Glastron V196 restoration

[Dennischaves]

Does anyone have any info on a 1971 Glastron V196 aqualift trihull
I recently bought one and I'm going to do a complete restoration

 

[jbcurt00]

What kind of info are you looking for?

 

[Dennischaves]

I would like to know how good these boats were and how they rode in the ocean considering its a trihull
I will post pictures soon of my progress

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Sounds interesting. I don't have any experience in this type of boat, but I'll ride along.

 

[Woodonglass]

You might find this informative...

http://www.classicglastron.com/gl-aqualift-web.html

http://www.classicglastron.com/68gl-aquallift-II-article.html

 

[ezmobee]

Glastrons were one of the biggest sellers in their day and had innovative hull designs. They were a mass production boat and not built particularly well. You will not fair well with one that spent any time outdoors uncovered.

 

[Corjen1]

Cant wait to see some pix!!, my hull is an aqualift design, I love it, but it will never see the ocean....

 

[MILKWEED]

Welcome, I will second what others have said about not being built real well, but that also makes them fairly easy to repair and you can improve the original shortcomings as you go. I'm rebuilding a '72 V 153(Transom, stringers and deck) and will be done shortly, its my first rebuild and has taken about 2 months of working on it afternoons and weekends. Your boat is 45 years old and if it has not been redone at all before you can probably expect to replace the transom, stringers and deck, simply because they were not originally covered in glass and time and water ruins everything. Again, its not hard to do if you are a little handy with woodworking and can learn fiberglassing. This forum is full of knowledgeable folks who will gladly help answer your questions and by using the search tool, also youtube has a lot of videos. Post some pics, old Glastrons are cool looking boats.

 

[Dennischaves]

This is the boat i got a great deal I already have the cap off I got the deck and transom out already
I do autobody for a living so this is a fun project ...unfortunatly I live in massachussetts and its getting to cold to work outside

 

[kcassells]

More pics my man...more pics! Looks like a fun project boat. You came to the right place.
Welcome Aboard.
KC

 

[Dennischaves]

This is what I have done so far

 

[Woodonglass]

You need to brace the hull sides. It WILL deform with out it. Hopefully you've taken lots of Pre-Measurements for the width of the beam at the deck level and the top cap level. It's VERY important to ensure the hull is in the exact same configuration as it was before demolition. If not, it will be very difficult to re-fit the top cap.

 

[Dennischaves]

You can't see it in the pictures but I did
I measured the with of the hull before I took the cap off and I cut 2x3's and I screwed them in supporting the sides from opening up
I installed 7 2x3's for support
Thanks for the tip woodonglass
Also what's maximum time I can let laminating resin dry before its to late to put another layer on ....will it eventually get to the point that I would have to grind it?

 

[Woodonglass]

Good job on the bracing. Depending on temps, humidity, and contamination factors (dust etc..) you're ok for another layer of resin and glass for up to 72 hours.

 

[Dennischaves]

Thanks... I'm asking because I'm making the new transom already and I'm going to seal it with csm and resin but I won't be able to install it until the spring
I will post some pictures of the bracing

 

[Woodonglass]

I'd advise building it and not applying anything until you're ready to install. All you need to do at install time is to give the backside a good coat of resin and the edges and then apply the PB to adhere it to the outer skin. Not saying you can't go ahead with the glassing, but it's really not needed.

 

[Dennischaves]

I was planning on using PL adhesive to glue the transom to the hull then tab it. I see a lot of people use that stuff .....but would pb be a better option

 

[Woodonglass]

IMO yes. The PL is a PITA it takes a Minimum of 72-96 hours to fully cure. Develops Air pockets and resin and glass does NOT like to stick to it. I'd use PB and Never PL. It has been used with good results, but for boats I prefer to use Fiberglass products and leave the Construction Adhesive to house building.

 

[kcassells]

Concur!!:joyous:

 

[Dennischaves]

Ok thanks for the advice
Now aproximatly how much should I order for materials, csm,1708 and resin?
I want to put a csm on the deck plywood top and bottom and how many layers should I put on the bottom and the top of the deck?