Well its official!

[saburke17]

Palm Beach Lady is now mine, looking forward to getting my hands on her this week, will have a ton of questions i'm sure. But i have a few right off the bat. how can i tell if the fiberglass tanks are original or were replaced? i see it has fiberglass ones but are there one's that can withstand the ethanol? The transom looks to be teak as per the description when i bought it, i'm assuming its just a veneer right? what should i use on the teak decks to restore it, penetrating sealer or oil?
would love for you guys to look at the pics and tear her apart for me so i can know if anything severe jumps out out.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mmkz38b1ho9r ... WUTla?dl=0

[mike ohlstein]

I'd be willing to bet 38 cents that's the original fuel tank. That may be why it was out of the water....... Do the engines run?

[saburke17]

Engines only have 20 hours along with the new transmissions. Is there a way to tell if their already melting inside? Can I get by if I only run non ethanol fuel for the rest of the season?

[neil]

I am with mike fuel tank is original,as far as the teak goes clean them with sudsy ammonia and when you are finished clean them again and again then when finished put a pair of big diesels in her and run it like you stole it good luck with her

[Bruce]

That's an original tank.

[Charlie J]

congrats, she looks in pretty good shape
yep original tank

[Charlie J]

if that tank did not see any Ethanol
and you plan on putting diesels in
you can use the original tank

[Marlin]

The images tell me she is tired,spliced fuel line pick up I think, lots of electrolysis on the rudders, struts, stuffing boxes, lots of hoses in the bilge that may go no where. I doubt she is insurable ! The transom ,decks, covering boards are way down on the priority list before she should ever be considered sea worthy,kinda like putting lip stick on a pig. I be real concerned about the sea cock/strainers /intakes and electrolysis ,old intake hoses to the mains. Get the bottom soda blasted eventually to see what u are working with. I remember seeing her cruise the waters out of palm beach years ago, she should do that again but be in ship shape,safe condition. I went thru a similar rehab ,several years, loved every minute but had a great teacher I called daily. If u are planning on keeping the boat in south Florida, I'd love to assist, I think I made most of the mistakes that could have been made!

[Tony Meola]

Marlin is right. She has good bones, just make sure you go very her and fix what needs to be fixed for her to be safe.

By the way welcome.

Don't get discouraged. She can be a real good one.

[Stephan]

Welcome and congratulations.
A lot of your "before" pictures look better than my "after" ones.
If you have long term plans for the engines there is some care you could take in waking them up.
I believe good engines that sit in FL (or anywhere humid with temperature swings) for a while can be susceptible to stuck rings. New spark plugs are a good idea and perhaps a squirt of marvel mystery oil in each cylinder and hand cranking the engines through a few revolutions. Boroscopes are cheap on eBay and I think it is fun to look in the cylinders when you have a plug out. Caps and rotors are inexpensive - just be sure to keep them straight for the CCR engine.
I would consider a pressure check on the closed cooling side. You can borrow/rent a tester at many automotive stores. I think my Crusaders have a 7 lb.cap. New impellers for the raw water pumps. I find it much easier to remove the whole pump and change the impellers on a bench and it is a chance to check out the rest of the pumps. New zincs for the heat exchangers.
I think Marlin covered the plumbing. Interesting to see the "pink" metal color I associate with electrolysis on silicon bronze on the rudders and trim tabs which I am guessing are stainless. Perhaps there was some incompatible paint used?
The electrics look like they will be a challenge. I remember clearly removing two large trash bags of wiring from my boat when I got it (it was "running"!). Labels of some type and a multimeter will get you started. I did not see if you could purchase it through this site but Nigel Calder's book on marine electrics has served me well https://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mecha ... 0071790330. I'm guessing your batteries are outboard of the Port engine. Have a close look at those cables, the grounds and follow through to switches and starters. If you have a good alternator shop near maybe remove them and have them bench tested. Diodes and such can succumb to corrosion while the rest of the unit is serviceable.
For me, much of the joy is in doing the projects myself. But I didn't know how - the members here made it possible. Please PM me your address I would like to send you a bottle of CorosionX. I think you find it useful as I did.
Kind regards,
Stephan

[ford351c594]

yep, I pull that pick up out the back of the tank and take a very good look inside. Could tell you a lot. I am currently having a tank for mine made for about the last 4 weeks. Long story on the time line........

if it looks something like this you need to address the tank...

[Bruce]

Quite a bit of interior mold. I would uses a respirator and remove all interior finished panels to check for extent of mold, then treat before anything else.
Not sure if you got a survey, if you did that will give you a game plan outline.
An important first issue is structural, decking, sub structure etc.
Second would be propulsion.

[Dug]

Lots of work ahead of you but its doable. Congratulations!

Go through her with a good guide and make sure she is ship shape. Then have fun!

