1976 Midland Skiff Rebuild

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by maritimebilly, Sep 10, 2011.

  1. maritimebilly
    Joined: Jul 2010
    Posts: 15
    Likes: 0, Points: 1, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Ma

    maritimebilly Junior Member

    Ok so this is a boat that was bought down the cape from Mike at Boat Brokerage Inc..Its a 1976 midland skiff..the boat had sank when I bought it and it had been mickey moused to the max with all sorts of useless holes, wires, and the whole bit.. the previous owner even flipped the boat over and layed a layer of glass right over the bottom paint up to the water line.. real pain in the ***..anyways ill walk through what I did.. hopefully it will save you some money and a lot of trial and error if you have to do some of these things.. feel free to message me if you want..
    The history of the Midland boats from what I read online is that basically these guys took a wooden maine boat and made glassed the **** out of it and faired it down and made a plug... they made these boats for I think about 20 years mainly for inshore quohoggers and lobstemen..these things were built really light.. single hull which is real thin..despite the unbelivable lines and flare on the bow, these boats will beat the **** out of you in anything over 2ft chop..litterally feels like your bones are shaking...Anyways I did this thing over twice basically when I found this out after I put it in the water for the first time..the first year I basically un****** it and took all the ****** glass off..faired down the whole hull from the keel up.. painted it and used it for the season...this past winter I tore it apart to get new stringers in there and to re-laminate it with 2 payers of 24oz woven roving..then I had to fire a 30 gallon below deck tank..a 25 gallon above deck tank..new deck..and finally an original midland skiff console that I found in CT that I pulled apart and restored..Ill give you a play by play on most of the project.. lots of pics and steps are missing but youll get it..
     
  2. maritimebilly
    Joined: Jul 2010
    Posts: 15
    Likes: 0, Points: 1, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Ma

    maritimebilly Junior Member

    So after that whole rebuild I loved the boat and fished it all summer but I really knew that It could be better riding..the stringers had been replaced by someone previous but they were just 2x6" layed in the hull.. no glassing them down or anything..so it was just a skeleton boucing around under the deck and that combined with the already thin hull made the bottom of the boat wabble and you could feel every wave you went over..So I made a game plan and in the winter I pulled it into the garage and ripped the deck up..cut the homemade console off.. yes I had to cut it up on the boat because it was so heavy I was afraid the boat was going to tip over on the stands if I tried to throw it off the side..
    after that I cut all the stringers out and ground down the whole hull with a grinder to make a nice mating surface for the glass I was about to lay down..I layed down 2 layers of glass fore and aft.. I used a 60" roll of 24oz woven roving that I got from aeromarineproducts.com.. they sell marine epoxies, glass, fillers and the whole bit..I went through 30 gallons of reichhold resin on this whole project that I got for $75/ 5 gallons off some guy that bought a bunch of it to build ATVs a few months prior that didnt work out.. really saved a buck there..
    After the glassing was done I spent about $450 on Prisma Composite stringers from Jamestowndistributors.com. They are 4ft sections of glass covered foam that you simply cut to size , add deadrise converters and wet them out and they become rock solid...I used the marine lumber model that they sell .. they were 3x5 5/8".. they were one of the biggest sizes that they sell and a little over kill but the only thing I was interested in is keeping the deck height the same and since the original stringers were 2x6" these were the ones I had to use..
    I layed them out to best fit the original configuation but to also fit around the 30 gallon aluminum tank that I got off ebay (yes I had to get it used because its a 5" high tank and that is impossible to find new)...now I spent a **** ton of time configuring these bad boys and also running a 3" pvc pipe for the wire/cable chase but once I had them cut right and the pipe run it was just a matter of wetting them out and magically it was ready for the deck..
    I rebuilt this original midland skiff console that I got in CT off craigslist for $75.. just tore all the wood out of it and filled the holes and glassed on a new flange..I put it way up forward because I knew it rode better with the weight up front and I wanted to have all the deck space possible..
    After the stringers I painted the whole bilge with bilge kote and ran all the cables and wires and fuel lines through the PVC wire chase...next It was time for the deck.. I used 3/4" inch exterior plywood and coated the bottom with resin after I cut them..for the deck tempplates I used 3/4" insulation boards from Lowes..I have heard of many ways to do this but I think this was the easiest..after I played around wit hthe deck I put it in laying a bunch of 3M 5200 on top of the stringers followed by 2" stainless screws..I had a big question regarding screwing into the foam stringers and you gotta buy this Prisma Trevira Mat that you wet out and glass ontop of the stringers..this stuff they have done a bunch of studies on and it has the same holding strength as 1/4" aluminum so I trusted it..
    After the deck was on I glassed it with chopped strand and then shortly after gave it a coat of 1 part petitt primer..
    Next was the 2nd gas tank.. a left over moeller from greatlakesskipper.com..its a cube shape and it was nice because I was able to build a box around it which holds it and the fill lines for both tanks, the 3 way valve, the fills, and the vents..and its a seat..
    next was the console which sat infront of the box...I then painted the whole interior with 1 part pettit and then a coat or two of EZ deck non skid paint,,,..of course the livewell was a must.. got it from boatdepot.com for short money.. I think 150 plus shipping...

    Boat is done at this point. I am glad I did it.. yup.. the boat rides 100 times better with the thicker hull, the stringers, and the 30 gallons of gas that brought the center of gravity down..the boat takes waves now no problem and it doesnt rattle at all.. I have taken it out to stellwagen twice this year and have had no problems with 2-4 footers.. no flying of course..email me if you are gonna do one of these over
     

    Attached Files:

  3. maritimebilly
    Joined: Jul 2010
    Posts: 15
    Likes: 0, Points: 1, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Ma

    maritimebilly Junior Member

    couple more pics
     

    Attached Files:

  4. rasorinc
    Joined: Nov 2007
    Posts: 1,853
    Likes: 71, Points: 48, Legacy Rep: 896
    Location: OREGON

    rasorinc Senior Member

    These old eyes say you did a GREAT job. Looks like it rolled out of a boat show.
     
  5. FMS
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posts: 611
    Likes: 22, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 227
    Location: united states

    FMS Senior Member

    Nice work maritime billy.
     
  6. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
    Posts: 3,367
    Likes: 510, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 1279
    Location: Lakeland Fl USA

    messabout Senior Member

    Nice job Billy, but I reckon that you are a glutton for punishment. Boat guys do that kind of thing of course.
     

  7. clc53
    Joined: Jul 2013
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: south jersey

    clc53 New Member

    hey maritime billy i am gonna do the same project i have a 1977 19 ft midland what about the transom a the scuppers did u have any problems with rot and the spray rails they are important for the performance of this boat
     
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.