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jdillenger · 29-07-2010, 10:58

Did you mean Paul Larsens Marina? I googled it...where is worst marine so I know that's the one you were talking about.

SkiprJohn · 29-07-2010, 11:26

Welcome to the forum of many opinions,

Here's where you need a good public library. There are 100s of books written on just what you are attempting to do. Check out the books on boatbuilding because that is essentially what you will be doing.

Is your goal to get it running or just to liveaboard?

Before doing laminate floors (sole) you'll need all the supports that go all the way to the bottom of the boat and you want to know how to build them correctly. That's where all those books come in handy. If you have neighbors in the marina with the same kind of boat or similar they might let you take a look under the cabing sole so you can see what you need to do.
The engines and all go under all that so that's why people are advising to do the engines and power train first. You also need to think about fuel and water tanks.
A door can be made from a piece of plywood. If you can get marine grade plywood you might want to get a sheet and see how far that goes.
Check out the books so you know what you'll want to do first. I personally don't care for laminate flooring in a boat. I would rather see plain painted plywood with non skid applied. Once you have the cabin sole in place then you can think about what you want to finish it with (solid wood, laminate, etc.)
Good luck on your project. It'll keep you busy for certain.
kind regards,

jdillenger · 29-07-2010, 11:47

Ideally to get it up and running!!! Oh ok I figured laminate was easiest to install. Any plywood is ideal?? Or is there a certain kind for this job? I don't even have a hatch door that leads to underneath the boat you can jump right in. LoL I'm already on the library site thanks!!

zeehag · 29-07-2010, 12:25

AL LARSONs marina is next to the federal penn. define what makes a marina "good" or "bad". i found the place quite friendly when i was there --most enjoyable place with brand new facilities, and a straight shot to avalon at 26.1 miles. to my knowledge , there is no GOOD marina...i found a couple of decent ones in other states, but port of lost angels is not known for GOOD marinas.

jdillinger---cruise wilmingtons side strets on a bicycle--you will find some incredible places , unless they have all been buldozed--was always an excellent place to find boating stuffies...to go to the other side of the bridge to long beach, use a car, also for 'no mans land' between the area of allameda st and dirty dorothy's ..a truck stop near the santa fe importers..now THAT(sfi) is THE place to get anything italian...especially sammiches....awesome!!!!!
beware of no mans land --has much drug involvement but is full of junk yards--unless there has been a major levelling of all of that..mostly car junk, there, tho, so isnt of real use to you.
between the marinas, if you ride a bike up anchorage road and turn left on anaheim st..then explore into the side streets after anaheim st in the area between anchorage rd and san pedro--turn left from anaheim st into the side streets-i forget the names of the streeets--ther eis an engine place, there was a chris craft place at d and another street --near the propeller shop...wiilmington prop is in there and many other interesting places. have fun. bring mace with you. dont tallk to folks when ridint bike, but do so when driving car. befriend the least dangerous looking natives--i found a diesel mechanic in dumpster in wilmington - san pedro area!!!! best find yet!!! all i had to do was feed him and i had work done!!! seek and ye shall find-save money as much as you can-that project will take a lot of money even at a cheapskates rate of expenditure! as well as a lot of your time. so hav fun and find good deals in stranger places!!!

qs for plywood--if you use regular housing grade stuff, best be usin ga penetrating epoxy for duration, as the stuf will delaminate. look for marine grade plywood so thqat isnt a factor, but also use the penetrating epoxy to strengthen and make the life longer.you will need much clear penetrating epoxy. lots and lots.find a wholesale outlet for it--here we have diversified materials corp. you may have to spend some as money to get the fibreglass materials--they may do online business--they are good. the stuff ye get in the marine stores is inadequate in amount and overly priced. remember 400 percent markup.

jdillenger · 29-07-2010, 13:45

Thank you to all of you, I am in for a great adventure!! Thanks for all of your advice I greatly appreciate it all!!!

Kimmy

**Jim Cate** · 29-07-2010, 14:16

G'Day Kimmy,

Well, you have picked a tough row to hoe for sure! And you will find that every question you ask here on CF will get a bunch of conflicting answers, so good luck with this as a source of information.

But, we are all willing to share our knowledge and our predjudices with you. You, meanwhile, should give us a bit more to work with. For starters, tell us the length and beam of your boat, what she is built of (hull and decks), how old she is, and most importantly, whether she was designed for inboard or outboard engine(s).
This latter question is very important in the early stages of your project. If the engines will be inboard, they have to be aligned with the propshafts which go through holes (called shaft logs) out into the water. Those holes, and all the associated structures can't be moved, so neither can the engines! What this means is that when you are planning your floor (called the sole in boats) you have to work around these fixed objects, which must be easily accessable after everything else is in place.

