Boston Whaler Restoration

[tclark228]

I have recently purchased a 1969 Boston Whaler. I believe that the hull is 16' 7". I am wondering what all I need to do to restore this boat. There is no hull damage besides a small hole on the inside and a few nicks in the gelcoat.
From what I have gathered from reading other threads and talking wtih people, I need to sand down the current fiberglass to where you can no longer see all of the cracks in it then put a resin back over it and then prime and paitn it? I do not fully understand the difference between resin and gelcoat...
Do I need to fully re-resin the boat or only do it where the fiberglass is dry and soft?
What do I fill all of the screw holes in with?
What is the most efficient way to paint a boston whaler? What materials will I need?

Thanks in advance

 

[oops!]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

hi.....welcome to i boats !


we can, and will help.....

but we need pics.....

each boat repair is simmelar.....but each approach is different...
if you post pics it will determine your approach.


cheers
oops

 

[tclark228]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

Thanks for the prompt response. I plan on sanding this boat down and putting a new gelcoat on it.

I just wanted to see how exactly would I do that? Just sand down to where it is all smooth then make these repairs and then put a new coat of resin, sand it, prime it, then gelcoat it?

How would I know if this boat is water logged? There are holes in the floorboard where there were two captains chairs and they have a bunch of dirt in them from where it was sitting under a tree for 3 years. There is also a hole that I have included in the pictures (4th picture) that is filled with water but it doesnt feel like it is foam inside of there it fills like its just wood.

Here are some pictures to go off of. The one of the back right side of the boat is where the top of the transom has cracked a bit. Do I need to actually rebuild the whole transom or can I just put resin over that? It is all rock solid just splitting at the top a little bit the guy I bought it from said it had been like that for years. There is also a picture of the bottom of the boat where the old trailer it was on scraped all of the gel coat off when I put it back on the trailer after trying to test run it. There is also a crack at the front of the boat where it looks like something was hit. I can feel foam behind it so do I need to peal away all of the gelcoat put a filler in there and then put some fiberglass over it??

There is also a hole in the drain coming out of the back, when i put my finger in there I can feel a hole of to the right side like it has maybe rotted away... is there a way to fix that

Isnt there a way to rip some of the old wood out and if so is it very hard? I want this boat to be in prestine condition when I get done I plan on keeping it my entire life.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

Looks like a nice project to work on there

I've always wished there were more Whalers being restored on this site...I think most Whaler owners have marinas do there work for them.

Good luck on the resto and keep the pics coming!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

The gel coat on that boat is in very bad shape, it will need a great deal of work to make it look even close to right again.

All of those cracked areas will need to be sanded at least down to the glass and then resprayed.

Do you really want to make this look "like new", or do you want it to look good and be usable?
It can be done either way, to make it look new will take much more time and money than making it look good and usable.

With holes in the floor I would expect there to be a great deal of water in the hull.

 

[tclark228]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

I stripped everything off of the boat yesterday and im going to clean it today and get it put in the garage to sand it. I am going to fill all of the holes and then put fiberglass mat bac over the ones that may need. If there is water in the hull/foam what do I need to do to get as much out as possible before I put resin back over it??
I want to make this boat look new, brand new gelcoat, centerconsole, railings, etc.
If there is a little water in the hull it shouldnt be that much, Should I just try to get what I paid for it or would the work I have to put in pay off if I were to try to sell it one day. What would you say this boat is worth with running 82 johnson 115 and a working trailer?
I appreciate any help!

Taylor

 

[gbb]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

I am doing a 1971 Sakonnet, not as bad as yours. Check out whalercentral.com alot of great info there on whalers.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

Water in the hull (foam) can be a big problem on these hulls because they rely on it for structural strength and there's a great deal of it. BWs, like other brands, can take on many hundreds of pounds of water that will slow the boat down and create other problems like rotten transoms and other wood parts.

If there is water in the foam, you need to separate the top from the hull and remove all the foam, then replace it.

 

[tclark228]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

After I rip the deck and foam out and replace the foam what do I put on top of the foam to reglass the deck?? Also is there a book or video I can buy to learn how to rebuild the transom??

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

I have never heard of replacing the foam in a whaler? I do know that the foam is MOST of the construction. I am not sure you can even consider splitting the cap from the hull.....at all.
check at http://continuouswave.com which has valuable whaler information

 

[tclark228]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

I've seen several forums online that show pictures of the deck being replaced on these whalers like at this link [URL="http://www.metanmarine.com/Restorations/65_Whaler_13/index.html"]http://www.metanmarine.com/Restorations/65_Whaler_13/index.html[/URL]

I put my finger into the drain at the bottom of the stern and there is a hole off to the side.... Would there be a way to fix that or would I just have to put some structural filler in there or tear the transom out?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

Live and learn...... that is a whole bunch of work.

How is the transom? If you tilt the motor up and try to move it up and down .....does the transom move and flex? If it does I would consider the surgical cutting of the transom from the inside to replace it...... do not cut the outer hull.

 

[osborn159]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

you asked a ??? in a previous post should you try to sell it for what you have in it??? or will you get your $$$ back if you sell later, you may get your money back, you more than likley will not see any $$$ for the time you have in it, as you suggested on one of your early posts, you want to fix it and keep it a long time, if thats where your at with it, fix it, if your gonna try and sell soon, let it go now.
the bw is a very nice boat, i think if it where mine id fix it to my taste and keep it a loooooong time, but keep it in a proper out of the weather place so it lasts and lasts.

 

[tclark228]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

How much would you say this boat is worth with the motor running good in the condition its in now. It is a 1969 16' 7" w/ a Johnson 115 V4

 

[DJ]

Re: Boston Whaler Restoration

Taylor,

I have dried out a Whaler hull. It took six weeks but it worked.

1. I drilled several 1" holes in the deck, forward.

2. I drilled some 3/8" holes in the transom. below the wood core.

3. I tilted the hull up to about 30 degrees and suspended it-bow up.

4. I attached vacuum cleaner hoses (reversed to blow out) to the deck holes with duct tape. In essence, putting a slight positive pressure in th hull. The water poured out.

5. I just let it drain. I would turn on the vac's. whenever I happened to be in the garage. Usually about an hour per day.

6. It stopped dripping after about two weeks but I let it go longer. If I had to guess, I would say I took 30 gallons of water out of it.

7. I drilled some smaller holes in the deck to take "core samples". They were dry.

8. Repairing the small holes in the deck was relatively easy. I also repaired any cracks and improperly sealed mounting (console/seat) holes.

I did not re-gelcoat the boat. I painted it with Interlux Brightside. It looked terrific.

To my knowledge, the boat is still going strong. The restorarion was done in 1995. I saw it last in 2009.