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Floor questions on 87 Sunsetter


Bigblocksunsetter

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Hey everyone new to the Malibu Crew I’ve got a little project me and the old man are gonna start on. I’ve got an 87 Sunsetter with the Indmar 454 floors and stringer are shot we’re going to have a professional at a shop do the stringers and get it ready for flooring to go back in it. Probably going to put composite down for the flooring and I’d like to know if any of you have had experience with bringing new to the old and putting sea dek flooring in the old boats instead of carpet. Any info will be greatly appreciated! 🤘🏻

Edited by Bigblocksunsetter
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For what you will likely pay a pro to properly fix the floor and stringers, you might as well sell the boat for scrap and buy a newer Malibu that is all glass.  Your overall spend will likely be the same or less.

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What is your budget?  SeaDeck would be fantastic, and since your are pulling the floor up anyway the hard work of smoothing out the surface is halfway done.  Can we see a pic of that 454 just for kicks?

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3 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

What is your budget?  SeaDeck would be fantastic, and since your are pulling the floor up anyway the hard work of smoothing out the surface is halfway done.  Can we see a pic of that 454 just for kicks?

Haven’t really discussed a budget it’s just kind of a spend as we go and see what happens type deal. And that’s what i was thinking it would be pretty dang cool for an old boat to have some new features. And I haven’t quite figured out how to add pictures yet still trying to figure out the page. 

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3 hours ago, Nitrousbird said:

For what you will likely pay a pro to properly fix the floor and stringers, you might as well sell the boat for scrap and buy a newer Malibu that is all glass.  Your overall spend will likely be the same or less.

False! We’ve got next to nothing in the boat and it’s a project that me and the old man can get some time together on. We’ve committed to completely restoring the boat and keeping it in the family and eventually we’ll do away with all the wood in the boat so it will never rot again. Key word there again haha. Plus when a boat load of girls in a brand new mastercraft are pointing and saying I like that boat! Then why not have a cool 80’s model!? Sometimes you just can’t beat old school cool! 😂

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2 hours ago, Bigblocksunsetter said:

False! We’ve got next to nothing in the boat and it’s a project that me and the old man can get some time together on. We’ve committed to completely restoring the boat and keeping it in the family and eventually we’ll do away with all the wood in the boat so it will never rot again. Key word there again haha. Plus when a boat load of girls in a brand new mastercraft are pointing and saying I like that boat! Then why not have a cool 80’s model!? Sometimes you just can’t beat old school cool! 😂

Even if you got under 1k in the boat, what do you think it is going to cost to get those stringers professionally repaired?  Malibu started offering boats without wood in 1993 (or was in 1992, can't recall) and no models had wood - other than the swim platform - by 1995.  So you don't have to go that much newer to get a wood-free Malibu.  You may still be financially even or ahead on a 1993 - 1995 model (selling your current boat + putting the stringer money into the next one), at which point you could do upgrades on the newer model.  

Just giving you a sound financial option but spend your money however you want.  Good EVA foam (not the eBay stuff) like Gator Step or SeaDek will likely set you back about $1000, regardless of this boat or a slightly newer model.  That's just for the material, not the flooring upgrade obviously.  

 

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3 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

Even if you got under 1k in the boat, what do you think it is going to cost to get those stringers professionally repaired?  Malibu started offering boats without wood in 1993 (or was in 1992, can't recall) and no models had wood - other than the swim platform - by 1995.  So you don't have to go that much newer to get a wood-free Malibu.  You may still be financially even or ahead on a 1993 - 1995 model (selling your current boat + putting the stringer money into the next one), at which point you could do upgrades on the newer model.  

Just giving you a sound financial option but spend your money however you want.  Good EVA foam (not the eBay stuff) like Gator Step or SeaDek will likely set you back about $1000, regardless of this boat or a slightly newer model.  That's just for the material, not the flooring upgrade obviously.  

 

Financially, it is a losing proposition, but restoring something with Dad might be priceless.  Just MHO.

