best described as a newbie. (restoration projects)

[dragonjbynight]

I would have to say so far this has been one of the most informative sites i have ever been on. I have two projects going at the moment and i need some advice.

First. 12' sears gamefisher v bottom rowboat. Fiberglass construction.

Boat is very faded, with most paint already exposed. Cracks run in the bottom of the interior and the bottom of the exterior, but not connected in and out. There are not any leaks, as i have put this boat in the water to test it out with 2 large adults. The cracks are all like this link: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...9/S7300909.jpg

I have sanded over half the hull with 180 so the old paint is mostly gone and cleaned up around some of the cracks(not completely done yet, but started).

My questions are:
What can I use to fill those type of cracks? (marine epoxy?)
Once the entire boat is sanded and cracks filled, what type of base and then paint can I use? (unfortunately at this point price is a concern)

Second 15 foot semi v fiberglass(very heavy). Does anyone have any idea what kind of boat this may be, as there are no tags left on it? the refinishing problems of the above boat, also exist with this one. I want to tear the plywood decking out of the bottom and replace it with stained and poly'd 1x3's. The steering controls are in the front, but i don't know if they will stay or go(engine type?) anyway, the link for this boat is as follows:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...9/S7300943.jpg

Any advice or comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

[dragonjbynight]

Would you be able to use a shellac on fiberglass or over paint, I know acrylics and light airbrush paints, but nothing for water.

[rwatson]

Shellac isnt the go. It wouldnt last very long on fibreglass.
If budget is of prime concern, good quality house undercoat and gloss paint would not fall off very quickly, and would be reasonably long lived, especially since this boat probably lives on a trailer.
You could get some cheap 'returns' from hardware shops if the colour isnt important - and go for a 'camofluage' look if you cant get enough of the same colour.

[dragonjbynight]

Eliminating the yellow boat from the project list for the moment any how, just working on the 12' and the glastron.

[dragonjbynight]

just a quick update on the 12' gamefisher, sanded out the old paint, repaired a few cracks with some epoxy putty. Finally decided on black enamel paint, isn't beautiful, but working outside does have its downfalls...pics to follow, named johnny Depth...

[dragonjbynight]

Took the 12' on the water today, high winds, oar power only, moved through the water easily with the oars, though the wind pushed faster than i could row if i turned broadside to it. Only problem i had was that the bottom of the boat between the rear seat and center seat has way too much give for my liking. A piece of plywood will probably fix that up in a hurry. will be running a 41#thrust 12/24 trolling motor on it next time out as i do like the quiet of an electric engine. On point, does anyone know how long a motor like that will run on a deep cycle?