Project #1

Thanks for your input, the majority of companies mentioned appear to be US based companies so its good to know there is a bit support a little closer to home.

 

Over this past weekend i have scrubbed the boats inner-hull with an acidic cleaner (what fun that was), and ground away some of the spilt adhesive on the surface. However, upon doing this i have uncovered a few air bubbles in the glass work.

Is this normal?
Have i got big problems?

I had the boat in direct sun light whilst working on it which made it apparant that there are quite a few of these air bubbles about an inch in diametre.

If anyone could give me a little advice as to what should be done in this situation it would be really appreciated.

 

PS: Does anybody have any idea who the manufacturer of this boat is.

 

That boat isn't made from epoxy, but rather polyester. The lack of a HIN suggests it's pre 1973. The hull shapes screams 1960's.

 

So was it only made officiall to have a Hull ID Number post 1973?

 

In the USA, all boats were required to have a HIN affixed by the fall of '73. Since darn near every manufacture wants the USA as part of it's market, then compliance with this regulation was necessary.

This doesn't mean she wasn't built after 1973, but it does suggest a strong possibility. She could be a "one off" maybe a prototype or a limited production run. These may not have carried the HIN, rather having one assigned if it entered the USA.

 

That makes sense, as no one seems to have any idea as to who made it.

Could you add any input to my questions asked about the air bubble problem in the glass work?

 

It's not uncommon to find voids, especially in these older boats. Yours may be a chopper gun boat, which is more prone to this issue. If the "bubbles" appear on the outside of the hull they could be "blisters" or what we call 'glass cancer. This is a result of moisture getting into small breaches in the surface, causing a chemical reaction which further acts to delaminate a localized area.

In both cases you should grind out the area, back to good laminate, feathering the edges all around. If it's a blister, then it will have a foul smelling liquid inside which needs to dry out. When all is clean, dry and ground back to good 'glass, then replace the missing laminate with new material and finish accordingly.

 

So would i use the method;

Grind off the risen area of the bubble, feather the edges and build up a series of glass sheets starting at the same size as the hole and gradually increasing the diametre to meet the edge of the feathering.

What would be the usual number of glass layers for a boat of this size?

 

It's very probable that your boat was chopper built, in which case there aren't any layers. Besides it would be foolish to speculate at laminate schedules without knowing much more about the damaged locations and the boat.

Yes, apply progressively larger pieces of fabric (or if you prefer start with the largest piece then go smaller). If using polyester (what your boat is made from) then you'll alternate mat and cloth or a combo fabric like 1708. If using epoxy (stronger, easier and more costly) then you don't need mat, just cloth. Place in as much material as necessary to bring the repair up to the same thickness as the surrounding area.

 

Ive been using a 36 grit sanding disk on my grinder to remove all the surface lumps, bumps and other spilled items. Upon doing so i have come across alot of these blisters in the glasswork.

Also there doesn't appear to be a great thickness to the actual glass work as i can see alot of lighter coloured patches where the glass is so thin you can see the lighter gelcoat showing through.

If i were to reglass the inside of the hull after carrying out all this preperation work, how many layers of what type of cloth would i need to use if i chose the epoxy option?

 

I don't want to be a kill joy, but you may have found the
reason the hull was never finished?

One of the glass experts will advise you I am sure.

Is there any one local that could take a look at it before
you get too involved??

 

Could any glass experts make comment on the hull condition of my boat?

 

Considering the limited amount of information available in the images provided, the lack of boat/owner history and interest in the hull, it's clear it has some issues.

From what I see, it is a quickly built, probably low cost, chopper gun layup, light weight, speed boat. There appears to be superficial gel coat damage, stress and spider cracking, particularly in the "transition zones (around corners, where it's thinnest). The layup was probably not the best, resulting in bubbles, and other laminate defects, some of these structural by location and/or lack of laminate thickness.

All of this can be repaired or made good. Is it worth it? Who knows, but you own it and it's your labor, so you'll have to make the decision. Value, resale, uniqueness, performance potential, ride comfort, safety, stability, suitability to your needs, etc., are also unknown qualities. Some of these you'll be able to answer with personal reflection, others, not until you get it on the water have hop a few waves.

I'm not sure what you're asking for, but you have to balance the restoration efforts and costs against what you'll get from the project. For what it's worth, fun is a valued asset, which very often is under valued. Scale your project accordingly.