I need help fixing my boat.

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by MiamiVice, Aug 20, 2014.

  1. MiamiVice
    Joined: Aug 2014
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    Location: Florida

    MiamiVice New Member

    I've had this boat for awhile now and I started to cut into it about 3 years ago to get started on it. I've just let it sit till now....and I'm still at square one basically. Its a 12' speed boat that was apparently homemade and was finished at one point but never registered So basically its sat for 18 years or so that's how long ago its been since my dad bought it.

    I cut out the top of the transom to slide another board in and I cut some of the stringers in the floor and fixed some of the bottom of the boat...well i hope I fixed it. I'm afraid that I'll mess it up more than fix it because I'm not that skilled in boat building and working with fiberglass.:(

    Apparently its a two piece boat.....and I put the rivets in the side to hold the top to the bottom....but I'm sure I should have waited to do that....I kinda got ahead of myself. :eek: It has clear silicone in between the top and bottom to seal it and I'm sure that's not good.

    Its a cool looking boat and I've never seen another like it and would love to get it finished hopefully with a little expertise from someone here. :D I would greatly appreciate it. :) Sorry for all of the pics....but I figured the more the merrier. I can take more if needed......I'll have to flip the boat over for bottom pics.
     

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  2. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Freeboard seems to be at a premium !
     
  3. MiamiVice
    Joined: Aug 2014
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    Location: Florida

    MiamiVice New Member

    Yes sir it sure is,haha. Low and fast,lol. Well i hope it will be fast. I had to look up what you were talking about because I'm not that into the boat lingo. :p I only know a few simple things.

    What do you think someone would charge to fix it? If someone in Florida could chime in on that....it would be awesome. :D I don't know of anyone around me that fixes boats. I've never really looked.....besides I'm afraid it will be big money and I don't really plan to sink alot of money into it.
     
  4. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    That's likely not a home made boat, but in fact the forerunner to the PWC, which was a popular thing in the 70's and 80's. Designed for modest outboard power, they scooted pretty good. The hull looks like it's be a pretty fidgety thing at speed, to say the least.

    There are lots of places to get some information about the obvious repairs she needs, including hundreds or previous threads here. The first thing to do is separate the deck cap from the hull shell, seeing as there's not much there holding it together anyway. Access to the inside will make things a lot easier.

    Lastly, there appears to be a HIN plate attached. If the first three letters are FLZ, then it may be a home build, though she still looks to have come out of a mold. If the HIN letters are anything other than FLZ, look them up at the USCG site and find what this MIC code represents (manufacture). It's very probable the manufacture is out of business, but at least you'll know who built it.
     
  5. MiamiVice
    Joined: Aug 2014
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    Location: Florida

    MiamiVice New Member

    I figured it would be around a 70's to 80's boat. What about it makes it fidgety at speed? It looks like it would go fast.....but on smooth water tho. I really didn't want to take the top part off. :( It doesn't take a board all the way across the back just where the motor mounts and the two legs to the front where the seat would mount on the floor.

    I'll look on the forum for a few days to look up some ideas about it. The plate on the back is just a blank plate.....I figured someone just stuck it on. I've looked all over it for numbers but never found any. Any idea what it would cost if i had someone do the work?
     
  6. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    You really have to wonder about the utility of it, after you go to the trouble and expense of doing it up. I expect it would be pretty easy to put green water over that whale back.
     
  7. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    It looks like a boogie board with a bit more deadrise. I'll bet she'll skid like crazy in the turns, with 180's being fairly easy to manage (wanted or not).

    Prices for repairs can range from not to bad to offering both arms and a leg too. This type of work is all about the quality of the finish, so if you can live with a rough finish, you'll save a bunch of cash. This assumes the hull is reasonably solid, which it doesn't appear to be. You'll want the structural stuff handled first and worry about the finish as you can get to it of afford it.

    These boats weren't very expensive when new and haven't any real value now, so it's all about the love, in regard to value and worth. Personally, I find these sort of things have limited usefulness, as they really only do one thing, which is pound your butt, until you can't take it any more. They have no storage capacity, make lousy fishing boats, can't handle rough water and are even difficult to find a place to stow the cooler full of beer (which makes it useless to me). They are fun for a 1/2 hour at a time, but once you've blasted around a cove or bay a few times, there's not much else to do in one.

    Though you've posted quite a few pictures, the real story about her structure is still untold. What shape are the stringers and other structural elements? This would be a project for a skilled fabricator/laminator and a career for a novice, though with some perseverance, you might get her done. Working with 'glass isn't fun and is quite itchy, so read up on the various techniques as you pull it apart. Don't cut anything else off the boat, just get it open, so you can see what's going on inside her.

    Where in FL are you Dade county?
     
  8. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Will Florida 'gators pull you out of a boat that low to the water, if you float around in some infested backwater ? I know the crocs over here would, which would make me very nervous !
     
  9. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Naaay, gators can't really reach up very high, though you could catch an up close and personal view of their general dental health in that boat. As a rule most gators avoid boats, especially if spewing fumes into the water and making a bunch of noise.
     
  10. MiamiVice
    Joined: Aug 2014
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    Location: Florida

    MiamiVice New Member

    Yea I wouldn't have a problem with a rough finish if I had someone do it. What I'm afraid of is it beating the boat apart not me,hahaha. :D The structure of it looks okay.....minus the wood that needs replaced and the fiberglass that covers it,lol. The stringers need wood in them then covered. Why doesn't anything fill the gap in the stringer under the thin board that goes down them? Is there suppose to be anything there?

    The boat is just a toy to get started with and play with until I save my money to get a few of my dream boats. :D lol I'm not in Dade County.....I just like the T.V. show Miami Vice. I'm farther north than that....I'm in Polk County. Yeah gators don't really like boats. I guess the exception would be Elvis on Miami Vice,haha.
     
  11. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    I see some structural issues with this old puppy, but again it's tough to tell what's up without a good in person look.

    Well I'm in Lake county, so you're not far from me. If you could bring it by, I could give you a quick assessment of what she really needs.

    My other half likes Miami Vice, but only the yellow 'Cuda.
     

  12. tinhorn
    Joined: Jan 2008
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    Location: Massachusetts South Shore.

    tinhorn Senior Member

    Man, that IS a mess! But if you do restore her, you'll never meet yourself on the water. I've been working on a similar project and am just now ready to drag it down to the water and see if it'll float. Like yours, my boat is a small fiberglass toy, oddball styling, built long ago but never registered. I have no idea if the designer was competent or a rank amateur.

    Yeah, the rivets were premature but they'll drill out easy enough. Leave them in long enough for PAR to take a look and make recommendations.

    It's just sad that somebody used silicone between top and bottom. That's stuff's terrible to remove, and you WILL need to remove it to get a clean bite between top and bottom when the time comes for permanent reassembly.

    DO take advantage of PAR's offer! Be sure to take notes. And thanks for sharing this beauty.
     
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