Re: Fiberglass over Aluminum ?
The aluminum is so thin in spots that you can almost see daylight through it. It is real bad where the aluminum strakes are rivited to the hull. I think if you took a dental pick and started picking it would go right through. As far as sanding the bottom I dont think that would work as the bottom is already rougher than 40 grit sand paper. It's so rough you cant rub your hand across it and not cut your fingers. It might be time to throw in the towel and find another hull. Thanks for the help guys I knew I could get a straight answer here
If the aluminum is that far gone, you may well be better off selling it for scrap and finding a better hull. Even if you are able to patch the existing damage, will you ever really be able to trust it? How much damage is hidden between layers and around rivets that you can't see?
I cut apart a 21' Starcraft SS this summer, it had major leaks down along the keel. After stripping the hull, I could see that the aluminum which was capped by the riveted on keel was all but gone. Only a handful of rivets still held the keel in place. Someone had epoxied and patched it over and over but never really fixed it. The rivet joint was also rotted out around the transom to hull seam, to the point where I could kick the transom panel off with my foot. I cut it in sections and sold it for scrap, I took the $700+ I got in scrap and found a nicer hull. The boat I scrapped did give me a great running motor, two near new pedestal seats, and a GPS plotter, plus a 2 year old roller trailer. The boat I found needed all that I salvaged from the first boat and I got that for less than I had gotten in scrap weight, plus it already had it's own fairly new roller trailer. I then sold the trailer from the first boat for $1200 and had more than enough cash left over to finish the second boat and then some.
You have to take several things into consideration when deciding whether or not to fix something like this, first is can it be fixed for less than buying another one which don't need these repairs, second, can it be fixed and made safe and 100% functional, and third, can you repair it and be happy with the repair when completed as well as be able to trust it as you would one that didn't have any damage?
