll pick it up Saturday.
I wonder if Avon would have responded if I wanted a new Searider. It is an uphill battle to get any parts or service pertaining to these boats in my experience. For example, an Avon Service Station told me 'Elephant Trunks" weren't due to be received for about 2 months. I bought 2 from ebay from England within 2 weeks. When beginning installation I found rampant transom rot.
You guys sure have some monster tiger sharks!

jyasaki · 05 January 2007, 03:31

Transom repair: As long as you have the front and back of the transom, you can try this:
http://www.seawolfindustries.com/seacast.html

Don't know about the floor.

jky

M-125 · 05 January 2007, 15:07

Hmm... that looks interesting. Anyone got any experience with this? Seems very easy. (to easy?) I will definately try to get more info on this.

jyasaki · 05 January 2007, 16:34

Not sure what they used, but here's the story:

A friend of mine bought a 20'-ish Avon (I think) RIB off Craigslist a year or so ago. After about a month, they noticed that the motor was moving relative to the tubes. Closer inspection showed some crack at the transom corners, so they took it to a fiberglass shop. Turns out the wood inside had rotted away, leaving the motor pretty much supported only by the glas layup.

The shop cut the top of the transom off, removed all traces of wood, did some kind of bracing at the sides, then poured in something like this stuff (This was a while back, so I don't recall details), then re-glassed and gel-coated the top. Essentially made the transom a solid piece of whatever material this cures to.

End result was a rock-solid transom, and a wallet that wass about $5K lighter. Still, I think they're ahead of the game (they got the boat at an absolute steal of a price.)

Might want to call some fiberglass shops or boat repair in your area,and ask how they would effect repairs of that type.

Luck;

jky

Edit to add the reglassing part, which I forgot.

Tomas · 06 January 2007, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watchemrocks!

You guys sure have some monster tiger sharks!

Tell me about it! In another post I was describing the choice to risk leaving a Wahoo on the gaff until it could be subdued and risk attracting an unwelcome guest or jerking it full of life into the boat! Art is achieving a fine line between the two.

I dealt with a dealer in Annapolis, as I said and tagged onto a Coastie order. The A frame was of single tube design, bolted to the transom with a fairly heavy plate at the apex for mounting gear. About a year after I got it down here I was charging along the bounding mane and the tube flex just above the transom mounting plates resulted in a failure of both tubes which rotated the damn thing forward and like to drove me through the console. I was lucky it hit me in the head...the hardest part you know.

I contacted the dealer who took a "none of our business" attitude and then tried Avon. Talk about the sound of a tree falling in the forest when no one is around....silence ruled. What really irritated me was that I didn't threaten them or anyone else but I questioned the engineering that had gone into this frame and suggested that it might be a good idea if they looked into it given my failure. I sent them pictures and the whole nine yards but nothing.

That being said, the 4.7 is a tough piece of work. I suspect that the quote from the dealer included some leasure aftermarket frame as the gov. frame would have likely added huge extra dollars to the boat. In retrospect I wish I had been given that option! I just assumed (ass out of u and me) that I would get a gov. frame on a gov. boat. Oops!

I haul my boat after every use and truck it up the mountain to my house. I suspect that in this climate where moisture is going to bake off or out of anything, rot is unlikely. (Possibly I should give the transom a termite spray) UV is our enemy and even though I usually keep a piece of crap boat cover on the tubes, I am still amazed at how the material has held up.

Where was it in N.C. that you are?

tomas

M-125 · 06 January 2007, 19:47

Now I have removed most of the "wood" in the transom. Not one single bit of it was dry! To those who still have plywood in their boat. Be sure to seal all holes with something you know works. My transom was a mess! One thing is for sure, I am not going to use one single bit of wood when I rebuild this one. I will try to borrow a camera tomorrow and post some pics of a gutted Searider. To bad my own camera has died...

Tomas · 07 January 2007, 00:25

I'm starting to get nervous. I have holes drilled in my transom for the engine mount, depth sounder, A-Frame, etc. While I never dreamed the raw surface of the borings could do me in, better believe I'm going to be tapping and inspecting my own transom tomorrow.

Another good reason, I say to myself, to communicate on this forum.

Good luck on your repairs in Norway!

Tomas

M-125 · 07 January 2007, 08:31

Thanks...
You should even check the holes around the elephant trunks. Water leaked trough here too. Not a good sign....

M-125 · 07 January 2007, 13:52

Got some pictures today. I was hoping I did not have to cut to far out in the sides of the transom, but I was not that lucky. Had to cut out the corner to get out the last bit of ply. Now it is only a little ply left in the bow. I will rebuild the transom before taking on the floor arrangement. Just to make shure it won´t flex to much.

Neil Harvey · 07 January 2007, 13:56

Ouch..,.that's one hell of a job.

Keep us posted with more piccies of how the rebuild goes, what materials you decide to use etc.

And good luck with it

Neil

Rogan · 07 January 2007, 14:13

I still don't understand why they make the transom out of marine ply. In this day and age there have got to be so many synthetic options that don't react to the water. We have had to deal with water ingress on both of our boats and it's amazing how even dealers simply drill giant holes through the transom and half ass seal it with some silicone. On our latest boat we stripped everything off the transom drilled everything out and sealed and glassed all the holes. Then redrilled holes sealing again around bolts. It's amazing, even the slightest imperfection in sealing the transom, including those darn elephant trunks, and within a few months or years the water ingress is enough to start some flexing.
That searider rebuild looks nicely on its way M125. Good luck with the transom!