getting ready to start, just not sure how?

[flaxterra]

ok, i posted some pics of the 13ft fiberglass boat i came across a while ago. it has no deck and im planning on putting in stringers and a new deck. but before i did this i went ahead and filled with water to check for leaks. i found some, but not really holes. more like cracks in the gel coat. i drained it and started to check out for weak spots. it seems the mesh is becoming loose, like the resin has broken down. the actual mesh kinda pulls off, not really bad but its loose. my question is, i know i need to re-resin but should i layer it to?? im kinda new to fiberglass, but i am confident. if i put layers of fiberglass in, what weight do i use?? and should the floor be ready for stringers after this?? any help on this subject would be great, thanks.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=243701

 

[i386]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

After you get all your safety equipment...

IMO, everything that's loose needs to be ripped/ground out. Patch any place that leaks (from the inside) before you put on the new deck. In places where you have little leaks, grind all the weak spots out, even if that means creating a bigger hole in the process. You want something solid for your new repairs to stick to.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

Um, filling a fiberglass boat with water to check for leaks is kind of unusual... that's more normal with aluminum boats.

You should remove any loose fiberglass and resin, even if the cloth looks okay, and re-glass with new. If the cloth is exposed but not loose, you can just sand it and cover it with new resin or fairing compound.

Post some pics of the cracks that leaked... if they leaked water from inside to out I'm betting they're not minor cracks.

Did you make sure to seal your transom from the inside when you did this? Or is the transom off the boat?

Erik

 

[i386]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

Um, filling a fiberglass boat with water to check for leaks is kind of unusual

It has no deck in it. Filling it 2 or 3 inches deep should be enough. No way I was laying a deck in mine until I was sure it passed that test.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

2 or 3 inches I suppose... hmmm..... I just had this vision of a boat without stringers fillet to the gunwales, about to be squished by all that water weight.

Erik

 

[i386]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

2 or 3 inches I suppose... hmmm..... I just had this vision of a boat without stringers fillet to the gunwales, about to be squished by all that water weight.

Erik

Yea, that WOULD be bad. It would probably cause serious damage to the trailer too. Water is heavy.

 

[oops!]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

rip every thing out....everything.....bare hull........

grind it to remove all the affected areas, then grind every inch of the inner hull.....its called ruff and scuff.......

sweep the hull.....then vaccume it with just the bare hose, then aceitone the entire hull, 4 times. (get the old glass ready to take the new layer)

add a thin layer of matt over the really bad areas....and while the resin is still wet.......1708 bi ax....glass over the whole hull.....one layer of glass will do.
(once everythings ripped.....ruff and scuff and glass is only 2 days work)

then add strings, transom, deck...ect.....

then tackle the rest of the gell coat normaly from the out side......

read the hull extension thread...(all of it)...it has everything you need.
all of what you have to do, was done to that boat, and its now super strong.

its not as tough a job as you are thinking....the big thing is to get in and do it!

cheers
oops

 

[flaxterra]

Re: getting ready to start, just not sure how?

thanks guys for the info. yeah i only put a small amount of water in the boat. i will try to post some pictures of my progress. i just wasnt sure where to start, im sure this things hasnt had a deck in a while. thanks again for the help