First Boat Restoration

[MD746]

Ok, This is my first boat restoration I plan on posting the progress and If anyone has advice please let me have it. I hope this doesnt bore yall since Its a small boat and my plan are to build it to fish electric only lake with my 7yr. old son who is addicted to fishing.
Here goes I purchased this boat off craigslist its a 14' long and 48" wide it was original stick steer but had the engine removed it also had two high back seats thats about all I know about it not sure of the year made I guess mid 70's I also dont know the capacity the plate is there just hard to read. So after getting it home and washing the inside I found a soft spot up front and I remove this area it was about 2'x2' section that was soft . I cut a little extra to besure all the bad stuff was removed my next step is to replace the floor and reglass the patch area then move on to patching all the holes that were drilled over the years for rod holders and other stuff, so here are a few pics enjoy.

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat Restoration

hi welcome to the forum !
i boats is the best place on the net for everything boating!.

fun project you have there !
doncha just love ripping wet wood out !

looking forward to more updates !

cheers
oops.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: First Boat Restoration

Yes, welcome


I do have an uncomfortable question to ask. First a bit of info: boats generally rot from the bottom up. So if the deck is rotten in any place, then the wood below decks down to the hull is possibly rotten.

If you think about it, it's like a big sponge. If the top layer of the sponge gets wet, is the water just going to hang around there, or will it soak through to the rest of the sponge?

It's not just rot, too. If there's water down further then it could be adding a lot of unneeded weight to your hull, causing you to use more fuel and handle more poorly than you could otherwise.

So here's the question: Have you checked the foam and wood structure under your "soft spot" down to the hull for water? If it's not dry, then replacing the soft spot will just seal any water in so it can rot some more wood....

Erik

 

[MD746]

Re: First Boat Restoration

ERik the bottom of the boa is in great shape. I think the problem with the soft spot came when the other owner removed a seat and didnt patch the eight screw holes and water was able to get in and rot the wood, when I remove the 2'x2' area I found rotten wood and wet foam so I removed all that material I then moved out until I hit dry wood and checked the foam and it was dry the area removed is now 36" x 42" square. I hope this is the proper way to take care of a soft spot .

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: First Boat Restoration

The 10 steps of restoration denial:

1. That soft spot just needs a patch
2. The foam will dry out
3. It's just the deck, the stringers are fine
4. I don't have to pull the engine; I can work around it
5. The transom feels solid
6. I won't have to remove the cap, plenty of room
7. I will just buy a couple of gallons of resin
8. $1,000 is plenty for a job like this
9. I should be on the water by the end of the month
10. I need a beer! Nothing is going as planned!

Looks like you made it to step one

I'd replace the entire deck, some new plywood sealed with resin isn't too bad on the wallet, nice little family project.

That will be a nice little boat for fishing, very stable hull design in the water= good for little fishermen(keeps them from rocking the boat too much or falling overboard)

Good luck with the rig

 

[erikgreen]

Re: First Boat Restoration

Humor aside,

Do make sure you've removed all the wet material. If it was just from bolt holes as you say, maybe you are lucky

But check other spots on the deck for small holes that may let in water.. if they're not soft now, they eventually will be, and why not take care of them all at once, since you're going to the effort?

If all is solid and sealed, then put a patch over the hole, glass it in place with a thin layer of glass on top to protect it, and re-vinyl/paint/carpet over it.

You're certainly heading the right direction so far

Erik

 

[MD746]

Re: First Boat Restoration

Thanks For the info I will check a few more spots just to make sure I dont plan a cutting corners on this project since my son will be in the boat with me.