Core rot, I hope not...

ED E

Sorry for the cheesey title, it just came to me...

Anyways, I require advice from ye who know alot more about boats than I. I have 3 months holidays and rather than sitting around getting fat I want a project to work on. My dad used to race powerboats competitively when he was younger but he gave it up to have a family, probably the wrong choice His boat has spent the last ~20 years in the back of a garage. I dont know the make/model but I'll ask him later. I do know that the Mariner 80Hp with racing prop is still mounted on it.

My dad has annoying mannerisms, and when he finally chose to answer my questions he explained that he thought it would be too dangerous to use, for two reasons: 1. He modified the boat to get the most performance he could. His seat, fuel tank, battery and oil were all on rails that allowed him to adjust the balance of the boat. I beleive he also shortened it. The result, with very little effort he was planing accross the water with just the prop in (The pics look great, and he has a few minutes of film somewhere). 2. Rot. The fact that the boat has been sitting for ~20 years could mean that the whole core(presumably balsa) is rotten. I've speant a while reading articles on the subject and one author claimed that he had seen 40yo boats with no rot whatsoever, so maybe there's hope yet. The question is, how would one check for rot? Do you drill holes up and down the hull, or is there a less destructive way?

On the other hand, if the boat is unrepairable, I still have the Mariner (wish he hadn't sold the Mercury 150). What would be the most affordable option for some calm water fun over the summer (2 man)? Also, where would be the best place to search for 2nd hand, where do people sell small boats?

Wow, that was quite longwinded, sorry.
Thanks in adance for any replies,
Lethal.

JamesM

These guys will tell you http://www.powerboat.ie/forums

scaldybelt

And photos are always enjoyed over on powerboat.ie