Warm up your checkbook. These boats don't play around! But it will be a ton of fun!!!

D

[Pete Fallon]

saburke17,
The Palm Beach Lady was next to my boat for 3 years at South Florida Yachts Yard in Riveria Beach. At the time Augie had lost interest in her. Capt Pat and I used mine and that boat to measure the difference in the changes of the lifting strake pattern that have changed over the years. The boat did not have a transom drain plug and used to fill up with water after every heavy rain. The cabin door was always left open and she had a lot of mold inside. Like I wrote before she was redone on Long Island NY before she came to Florida. The anchor platform was a custom add on and the transom is veneer material. The tank is original FRP and she didn't have very good zinc protection back then. The teak decks were lifting and rotting at the back of the engine boxes and at the covering boards back then (2005 on).
Welcome to the sandbox just be prepared to spend 2 times what you think it's going to cost, I know from experience after owning a 31 express for 37 years. It becomes an obsession and an addiction that can drain your bank account but when it's finished it will be worth it. Just think after replacing everything at least once you can start again after 15 years in the Florida sun. Away welcome and try and enjoy it. I wish I still had mine but things needed to change and it went to a good home in the USVI.
Pete Fallon

[Raybo Marine NY]

I remember that boat when it was up here, thats Jim Ray's boot stripe work

[saburke17]

Raybo do you know which yard up there did the original refit?

I put my hands on the boat about a week ago here are my thoughts

1, the teak is worn yes but not rotted. will need some love and can last a few more years. transom teak needs some attention also
2, fuel tank is being yanked as we speak, on each side of the boat there are fuel fill necks but also one on the transom. i know the transom one goes the large tank but what other size tanks were offered on the sides?
3, gel-coat is just dirty, very little if any cracks/scars on it
4, beige gel-coat is also filthy but in great shape, has the usual crazing around the main anchor points of the tower. windows i think need to be replaced as they are just fiberglass and have sun damage.
5, engines were just soft started and i replaced the starters and 4 new batteries. someone recently replaced a whole bunch of hoses and filters before me.
6, the step down between the engines on the bulkhead side is def rotted but the deck panels and side supports are fine, thinking this is from the drain plugs not being pulled and the rain sitting in her
7, taking the very top of the tower off as i would never use it, along with the outriggers
8, helm seat looks great but the small bench seat behind is wrecked with mold and sun damage
9, electronics all work albeit a few generations old
10, inside is def the worst but still not that bad, stuff is dated and the bathroom had a water leak at some point and the fabric needs to be replaced.

overall very happy with the purchase, will be dropping her in the water in a few weeks to shake her down and see how she does. can someone tell me how many drain plugs this hull has and location?

[Stephan]

Wishing you very good luck.
Mine has two drains - One between the engines offset to the Starboard side and another forward of the water tank, also offset to Starboard.
Stephan

[Carl]

Good luck with new boat and welcome aboard.

As to drain plugs...mine had none when I bought it.

A very Simple fix with a cordless drill...



Not knowing how deep your pockets are...if it were me, get it running safe, sound and dependable. Tank change was a good idea to start with. Tackle what you can with soap, water and elbow grease then use and let your long term plan develop.
Electronics, if they work...use' em as you'll have plenty of other pocket sucking projects. Besides, replace with new up to date stuff...by the time your sorted out and ready to use hard, they too will be outdated.

Lots of cleaning and tossing, major mechanical s addressed you'll have a whole new set of "After" pictures to share with us.

Most all the projects you will be dealing with...we have already gone through them. Ask here you'd find out the right way, the wrong way along with a few others ways in between.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Craig Mac]

I have owned two 31's---a 1970 & my current 1977------both had the drain plug located in the main cabin between the water tank and v-berth bulkhead.

[Raybo Marine NY]

Jim Ray did some if not all the work, that's his logo in the boot stripe.

As to the 3 fills I can't imagine someone needed more fuel you sure they aren't waste or water deck plates?

[Craig Mac]

As it is a gas boat---there is a possibility that the boat had saddle tanks installed----when I bought mine it had them and they were leaking ---they were located outboard of the exhaust and muffler----I think they were about 40 gallons each--long a narrow---

[Craig Mac]

If she does have saddle tanks--there should be a couple of extra fuel overflow vents on the hull sides.

[Pete Fallon]

saburke,
The last time I was on the boat in the yard in Rivera Beach was 12 years ago in 2005. There was not any drain plugs on the boat. The bilge pumps were the only way to get the water out of the boat back then. The step down between the engines was rotted away then. By the looks of the pictures the bulkhead under the cabin door is rotted away( the 2X 4's propping up the bulkhead). Those compression fractures under the tower legs were there then also. The tank is original and there was very little if any bonding system in the boat hence all the corrosion on bronze fittings and running gear. Like Marlin says you have your work cut out for you. I think Augie had saddle tanks behind the side cockpit panels to Port and Starboard sides, I think he removed them hence the 3 fuel fills around the cockpit. I will be back in South Florida in late November or sooner if the weather gets cold up here in Massachusetts. Call me if you have any more questions cell is 561-310-7179.
Pete Fallon

[saburke17]

Any idea why there would be rivets around the perimeter of the gas tank? Did they do that from the factory?

