Fiberglassing 16ft Fishing boat

[Wood Boat]

I have recently aquired a 16ft bondwood fishing boat from the early 80's (home built) I also have 20kg of unwaxed polyester resin and around 20m of 12oz cloth left over from repairs recently compleated on my parents 14ft glass runabout, My question, Is there any major reason why I can't use the remaining resin and cloth to cover my hull? It is in need of a freshen up and 2 small holes repaired.
Maybe the next question requires a new thread but I'll ask anyway.
Would a plywood outboard pod braced to the keel with sides that extended to halfway down the hull be strong enough to take a 90hp outboard?
My neibour, Who is a pretty decent and experienced fisherman says it wont work and that I should buy an Ally one and bolt.
I cant justify the $500 to buy a pod and would also like the pleasuer of being able to say I did it myself.
All and any thoughts on these 2 bugging questions would be greatly appreciated as I'm a little lost, This being my first boat and all

Cheers Alister

[Gilbert]

Covering plywood boats with fiberglass cloth and poly resin has not had a very good track record. Epoxy resin has done better, but even then the entire boat should be sealed with epoxy for long life. If you have the materials as in your case, and are just hoping to extend the life of the boat for a while you can certainly give it a try. It could last a long time if trailered and stored under cover.
As to the outboard bracket; 90 hp is a lot for that size boat. It doesn't matter what the bracket is made of if the transom falls off the boat. So what you need is some sound engineering applied to your project to take the loads that the transom will have to deal with. A properly reinforced transom and a sound bracket design should work fine.

[Pete Dennison]

Hi Alister! Looks like a nice little boat you've scored for a good price! Why not go with the paint freshen first to see how it comes up? Glassing seems like a lot of hard work and the end result may look no better than a good sand and spray anyway! As to the pod and large outboard it may pay to check marine regulations first and perhaps consult a marine engineer. The whole hull structure assumably was designed with a max size/weight outboard in mind and your extension and extra weight might place this balance out of whack. You might find that if you go ahead the boat ends up severely tail heavy and handling and safety are compromised. Good luck on the project but remember you want to spend more time fishing in beautiful Brissie than in your backyard glassing, fairing, sanding, fairing, sanding ........lol! Pete D.

[Wood Boat]

Thanx for the great replys. After spending yesterday striping paint and removing fittings I have discovered that the transom is good and solid and that originally the boat was fitted with twin 40hp outboards, with it being refitted around "95" with a single 85hp mariner, I spoke to the previous owner yesterday and discovered that the 85 was pretty well perfect for the boat.

I spoke to a friend of the family who, just happens to be a marine engineer and he belives that with good construction and thought out desigh that the pod and dive platform will work out fine.

As to epxoy and cloth, I am definately of the belief that the effort and cost required will not yeild any better results that just paint, In fack the more I read the more detrimental it seems.

I would like to know your thoughts on epoyx sealing the entire internal area of the boat both abofe and below floor and painting externaly? Im thinking that if sealed up fully and thouroghly internaly and if the exterior is looked after that she should be impervious that water ingress and as such add further to her life.

Alister