Grandpa Mike
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 39
My son and I are restoring this boat. For a old fiberglass runabout, it seems to be in great condition for it's age. I had some questions about cleaning the hull and interior.
We do intend to re-paint this boat once stripped and cleaned. I have some concerns about moving it around to be clean. It is a fiberglass hull and I thought the best way to clean it would be with a pressure washer and the right cleaners/chemicals. Is a pressure washer to harsh for an old fiberglass hull?
Are there any products/chemicals you might recommend? Any cleaners/chemicals I should stay away from?
Would there be any concern over sitting it up on it's stern while pressure washing? It is on a trailer but of course to clean and paint the hull, we're going to need to get to it. I suppose the obvious question is about how to turn it over and what sort of cradles we should fabricate, any cautionary comments on flipping it over?
What kind of fiberglass resin would have been used back in 1960 and what would you suggest for minor repairs.
The only damage I can find so far on this hull is what looks like a 8-10 inch "patch" on the inside of the hull about two feet from the transom and high but near the water line.
I don't trust other people's "fixes" and would rather sink at my own hand. This looks like what someone would have done with an automotive fiberglass repair kit and I'd like to remove the patch, get a good look at the damage and repair it myself.
If this were a 1961 pick-up, I'd just do it but this is my son's boat, I really don't know squat about boats and that's why I'm here. Not asking the question is they only stupid question. Thanks so much for your feed-back. This forum has already been a great resource, lots of friendly, helpful people!
Thoughts, comments?

We do intend to re-paint this boat once stripped and cleaned. I have some concerns about moving it around to be clean. It is a fiberglass hull and I thought the best way to clean it would be with a pressure washer and the right cleaners/chemicals. Is a pressure washer to harsh for an old fiberglass hull?
Are there any products/chemicals you might recommend? Any cleaners/chemicals I should stay away from?
Would there be any concern over sitting it up on it's stern while pressure washing? It is on a trailer but of course to clean and paint the hull, we're going to need to get to it. I suppose the obvious question is about how to turn it over and what sort of cradles we should fabricate, any cautionary comments on flipping it over?
What kind of fiberglass resin would have been used back in 1960 and what would you suggest for minor repairs.
The only damage I can find so far on this hull is what looks like a 8-10 inch "patch" on the inside of the hull about two feet from the transom and high but near the water line.
I don't trust other people's "fixes" and would rather sink at my own hand. This looks like what someone would have done with an automotive fiberglass repair kit and I'd like to remove the patch, get a good look at the damage and repair it myself.
If this were a 1961 pick-up, I'd just do it but this is my son's boat, I really don't know squat about boats and that's why I'm here. Not asking the question is they only stupid question. Thanks so much for your feed-back. This forum has already been a great resource, lots of friendly, helpful people!
Thoughts, comments?
