bayliner capri help needed-gctid815450

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hey guys

does anyone know if a 2002 bayliner capri would have glass on both sides of the floor or jut the top, this is my first boat and i didnt realise how soft the floor was until about 3 weeks after i bought it when i was working on the dash sitting in the seat and realized how much it moves, springy between the walkthrough and the bench seat at the back across the width of the deck, i was thinking of replacing the ski locker with a underfloor fuel tank and an alloy hatch/cover (im a sheet metal fabricator/alloy boat builder by trade so would be the easier way to go) as for the sides i have still not decided yet what to do.

i have spent the last week reading forums every night on floor repairs but i cant seem to figure out if my floor compares to the ones they talk about could be better could be worse, is there anyway of checking without drilling

any help would be highly appreciated

cheers

[driz]

If it was me I doubt I'd fix it this season if it's a large spot. Do it in the fall / winter unless you are in danger of falling in the bilge. Now to do a quickie like like I did back around when yours was born and it worked so well it still there now. I went to the scrap yard and got one of NY States former I-87 road signs . I dug out the rotalong with the rest of the delminted wood. Then painted to death everything in the area. After that I inletted the area my sign chunk sat in and screwed it down.

Now mine it was right dead center behind the ski locker so all this was simple leaving only a slight bump in the rat fur. If I was gonna do it again I'd use a sheet of thinner steel which work just as well and just paint and prime the thing. Your situation may be different but being a tin knocker you are already ahead of me.

FYI and anyone else who shall find this note in the bottle. DONT LEAVE ONE OF THOSE DARNED TENT POLES WITH THE CENTER POKING THROUGH THE BRASS GROMMET holding up your rear boat tarp. Thats how mine went to crap. Whod a tought:blush: water would run down that pole and rot the floor: :sick:

Others know far more about fuel tanks and balance issues you might create doing that. Remember also that you probably have that nasty safety foam under the floor to deal with in your gas tank plans. I'm blessed with not having that junk being over 20' and personally would rather sink than del with it, but that's just me.... the best tool I've seen to gut floors up carefully is one of those vibratory handhelds with the weird short blade scraper looking ends that stick out the front. Harbor freight has them cheap.

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hi i ma located in new zealand so its winter here right now. did you dig the old ply ouy and pi the sign inside or on top of the floor? also was the core sandwiched between two layers of glass or just covered on top? as for the fuel tank ill try get a photo this weekend but i was under the impression that the inboard fuel tanks were located in the same place anyway? the area im looking at is between the two pedestal seats theres a underfloor compartment thats open at the top but extends under the floor to the back of the boat but still sealed off from the hull itself, i assume its so you can slide skis in there. the pan was to put the tank in there. i really hope theres no foam in there as i was hoping to drill holes in the floor and fill up with foam to take the flex out of the floor then put another layer off glass over the whole floor.

[driz]

My Capri 2252 inboard 4.3 has the gas tank just ahead of the engine a couple feet. It goes forward to around where the ski locker starts .You ought to post the exact model and a pic of the spot. Then maybe some of the guys who've done more of this can give more specific advice. My spot was about 8" in diameter when I got to good wood and my sign rig has about 800-1000 Hours run time and I see no need to do more all these years later.

As for using foam to stiffen it oh boy . I do know you have to watch that expansion or it'll bulge up and out somewhere if it doesn't have a place to go. Also it's the nastiest stuff on earth if you ever have to remove it. I'd span the whole floor which one of those big highway signs would do, before going there unless you want to tear out a lot of decking. Of course if you want a tank down there it'll have to come up anyways so you can just use new wood . Doing a tank job requires some safety specifics so if you really gotta have it you do it right. If it was me I'd try to look for an easier route probably . Others on here know far more in that area.

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thanks for your reply

i think i may have explained it wrong. i think the place i m looking at putting a fuel tank is in the back half of the ski locker itself. i will try get some photos as i now have a new dilemma.. no HIN number on the transom.... we do not require it here as registration is optional for recreational boats so i never looked for it. as for the foam it seems to be the only option tha doesn involve cutting all the floor out.

here are some basic photos of the boat i will take floor photos when it stops raining so i can take the cover off

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