A new project

Well I stumbled across what I am pretty sure is an Orlando Boat Company 1965/66 Tarpon model fiberglass boat. As you can tell in the pictures, it is going to need a bit of work.

I am hopeful that with a little time and effort I will be able to resurrect her into a decent little fishing boat.

My apologies, I have no idea why some of these pictures are sideways. I tried rotating before uploading but obviously that did not work!

D.

 

Looks like you are in for a lot of work Doug. That might make a decent boat if it is not ragged out beyond practical restoration.

One of the things to do is drill some inspection holes in the transom. That is an area with common problems. Most boats of that type have a plywood core inside the double skin. Rot in that area is not unexpected for an old boat. If that is the case then figure on renewing the entire transom. If there are stringers in the floor then they need to be examined too. Same problem, rot or deterioration of one sort or another. Depending on the condition in which the boat was stored, there may be waterlogged stringers. That is also not unusual.

Inspect the boat thoroughly before you spend too much money and time on her. Good luck with your project.

 

This one happens to be an abandoned boat from my daughter's back yard, literally laying in the woods. At this point the best that I can determine is that the decking is structurally sound.

There is no need to drill into the transom, that is gone. I have several sheets of 3/4" ply lying around that I planned to use on the transom and a casting deck in the front. I don't really have 'big' plans for the boat, just something a little bigger than my 1232 tinny that I currently fish from. At the moment the only real cost to refurbish the hull will be the epoxy, glass and paint.

The boat was rated for a 40 horse motor, so I will be studying the best way to power her once the restoration is complete. Basically she is something to play with while the garden grows and I am not fishing or working. No timetables for getting her out on the water; more of a learning experience I suppose.

 

We can see that the transom has had it and must be repaired, but let me ask this question.
If the stringers are waterlogged is it necessary to replace them?
As i see it the original strength was hull plus+timber stringer + glassfibre cap.
Now the strength is hull + rotten timber [i.e. zilch] + glassfibre cap.
Could you not add extra glass around the existing cap to compensate for the missing wood strength, and rely only on the glass as a box section?
Not particularly elegant but less hassle than digging out the old rotten wood.

 

It would be very unwise to keep the deteriorated material (not entirely eliminate) and embed it in new layers of fiberglass.

 

Theoretically yes, but I would be inclined to take Tansl advice, get a sharp bit of metal on the end of a steel rod, and remove all the old rotten wood in the stringers by attaching the device to a drill, to hack out as much timber as possible. Its just a weight thing really.

 

The work begins

Yesterday I was finally able to begin the work of returning this boat to service. I removed the transom skin and saved it for a rough template for the new transom. Removed a majority of the old hardware, a bit of a task since most of it was installed with straight slot screws and bolts that have rusted into place.

The previous owner(s) were quite liberal with a hideous gray and blue paint scheme. The fiberglass patching left much to be desired so I have removed much of that and will start over.

The good news is that the hull is quite solid with only one questionable area being a riser in the bow. I will have to open that up and access the situation there as well as reinforce the gunnels.

A bit of a project, yes, but I have nothing but time and the initial cost cannot be beat.