Marinette Boat Forum

Hello,

I have been looking for an 28' express for a few months now and have found the one I want. It is very expensive but in in very good condition except for one possible show stopper. I have allergies to some molds and the interior of this boat seems to harbor some molds that make me very sick. I would still like to purchase this boat if mold mitigation is doable.

My questions are: (I am an engineer/x-tool make that has built two houses so I have some abilities but almost now experience working on boats.)

1. Can the entire interior be dis-assembled and re-assembled or are there parts that must be destroyed to be removed?
2. How big of a job would this be? If one of you guys could guess at the hours involved it would be great.
3. Is there information available I can use as a guild to help me through this repair. maybe something that would help explain the best order to remove things, what to treat/coat hidden surfaces with to control/encapsulate mold......what type of fasteners to use....

And one final sanity check question. The boat is a very nice 1985 twin screw. By the time I get it home the cost will be about 20K. The boat does have about $2500 in electronics. Is this just too much to pay for even a real nice 28' express?

I am going back to look at the boat again today at 11:00 so if anyone could reply before then it would be great.

Thank you,
Bill.

1. I have ripped out the entire interior and rebuilt it using bamboo plywood. Its awesome. If I were to do the project again, I'd do it all in another material like formica for cost and finishing reasons. To remove everything, you need to remove the front windows (only way to get rid of the fridge).

The removal took honestly about 16 hours. Stuff never is as easy as it should be. The cleaning is a whole day or 2 (call it 12 hours) and you will want to be sure you are washing it with water AND a mold killer. Some of the mold killer does cause a bit of corrosion but its small and one time use.

Refabing all the wall boards takes a lot of time but you could also paint it with the mold killing latex stuff we use in FLA. Expect a month on the interior. Its easy in theory but while you have things out, you will end up re-staining and painting everything. You will also want to install a cabin blower / exhaust to keep air moving and a window A/C unit.

The bilge is a big point of nasty. There is a packing that should be used to keep the bilge dry. Its goretex I think. Cheap but worth it.

I say this is a 100 hour job at the end of it. I wanted to believe it was much easier than it was and it really chewed up a lot of time. That said, it you can conveniently work on it in your yard, worth it!

2. Cost. No way. I just bought a single screw 28 express for 6500 that needs cleaning and some general systems maintenance. By the time I'm done with it, I'll likely be 9-10k in after a new paint job (DIY). FastJeff is selling his 32 twin for 4k! That is crazy IMO but you see the pricing here...

I'll answer more questions about the interior if you proceed

Thanks!

Hello Tranquilo,

When you say ripped out dose this mean that things were removed destructively (because you did not plan to re-use them) or does this mean things were disassembled. The interior of this boat is in very good condition and I want to remove, mitigate mold and re-install as much as possible. So are there interior parts that will be damaged during removal? Thank you, Bill.

I disassembled it carefully because I reclad everything. I didn't reinstall the window mahogany or kitchen. (fabed flush mounted bamboo ones with a sloped return & anodized aluminum trim)

If you leave the kitchen, the front window doesn't need to be removed (I moved it to the deck & put extra seating there). I just found that there were a lot of places for mold and things so I moded things for airflow and a more sealed bilge area. The cushions should have the marine vinyl on it. The guy I got my last one from put cloth upholstery in there and its disgusting. I didn't know that until after I bought the thing... Would have definitely blown the deal for me.

So you could take it all out in a long day or so and reassemble in a day or so. Cleaning and painting is def a day or 2. You really need to paint those side walls because is kind or soft and has a texture that holds dirt & mold. Focus on areas below the waterline. My AC unit does a good job of dehumidifying it when running

Before you get carried away, try some of this stuff.

http://kanberragel.com/

Our boat smelled musty. Placed some of this in strategic places. Smells great and now the wife, who is very sensitive to mold, has no problems staying on the boat. Found out about it from a sailboater who sweared by it. It is a bit pricey. Look online for the best deal.

more than not the boat has some sort of leak above or at the water inlet for shore water. ceiling removal is a hard job because of the stuffing attached to the plywood and they must have started with the ceiling and built the boat around it.


ask any questions I have my39 sedan ripped apart and slowly putting back together.

Mark

$20K is alot to spend on a 28' express without considering interior replacement. For that price, the boat would have to be "bristol". Repowered engines and genset, up to date AC, perfect paint, perfect everything.

Express models typically sell for less than sedans. Shop around and wait for a better deal.

Best value tea tree air freshener. Cost a lot, but it will drive the mold spores out. http://www.amazon.com/Kanberra-Gel-oz-R ... B08G4KE15Z

Also get one of these http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instruments ... NAXT9KM2PP

Change all foam and fabric (about $2000).

The boat price is way too high! Granted a bottom job and top side paint job will cost mucho....If both of those are are tip top and the engines are updated (carbs and ignition) The most it is worth is $12K.

Like others, we removed and replaced all of the interior panels. The replacement panels are 1/4" oak plywood bought at Home Depot. We varnished both sides and added insulation. All told, the cost was under $500.

However, there was at least 100 hours of work in the process. The galley is a real pain to get behind but well worth the effort.

We did find that replacing the foam inside the v-berth cushions eliminated almost all of the mold/mildew smell.

Eric