TOPIC: BAD LUCK

So i put the boat in the water... starts up on the third try... after two days i wonder why -all of a sudden- is it slowing down and NOT planning out. turns out that the WINGS ARE FILLED WITH WATER AND IT IS SQUIRTING INTO THE BOAT (at a slow but steady drizzle). Any ideas??

Yea lots of them, mostly you will find that the trim screws are leaking into the side sponsons and or any through hull fittings may be too. Do you have 2 drain plugs? one lower and one on the side?....welcom to a 50 year old boat.....

ya you were right. i didn't think that the leak was SOOO big so i took it out on the lake and when i was smack in the middle, i slowly started to sink. at full throttle i was pushing 5mph and instead of planning out it was slowly tilting backwards. i immediately unplugged everything and signaled for help. after being towed in and once the boat was on the trailer, i tilted the boat back and more then 25 GALLONS poured out of INSIDE the hull.

the question is, Is there a known weak spot where the water could have leaked in?

ya you were right. i didn't think that the leak was SOOO big so i took it out on the lake and when i was smack in the middle, i slowly started to sink. at full throttle i was pushing 5mph and instead of planning out it was slowly tilting backwards. i immediately unplugged everything and signaled for help. after being towed in and once the boat was on the trailer, i tilted the boat back and more then 25 GALLONS poured out of INSIDE the hull.

the question is, Is there a known weak spot where the water could have leaked in?

You know you havce 2 drain plugs on the back of the G3. Did the water come from under the floor small drin at the vary botto of the transom or the big one on top of the floor.
Mike aka the pirate

after i pulled it out of the water and it was on the trailer i pulled BOTH plugs and after watching the top plug empty out i realized that there was a bottom plug. the bottom plug was what was holding ALLLLL of the water. i can't figure out how SOOOO much water got in there and i couldn't physically see any holes.

Cracks in an old, weak floor will let water into the lower (false bottom). Also water leaking thru trim screw holes on the rear corners goes into the sponson and then under the floor.

I had same problem, but siliconed all the screws and drilled a small "drain hole" in both sponsons so any water in them will run out into the boat proper and then be pumped out.

Ck all screws holding all rub rails on ck the ones on the side sponsons, If they are loose let us know.

Well-Worth-It wrote:

i took it out on the lake and when i was smack in the middle, i slowly started to sink.

Oh MAN, Derek!!! reading this gives me goosebumps....the "perfect storm" for disaster.... unfamiliar new boat, with unknown seaworthyness, inexperienced operator, and out "smack in the middle" of the lake!!!! YIKES! Since you managed to get it safely back on the trailer, you must have done SOMETHING right in this ordeal.....congratulations!
Like the others have said, it IS a 50 year old boat, with inherent faults, and unless you can prove otherwise its always better to assume your sponson trim will leak, the floor, stringers and transom are all rotten, and even your (GASP!) beautiful LARK may be unreliable (did I just say that???). So just like buying a used car, you must carefully go over EVERYTHING to be sure you will make it back safely from a day on the lake....
Sounds like you and Ben will be overhauling your boats together this winter, huh? In the meantime, maybe at least get yourself a bilgepump in there, and regularly monitor whats going on UNDER your floorboard, even if you have to cut a small inspection hole in the floor to do it. And like Jim said, drill a small hole in the sponson wood panels to allow any water in there to drain out, into the boat! And SEAL the sponson trim! Motorwell drain tubes have also been known to leak! Welcome to OUR world! HA!
NUT

Well, Well
As the Nut said, WELCOME to the G-3 world, with it's inherent limitations.

There is a good thread on the old forum which addresses the topic G-3's taking on water.
It can be found here:
forums.fiberglassics.com/g3/showmessage.asp?fm=Forum&messageID=22551

Read thru every post and you will get a good idea what your up against.
Also, there are is some good information and detail on how to fix some of the problems.
For instance, Pony Boy describes what to do re: the leaking sponson screws. His posts are under the moniker "JM."

It should be noted for us old forum members. NEWBS can't search the forum without having a login name the old forum recognizes.
They can scoll backwards page by page, a long and tedious process.

