Rebuilding the deck on a bass boat/ john boat

So a family member of mine is lwtting me get this boat off of them its about 12' long 3 to 4 feet wide and 3 to 4 foot tall. I dont know much about boats but i know there are a few holes in the deck and it has been in the weather for a few years so i was think that rebuilding the entire deck of the boat and frame for the deck flooring would be neccesary probably replacing the wood in the back where the motor mount is so. I was thinking about redesigning it and redoing it all my self the boat is coated with fiber glass and the bottom of it from what i could see seems to be ok save a few scratchs that may need glassed over a section about 2 inchs long by 1 inch wide or so. Is there a way to build the deck on this boat and waterproof it and seal it without glassing it? Is glassing the cheapest most effective way? I dont mind to spend the money to restore it as she wants to keep it in the family but i have two small children so obviously im not swimming in a sea of green. What are some of my options here ive been doing some research online. But havent found anything that really puts it all out there for me. Any advice about restoring, remodeling a boat with a redesigned deckwould be great thanks. Complete newbie so boat restoring and building for dummies style please and thank you
Glb

 

Some pictures would be a valuable addition to your post...

 

I should of waited to post till i got some pictures the boat is currently stored at her house so i will definately snap some pics when i go there in a few days. I apologize for jumping the gun on my post.

 

Welcome to the forum.

A 12' boat doesn't have much capacity, so don't get carried away with this rebuild. You need to think light and strong and constantly consider not over building this puppy, as it'll just decrease what you can carry, her maneuverability and speed potential.

If it's a 'glass hull (single skin) and some wooden reinforcement, you can just cut out what's there and rotted, replacing things as you go. Yeah, 'glass is the way to waterproof wood. It's not hard, but does have a significant learning curve to get it to look good with little effort. There's a lot of previous threads here, about these types of repairs, so some time with the search tool is a good idea. Additionally there's a crap load available online too. Some isn't as accurate as others, so I'd recommend you stick with the goo manufacture's guidelines initially. Lastly, you'll have to make a decision about the resin type you'll use. There's two basic one; styrene or epoxy based. Styrene is the smelly stuff and what most boats are made with. It's effective, but not the strongest or most waterproof. I recommend epoxy for novices, because it's generally easier to get good results out of the box, even though it costs a little more for this resin type. It also doesn't smell like something you don't want to be around, like the styrene based goo's do. Do your research about the laminating processes and you'll be back with a ton more questions.

 

Here are the pictures The transom will probably need work as well and the rebuild i had in plan would lessing the weight that exists and only add bench seating in the rear four two to three people and a swivel seat in the front on a casting deck that would be rebuilt from under the floor to the height i want with trolling motors if i do get an outboard it would be hand controlled versus being controlled by a steering wheel and such i was thinking three maybe four people at the most.

 

That boat is a two person boat. It can carry 4 in a pinch, but will be sluggish and over burdened. From the looks of her, she needs everything; stringers, soles, partitions, supports, transom core, you name it. To be frank, you'll invest a lot more in time and materials then if you simply get a more sound hull to start with, especially if hoping to "remodel" her as well. If you want a 4 - 6 person boat, you simply need more length and 12' just isn't long enough.

If you insist, the first thing to do is get her supported properly, so when you gut her, she doesn't distort just by walking around inside her. Once well supported, a diamond blade on an angle grinder will be your preferred tool on the 'glass portion and a circular saw on the wooden parts. This isn't pleasant work and it's pretty itchy, but the demo is a very small part of the job. Once you removed pretty much everything; the deck cap, console, soles, hatch covers, etc., you'll grind down the old 'glass to fresh, clean material in prep for more 'glass and cleats, stringers, partitions, etc.

There are many previous threads about his process here in our archives and elsewhere online, so do some research and reading, as there's lots of pitfalls you can avoid if you do. Additionally learn about marine rated materials, so you don't make the more common mistakes getting things at the big box stores, without knowing what you need to look for.

 

Thank you for the advice i will definately continue my research into it.