On the other hand, if she is meant to have outboard(s), life is easier for you -- all that you must consider is where to put tanks (fuel and water), hoses and piping to connect it all up, and electrical wiring.

Anyhow, the advice to read up a bit BEFORE you start work on permanent installations of flooring etc, is very good. With your state of knowledge it is awfully easy to make basic mistakes that will doom your project. Please don't let your enthusiasm push you too far, too fast. Shipwrights spend years learning their trade...

Ann and I wish you the best in this endeavor.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Manly, Qld, Oz

jdillenger · 29-07-2010, 14:23

Thanks Jim and Ann...
As for the boat this is all I know from who sold it to me:
SOUND HULL, NO LEAKS, NO MOTOR
1977 37' BUILDER: CHINO TYPE: V1
I uploaded photos on my profile here. As far as engines and all the rest I'm going to take photos and upload more because I am clueless. I need to buy a book boating for dummies. I pretty much said hey it would be awesome to fix a boat to take places and here I am.

SkiprJohn · 30-07-2010, 22:31

You will not be disappointed if you use marine plywood. You will be disappointed if you put a lot of work into the boat using cheap plywood and have it rot, delaminate and gather termites or carpenter bees. I speak from experience. Get the best materials you can afford. Even laminated flooring has to go on a subfloor and from what I read in your messages you'll be needing to build that first.
kind regards,

Eleven · 31-07-2010, 02:40

Your Guardian Angel, Zeehag, mentions car wreckers. One of the cheapest places for a diesel engine (don't go petrol) is old cars and small vans. Again - Talk to your Engineer, and Zeehag's advice on marina/boatyard sounds good. Just walk in and ask for the first person you see for the engineer because you want some work doing.
Go back a few days later and ask around. 'Some one said 'Joe' is an OK engineer, I can't afford a lot, is he a-reliable, b-any good?'
There's enough pontoons around to ask a few people. Take a note pad for phone numbers and names. You'll find most sailors are happy to chat with a female, whatever she looks like. Just don't dress up, in fact put on the overalls, look as if you need help.

stevensc · 31-07-2010, 07:17

"I bought it for $500 and spend I guess a paycheck every month to fix it til its up and running!"

There are paychecks of all amounts. Please, I really think you should try to find someone who knows a lot about doing boat projects or better yet has done one to give you an idea of the final total cost in time and money.
Even for someone who has the skills and tools (the tools alone will cost a good bit) a project like this can cost a lot.
At some point you will have to have the boat hauled for bottom work and hire help to install the machinery parts.
I don't mean to be a wet blanket but it is best to have an idea of what you are getting into before getting in too far.
This type of project is possible and has been done countless times, but countless projects have been abandoned after sinking a bunch of time and money into them.
I wish you the very best of luck whatever you do!
Steve

jdillenger · 31-07-2010, 08:13

Good Morning all....I spent my birthday looking at the boat and jumped right on it!! I have found and engineer and an electrician!!!

Even better I wanted opinions I found a brand new 300 hp diesel motor 6 cyc. in line and tranny said installation included for $2,500.00 is this a good buy??? I appreciate all of you taking the time to share your knowledge with myself!! I am still positive as ever!! I'm looking for pumps and holding tanks next!!! I even bought a set of brand new steps teak wood to go down into the bedroom area for $20!!!

Thanks again!!!
Kimmy

zeehag · 31-07-2010, 08:20

sometimes will feel like you are living just for the boat and working just for the boat---guess what!!---you ARE!!!!! but you have the ability to go to chargers games when you need a bit of a vacation for a minuet--the work will seem long and endless--but is a labor of love--and when stuff starts to look like something, is the time for the first celebration!! celebrate every step... makes it more fun.

ok--celebrate today , then. that is awesome..what make engine??

gurlee--you are better than i figured---i believe we have a new princess of wilmington!!!! congrats!!

ps--happy birthday!!!

ms100 · 31-07-2010, 08:30

In your case, I would get a copy of
Don Casey, "This old boat", McGraw Hill-International Marine, 2nd ed 2009; There you will find good advice and a lot of information por four project.

Amazon.com: This Old Boat, Second Edition: Completely Revised and Expanded (9780071477949): Don Casey: Books