‘82 Diplomat foam question

[grimesd98]

My Diplomat seems to be sitting really low and seems like and carrying extra weight. I suspect possibly wet foam. But I don’t know what is normal. I have a photo of the bulkhead at the front of the engine compartment but I can’t get it to attach because it’s too large. There are two holes about 3/4 in diameter. Are those supposed to be there? Are they drain holes?

Last Summer I forgot the drain plug and the boat took on a lot of water while I parked the trailer. Water could have travelled up those holes. But over the Winter maybe dried back out?

Anyway - I really don’t want to tear the whole floor out. Is there a way to check for the issue? And if it is wet, could I dry it over the off season and then should I seal up those holes?

Finally - those boxes on either side of the engine - those could be wet too right? Could those be ripped out and redone without messing with the rest of the floor?

PS - if anyone has a photo of an ‘82 Diolomat in the water (just sitting) so I could compare how low it sits that would be helpful!

 

[karzrus]

Those two boxes beside the engine are filled with floatation foam and could be very wet. To check them you could drill a hole in each one, down near the bottom and see if any H2O comes out or while drilling see if the wood the boxes are made of is wet/ rotten. If dry(unlikely) you could just glass up the holes you drill. If wet you will be removing the boxes entirely and replacing them if you want the flotation back.
If you start with those boxes, you may soon find more water as you look elsewhere. Transom wood and the boat floor are often wet too and stringers and the balsa core could be as well.

 

[grimesd98]

Thanks so much. In your opinion, is it worth it? It sounds like it could be a lot of work, but maybe a good Winter project. Just wondering what folks think. I replaced the carpet last year and I know the floor is in pretty good shape except for the front area where it looks like a previous owner just shot spray foam in a rotting floor under the carpet. But the main floor is fiberglass and looked to be in good shape. So I hate to tear that all up. But if people think just replacing the floatation boxes in the back might get me sitting a little higher I may try that.

 

[karzrus]

You never know till you check, but very few are ever pleasantly surprised at how little the problem is.
You already own the boat so checking it out a little does not cost you much.

 

[grimesd98]

Very true. I definitely plan to check. I guess my question is more related to how far do I bury my head in the sand if there is moisture.

I paid $1000 for the boat and sunk (no pun intended) another $1600 in work on drive/engine. If I have to redo the entire floor, I start to wonder if it's worth it. It floats and drives fine and after scouring the internet for photos of early '80s Diplomat or Eluder boats, it sure seems like they all sit really low in the water. So maybe I'm not really sitting any lower than others.

Some other threads I was reading made it sound like Checkmate did a good job building the core to be "water proof" and as long as people haven't damaged that, perhaps wet foam doesn't directly equate rotten stringers/core. At least that was my optimistic interpretation. But I'm not sure if others would agree with that.

I think my plan at this point (for this Summer) is to replace the prop (because I hit a rock and bent that last week) and keep boating. I found a true OEM replacement prop that is exactly what the manual calls for (14.25 x 21). The prop that was on there was 14 x 19. So I'm curious if it drives different/better or if I "feel" like I ride higher after that. Then maybe get a professional's eyes on it this Winter and see if they have recommendations. This is the guy that did the drive/engine work for me and is very experienced with these and similar boats and frequently completely restores fiberglass boats. But also charges $100/hr labor. And from what I can tell, just the plywood, fiberglass and foam would be nearly $1,000 in materials. So I could easily spend like $3,000, which would probably push me to let someone else handle that project. Having never done this kind of work before, I don't know that I would trust myself to do that all properly and/or know how to assess everything that is uncovered in the meantime.

I appreciate the direction.

 

[jumbofordman]

Very true. I definitely plan to check. I guess my question is more related to how far do I bury my head in the sand if there is moisture.

I paid $1000 for the boat and sunk (no pun intended) another $1600 in work on drive/engine. If I have to redo the entire floor, I start to wonder if it's worth it. It floats and drives fine and after scouring the internet for photos of early '80s Diplomat or Eluder boats, it sure seems like they all sit really low in the water. So maybe I'm not really sitting any lower than others.

Some other threads I was reading made it sound like Checkmate did a good job building the core to be "water proof" and as long as people haven't damaged that, perhaps wet foam doesn't directly equate rotten stringers/core. At least that was my optimistic interpretation. But I'm not sure if others would agree with that.

I think my plan at this point (for this Summer) is to replace the prop (because I hit a rock and bent that last week) and keep boating. I found a true OEM replacement prop that is exactly what the manual calls for (14.25 x 21). The prop that was on there was 14 x 19. So I'm curious if it drives different/better or if I "feel" like I ride higher after that. Then maybe get a professional's eyes on it this Winter and see if they have recommendations. This is the guy that did the drive/engine work for me and is very experienced with these and similar boats and frequently completely restores fiberglass boats. But also charges $100/hr labor. And from what I can tell, just the plywood, fiberglass and foam would be nearly $1,000 in materials. So I could easily spend like $3,000, which would probably push me to let someone else handle that project. Having never done this kind of work before, I don't know that I would trust myself to do that all properly and/or know how to assess everything that is uncovered in the meantime.

I appreciate the direction.

So my Predictor sits really low in the water with a Merc V6 on it, but my Eluder didn't. I'll also point out that the Dip is the same length as the Predictor, just a bit wider, while the Eluder/Exciter is longer and wider than the Predictor. As you can see, the Predictor has the rub rail almost in the water, while the Eluder has significantly more sticking out in the back.

 

[Diplomat82]

Here is a photo of my old 82 diplomat with the mercruiser 470 in it.

 

[Diplomat82]

Another one.