If it were me I'd do the following.
Fix the sponson screws and seal transom penetrations.
Drill drain holes in the aft of the sponsons close to the transom
"on the inside of the boat" taking care to not penetrate the hull.
Cut a hole in the floor and install a automatic bilge pump.
Be sure to set the hole off center to avoid the center floor stringer.
This will be a little difficult to do with the splashwell installed, but not impossible.
Following these steps should give you a few more outings this year.
Also, keeping this adage in mind:
"Little boats sink faster than big ones."
Until your sure the hull is not rapidly filling up with water, stay close to the shore, and bring a chase plane with a wingman!
Having said that, be sure, if your getting towed in to take a picture of what motor is sitting on the aft end of the tow boat.
It provides fodder for the light / dark side debate.
hA!

good luck
lar
aka G_Force

apparently all the water i found in the boat might have been sitting there for longer than i thought. the previous owner said it might have rained into the boat and the water seeped through, into the hull.
NEXT ISSUE: when checking the boat and hull for leaks i came across a very grim detail... the transom is rotting away and if i hadn't pulled the boat out of the water and noticed it then i would have been in some SERIOUS trouble. anyone have any tips on rebuilding a transom??

i epoxied the broken in transom (with marine tex) before realizing the actual situation

derick,let me congradulate you on your stroke of good luck. this hobby is about to expose your young mind to an assortment of trades. outboard mechanic,rigger,woodworking,fiberglass,body and paint. these are all required subjects with upholstry and horse trader being electives. perhaps you will find your lifes work,or be inspired to hit the books harder,take your education to the next level and study for a profession that will afford you the income to raise a family and still enjoy this hobby,and hire out this work in the future if you wish.

you are not breaking new ground and there is no reason for you to reinvent the wheel. there are people here that have been down this road and they can guide you on your journey so ask for their help. my only suggestion is that whatever advice you decide to go with,make sure that person has actually be down this road,because you will find many that have only read the triptic. your buddy ben can guide you since he knows many of these people. once again,congrats on your good luck. skipp

Well-Worth-It wrote:

apparently all the water i found in the boat might have been sitting there for longer than i thought. the previous owner said it might have rained into the boat and the water seeped through, into the hull.
NEXT ISSUE: when checking the boat and hull for leaks i came across a very grim detail... the transom is rotting away and if i hadn't pulled the boat out of the water and noticed it then i would have been in some SERIOUS trouble. anyone have any tips on rebuilding a transom??

i epoxied the broken in transom (with marine tex) before realizing the actual situation

Derek,
The issues with your boat are the ordinary problems with any original G3, especially the center deck models, because Glasspar eliminated the wood stringers in the 62 model years. Like Skipp said you are actually lucky you found out about them before catastrophic failure occured. Interesting you mentioned you are still in contact with the previous owner. Seems he could have been a bit more forthcoming about known issues with the boat BEFORE selling it to you. Also, I'm surprised Ben didn't at least give you the heads up on these possible problem areas. All besides the point now......you are looking at a big job at the minimum, and most likely, a total structural restoration, with new transom, stringers and floorboards, and since it will be apart for the first (and hopefully the last) time, eventually you will also need to decide if you are going to keep it stock or modify it. 15" transom, or 20"? Pad bottom, blueprinted stock or no bottom mods at all? I don't mean to depress you any more than you already are, but as Skipp said think of this as an opportunity to build your boat into whatever you want it to be! We will be here for you every step of the way! And when its all finished, there won't be a prouder captain on the water! Hang in there, and "Git 'er DONE" HA!
NUT

Rebuilding the rotted out transom:

couple little tips to keep from sinking...

1. Bilge pump! buy a big one and make sure it works.

2. If you find the boat filling with water and no way to get it out. Pull the drain plug and high tale it for shore. A low pressure area will form behind the boat and will pull the water out. I have had to use this method and I can attest to it working.

while your rebuilding that transom, do it right. Dont skimp or you will regret it.

thanks., with the help of a professional i got the job ALMOST done... one or two more days

WW it looks like you are still a bit lucky, those srtingers look in fair shape in the pics,in fact it dosent look like its been all that long since someone was in there, too bad they didnt do a better job sealing it up. you may still see the water this summer-fall season. dont give up on that evinrude YET!

Can't believe im missing this! Who's the professional? Did you talk to Buzzy yet?

i went to buzzes for advice and he said we were in luck. bernard is the guy who rebuilt his g3 and he happen to be finishing a job in the parking lot. we talked to him, told him the problem and he stood up and said, "lets go!"
2 1/2 hours and the job is almost finished.

ALMOST DONE!!!!!

WOW......Ive never seen a transom put in like that before......I have removed some rotten ones though......I must say, Im shocked...

Jeff,
why exactly are you shocked? What's your opinion on this method of transom rebuild?
-Ben

This must be some kind of world RECORD! A new transom in 2 1/2 hours? gotta wonder, how it could be possible without cutting at least a few corners in the process.... Looks good in the pictures, though....might be ok, for the 40hp LARK, just hope Derek doesn't have to RE-do it again after putting on some triple digit horsepower....good luck!
NUT

I like the method of rebuilding a transom that way. Its fast, easy, and should be strong.
Not much different than coring the floor of the "potato chip" hot rod boats. A G-3 which
was designed for 60hp and run with 75-80hp without ill effects will be just fine with that transom.
Derek should be very pleased he can get his boat back in the water before winter sets in. Some of us
have taken months to do the same job. Now put that OMC back on and have FUN!

John