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I am currently in the process of doing the floor in my 86 skier. Tried to get through the summer by putting down some thinner sheet on top of what was a 90% solid floor and I did seadeck my floor it turned out great and now the floor is coming back out. Starting to cut the stringers and getting ready for a full over haul on my boat.

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For those starting on the stringer / rebuild / restore process:  it will serve you well to search this site for the threads that go through in detail the how to / cost / effort in rebuilding older Malibu's.  It is well worth you time to do that and will help you understand the scope of the project.  The threads are an excellent read and several go through step by step the process.

@Bigblocksunsetter - not sure you mean it this way so correct me if I misunderstood, you note rebuilding the stringers then subsequently doing away with all the wood.  Why would you repair the stringers only to redo the most labor intensive project down the road as you note 'eventually doing away with all the wood'?  As others have noted, having a pro do the work is not a financially positive proposition.  It is a good project to spend doing with your dad and besides chicks dig guys covered in fiberglass and resin:-)

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One solution is for you and "the old man" to do the stringers yourself.  Once you get that far into the demolition you will see exactly what you need to do to replace them.

Edit:  @Woodski just posted the same thought.  I agree with him.  All the wood in the hull needs to go at the same time.  Uncap the boat, flip the cap over, and make sure all of the supports are done at the same time as the stringers and transom.

Beef up the transom for a wedge while you are in there.  It's too easy to do while you have it apart, and it seems that everybody but me needs a wedge.

Edited by justgary
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7 minutes ago, justgary said:

  It's too easy to do while you have it apart, and it seems that everybody but me needs a wedge.

You definitely need a wedge....the dark side awaits you......can you hear it calling?

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4 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

You definitely need a wedge....the dark side awaits you......can you hear it calling?

I have a wedge and took it off because I never used it.  The boat is a few pounds lighter without it.  Now I trip over it. 

  • Haha 1
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16 hours ago, Bigblocksunsetter said:

Haven’t really discussed a budget it’s just kind of a spend as we go and see what happens type deal. And that’s what i was thinking it would be pretty dang cool for an old boat to have some new features. And I haven’t quite figured out how to add pictures yet still trying to figure out the page. 

What do you expect it to cost you?  It's a lot of labor, and I'm thinking it was like $7k when someone last quoted it, are you thinking the same thing?

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3 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

What do you expect it to cost you?  It's a lot of labor, and I'm thinking it was like $7k when someone last quoted it, are you thinking the same thing?

Exactly.  Or take that 7k, buy a fixer-upper (project) wood-free Malibu that's a few years newer for the same or less money than that stringer job.

17 hours ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Financially, it is a losing proposition, but restoring something with Dad might be priceless.  Just MHO.

See above.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Any updates?  I just saw this.  I restored a 1988 Sunsetter.  The floor, stringers, foam, and transom cost me $5k, and that included gel coat on all sides.  I put Marideck vinyl over it, which I  highly recommend.  

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  • 2 months later...

@Bigblocksunsetter I did this exact project years ago:

https://www.wakegarage.com/projects-archive/stringers-transom-and-hull-repair/stringer-and-transom-rebuild-upgrade-for-80s-ski-boat-r34/

Was worth it.   All of above opinions are correct... it costs nearly as much as it would to get a newer all-composite boat without the work.   But yes, old boats are cool.  And yes, it can be worth it.  And yes, it would be amazing to have a project with your dad.  And pride of ownership is awesome. 

We LOVED this boat.  Still don't have any more fun on my 247 than I did this one.   And then @martinarcher made it EVEN BETTER!   By a lot.   

No wrong answers.

Edited by rugger
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Was it worth it....oh yeah.  We love this little boat and it gets it done!  

Sometimes its not about the money, its about enjoying a good resto project, especially if its with your dad.  Rugger's project would be a great resource and guide on doing it right.  It's literally the exact some project you guys are going to tackle.  Some people get WAY too wrapped up in the financial cost and similar factors.  Lots of things people like me a rugger do don't make sense to the average guy.  For some people its about the project....some of us don't idle well.  :lol: 

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