My boat restoration.

Hi,
I found a boat that I liked and bought it for a steal. It needed repairing and so my journey into fiber glassing and boat restoring started. I had no experience in glassing, but being a metal fabricator for a long time I hope it had put me in good stead. This is the boat before I started it looks OK in these pics but closer inspection leaves no doubt it was in need of some TLC. Its not finished but I will get there. I bought a few books on the subject, as well as a DVD. Talked to a few people and just went for it.

 

So I started with the destruction stage. pulling out all the electrics,hardware,fittings and motor. My son also helped with this stage. The boat is like Swiss cheese so many holes drilled in her for various rod holders and other things.The floor was rotted as well as the transom.

 

As you can see it was in bad shape.

 

I took out the floor first as you would.

 

I then had to take off the well to get to the transom as the glass on the inside was destroyed. I took this approach as the hull join was really stuck fast.

 

Next to come was the old transom wood.

 

So after taking out the transom wood.I then cut my new transom from my template using two layers of 17mm plywood sandwiched together with one layer of glass.then it was fitted in with one layer of glass back to the original back and then glassed over with one layer of CSM then one of roving then another of CSM all flanged out to 150mm along the hull and sides.

 

I started on the stringers I made them from 17mm plywood and had to extend them by using a butt joint sandwiched with glass. I then took out the screws and resin filled the holes
They were painted in polyester resin and 10% acetone mixture to seal them off.
I bedded them in with micro sphere filler then glassed over with one CSM,one roving and another CSM.

 

Looking good beetle45, Keep working and posting pictures

 

After the stringers I did the floor.The floor is 12mm plywood glassed with one layer on the bottom then sealed with 10% mix on top and I have just finished filling in around the fitted floor which was made from my template and thus the story so far. By the way the date on the camera was wrong i got up tp this part about a week ago.

 

The sole is now ready to be glassed over.This is what I was told to lay up. Put one 200mm wide strip of 450 CSM first around the join.Then a 300mm strip of roving over the top,then a one layer of 450 CSM over the whole sole. Question, is one layer over the sole enough or should I go two?
Thanks.

 

Geez don't everyone answer at once!

 

IMHO you don't need that much build up for impact resistance and waterproofing.

In a small boat I would favor epoxy and cloth instead of the traditional porous bumpy buildup of roving then needing the resin-soaking csm to smooth it out and waterproof.

One of the FG experts will give you better advice soon.

Looks like you have a good crew on the job

 

Thanks. I have more than enough polyester and mat so I won't be buying any
epoxy and cloth.
yeah good help is hard to find so when it does come .Take it!