# 16' Mitchell



## ChrisR (Aug 12, 2008)

I picked up a 16' Mitchell skiff off of craigslist. 



















Got it home today, and began to take it apart. 










The plywood floor came up very easily. It was just pressure treated nailed to the stringers.



















At one point, someone cut a majority of the original floor out of the boat and did some poor patching to the  stringers, and added the plywood floor. The stringers are all rotten and breaking, and the poured in foam is saturated. There were puddles sitting where foam was removed. 




























I only spent a couple of hours today, but will get more of the foam out, and the rest of the back deck and boxes removed in the next couple of days.


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## ChrisR (Aug 12, 2008)

I got a little more of the rough cutting out. Just need to pull the last bit of flooring off of the front, and remove the remaining foam before getting the stringers and transom out. Then the grinding begins...I'm not particularly looking forward to that part. 



















The sump drain is interesting to me. It seems like a half circle was cut into the bottom of the transom and the sump drain in a block was installed in the gap. Is this normal?


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

I like that hull should make for a good ride. A great opportunity to rebuild into a high tech skiff --- meaning a honeycomb deck material to lighten it up
This could really be sweet.
Enjoy!


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

What size engine can that hull handle?


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

I almost bought that boat in NFM. Boat was very solid. I felt the person selling it did a crappy job with the florr and I knew it was going to be water logged and was not ready for such a project. That man selling it said "he just did the floor and there was no water in the foam." I could barely lift the front of the boat it was so heavy. Were you able to locate the Hull ID number? It was either missing or painted over. That guy seemed very shady.


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## ChrisR (Aug 12, 2008)

The boat, I believe is rated for up to a 70HP. 

I never actually met the guy, as a buddy of mine down in Ft. Myers took a look at it, and paid the guy for me. He allowed me to leave it there and pick it up a week later when I could make it down from Tampa. He wasn't there when I went to actually pick it up. It seems like he does quite a bit of wheeling and dealing of boats though. The buddy who went and paid for it also went with me to pick it up, and he said all of the boats in the yard were different than were there the week before. He didn't mention the guy being shady. I wasn't much concerned with anything but the condition of the fiberglass though, so I doubt my buddy asked many questions about floor/deck/layout. 
The HID is there, it had been painted over a couple of times, but the outline of the plate was just visible enough to locate it. He definitely didn't redo the deck recently, and you already know about the foam. It's nasty too. Lots of mold, bugs and foul odors. I've been spraying everything with bleach/water as I work, and I'm wearing safety glasses, fiberglass mask and tyvek suit just in case....dont need to be getting sick. 
You were right about it being heavy...it took 5 of us to load it onto the trailer. 1 on the winch and 4 grunts lifting and pushing. It's much lighter now. I'm taking a load to the dump today, so I guess I'll see exactly how much has come out, but I would guess it to be in the range of around 200 lbs so far.


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## DavidIvey (Nov 26, 2011)

Good luck with the build! Gonna be a long ride, but well worth it!


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## ChrisR (Aug 12, 2008)

Thanks SuperDave.
The scale at the dump said I have taken 320lbs out of it so far. There's probably 20 lbs still in the shop vac as well, and more wet foam in the hull....sheesh. I didn't imagine it would be that much.


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

That boat is going to be awsome when you are finished. It was bigger than I thought. Keep the pics coming


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

This is hilarious...... ! I just bought a 16 Mitchell just like yours tonight... Just couldn't resist the deal ;D. 

It looks just like yours, even has the one seat and a missing seat in front .... Also is heavy as shit ! It looks perfect and is solid as a rock but I'm pretty sure that LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING ! I think under the deck is nothing but rotten wood and water logged foam. 

What the hell .... It'll be fun for another build later ! 

Can't wait to see what you do with your skiff


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## ChrisR (Aug 12, 2008)

Got a little bit more of the demo done. All of the nasty foam is finally out. Just a couple of stringers and the tansom left to tear out before I get to grinding.



















I think I am having an issue with the hull sagging. I think the starboard side is sagging out some. Take a look at the rails. 

Port looks straight










Starboard bends out to the right










What can I do to fix and support this side? It is currently supported by 4 4"x4"s. in the back, the 4"x4"s have 1"X6" boards between the post and the hull and it rests near the outer-quarters of the boat where trailer bunks would be. Farther forward, and nearer the keel, the hull rests on the 4"x4" post.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

It looks like it's bending inward ? 

But anyhow.... I've been told to be careful when gutting a bigger boat because it can expand. If I were you i would use some 2x4s and nail them through the hull and across the middle. Not sure though ? !


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## hillcharl (Feb 7, 2011)

Going to look at a skiff in similar shape in 2 weeks. Hope it's not as waterlogged!


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