first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

[proteus_3]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

hey guys thats totally cool.. i'm here to learn and hopefully prevent myself from making mistakes.. considering my audience it would be very foolish of me to act like a know-it-all here, as i'm definitely not one when it comes to boats, which is why i'm here, so don't take anything i say the wrong way.

anyway i was psyched to get this boat for a buck. maybe ignorance is bliss. that means i now have more than my whole budgeted amount to spend because i hadn't planned to keep the motor whether it ran or not, which means i'm 5k + sellable motor up on budget without having to buy a hull. i'm learning that this may not be the best way to go. i figured as a last resort i could sell the motor as a contingency, make a few bucks, and start over. my main concerns/motivations otherwise are as follows:

yes, the trailer is shot. if i kept the boat i would most likely pick one up, they are pretty easy to find here in sw florida. a trailer for me is a secondary concern for the time being as i have a private ramp onto the canal on my property.

i really like the "retro" square shaped look and uniqueness of the tri-hull and i've heard they are more stable to walk around on than other style hulls and that they also plane easier. also most tri-hulls i've seen are smaller and 15ft is as big as i want to go.

i didn't anticipate restoring this boat to be as big of an issue as it's turning out to be. i didn't know the boat could be this bad off but for a buck i didn't particularly care. bear in mind i've learned more about boats in the last 24 hours as i have all my life. i figured as long as the thing didn't have any holes that it would be good to go.

seems to me like i'd have trouble finding another boat that fulfills my requirements like this one does for the price. i know there are lots of boats for cheap, but you generally get what you pay for, and how do i know that the next fixer-upper boat i spend 500-600 dollars or more on isn't going to be in the same or worse shape? if i'm gonna have the risk of paying more initially just to have it rebuilt anyway, i'd rather put out the dollars to have this one done the way i want so i know it's done right. i'd almost rather spend that extra money instead of spending 1-2k for one that's only half as bad as this one as i'd want to fix it up regardless.

i wanted something that i could work on at my own pace. i'd imagined that the plan from start to finish would take 6-8 mos.
i'm not a carpenter nor a boat mechanic nor a master boatbuilder, so i'd not planned to do any of the "under the deck" kind of work. interiors, electricals, mechanicals, accessories, cool stereo, sick paint job, big nasty motor..these things are what i'd planned to add (all the parts you actually see/use).

lastly, i don't want this thing to beat me. telling me that it can't be done usually only strengthens my resolve, however you gotta know when to fold 'em i guess, so at this point i don't know. i guess i'll have to pull up the floor and see how it looks and go from there. maybe at the least i could try to do some of the rebuild myself and if i muck it up just sell the motor and buy a new boat and still make money. i just don't like to give up, and it seems somewhat premature at this point as i've not even had the boat in my possesion for 24 hours. it is what it is though in the end i guess.

 

[Indymike]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

If you've got 5K budgeted for your project and you plan to do all the work yourself and you really want a project...I would look for more boat. That 16' trihull is not a boat for more than 4 people and it's not going to be very fast with a 60 hp motor. The other thing is all that big water own there will be calling your name and you will get the 2'itis real quick. I think a project boat is a great way to start out though. You will learn alot about boats. Look at my journey link below. It's a 16' tri hull and a great boat now. BTW I have about $3500 in it and thats reworking the trailer too.

 

[iwombat]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Going back to the bike analogy . . .

You wouldn't take a rusted out frame and forks and take it to a welder and say "make it all like new" unless you had some real particular attachment to that year and style. Even then, you'd hunt around for one in better condition before making that kind of investment. My guess is that once you pull up the floor and do some digging you'll find something akin to a rusty frame. You may also get lucky though. Checking it all out thoroughly and posting pictures here is your first order of business.

If you're not lucky, and you find rotten wood all the way down to the stringers you're a lot better off hunting down a hull in good shape. You should be able to find a tri-hull in good shape for well under 1/4 what it's going to cost you to get this one professionally brought up to snuff. If you go this route, ask here for what to look for in order to avoid a bad purchase.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

I got bored and only read about half of this. But, my first piece of advice is have a working boat before you start the project. We started our project in may, and due to some unexpected circumstances, we didn't get to it as fast as we thought. Still only about halfway. Really tuff to hear about the good fishing lately and only having half a boat. But finally, we got another boat -- a smaller one -- but it gets us to the lake. Just wish we got it first, so that some times when we did get a couple hours of free time, we could go fishing.

