fiberglass over white cedar workboat

I have a chespeake baybuilt, the boat is white cedar over oak ribs. I am considering fiberglassing the entire boat and wanted some opinions. Will fibergass adhere to the cedar and last? Do I need to strip avaery piece of old paint and caulk off first before I start to fiberglass, I know I need to renmove the paint but just wondering if every little spec of caulk and paint needs to go? How about the botom how do I know all the wood is dried out enough before I start to fiberglass?

 

There are two ways to go as far as 'glassing you boat is concerned. A light weight skin of fabric or a heavier weight skin of fabric are your choices. Both choices will kill the planking and cause other issues in the structural elements (ribs, bulkheads, etc.).

A thin skin will provide some abrasion protection and keep her water tight for a little while. Cedar will expand and contract with moisture content changes. This will soon separate the sheathing from the planking and water will get trapped in between, causing rot to eat up your boat.

To counter this a much thicker skin can be applied, which will basically become a new 'glass hull that the old one sits in. The boat will be stronger, heavier and still rot quickly. At least you'll have in a 'glass container to keep it from sinking as it rots away.

It can be very difficult to grind back to good wood and still have enough structure left to work with, when trying to skin small boats. The best results will be on bare, clean wood, using epoxy and cloth. The worst results will be on dirty planks or using polyester resin.

If you want a few more seasons out of the old girl, then skin her up and have fun. She'll see a little more use, then die. If you want more then a few more seasons from your boat, then a heavy cloth over lay will be necessary. This too, will kill the wooden elements of the boat, starting with the planking, but working through fasteners holes into the ribs and other structure too. The heavy skin will permit you several seasons, but the wooden structure will become weaker with each summer's passing, eventually just mushy goo, where there was once wood.

The heavy coating will probably cost as much as proper repairs to the wooden pieces that are causing you trouble now. Even if you do the work yourself, the 'glassing materials will rival the cost of replacement planks.

Ultimately the choice is yours, based on what you want from her. Her value as a wooden boat will be severely reduced if 'glassed, but if you're just interested in a little more time, with the sweet thing before sending her to the land fill, then 'glass is a good option.

A moisture meter can tell you if the wood is dry enough for 'glass work.

What are your reasons for wishing a 'glass job on your wooden boat? This wouldn't be your Block Island Cow Horn would it? Currently there is a large number of fine wooden boats on the market, possibly why you had limited luck finding a buyer. The buyers can pick and choose from perfect examples of what they're looking for, at less then what they're worth. If this is your Block Island replica, then you'd be serving her very poorly by 'glassing. Find dry storage, maybe a wooden friendly marina or a new owner that can keep her what she is. It's sort of like painting a '63 split window 327 fuely, with a roller and house paint, just because you're tired of looking at her faded flanks.

 

Thanks for your comments PAR. No this is not the Block Island COW, that was my nieghbors boat I placed the add for him because he is no computer savy. He ended up keeping the boat he got spring fever and decided to keep her.

My boat is a 37' chesapeake bay workboat (crab & oyster). The boat is in very good shape and fairly new for a wooden boat, the boat was built in 1983. The boat has an oak main beam and oak ribs and the hull is strip cedar. I believe all fastners are monnel but they could be stainless (do not know how to tell the difference) . The boat currently has no rot (that I am aware of) The only fiberglass currently on the boat is the plywood roof top to the cabin, the plywood decking I just replaced, and the plywood engine box. These items were in bad shape and did have dry-rot so I just finished them with 7oz cloth and three coats of epoxy. In my area (Solomons Island MD) alot of guys are glassing over the old wood boats (glass over wood). I love the traditional wooden boat but its a ton aof work and I was just wondering if glassing the boat would make it more maintenence free. If I was going to glass it it would not be the inside and outside, the inside I currently treat with Curpinal about every two years. Are you saying all those kit boats that are built out of plywood will eventually fall apart?
Thanks again for your comments.

 

Glassing a boat originally designed & built for wood construction, is different than a plywwod boat designed for that type of construction.

Glassing will reduce the boats life expectancy dramatically in almost every case.

If she is in as good of a condition as you say, it would be a shame to glass. You may get several or more years with subtantially less maintanence, but you will forever be barred from maintaining her in the traditional and needed way. Keeping as is, with proper maintanence, the boats life is as long as you have the desire for it to be.

Take care.

TGoz

 

All boats require maintenance, usually progressively more of it as the boat ages, regardless of hull material used. Most folks don't maintain their boats, they play "catch up" with needs, maintenance and repairs that have been put off until things are bad. This usually makes things worse then they needed to be. A minor leak can be fixed easily, but left alone for a while, turns into other issues that demand more attention. Maintenance at the outset, possibly scheduled to catch things before they go bad, is the only easy way to own a boat. Keeping it painted, buffed up, waxed, checking fittings, bedding and equipment, looking after minor dings, scratches and divots, in general, being the master of the vessel, rather then having it master your wallet.

Lots of people are under the false economy, that 'glassing a wooden boat will cause it to need less maintenance. It's just not so. The varnish will need to be redone, the paint, hose clamps, thru hulls, oil changes, lubrication of moving pieces, rebedding, checking connections, etc. all have nothing to do with hull material type, but need to be performed or you're going to have issues.

Leaks on wooden boats don't have to be a problem, yet many think several inches of water in the bilge is the way it's supposed to be. A few years ago, I caulked up a friends 37' trawler. His bottom was leaking pretty bad and he let it go for a few years, because the pumps were keeping up. This caused some rot to get started and several planks needed to be replaced. Since the boat had a dusty bilge, no water, dry as a newly divorced guy's wallet, for two years. It has developed a small leak at a butt block, likely the fasteners are loose or I missed a spot. He learned his lesson and will haul the boat shortly, it needs bottom paint anyway. While it's out, the shaft and running gear will be inspected, the rest of the seams given a good look over, zincs replaced and all bedding closely examined. This is normal stuff.

Why folks think there is such a thing as low maintenance on a boat is beyond me, but most do believe 'glass is the answer. A 'glass boat can tolerate neglect longer then other hull material types, but it too requires maintenance that is unrelated to it's hull construction, just like any other boat.

Some boats (like the plywood kits you mentioned) are designed around plastic coatings and goos, like epoxy. This will last longer then a hatchet job on an older wooden boat, but eventually the plastic coating traps moisture in the wood. In fact, some building methods wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the abilities of plastic coatings on wood. If done properly, these boats and methods can be very durable, but without maintenance, they are just as doomed as any other neglected boat.

I'm not trying to preach at you. I guess I'm from a time, when taking pride in maintenance and seamanship skills was the order of the day. Folks kept their varnish up, changed their own spark plugs and handled their boats with skill and understanding of the markers. Now anyone who can double down with a second mortgage, drags a boat to the local puddle and blasts off, possibly without the transom plug in the boat, let alone a spare fuel filter.

 

Par we have a saying done here on the coast of NC "you dont have to have brains to own a boat just money" Most of our local watermen pull there boats out at least every two years to inspect them and some pull them out every year to inspect and do maintance on. The guys have pride in their boat.
Ben