Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 55
  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33

    Thumbs Up Restoring a 1987 Winner Alpha II 15' boat

    Hi everyone,

    I purchased this boat for $175 with the trailer, so basically a trailer with a free boat. It is a mess, but I am looking forward to restoring my first boat ever. I'm also looking forward to any tips you guys might have along the way.

    I have already cleaned up the deck to get rid of the leaves and dirt, taken off all of the hatch covers and taken off the rub rail. I am trying to get the cap off, but it is being stubborn. I'm going to tie the winch to a cleat and slowly lift to see if I can find where it is binding. I already cut through the silicone keeping the cap and hull together, but it still won't lift up by hand.

    Anyway, I'll be making plenty of pictures and documenting my rebuild. Here are some pictures of the progress so far.

    20190809_163840.jpg20190809_163850.jpg20190809_163857.jpg20190809_163901.jpg20190809_163906.jpg20190809_163932.jpg20190813_181444.jpg20190813_181453.jpg20190813_181518.jpg20190815_184221.jpg20190815_184239.jpg

  2. Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    68
    #2
    I have an 87 tournament. Love that boat. Quick and very very comfortable. Ride is solid. You will love it. Take your time. I did add a deck extension. My front looks a little different than yours but it makes it so much nicer.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #3
    Cool! Do you have any pictures? Might give me some ideas.

  4. Member OkieLure's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Newcastle, OK
    Posts
    12,970
    #4
    Awesome start, definitely take your time with it!
    1997 Charger 186 TF
    1997 Yamaha ProV 175

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #5
    My brother and I spent about 5 hours attaching the winch to the ceiling and trying to get the cap off of the hull. We can't figure out where it is attached still. Obviously the transom is still glued in, but we can't get the bow to lift more than an inch. I was able to get some pictures of what's under there and it looks like the live well in the bow is attached to the hull and the cap just sits on top of it. If anyone has any ideas I would be very grateful.

    Do I need to cut out the floor? I have no idea what to do next.

    20190817_154107.jpg20190817_154143.jpg20190817_154208.jpg20190817_154355.jpg

  6. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Highland, Illinois
    Posts
    2,738
    #6
    I recently removed the cap on a '87 Skeeter Strada. Had a similar issue . It was "glued" at the transom. I crawled in and cut the inner skin , around the splashwell. Then the cap popped up.
    It has a front livewell also, i didn't see any signs of it being glued in though.

  7. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Hillsboro, NH
    Posts
    3,067
    #7
    Subscribed. I'll get around to restoring my '89 Tournament TFx one of these days.

    1990 Ranger 362V Yamaha Pro-V 150
    Old Town Predator MinnKota

  8. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #8
    I am going to cut out the floor and see what I have there. I know I need to replace the plywood, but I am very curious about the stringers. I tapped around on the transom and it seems solid. I'll know for sure when I get a motor mounted on it and see if it moves. I can replace the transom separately from the rest though.

    I'll see if I still need to take the cap off after I get the floor up. I'm hoping I can fix any issues from there and don't need to to remove the cap. I'll make sure to update when I get some time to work on it again.


    Quote Originally Posted by Skunked again View Post
    I recently removed the cap on a '87 Skeeter Strada. Had a similar issue . It was "glued" at the transom. I crawled in and cut the inner skin , around the splashwell. Then the cap popped up.
    It has a front livewell also, i didn't see any signs of it being glued in though.
    Skunked: If I send you some pictures of the stern, can you show me where I need to cut? I just thought I would be able to get the bow up further even with the transom being glued.
    Last edited by Faust; 08-19-2019 at 08:36 AM.

  9. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #9
    It appears that the floor and the storage bins, rod locker and live well are all 1 molded piece that I would assume is glued to the plywood underneath that is attached to the hull. That would be a big reason why I can't get the cap off. I've attached some pictures of the transom area. Can anyone show me where exactly I would need to cut to best be able to separate the cap from the hull in that area? I'm also assuming I am going to have to cut the floor out as well. Any tips on this would also be greatly appreciated.

    20190819_170829.jpg20190819_170906.jpg20190819_170914.jpg

    And here is the molded floor/seat area.
    20190819_170841.jpg

  10. Member
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Kiln Mississippi
    Posts
    837
    #10
    If it is like a Champion just get the saws-all out. They tape in caps on bass boats all over. Just don't loose your cool, walk away when stumped, and sleep on it. My Champ took 2 days to cut everything free and I do this for a living. I pulled the cap on a little VL100 Blazer I have in 4 hours. BIG difference. I keep a little tension on the cap while cutting, movement means your doing something right. Most caps are glued to transom. Look hard first at the transom attachment points to figure out the exact place to cut. It just takes time. Well a bunch of Bud Lite Limes helps too.

  11. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Highland, Illinois
    Posts
    2,738
    #11
    Sure, this is the first glass boat I've messed with though. I'm far from an expert.

  12. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #12
    Thanks guys! I may get some time tomorrow evening to mess with it. I will start with the floor and then put tension on to see if I can figure out what else is attached. Nervous? Who's nervous?

  13. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Highland, Illinois
    Posts
    2,738
    #13
    IMG_20190820_095555513.jpg

    IMG_20190820_095605737.jpg

    Above is two pics of the cut inner transom skin, one closeup. I set the skin back in for a reference.



    IMG_20190820_095823864_HDR.jpg

    Above picture shows where the "glue" was holding it, behind the splashwell.

    While taking the pics, i remembered, some foam loosely holding onto the hull - under the gunnels.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #14
    Thanks!! That certainly helps! Heading out now to see how far I get.

  15. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #15
    Started on the floor. Turns out the carpet was hiding some screws.

    20190820_175951.jpg20190820_182350.jpg20190820_183243.jpg

    Continuing tomorrow with getting all of the rotten wood out. Once that's done I'll attempt taking off the cap again.

  16. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #16
    I cleaned up some of the plywood. It was epoxied to fiberglass on the bottom which was attached with some 1/4" thick epoxy to the hull/stringers. The 2 stringers that you see are hollow fiberglass with some foam in them, but no wood. The hose is the drain for the live well.
    20190821_175713.jpg


    These 2 pictures are from inside the live well. I can't see an attachment point here. I did find some screws in the front deck that I removed. The cap still isn't budging.
    20190821_175547.jpg20190821_175552.jpg

    The above 2 pictures are made from inside the square hole.
    20190821_175651.jpg

    Under the console:
    20190821_175728.jpg

    The rod locker is on the bottom of the picture. It is open to the bow inside and I can see the outside of the live well
    20190820_183243.jpg20190821_175513.jpg

    At this point I don't know if I can get the cap off. Do I need to? The wiring is a complete disaster, which will make it hard to organize with the cap on. I don't know how to get the rest of the rotten wood out from under the floor I didn't cut.

    I am open to anyone's ideas or experience. I could really use some help here. :)

  17. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Highland, Illinois
    Posts
    2,738
    #17
    I have a feeling this will be one of those "light bulb" moments, suddenly you'll see what is holding it together. Maybe rojoguio will have some insight. To replace the transom and stringers, taking the cap off is best way. Also for the wiring.

  18. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #18
    Your words in God's ear.

  19. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Loxahatchee, FL
    Posts
    33
    #19
    What if I cut higher up along the entire boat like this where the red line is:
    20190813_175824LINE.jpg

    That would still be repairable fairly easily right? At least that way I can get underneath and get the rest out.

  20. Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    lexington nc
    Posts
    1,166
    #20
    didn't these old Winner boats have fiberglass stringers? Best I can remember that was their selling pitch

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast