1967 Gulfstream need advice

[nicks66]

Hello everyone so i bought a 1967 or 66 gulfstream with a 120 mercruiser sterndrive for $300 bucks. I new it would need some work i was thinking cosmetic and some mechanical. Well i got it home found a soft spot in the floor started to investigate the deck was rotted the foam was soaked stringers were not rotten they are a hardwood but will still need replaced. Someone had redone the deck and put new foam at one point but not stringers looked like they took off the fiberglass and only tabbed it in here and there on them. so my $300 boat will get more pricer than i thought. O and the transom is bulging in the middle from the top cap i'm almost certain it is bad to so it will need replaced it is cracked at the bottom outside too very small tho. I Thought the motor was seized well it may have been i got it to turn over today gotta get a fuel pump. I do not have a lot of money so i will be trying to pinch pennies where i can however i do not want to do a poor job that will not last or hold up and look like junk.

Ok now for the advice. Will Polyester resin be suitable for all the glass work transom,stringers,deck? Can i use a outdoor grade plywood for all repairs verses marine grade etc? Any tips for removing top cap and keeping boat shape for repairs? The interior of the boat sides and dash are a leather texture but are fiberglass how do i refinish that? iI want to refinish the hull too some lumpy patchwork needs sanded down do i try to flip it while i have it all took apart any tips on that lol? Any recommendations for a place to buy needed materials for a good price. I'm thinking around $600 just in the transom, stringers, resin and glass does that sound right. Would like to take out this year if got all the needed materials what kind of time frame do you think it would take to do this?

 

[nicks66]

Here are some pics.

 

[nicks66]

Well placed my first of many orders i'm sure for supplies . 15 yds of 50" 1708 Biaxial Cloth
2 lbs of Cabosil
2lbs of 1/4" chopped milled fibers
1 Fiberglass Roller
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]10 gallons of resin and required amount activator

I still need to get the csm and more resin trying buy in stages more wallet friendly right now. I still need to get wood also. I ordered some ZEC? - Litex? Grinding Disc 4 1/2" S/C 12 GRIT HD Disk hopefully will make the grinding process faster. I also work in a metal shop i run a 2000 watt cnc laser we do powder coat and sandblasting so i have a good deal on safety equipment. I was wondering is there any way incorporate metal into my project. I have thought of making a swim deck out of some aluminum then coating with a non slip of some type. I wish i could just cut the transom out of metal lol.[/FONT]

 

[mxcobra]

at harbor fright you can get 40 grit flapper disk for the 4 1/2 grinder, this I found to be the best, and your going to need alot of them. making things out of metal definatly aluminum is good. the problem is, you will need a good backbone in the boat to bolt yourre parts to. the reason being it poly does not stick to metals very well. I have seen bandaid transom fixes with aluminum but in the long run its not going to hold up as well at outdoor ply and glass, I used 1.5 oz csm and 18 oz woven roven its a little more cost efective then 1708 and laid up right very very strong, also the glass roller dont work out to well for me, I use the 1,1/2 chip brushes also from harboer fright. box of 50 is like 10 bucks you wil need theese brushes to push the resin into the glass.....

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Nick, what type of resin did you order? You might have rushed ordering the resin. Poly resin has relatively short shelf life and you still have a good amount of demolishing, grinding, acetone-ing, wood fabrication to do. I would call them and ask to remove the resin from the order for now until you get closer just in case. Your schedule+Budget is very aggressive. I think you will need more of the two but time will tell.

Marine grade is the best if you can get it without breaking the bank. If not, exterior grade Arauco plywood will be the second best and it will be adequate for the job.
Regarding the cap, you have an outdrive setup so it is very possible that you don’t need to decap your boat. After you remove the dog house (the engine cover) and start digging, we will know for sure if you need to remove the cap or not. Let’s table this for now. Do you have a roller trailer or bunk?


What did you mean when you said "The interior of the boat sides and dash are a leather texture but are fiberglass how do i refinish that?"

