CatchAll
Member
Have any of you guys ever separated the top deck from the hull of a mid-1990's campion explorer 185? How about replaced the transom yourself? I have a 1995 explorer 185 and I'm wondering how these boats were put together.
Regarding the deck. If I look in the hatches under the seat boxes, or the hatches at the transom where the battery is located, I see painted plywood. Does this plywood extend all the way from bow to stern underneath the top deck/"liner"? I stuck my head in the rear center hatch by the gas tank and it looks like the rear plywood decking ends just forward of the rear hatches. I could see a little bit of exposed foam. It appears to me that there are three "sections" to the bottom hull. The center section between the stringers where the gas tank sits, and a section on each side from the stringers to the outside edge of the hull. The outside sections are filled with foam, but it looks like they are only capped with plywood under the seat boxes and in the back 16 to 18 inches. Since the top half of the boat is pretty much one piece, these outside sections are mostly covered, but it has me wondering. If water gets in under the seat boxes, or in through those holes in the gunnel where I put my boat hook, or even if the bilge gets full of rain water if someone leaves the plug in while parked outside, will it get trapped in those outside sections? Since they are full of foam this might not be too much of a concern, but I understand that the foam can absorb a little bit of water.
As for the transom, it is not straight all the way across. There is a flat center section where the motor mounts, but then each side flares forward from about where stringers are to the outside edge. Are the transoms on these old 185s built in three pieces? I.e. not a solid piece of plywood from one side to the other? Has anyone done a transom on their 185 who could confirm how these were built?
Regarding the deck. If I look in the hatches under the seat boxes, or the hatches at the transom where the battery is located, I see painted plywood. Does this plywood extend all the way from bow to stern underneath the top deck/"liner"? I stuck my head in the rear center hatch by the gas tank and it looks like the rear plywood decking ends just forward of the rear hatches. I could see a little bit of exposed foam. It appears to me that there are three "sections" to the bottom hull. The center section between the stringers where the gas tank sits, and a section on each side from the stringers to the outside edge of the hull. The outside sections are filled with foam, but it looks like they are only capped with plywood under the seat boxes and in the back 16 to 18 inches. Since the top half of the boat is pretty much one piece, these outside sections are mostly covered, but it has me wondering. If water gets in under the seat boxes, or in through those holes in the gunnel where I put my boat hook, or even if the bilge gets full of rain water if someone leaves the plug in while parked outside, will it get trapped in those outside sections? Since they are full of foam this might not be too much of a concern, but I understand that the foam can absorb a little bit of water.
As for the transom, it is not straight all the way across. There is a flat center section where the motor mounts, but then each side flares forward from about where stringers are to the outside edge. Are the transoms on these old 185s built in three pieces? I.e. not a solid piece of plywood from one side to the other? Has anyone done a transom on their 185 who could confirm how these were built?
