first time restore on fiberglass boat

[david_r]

well after i started noticing the boat sits too deep in the water. i decided to pull up the floor, someone had already "rigged" it ............ it had a floor over the other floor.

well i thought it did. the previous owner cut out the floor, added some caps to the stringers, and screwed another piece on top.

stringers-------rotten

transom-------partially rotten, and the tie down rings have been jerked out.

bottom(belly)------full of water logged foam....probably took out 200# and still cant get to all of it. the previous owner went crazy with what looks like great stuff expanding foam. they filled EVERY unused space they could find .

i almost have it ready to pull the cap off. need to take some pics so you guys can tell me if i need to scrap the boat or fix it..... i have another bass boat with some similar issues.

no real questions yet. i have been doing a lot of reading since thats the general advice given... research.

the one question i do have is this boat has one of those angled transoms. my other bass boat has a flat transom. should i be concerned about the multi-angle transom?....... i was thinking of going the seacast route.

will post pics when wife gets back with batteries for cam.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: first time restore on fiberglass boat

The way I see it is if you like the boat and it works for you, plus if you dont have enough money laying around to go and buy a new one, resto is the way to go! I guess what I am saying is, if the hull is not damaged in some irreversible way and the motor is in decent shape or even just complete and not completely gone so as to not be rebuildable, you will still come out on top because you will have a boat you like and it will be damn near 100% new I say go for it man. looks like it would fit a fishermans bill nicely. Put up some more pictures.

 

[david_r]

Re: first time restore on fiberglass boat

ok guys i cant find my card reader to post pics just yet, but i have decided this project is beyond my intrest at this time.

the transom had a plate on it, inside and out, and from the look of the botched repair of the floor i thought (hoped) it was just a lil weak...... at some point the port side had been practically ripped from the boat. at least it appeared that way. i could still see the crack going from top to 4" from the bottom and another crack a half an inch over that went from the bottom up about 5" so that it is just barely not connected with the other crack.... oh and the starboard side tie down eye has been ripped out of the boat at some time also.

i may fix it in the future since i like the set-up of the inside.

i cut a hole in my other bass boat that i know the transom is rotten in and the floor has a few bad spots but the stringers and the glass around them semm to be in spectacular shape. i wont know for sure till i get some more of it apart................ this boat has no cracks and has never been taken apart. its a '79 venture rendezvous 3- semi-trihull. it also has a flat transom which i think would be easier to fix for a first timer like myself.



the one i want to fix now only has rotten wood but the glass it all in good condition. so i had a few questions pertaining to this.

1. i have read in some threads about people removing the wood and pouring in seacast.

2. i read another that said if you use seacast you should go 1' further than original transom or at least all the way across.

which one of these is correct?

are they both correct and it is just a matter of design?

i will go buy another card reader if i cant find mine soon so i can post some pics so you guys know more about what im dealing with.

sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

ive been reading for so long my eyes are starting to cross lol.

 

[david_r]

Re: first time restore on fiberglass boat

this is the boat i boat back in feb.

and this is what it looks like now....... after i took out about 75# or more of water soaked foam that somebody put in to help stabilize the boat, my guess anyway. it doesnt look like it should have been there since water cannot drain.

i have more bad pics....... the transom has also been ripped apart on the port side and the tie-down eye on the starboard side has been ripped out. both have been poorly patched ...... i knew better than to buy a boat with a aluminum plate glued to the back

dont know how well the pics show them but the stringers are rotten

so i have decided to redo my other boat

i think i will start another thread just didnt want to leave this one unfinished