[Raybo Marine NY]

the tank itself? the tanks are laid up in 2 pieces, a tank and a lid
they are laid up a little thinner than what you see now. The baffles are riveted in place, then the lid is placed on and that is also riveted. The whole thing is then wrapped up in more fiberglass

[saburke17]

No these rivets run around the perimeter, I added 3 new pics in the Dropbox link

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mmkz38b1ho9r ... WUTla?dl=0

[Raybo Marine NY]

That's the rivets for the lid, think of a shoe box

If those studs glassed to the tank were for a fighting chair that's something you don't want to put back.

[Tony Meola]

Raybo is right. The last thing you want to do is attach a fighting chair to the top of the fuel tank.

[saburke17]

Thanks for the info Raybo, that example made perfect sense. I'm going to toss the tank and have a new one built. BTW it does have saddle tanks on the sides.

[saburke17]

so i finally got to spend a whole day on her at the yard, I brought a shore power cheater plug and generator. got everything setup and fired her up. the good thing was everything turned on with the exception of few small items. But of course all the screens are toast on the electronics. i did notice that the main fuel tank was near perfect on the inside, nice and smooth with no degradation. still replace or coat and reglass top?? did the factory tanks come glassed in around the sides and very bottom near the transom? they actually had it glassed to the hull. I've decided to strip all the teak off and just bring it back to fiberglass decks and transom. I also found 2 aluminum saddle tanks but cant tell size as i can barely see them through the hatches. I will say i'm a little disappointed in whomever did the refit years ago, looks like they used a lot of pressure treated wood under the decks and kinda looks a little mickey mouse so that's on the list for replacement. while messing around with the unmarked buttons and such we found start buttons and engines crank albeit just for a second as they still need to be primed and soft started before we go fully cranking anything. having the bottom paint blasted off this week and going to start swapping out electronics. fun times!!

[saburke17]

saburke,
The last time I was on the boat in the yard in Rivera Beach was 12 years ago in 2005. There was not any drain plugs on the boat. The bilge pumps were the only way to get the water out of the boat back then. The step down between the engines was rotted away then. By the looks of the pictures the bulkhead under the cabin door is rotted away( the 2X 4's propping up the bulkhead). Those compression fractures under the tower legs were there then also. The tank is original and there was very little if any bonding system in the boat hence all the corrosion on bronze fittings and running gear. Like Marlin says you have your work cut out for you. I think Augie had saddle tanks behind the side cockpit panels to Port and Starboard sides, I think he removed them hence the 3 fuel fills around the cockpit. I will be back in South Florida in late November or sooner if the weather gets cold up here in Massachusetts. Call me if you have any more questions cell is 561-310-7179.
Pete Fallon

Hey Pete so someone definitely did some work to her after that as the there's an extensive bonding system throughout and i think i count 8 zincs which 4 large rectangle ones were bonded, there is plug inside under the hatch in front of the microwave. do you know if there is waste tank in it? i know there's a fresh water tank but didn't see any others. possible its under the actual bathroom? Bulkhead is completed rotted but only in the center, not sure if that considered the whole bulkhead or just half. the side tanks are still there, what i've noticed is it looks like somebody spent a ton of time and money to make her look great but skimped on some of the more important things like deck stringers and such, the two main upper stringers look like i wanna say pine and had varnish on them, the only glass work i saw was the lower stringers the fuel tank was glassed onto.

[Pete Fallon]

saburke,
The plug under the cabin sole hatch should be a T handle drain plug, I don't think it was ever opened when Augie had the boat. I don't think he ever had a holding tank in the boat, he used a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat on it. The head floor is molded one piece or at least it is supposed to be, There isnot enough room for a tank under the head floor As the hull slopes outboard. Rayo might be able to help you find the guy that did the work (Jim Ray)on Long Island. AS for the bonding system it wasn't there back in the days when I was on the boat 2004-2006. When Augie hauled the boat in 2004 she was in great condition but years of sitting open have taken it's toll. Keep plugging away it will come back to life after a few years and many thousands of dollars
Pete Fallon

[Priceless]

Any updates or photos of the progress?

[bob lico]

a " thousand years ago or perhaps 25 or so" Don Yost who has since past was part owner in the boat. while pasting fire island inlet notice a huge swirl and turn the boat around a few hours later a 780-pound blue marlin was landed . i have seen the mount -------huge!

[mike ohlstein]

I looked at that boat back in 1999.