Oh man, it's hooked

thegammas · Post by **thegammas** » Mon May 07, 2007 6:00 am

So I pulled the trailer out from under my boat this weekend and got my first unencumbered look at the bottom. I'll definitely have to remove, clean, and replace the keel/stem cap at the end of this season (just planning to caulk it up for this season), among other things. For instance, on the keel cap two of the bungs missing and I can see the bolt that I assume is at the scarf of the stem to keel, and a bolt further aft. But what really bums me out is I believe the bottom is hooked at the transom. My boat sat on a trailer, with engine on, for who knows how long and the bunks were six inches shy of the transom. I knew nothing about wood boats at the time I bought it, so didn’t realize the potential issue. Probably would have left it in Alexandria Bay if I knew then what I know now about these boats (all from this site I might add). Looking at the bottom now, I'm fairly sure it's hooked. How bad does a hook have to be before it causes handling problems? I'll post pictures this evening. Bumming me out big time.

thegammas · Post by **thegammas** » Mon May 07, 2007 5:18 pm

Here are some pictures:
this block is directly under the transom, viewed from the rear. Nice and straight as you would expect.

here is the same block viewed from the other side.

and another (with out the finger)

In this pic it's hard to see, but on this 5 foot level, which is touching the transom, there is about a half inch in the center. Because of the block I

wasnt able to get the level in flat.

thegammas · Post by **thegammas** » Mon May 07, 2007 5:22 pm

and no pics of the keel cap
One of a few exposed bolts

Keel cap at stem cap

Keel cap at stem cap from the side

txcaptdan · Post by **txcaptdan** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:25 pm

Pete, I just posted a series on a repair I made to my 16' hull that may be the answer to your problem. Does your keel have a hook? The distortion in your bottom may be like how mine was. If it is in plywood area then you may be able to fill it or weight it down from the inside.
Your keel cap looks pretty good, I would fill bunge holes with a fareing material and use her.
Hooked or hogged bottoms do not mean boats are unusable, they may not run as fast as they should but boat can still be enjoyed.
I am a believer in useing these wonderful boats and work out the kinks as they come up.

thegammas · Post by **thegammas** » Sun May 13, 2007 6:49 pm

Dan, Thanks, that's just approach I was considering. Some sort of built up filler. Wasn't sure if the products were our there to do it, and I was hoping someone had already gone done this path I an could follow. Excellent.

I also agree with you in that I plan to have fun with it all season, then in the off season I'll straighten out the things I need or want to. I'll caulk the keel cap to keep out the water as much as possible for this season.

Right now I am modifying the trailer with new bunks to correct the issue that caused the hooks, and replacing the rollers for a smooth launch. Cant wait to get her in!