First Timer

[reidyj]

Hi,
Great fourm people, loadsa help ful tips through out. Im a complete novice at this game and want to get crusing on our local lake for a long time now. Ive recently got the chance at buying a cruiser which has been parked up for approx 7 years. The very very front part was damaged some how, its details not known or remebered (gettin it though a third party). The damage is at the very top of the hull so its not under the water or anything but just looks crappy. The boat inside has gotten wet due to rain water getting in though open doors windows etc. It has an inboard diesel engine.

Enough of the boring back ground, i want to get this into the water but before i pass on a few bob i have a few questions you might be able to help me with!

Engine---Can i run this engine outa the water to test it?
Prop--- The prop was takin off for some reason and shows slight damage, nowt major i think
Fiberglass--- osmotios and such like! should i be badly worried, specailly at the front damaged bit?
Paint--- Can i paint this boat?
Support--- How is a fiberglass boat supported. If it is wood would seven years of rain water rot it?

Any other help would be appriciated and i know i should get it surveyed but this is a low budget job! Im handy at stuff jut dont have any experience of fiber glass!

Thanks guys

James

[David Cowen]

Hi James. By the sounds of things you may out of your depth on this one. I am building my own fishing boat from a hull that sounds similar to yours. The water damage may have rotted the ribs and stringers that support your hull. That is to say that if you go inside and have a poke around you will see glassed in supports that make the hull rigid, it could also possibly be a cored hull using a foam glass sandwich construction and the core may be soaked if water has got through. My advice is get down to your local boat builders and speak to one of the guys there. It's worth the price of a few pints to get some expert advice on how far the damage has gone. Boat projects are pretty expensive when you get going so it's best to know now. Good luck - David

[reidyj]

Hey David,

Thanks for ur help. Got a dude who knew a thing or two and he gave me his two cents on it last night! He gave me the go ahead on the body neway, the deciding factor is down to the engine now! So off the borrow a battery booster (or two) and the c if this baby starts and runs.

Also started looking at alternitive boats, was getting a smaller one for free so it might be worth considering again, similar probs with rot maybe and no engine but its free.....

Or maybe ill just wait till my lotto ticket comes through and buy a decent boat, but that would be no fun then would it?

J

[djkingmatt]

Oh, never, I'm having a great time resotoring mine, If I had a lot of cash, I'd put it into a new motor, and awesome supplies and such -Matt

P.S. I hope all is well with the motor and frame (and transom!)

[marshmat]

WOAH WOAH WOAH!
DON'T START THAT ENGINE!

Boat engines are cooled directly from the lake water. If you run one without a water supply you WILL overheat it and WILL do very serious damage to it! (I once had one outboard tear two cylinders literally to shreds when a coolant channel burst.)

You can safely run the engine if you connect a flush fitting to the water intake and run it on a garden hose. For sterndrives/outboards (prop is on a big metal fin off the back of the boat) the fitting looks like a set of earmuffs and can be bought at most big hardware stores for $15. For inboards (prop on shaft sticking out the bottom) you must find the water intake and get a suitable fitting, or there might be one in the engine room that you use by turning a few valves.

As for your questions:
Prop- Just about any damage of any sort can be repaired by a good prop shop.
Glass- This is a big project; you'll need practice and help. The damage at the bow likely came from some slightly incompetent pilot ramming the dock. A lot of the laminate is likely saturated with water and will be hard to repair.
Paint- You cna paint any boat, given enough patience and careful preparation, but here it may not prove worth the time.
Support- The structure of a fibreglass boat consists of a complex grid of stringers, ribs and transverse and diagonal braces (usually called the 'stringer grid'). These are often wood cored. Their structural integrity is essential to the safety and seaworthiness of the boat; if the wood rots (which it almost certainly has here) they lose most of their strength and must be carefully cut out and replaced.

If the hull checks out OK (stick a carpenter's awl into about a hundred different spots in the boat to check for rot) and the engine runs it may be a worthwhile project. Figure on having it in the water in about a year as you will have to do a fair bit of repairing. Glasswork is easy to learn if you start simple and only use good-quality materials. For the osmosis, Interlux makes some good treatments to cure and prevent this; they also have a good paint range (also try Awlgrip). Your main task is getting the boat structurally sound.

And if you can get a free boat, and have the space to store it (under plastic of course) until you can fix it up, by all means do! Nothing says prestige like having TWO nicely refitted boats!

[PowerTech]

what model engine is in it?When i run a inbord on land that doesent have a flush kit on the sea strainer I just close the sea cock remove the lid from the sea strainer and stick the garden hose doun in the strainer it works good.On boats with out sea strainers i made a tool out of a toilet plunger and 3/4 pipe nipple that you hook to a hose and have a guy hold it up to the thru hull on the out side.that way sucks you get soaked and you are in the mud.But any way you need a mechanic all sorts of stuff needs to be done to a motor that has sat for 7 years before you start it.For one all of the feul needs to be pumped out of the tanks.

[reidyj]

oops--- ahno didnt start the engine, been raining since i last posted so havent been back there since, thanks for all the help, i cant answer your question on what type of engine is in it, ive spend the good part of an hour looking for markings, none found!
Also no plaque r nething to tell of who and where the boat was built! Priced a professional survey, there robbing @$£&*!@s. 10 euro a foot plus travel and vat! A lot of money for somethin i mightnt buy! Once again thanks for ye're input and ill let ye know what i decide to do!

Cheers

J