89 Sailfish 255 rotten fuel coffin - HELP!

[EquipMgr]

Gentlemen:
New to us 1989 255 Sailfish. Just been plain neglected but we're fixing as we go...
Noticed a problem with the floor moving up and down last weekend - it was rough out.
Pulled the coffin lids and found that the front tank was apparently just rattling around unsecured. Coffin box is completely rotted and we're not the first one in there! No idea what someone was thinking with the "deck".
In the interest of saving bandwidth for everyone, if someone here has attempted this fix, shoot me a PM. Love to speak with you. Next call is to Grady. Like to know how the thing was originally put together so I can get cutting this weekend.
Thanks.
-Jeff
PICS:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/oconno ... y/library/

 

[DennisG01]

This is probably not what you were expecting to hear, although I bet that your gut is telling you it's the right thing to do... From the pictures, I suspect that the stringers may be at least somewhat soft (see the glass that has pulled off of them?), if not rotten. Pull the tank - clean it up real good and check it for any porosity. Once the tank is out, you can better assess the stringers and bulkheads. The cockpit floor is probably attached to the stringers the same way mine was... crumpled up pieces of glass strips on top of the stringers. You can reattach pretty much any way you want - lift the floor where you can an schmutz in some thickened epoxy... gobs of 5200... or even some wetted glass... or any combination there of.

FYI, when you replacing rotten wood, you don't have to get everything. Get what you can, then lay on another layer or two of heavy mat, tabbed into the coffin floor and the underside of the cockpit floor (if you can). That will turn out to be PLENTY strong.

 

[gw204]

Agreed. From what I can see, your stringers are toast.

You may want to consider having the boat structurally evaluated by a surveyor. They should be able to tell you the extent of work needed to restore the hull integrity. Then you can make an educated decision on what path forward is best for you.

 

[RI Grady]

I was faced with the same situation when I bought my 25 sailfish. When I pulled the tanks I found the stringers rotten as well as the bulkheads. I stripped it to the hull and put in new stringers and marine plywood for the bulkheads and sides. I used west epoxy (a lot of it) took out the rear tank making a storage area. I then put pt 2x6's on the flat over the old deck (which was still solid) and put a new 3/4" marine ply floor on and glassed it. Solid as can be. I also raised the scuppers in the transom at the same time getting them out of the water. I took out the original floor drains and piped them out straight instead of down so it all drains better.