[denn69]

Hi, i am new to this site but from what I see the infomation is priceless. I am currently restoring a 1993 diablo and am having a bit of an issue with the floor. The original fiberglass coating that was laid on the floor has seperated from the wood and I can just cut it and lift it off. Also the staples that held the floor down have rotted away. It is lifting in places. I want to resecure it and reglass it however, it seems that the floor is not attached to the actual stringers. It is attached to these pieces of wood that are stapled to the stringers and they have moved and dropped down. It looks as if they were stapled higher than the stringers from the factory. I am going to have to remove the floor to reattach these. How do I know how high above the stringers these braces are supposed to be? Are they supposed to be flush with the stringers and my floor just lifted them up as well? Also is the gas tank wood a different thickness than the rest of the floor? Any info here would be greatly appreciated. I checked out all the brochures but cant really see much. I will try to add some pics of what I am talking about in a day or so. Thank again, Dennis

[denn69]

I can't get pics up for another few days or so, does anyone have expierence with mariah floors. Judging from the brochures it looks like all of the old mariah boats had the same design. I would really appreciate some advice or loveto hear from someone that has been through it.

Thanks again, Dennis

[mikeyt]

Probably the closest i similar post i can find to what you are planning is this one by "provo". A few of our members have replaced (or attempted to) the gas tanks which require partial removal of the floor. That said, while you have it apart, i would closely check the fuel tank for any leakage given the age of the boat.

Good luck and keep us informed on how you are making out with this job. A few pics would be appreciated too!

[denn69]

This is what the belly of a 1993 diablo looks like. Posted some pic of the floor removed. Was pretty easy to do. I used a cut off wheel to slice the fiberglass just after the factory drain channel. Want to keep that intact. Glad I did cause any farther and it would have went through the boat. Picked a point where i wanted to cut it up front and out back, used a razorblade knife to score the wood. Went over it a few times, picked it up off the stringers and it just snapped where i scored it. Floor was so moist and not 1 staple was holding anymore. Stringers don't look so bad. Need a little work. I took a picture of the pieces that had moved and also figured out how they go. This is the first time i have ever done this. In fact this is really the first boat i have ever owned. I picked the boat up for $305 dollars on ebay 6 months ago. It was a mis listing. The guy listed it as an (18" bowrider yamaha motor). I found it by typing in bowrider and I saw it. By the time i had won the bid it had only 60 views and i was probally 40 of them. The boat was 100 percent together when i bought it. Came with the trailer and all. The motor was blown. I pretty much stripped the boat to see what I was dealing with befor I sink money in it. The interior is not bad. Some cracks here and there but by no means shot. It sucks that it has the yamaha drive and all. I am going to repower it with mercruiser. i found a brand new 3.0 mercruiser engine for 500 dollars on craigslist. All I need now is the drive and transom. In the end i want to have no more than $2500 in it hopefully. Im up to eight hundred. I have some one that is comming by tomorrow to check the stringers and see if they need reglassing (some do). I am also going to have him reglass the floor after I put the new one down. Gave me a really good price. I am terrible with fiberglass. Gotta pay for that. Hope some of the pics help someone else. i will list more as the work gets done.

[DCB_MINDED]

That's awesome that you ended up with the boat for just a few hundred bucks! Since you have it torn out already, I would replace ALL of that wood. Also, it's a little more expensive, but look into using PVC instead of wood. You'll never have to worry about it rotting that way, and you could probably handle the glass work yourself that way. That looks like a project that I would love to get my fingers into!

[ColoradoDiablo]

Nice score!
When I install new carpet in my Diablo I want to resin coat the floor. This shows me what I am up against. Let us know how it goes , and more pics.

P.S.: Welcome to the site!!

Larry

[Dredd]

Props to ya for taking on the ambitious project and keeping a Mariah on the water. I'll be looking forward to watching your progress.

[denn69]

Thanks for all the positive comments. They do help with a project like this. well, After really looking at the stringers we decided they have to go. We are going to cut them out from the front most bulkhead (the one by the ski locker) all the way back to about 1' from the transom. Going to replace them with pressure treated 2x6 and reglass it all. Also going to beef it up a bit. I figure, you wouldn't build a house on a termites nest so the same theroy goes for the boat. Ordered a new sending unit from KRACOR for the gas tank. They still make the mold for the tank. Thankfully its plastic and i only need to replace the sending unit. $50 for a new one. They said it has to be custom cut for that tank. That tank was specific for Mariah. They said even though they still have the mold and tooling for it, ordering just one would be a fortune. I believe the guy. Ill get some pic of the stringer work up as soon as it gets done.