My 1st Project - Help required

[New Boat Owner]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I have acquired a new project fibreglass boat from my Father-in-law. It's in a bit of a state and will be a labour of love of the next 2-3 years!

However I'm not sure what make & model it is. I have tried to research it on the internet but to no avail. My Father in Law assures me that it is a Shetland 535, but it looks quite different to the images I have seen, so remain to be convinced.

Any ideas will be gratefully received, as I need to research what I need to do first.

Many thanks,

Neil

Welcome Neil,

not to disappoint you, but are you aware of the task to bring that thing up?

The Hull is most likely already waterlogged which would make her a negative value.
But if not, she will cost you much, much more when finished, than a second hand boat of similar size in bristol condition!

Regards
Richard

[New Boat Owner]

Thanks for the advice Richard, when you say waterlogged do you mean water between the in and outer skin of the fibre glass?

Is this difficult to drain and repair?

I appreciate it will be costly and time consuming, but a challenge is a challenge!

Neil

[Stumble]

NBO,

If the core of the boat (the wood or foam between the two fiberglass skins) is waterlogged, the boat is worthless. In fact it has a negative value equall to the diposal cost at your local landfill. In general the process to fix rotten core is easy, you remove one skin from the other, by cutting one of the skins. Then replace the core, and replace the skin you removed.

However this process when applied to large areas is very complicated, involved, and labor intensive. While it can be be done by a VERY skilled DIY worker, the reality is that the cost in materials will likely be more than the cost for a used boat of similar age and design in working order. Basically you spend $20,000 plus 3 years of time for a boat you could have bought for $10,000 now.


The FIRST thing to do when given a project boat is to sit down and create a detailed list of all the work that needs to be performed, parts that need to be bought, major systems that must be refurbished, ect... Then put honest prices down for all of the work. Take this number and multiply by 1.5, this is the rough estimate of the cost of the refit. Add in your time value (number of hours of work estimated * 2 * hourly wage), and make sure it is financially justified to even begin this process, instead of just parting out a relic.


Honestly NBO labors of love should fall into just a few catagories:

1) A boat you have owned for years, have great memories of, and think of as a part of the family
2) A boat that is historically significant in some significant way to you
3) A boat that has general historical value beyond its cash value
4) New builds or a retrofit made by experienced seamen so that they can have exacally the boat they have envisioned for their need.