Is this feasible?

[Walcott]

I have a 1969 Glassmaster closed bow with outboard motor. It is 14.6' long and comes in around 5-6' wide.(pics as soon as my phone stops acting up) (It looks similar to the old Starcrafts i see so many of on here. but it is fiberglass)
I have seen a lot of conversions and mods done on boats this size and i wanted to get involved in making it more useful for my fishing needs. My question is this. What is the best way to get rid of most of the wood and gelcoat at the front of the boat that forms the closed bow? I want to ditch the column and get a tiller style OB for the back. and build a deck for sunning(the wife) and fishing off of. I planned on putting the deck about 6-10"s below the top of the boat at the bow, and probably about 5 feet long, building a high rear deck for driving and fishing and building a lower middle bench for the wife and baby when we are just cruising up the river.
So, should i remove the cap and fab. all of it inside the hull, or leave the cap(for support) and cut my column and bow out, and will the new deck support the boat as well as the current closed bow, or close enough? the wood in the bow is rotting and has to come out anyway if i want to replace it, but would really love to give this thing a little more fishing room. Any ideas or comments appreciated. Thank you. .........And yes, i know i am doing this boat a disservice by not restoring her to her original glory, but i paid very little for it, and i see an opportunity here to "make" the boat i want ,instead of having this boat for family river days, and dropping another 3grand on the fishing boat i was looking at(looks just like my boat with no cap, and has jon boat benches)

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

Okay, had the wife send me some pics from her phone. First one was taken with some app she has. that is why it looks odd. The last photos are the type of boat i want to make out of this hull.(interior layout is different from what i want(not enough front deck,etc.) but you get the idea):facepalm:

Am i dreaming or can i do this?

 

[Star]

Re: Is this feasible?

I totally understand your intentions of modification of this boat. Others may correct me but, This would be quite a project!!! The hull you have relies on the deck and side rails to stiffen what is problably quite floppy without it. I can not see what floor ribbing exists but the seat mounts would have to add stiffness because the forces are great as you bounce over and through any waves.
There are alot of alum boat that go for free just to get them out of their yard. I would keep this boat the way it is and ENJOY IT!

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

I thought the same thing about the hull. That is why I figured, if I leave the cap on and just cut into the bow, support it all with wood and deck and benches.......I am not sure of the ribbing either, the guy who had it before me "put new floors in", so I will be ripping them up soon. Seems like he installed ply wood that was all ready rotting, so the floor has to come up, the ribs under the bow wood has to come out and so does the bow wood and transom, so I kinda figured while I was already doing all this wood work, I could customize the beast. My only worry is the same worry you had, flimsy hull. I love the look of her like this, just would like to have 1 boat serve both purposes instead of explaining to the wife why I spent more on my fishing boat than I did the family river rider. thanks for the response. Keep them coming. My friends are SURE we can do this. But what they know about boats, I could fit in my pocket so, I need you guys.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

I missed the free aluminum hull part of your post. I have considered this. However, most of the free hulls around here are titleless and I am not going to deal with that. Secondly, I do not want another project just yet. I have huge list of things that need to be done with this one, The next boat I buy will be as "turn key" as possible. And will probably be some sort of bow rider or pontoon, as I am curently trying for my second child, and this one won't fit my family for very long( then this one can become my dedicated fishing rig.)

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Is this feasible?

Check out this thread, it's real close to what you want to do.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=507523

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

Exactly the link I have been searching for. Thank you. I am on my phone, so I did not read the entire thing. But the photos are going to be helpful. I am kinda new to all this so some of the details seem to be in french when I get to my computer I will read it more carefully. Thank you very much! Iat least I know it is do
able now....... Now for the fun part. I am sure ill be back with more questions. I have now officially ditched the non boat related forums I was a member of and spend all of my internet time on Iboats, I'm an addict.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Is this feasible?

check your states laws, I know Arkansas does not issue, or require boat hulls to have a title, only the trailers carry titles in Arkansas

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

JDA, I am in FL. around here, no title=no registration=no boating and FWC has no tolerance for it.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

ok. I got a chance today to re-read the thread link that was posted. A lot of good info in that thread. and he is doing a great job of it.I see he put plywood in all the way around with epoxy and screws. but what i am curious about is the prep for, and the actual cutting of, the bow part of the cap, and i didnt see that part in the thread so I PMed the OP of that thread to see if he might be willing to share a few details of the process he went through to make that happen. if any of you know anything about it, please don't hesitate to get in on this, i dont want to hi-jack his thread or anything. thanks again.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

Okay, finall had some time to get some work done. I removed the old motor, and i have a new to me merc 22 tiller steer comin my way. i removed the gas tank. and yes, i cut out the bow deck of the boat. before and after photos.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

More photos

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

and more.............I love taking pictures im sure you all dont mind. next ones are the bow coming out.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

ok, took the trusty recip saw and went to town. i drew out a line with a measuring tape and a pencil, and just cut around the out side of it with the saw. next up I will be grinding it smooth and even, framing it in, and fiberglassing the set up.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

And give her a little wiggle................................out she comes.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

fromt he back.

 

[Ned L]

Re: Is this feasible?

I'll make one suggestion, and that is to make your 'foredeck' / 'sundeck' as low as possible for your wife's sake. The height of that deck will directly affect the stability of the boat, and the higher the deck the more the boat will role with weight (wife & child) on it. Your wife may not care for the ride up there, and it will be more difficult to stand & walk the higher the deck. Six inches below the gunwale & she may not be happy, 12 - 18" & she may like it a lot more. I was going to suggest you drop the boat in the water & do some walking around on the foredeck to get an idea of what I mean, but you are a bit past that. Good luck, fun project.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

Valid concern, I discussed this with myself the other day when i was standing on the bow of the boat. now that the bow is out,My wife has requested that i turn that space into seating, so, the deck is not happening. I am not far enough ahead of myself to know what style seating and how i am going to arrange it, i know i am staying with the tiller style motor, so i will be putting in a swivel seat to drive from. but as far as passengers and storage, I am still testing new ideas. I do know that it feels like a MUCH bigger boat now, I am glad i did this. I will post pics when i am done grinding, framing, and glassing it.

 

[Walcott]

Re: Is this feasible?

..........................................................................................

 

[sphelps]

Re: Is this feasible?

Hello, Walcott! Thats a cool project you got going there. When you said you were going to cut the bow out I kind of cringed.. But now that it,s cut out it looks pretty good . It works. Do you still have the wheel ? I,m looking for a older one for my boat..