 

[clemsonfor]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Go to the tecnical issuse forum and see the post on how to post pics or do what i do and copy and past the actual link in the text to the site where it is hosted like webshots photobucket, etc. (because they need to be hosted somewhere). Oh i should have said first that the pics do not show up.

And back to what i was saying earlier (my original post did not post and i had to retype it and for got to put this back in) it may have been a conbination of you as a novice with little knowledge conbined with the fact that i and others may have not explained it as well as we should have.

-Nate

 

[steelespike]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Don't get discourged you may be surprised what you find.Just be sure of what you have then make your decision.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Ok...sounds like you want a project...that's great. You have come to the right place. There are 2 types of people on this forum...the "I love to boat...so therefore I need a boat now" and the "I love a challenging project..so it doesn't matter that I will spend a year doing it and WILL spend 3x's what anybody would actually pay for the boat".

From what I have read, you are the latter of the two. EXPECT TOTAL RESTORE. That is, assume that you have a solid hull and ALL the wood is rotted. Here is my advice:

1. Pick up the boat "Runabout Renovation". It is a great intro. Read it. Re-read it. Highlight stuff. Stick the little tabs on the pages you want to re-reference.

2. Find a local fiberglass supply (or fiberglass shop) and talk to them. MOST are more than happy to give advice etc.

3. Patience. DON'T RUSH ANYTHING. Plan everything out before cutting/screwing/drilling/glassing anything. When grinding down fiberglass, GO SLOW!!! You're perfectly good hull is will not be as perfectly good if you cut a 6" long slit through it. (It's fixable..but why make more work for yourself).

4. When in doubt - ask. There are many people here that have done the exact same thing.

5. There may be more than one right answer. There has been epic debates on this very forum as to which resin is "better". You will have to take all advice...research it...then make your own decision.

6. We like pictures. This forum can be alittle tricky posting them the first time... go here to get some help with that http://forums.iboats.com/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=37;gtid=1179789

7. Goto to http://www.shareaproject.com and read up on several boat projects that have been posted there (check out my project from the link at the bottom of this post)

8. Good luck.

-JMW

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Good stuff here Proteus. you should read a little more before you commence. I hate to blow my horn again but here's
my saga about acquiring a cheap boat and doing a rebuild. .

 

[proteus_3]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

ok, just a quick update. after i got home last night i pulled the cover off the motor. when fooling around with the plug before it was almost dark outside, and i was able to see alot better today:

#1 plug porcelain is gone. threads of plug seized in head.
i extracted #2 plug with a breaker bar, porcelain was splintered in most of it is in the cylinder.
i didn't mess with the other 2. at the very least the head will have to come off, i don't think it will "fire right up". at this point i'll probably trade it in or sell it as a rebuild or for parts.

i took some tools and climbed up in the boat.. popped off the small cutout in the floor (i couldn't find any drain plugs on the bottom of the hull). i stuck a 3 ft prybar down between the stringers and pulled. it popped some of the foam and rotted wood out. the foam seems dry inside but is waterlogged about halfway through. i then put the prybar point-down on the floor (which looks like some type of fiberglass laid over wood) and smacked it with a hammer. it went straight through and hit the bottom of the hull, which appears to be solid. everything in between is pretty much useless.

at this point, looking at it in a more rational light, a project of this magnitude isn't what i'm looking for. i'm not willing to undertake this much work when i can buy a nicer boat for much less. i guess i'm more of the 'buy it and put it in the water' kind of person. i poked around online last night and found several boats of this style for sale (running and solid) for under 1k. i think i'm going to go for a nicer boat to start with.. as long as everything under the deck is solid i can build what i want on top.

thanks to everyone for their time/knowledge/advice.. at least now i'm a little smarter about what to look for. i'll continue to read through the posts and i might even ask a question or two, but it looks like project proteus is going to be scuttled pending aquisition of a nicer hull.

thanks again

 

[tmh]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Sounds like a wise decision. Don't be upset though, you can likely make a few $$$ selling various parts on eBay. Anything that is in decent shape can be sold there. You'd be surprised what some items go for. Hey, you paid $1, right? So you'll make a profit with very little work! Nothing wrong with that.

 

[iwombat]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Doncha just hate it when sanity wins out?


On the plus side, I think you just avoided turning "boat" into the word that must not be spoken around the house.

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Good Thinking !!

 

[car5car]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

What year is the motor and boat?

 

[car5car]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Do you want $1 for it? Can you send me pictures?

