Hello All,
This is my first time posting here so I apologize for any etiquette mistakes.
I recently purchased what is likely the most beat-up shoal draft 1983 H34 you have ever seen.
The entire cabin is full of mold and most of the wood in the boat, including bulkheads is rotting away from being left with leaking ports. On the upside, it has a solid rig, hull, and topside which is why I decided to purchase the boat.
I have begun pulling out every bit of plywood in the cabin, including cabins, head, and galley. I am here asking for some advice on getting this boat to a mold free and structurally sound point to become my long-time cruising/liveaboard boat on the Great Lakes.
Here's my list of questions for fellow H34 owners:
- In terms of the "hull liner", can It just be torn out? It seems to be stuck under the hull pan and molded headliner in a few places, It all has to go.
- I have had to essentially cut the bottoms out of the main bulkhead on both sides of the compression post due to excessive rotting. How do I remove these from the side of the compression post and the headliner? I know on some boats they just slide into the headliner however, I would like to know for certain before I try to brute force them out.
- for the false bilge, having the entire interior out of the boat means I have full access to the interior pan, are there areas where I should drill some holes near the top of the pan on each side to spray a bleach or bilge cleaner solution into to fully eliminate any growth in there?
- How involved is removing the toe rails? I do believe they are one of the main sources of water ingress.
I have attached an image of the cabin as it sits currently.
This is my first time posting here so I apologize for any etiquette mistakes.
I recently purchased what is likely the most beat-up shoal draft 1983 H34 you have ever seen.
The entire cabin is full of mold and most of the wood in the boat, including bulkheads is rotting away from being left with leaking ports. On the upside, it has a solid rig, hull, and topside which is why I decided to purchase the boat.
I have begun pulling out every bit of plywood in the cabin, including cabins, head, and galley. I am here asking for some advice on getting this boat to a mold free and structurally sound point to become my long-time cruising/liveaboard boat on the Great Lakes.
Here's my list of questions for fellow H34 owners:
- In terms of the "hull liner", can It just be torn out? It seems to be stuck under the hull pan and molded headliner in a few places, It all has to go.
- I have had to essentially cut the bottoms out of the main bulkhead on both sides of the compression post due to excessive rotting. How do I remove these from the side of the compression post and the headliner? I know on some boats they just slide into the headliner however, I would like to know for certain before I try to brute force them out.
- for the false bilge, having the entire interior out of the boat means I have full access to the interior pan, are there areas where I should drill some holes near the top of the pan on each side to spray a bleach or bilge cleaner solution into to fully eliminate any growth in there?
- How involved is removing the toe rails? I do believe they are one of the main sources of water ingress.
I have attached an image of the cabin as it sits currently.