Rawson 32

[fuzz]

I was searching the net for info on Rawsons and got led to this forum. The really strange part is I found another thread on my boat. Some of you might recognize it from March of this year. It was built and used as a Bristol Bay gillnetter. My plan is to gut it and rebuild it into a play boat.

 

[steveinak]

fairly slow and roll a bit from what i remember from my BB days.

 

[fuzz]

Slow, roll and wet are how many describe them. I am not sure they have to be all that slow. I have a friend that had one with a 250hp Cummings in it that cruised at 16 knots. His engine was set back more than the average ones is.

 

[fuzz]

Old engine and gear were shot and had to come out. Things are really tight so I made some working room. And in the process found lots of rotten wood that had to come out.

 

[fuzz]

Since lots of folks here know Rawsons maybe someone can help with this question. In the last picture you can see stringers running just inboars of the fuel tanks and all the way forward to end as motor mounts. They are raw wood with no glass over them so I expected them to be rotten. Nope the wood is hard as a rock, not a speck of rot any where. I wanted to get a better look so I cut out a small piece. Two three inch cuts and a new sawsall blade is shot. I dropped the wood chunk in a bucket of water and it sunk. Any guess to wood type? Ironwood maybe? Why would that be used for stringers?

 

[Powderpro]

I saw one in Bristol Bay this year that was up running pretty good, probably close to 20 knots. But most are 8-12 knot boats. To get some performance add lifting rails and atleast a 315hp diesel with the biggest 4 blade prop you can fit under the boat, rebuild with light coring and it would go very well. Will still be rolly, but they ride very soft through rough water.

 

[fuzz]

The boat had a Volvo 60 in it with a 22 inch wheel. Engine and gear were both shot and went to the scrape yard. I do not remember how fast it went but something in the 12knot range the way we ran it with all the fishing gear onboard. I am rebuilding it as a pleasure boat so changes will be made. I am thinking about running a remote mount v-drive so I can get the engine out of the house. Fuel tanks would move forward to try and keep things balanced. So far I have removed a couple thousand pounds of wet and rotted wood and plan to go back with honeycomb any place I can. I have a very low hour 3116 300hp to put back in it.

 

[sailor of fortune]

The boat had a Volvo 60 in it with a 22 inch wheel. Engine and gear were both shot and went to the scrape yard. I do not remember how fast it went but something in the 12knot range the way we ran it with all the fishing gear onboard. I am rebuilding it as a pleasure boat so changes will be made. I am thinking about running a remote mount v-drive so I can get the engine out of the house. Fuel tanks would move forward to try and keep things balanced. So far I have removed a couple thousand pounds of wet and rotted wood and plan to go back with honeycomb any place I can. I have a very low hour 3116 300hp to put back in it.

You don't fool around with that sawzall! This is going to be a good rebuild

 

[Quik Fix 16]

No rot after all the years in the bilge and you ask, "why would they use it" ?

 

[KC4MNE]

I believe sometime the encapsulation in fiberglass is the problem. Water always finds a way to get in and then it can't get out. How many old boats have un-glassed decks, beams, bulkheads etc that don't rot ?? Anyways you have quite a job ahead of you. I am in the middle of a very similar one of that intensity myself. It goes back together so easy in our minds, but reality is not so easy.

 

[fuzz]

No rot after all the years in the bilge and you ask, "why would they use it" ?

Maybe I should have said how surprised I am they would use that wood as I understand it has always been pretty spendy.

 

[fuzz]

I believe sometime the encapsulation in fiberglass is the problem. Water always finds a way to get in and then it can't get out. How many old boats have un-glassed decks, beams, bulkheads etc that don't rot ?? Anyways you have quite a job ahead of you. I am in the middle of a very similar one of that intensity myself. It goes back together so easy in our minds, but reality is not so easy.

This is not my first time with one of these deals but it might be my last. We will see if I have enough energy to see it through. Some times it feels building a whole new hull would be faster than pulling this thing apart and getting it cleaned up. But one bite at a time gets the elephant eaten.

Got a nice surprise when I pulled the fuel tanks out. They looked worse on the top than the bottom. Tanks were sitting on raw wood that was covered with some sort of heavy felt tar paper. Stringers and tanks both look very good.

 

[scout 30]

Great hull to save. The soft chines might make it rolly but they also make it slippery & seaworthy. Lifting rails are not necessary & will cause a lot of drag. Losing as much weight as possible makes more sense.

 

[fuzz]

Every thing that is wood except the stringers was wet and rotten. Our trash dump weighs you in and out so I know I have pulled over 2000 pounds out of the hull. And still more to go. My plan is to go back with honey comb core any place I can.

 

[scout 30]

I hope you'll keep us updated on the build. If you start a Youtube channel you'll probably make some money doing this. It would be very interesting. I'd certainly subscribe.

 

[fuzz]

Pretty sure I will not do the YouTube thing. I am too old for some of that stuff.
The shaft angle on this hull is only 4 degrees and this makes the engine sit way too far forward. I am thinking of cutting the log out and installing it at a steeper angle. How steep can you go before running into problems?

 

[fuzz]

Pulled the running gear and cutlass bearing housing today. After looking at the shaft log it looks like it is pvc pipe. Anybody ever seen a plastic shaft log before?

 

[Quik Fix 16]

PVC pipe is used as the mold for a FRP shaft log.

 

[fuzz]

PVC pipe is used as the mold for a FRP shaft log.

Is it normal to leave it in there?

 

[fuzz]

Got all the running gear off. I am thinking about cutting the shaft log out and droping it down so I can swing a bigger prop.