 

[proteus_3]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

if you'd like to take the boat and trailer off my hands for a buck you're welcome to, but i plan to keep the motor to sell. yes i have pics if you give me your email i can send them to you.

i have a line on a small 13 ft skiff (with no structure underneath the deck to rot) that i can pick up cheap. it also has a similar motor (25hp) that needs rebuilt. i will probably sell both motors as rebuilds and put a used motor on it and run around in the canal for awhile. after i've learned some basic "seamanship" i'll decide if i want to spend more money on a nicer boat.

 

[mike176]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

good idea, ya know anyboat is an ongoin project. every time you go out on it you will find something to tweak, or something might need repairs.

 

[louisianalogman]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

I know some of these guys on here got their info here.They are right on!!I got some of my info the way you're trying to go.DON"T DO IT!!The stringers under the floor usually have a thin coat of fiberglass on them to help protect them.If it's been holding water for any length of time,they are rotten and the fiberglass coating is giving you a false sense of security.I'll bet that the fiberglass on the stringers is all that's holding you up when you walk on the floor.My guess is that you'll be pushing $10,000 by the time you have it all replaced.With the metal on the transom,that could be a red flag as to a weak transom.Take it off & see what you have if you understand what I mean.You can part the motor out & sell it on eBay for a ton of cash to go toward a boat,motor & trailer that you can easily rebuild.I certainly understand where you are because I've been there,BUT,don't turn a deaf ear to wise council.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

If you plan to keep the boat and use it for some reasonable amount of time, then you will learn a great deal and this forum is chocked full of "experts" which I am not. I have never had a "new" boat. My wife says if I did have a new boat, I would probably fix it up first to make sure it is right. You have to willing to try things and accept mistakes along the way. It may cost you extra now and then, but NOT as much as having it done by others. I rebuilt a 1970 Glastron 15ft V-153 that my neighbor and I pulled out of a ditch and loaded onto his pickup truck. He is also the same person who had experience with fiberglass work and would work for beers. We repaired holes in the hull, a cracked deck, rotten stringers and replaced most of the floor. We made the boat safe and used it for nine years before trading on a bigger but older boat. If nothing else, a project boat will keep you out of bars at night! I got to be a good enough outboard motor mechanic that my local dealer asked me to contract out some of his repair and service work. Good luck!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

thanks to everyone for their time/knowledge/advice.. at least now i'm a little smarter about what to look for. i'll continue to read through the posts and i might even ask a question or two, but it looks like project proteus is going to be scuttled pending aquisition of a nicer hull.

thanks again

I think you made a good decision, there. Your $1 boat sounds like no bargain at all. Where you are, there are hundreds of boats for sale all the time. If you can pick one with no wood on it at all, you'll be miles ahead.

By finding a nice small boat to putter around in the canals on, you'll learn about boats and boating without committing to a huge expense. Once you know you like boating, then spring for something bigger, faster, and, yes, way more expensive.

I like the idea of that 13' dingy with the 25hp motor. You can't put a lot of people in it, but you'll have tons of fun and you'll actually be on the water. The boat you got for $1 won't get on the water until next year, if ever.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: first time boater, old boat to rebuild.. in deep water?

Click my link, see what I went through. I like to rebuild and modify things though, so the process was worth it. It sounds to me based on what you have said that you really should look for another boat. So far, you are only out a buck, and you could sell the motor and whatever else and be ahead. With a 5k budget, there is no reason why you can't find a good boat. If I had a 5k budget, I could go out and get an aluminum boat in reasonable condition and use it with little work. If you are really into tri-hulls, there are a million of them out there, and I am guessing you could find one that needs no structural work and still get it cheap. Tri-hull boats are no longer desirable for most people, so they can be had cheap. Also, you need more power to move a tri-hull than a V-hull at the same speeds so you will want to keep that in mind. I have 125 horses on my 17 footer, and the best I can do is 43mph.

If you are really wanting to find a dependable stable boat that is more "assemble-able", you should consider an aluminum boat. As long as the hull is sound, you can bolt or rivit everything in, no stinky itchy glass work. Another factor is, after you do all this work, you could end up not liking how the boat feels. Tri-hulls can have a harsh ride, and that can get old quick.

Lastly, you will burn 3-4k of your budget at a boat shop if they do the structural work, and end up with a boat that has a low resale value. So, do you want to burn 5k on a boat that in pristine condition is worth about a grand, and end up hating it because it rides like heck?

My recommendation: Get the motor running (put a new waterpump in it, it will probably fire right up), clean the debris out, and run the boat as-is. If you like how it feels, and it seems like it will serve your purpose, then go for it. At least this way you are not out 5k before you find out you hate it. There is no such thing as a good deal when it comes to boats. You always pay, and pay, and pay, so you might as well pay and make things easier on yourself...