New project opportunity :D

[BigJ08]

Have the chance to buy an older Seasquirt center console boat. Owner has already ripped up the old floor/foam as these boats have no stringers, just deck and foam kinda like BW I guess??? He's also including the materials he already bought to do the deck: resin/mat/foam. Motor has issues, but the price is VERY right. Just looking for opinions on these seasquirts or foam-filled boats in general. Anything I'm not seeing or should avoid? I'm hoping this can be a great winter project.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: New project opportunity

I am working on a project boat for my wife. Replacing the deck, filling the core with foam (it's an old BW that was scraped out), and putting in seats. It's a small 11' skiff, and she wants her 15hp Nissan on it. I used pour-in foam, as per the salesmans suggestion, then leveled off the foam with a sander/grinder.

He suggested a hand saw, but it wouldn't cut it, kept binding in the foam. The deck is made up of 1/4" foam sheet, covered with chopped matt/woven roven/chopped mat on both sides for strength and light weight. It's also cheaper than marine plywood.

He told me to put the foam in 1st because if you don't do it right, after the deck is in, it can distort, even destroy the boat when it expands.

So far its working out fine. I would suggest using diab (plastic honeycomb with a scrim on both sides) for your deck as it is lighter still, and very strong with the glass overcoat.

You project looks like it will be fairly simple and straight forward.

How's the transom?

Luck

Bob

 

[BigJ08]

Re: New project opportunity

Wow thats the first time I've heard about doing the foam like that. All of the projects that I've seen (mostly on here) the people have put the deck down first and then poured foam into a couple of holes cut into the deck. I was also planning on using plywood for the floor, where would I find the foam sheet or this diab you speak of? Thanks for the interest!

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: New project opportunity

What small town here in Flolrida are you in? I'm in Lakeland. I can better answer your question if I know where you are.

Bob

 

[BigJ08]

Re: New project opportunity

Highlands County, about an hour south of Lakeland .

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: New project opportunity

I sent you an IM.

The name of the company I get it from is Fiberglass Coatings Inc., in St. Pete. This is their web site, http://www.fgci.com/.

They are very helpful and knowledgeable, but they are not cheap. Course there is very little competition in what they sell.

If you need glass or resin, I know of someone in Winter Haven that is very cheap, especially for the glass.

Bob

 

[BigJ08]

Re: New project opportunity

Actually the guy that is selling it is giving away a couple gallons of resin and fiberglass cloth and mat with it. I might end up needing some additional supplies so I'll look them up if I do. Thanks for the tip!

 

[fishingdan]

Re: New project opportunity

Unless the "VERY" good price results in a bunch of cash in your pocket, I would look for another project boat. There are a lot of them out there.

I don't mean any disrepect. Rebuilding a boat is a lot of work. Foam cored boats are often incorporate the stength of the foam in the design of the hull. In those types of designs, the strength of the hull is predicated on the foam, the hull, the inner liner and the few stringers to be completely integrated (ie all one piece from an engineering perspective). To achieve this, techniques are used to insure that the foam 100% fills all of the caveties and bonds 100% with the surrounding structures. To rebuild such a boat usually means implementing an appropriate wood stringer structure to properly support the hull and give it strength. That is a lot of work too, but it doesn't require advance equipment to do it.

If the boat was built around a traditional stringer structure and if the engine was good, it may be worth it if you get it at the right price. In this case you indicated that they engine has a problem too. Do you know what the problem is?

 

[BigJ08]

Re: New project opportunity

I realize that it will be quite a project and I would not be considering it if this boat were not small and relatively simple. I kinda thought the boat having foam core construction would be an advantage, not looking to add stringers like you're talking about, just going to redo it the way it was originally. I really enjoy projects of all kinds and have be waiting for something like this to cut my teeth on so I think I'm gonna go for it. For the price I'm getting this thing for I could part it out and make my money back easily. BTW, the engine has an electrical issue, could be a coil or the brain, I don't know. I'm planning on doing a compression test when I go to look at it.