Can you explain this a little more? Not sure I understand the “leather texture but are fiberglass” part

No flipping the hull if you can avoid it. Welcome to working on your back and “my legs are killing me” world. You will get used to it

iBoats sells supplies, please start here first. If you need something you can’t find, there are some online reputable places out there you can order from which you probably found already since you submitted your first order.
Also, since you ordered grinding disks, I assume you are familiar with the routine. Take measurement, demolish, take measurement, demolish, measurement take, grind, grind, grind until you start loving grinding. Personal protection, Tyvek paint suits, respirators, baby powder, etc.

If any of this is unfamiliar, just ask. I don’t want to tell you something you already know.

Welcome to iBoats dry dock and to the wonderful world of building your own boat.

 

[nicks66]

This is the type of resin i ordered is from a local placed in salt lake called 3d art. isophthalic polyester resin from what i can find it has a shelf life of around 6 months. I plan on on using it before then. I think picture 6 has a picture of the leather or vinyl look i was talking about the one of the dash with the big hole. I work 4 tens a week so i will have 3 days of good working time each weekend hopefully i can get out on the water this summer some time.i have the floor and foam pulled out now think i'm gonna get the engine out this weekend. I have a bunk trailer but the supports don't seem very long. I really want to get it of the trailer to redo the bunks and side rails. I'm thinking of building a frame around the boat with some 4x4s salvaged from 4x10 foot pallets from work they are all in good condition. then using some heavy duty straps and some come alongs to lift it up a bit then support on ground. Before i was a metal worker i was a framer/remodeler im pretty confident in my building skills and have all the tools. I have done a of research and watched a ton of frisco boaters videos lol. I guess i need to learn how to check out the out drive i've seen people talk about pressure testing them. First what are they testing for loss of pressure and how do you do it lol. I know im asking a lot from myself but that's just who i am. will post more pictures of teardown . also gonna take a million measurements.

 

[nicks66]

what % do you guys usually mix your resin at i have a pdf from my supplier for different percentages just trying to get a little learned knowledge.

 

[jbcurt00]

How long the needed work time is and ambient temperatures determine % of MEKP.

 

[Woodonglass]

Generic answer is Never less than .75% never more than 2%. As JBC stated, depending on various variable any where in between those will give you various working times and different outcomes with the resin mix.

 

[nicks66]

i've been thinking i will probably need a pump i think trying to pour out of a 5 gallon bucket might be difficult. does anyone have any recommendations on where to get one or what has worked for you. also thank you guys for all the help and advice.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Free - Lay the bucket on a work surface with the spout at the top and roll it one way or the other to pour out the required amount. Roll the spout back to the top to stop the resin flow.

Or you could spend a bit of money on materials to make a bucket swivel like GM280

 

[nicks66]

I have some more pics to add to there are some of the stringers and the 12 grit grinding disk and some used books i got off amazon.

 

[2boatsinMI]

Be careful with that 12 grit disc, I used 24 and it was still easy to grind too far. Also if you use a metal cutting disc and cut as close to the hull as possible you'll save some time and effort.

 

[nicks66]

I have some 36,80,120 grits also i just didn't want to spend hours grinding i know i probably will but atleast i can take down the worst fast.i also got some cut off wheels.

 

[nicks66]

That was one heck of a bucket pourer truck drivin fool.

 

[nicks66]

well pulled engine set it up to run with hose and got water on plugs pulled head gasket it looks bad also looks like block has been repaired at one time. looks like metal stitching. And it looks like it has a new crack too. Starting to get discouraged:facepalm:. I wish i would have done this before i got all the supplies . I have some acx coming in tuesday for the transom and deck. So what to do next ? Since i am going to put new transom in what are my options for repowering? If i could find a complete unit on a donor boat could i just fit it in? or should i just find a new project to use my supplies in. The motor i have now is a mercruiser 120 153 2.5L and i believe a pre alpha drive mc 1. I've thought about some jb weld and some new gaskets for a temporary fix maybe for this season but the rings could be bad to lol. any and all suggestions are welcome.

 

[nicks66]