v20 top cap removal

C

CharlestonSC

Member
I have a 1989 v20 center console
I have had it for several years and the floor is getting softer so I am going to take the top cap off and refiberglass some new wood in the floor, and check transom and stringers.
Not quite sure if the top comes of as easy as just taking the screws out of top half under the rub rail,
Any advice would be great.
Thanks
Derek
 
You got it. After the console, fuel tank hatch and all the rigging is removed. Someone on here hung their top cap from a tree recently. Wellcraft used a thickened putty on top of the stringers and layed the cap into it to bond the two together. I made some small wedges of wood to tap in place between the top of the stringers and the bottomside of the liner. I started in the front with the hoisting. I hope this helps.
 
not sure about the center console but I removed the cap on my fathers project v20 cuddy. You would want to remove the console,seats or anything else on the deck. Also remove the fuel tank hatch. The deck is bonded to the stringers and transom. You will need some good pry bars and possibly a sawzall with a long blade to cut it loose. The cap is very heavy and very awkward to lift. You will need a lot of help or a good hoist with some slings. It is a little harder at first but it is much easier to make repairs once its out of the way
 

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Just remove the CC, the screws, and the two top bolts of the motor. We used a pulley in a tree and a truck to hoist it out. If you use a pulley in a tree make sure the limb is strong enough to hold the weight (don't ask me how I know that). Hoist it up and double check for any additional wires that might still be attached.
 
Thanks
Captpete13
Do you have any other pictures of the back side at the transom?
Do you have to cut it away from the transom or can you just pry it apart?
I plan to use a forklift to hoist the lid off how did you get the straps under the lid as I see in your pictures?
 
if you pull the transom cap off you can probably get a sawzall blade down there. The one I did had a pretty rotten transom so I cut without disregard. Pry it slowly to minimize gelcoat cracking. I pryed the deck up and set it on blocks of wood to get the straps around it. Here are a few more pics. I dont know if they help any.
 

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What is the best way to take off the rub rail?
Mine has rope in the middle of it, I guess the screws are under that.
Just wondering on best way for removal and reinstall.
Thanks
 
Start by removing the endcaps at the transom. Then just pull the rope out starting at one end. It will probably come out a lot easier than it will go back in. Under the rope you should find a screw about every 4 inches, or so. Remove them all. On my boat there were also screws beneath the rubrail. When you put the cap back on make sure to seal it up good with one or more tubes of 3M 5200 before reinstalling the rubrail. Fill the seam as well as all old screw holes.
 
New pictures of the cap removal process. Tipped it up and got the back part to seperate from the transom with out cracking. the bottom looks great, and I see why the floor got soft, looks like someone or wellcraft cut 4 big holes under the center console to be able to attach it with a threaded screw vs wood screws but didn't seal the holes. Also found a big empty spot under the front seat of the center console, never used looks like I can put another fule tank for added travel.
here are a few pictures, thanks for help.


IMG01258-20110304-1742.jpg
IMG01263-20110304-1757.jpg
 
Thats great. Having a forklift at your disposal really makes things easier. Now the fun begins. Cutting,grinding,fiberglassing,more grinding more fiberglassing. But it is worth it. keep the pics comming.
 
question on replacing the wood in the floor.
I see I can cut around the edges from the bottom side and take out the bad plywood so if I coat the new wood in resin and stick it back in would it be best to use a new piece of fiberglass woven over the wood or just use the piece I cut out and just glass the edges I cut back?
 
Also what are the choices when I put the floor back in as far as attaching it back to the stringers and bulk heads? Looks like they used some thick fluffy resin then put the floor in, others have said to use 5200?
What do you think is best?
 
when I put the new wood in I "glued" it in place with resin that I thickened with West system adhesive filler. I applied it with a notched trowel. Then I put a fresh layer of woven roving over the whole thing. When I put the floor back in I used West 610. But I used a lot. I think 8 tubes. 5200 would probably work fine too. West offers empty calk tubes that you can mix up your own thickened epoxy and put into the tube.
 
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Did you remove the thick resin on top of the stringers that filled the gap to the floor? or did you just put your resin on top or that?
 
I removed all the old stuff. The stuff that was on my boat was sticky and a real mess to work around so I got rid of it all
 
definitely remove the old..sand down the surrounding area..mix up some new resin with cabosil and milled fibers then re-glass the whole thing....5200 sounds easy, but resin such as epoxy or vinyl ester is much more stronger than 5200...by a long shot.
 
Thanks for all the input, got the lid off and to my surprise everything looks pretty good, the top of the transom has a small amount of rot, so I was thinking of cutting the bad wood out and using dowel pins to marry the old and new pieces together then reglassing? Then add some extra support for my T-top to plant into.
Any thought on using normal fiberglass resin vs. vinyl ester vs. epoxy?
 
For making new parts or cosmetic repairs, its OK...but for repairs to transoms and anywhere you need really good secondary bonding and it needs to be waterproof, I would not use anything but VE or Epoxy...especially when glassing over wood. Thats why cold molded wooden boats use epoxy, not polyester.
 
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