1969 Fabuglas Trident 170

[TxTech]

I picked up a 1969 Fabuglas Trident 170 yesterday and I am going to get started on a restoration. The boat was originally my grandfathers; I grew up fishing on it and getting pulled around the lake on a tube. My grandfather passed away in 2005 and the boat went to his brother. I saw his brother at a wedding last weekend and inquired about the boat, he told me it needed work but I could have the boat to keep it in the family. The last time I saw the boat (2005) it was in good shape and basically lake ready, but when I got to my great uncles house what I saw looked like a different boat. I was expecting the boat to just need things like carpet and vinyl but it looks like it is going to need a total rebuild. It appears as though he let it sit in the elements and everything wood deteriorated so he tore the interior out and cut out the floor. The boat is down to the stringers for the most part, the stringers were fiber glassed in but it looks like the fiberglass has separated from the wood and rot has started. The boat has a bench seat /live well/bait well that also has a soft floor so I will tear that out too. Behind the bench seat it raises up a bit and then there is what I am calling the splash well, it is where the batteries, gas tank and steering are. The floor is also soft here. I have been reading on the site quite a bit and have not seen a rebuild of this area. It is at a different height than the stringers so I am wondering how it is supported. I am sure that will be my first question of many. The transom seems solid but with the condition of everything else I suspect I will be replacing it too. The boat is powered by a 1969 115hp Evinrude that is in good shape and surprisingly the steering turns freely. I know I should probably run away from the boat because of the condition but I am emotionally attached and determined to continue with the rebuild. I am currently a broke college student so I will do things as I can afford to but with the knowledge on this site I think I can make it happen. I also purchased the book ?Runabout Renovation? to help me along. I will post pictures of the boat when the weather clears up and hope to make some progress soon.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1969 Fabuglas Trident 170

Welcome. We like pictures. If the boat has sentimental value than it's always a worthwhile project. Your motor is an electric shift model. You may want to put some time into getting the motor running first. The electric shift system is a good system when it's working but there are a couple of crucial parts to it that are no longer available. So you may want to make sure it runs shifts so you know where you stand on that before tearing more into the boat.

 

[TxTech]

Re: 1969 Fabuglas Trident 170

Finally took some pictures and also noticed the motor is a 115083D which is a 1970 and not a 1969 like I thought.

The Boat

The Console

Deck

Motor

Splashwell

 

[TxTech]

Re: 1969 Fabuglas Trident 170

I did some work on my Fabuglas emblems; they didn't come out perfect but are definitely better than they were. I sanded them, epoxied the broken parts back on with Loctite Plastic Epoxy, sprayed them with Rustoleum Primer for Plastic, and then sprayed them with Rustoleum Titanium Silver Metallic. For the one that was missing part of the "L" my mother came up with the idea of taking a mold of the good "L" with Play Doh and letting it dry. I then filled the mold with epoxy putty and epoxied the new ?L? to the emblem.

Sanded and Not Sanded

Painted and Unpainted (before I put the new "L" on)

You can see blobs where I epoxied the letters and cracks; I found that if I sanded it smooth the strength was compromised so I had to leave it that way.