1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

[devon84]

Hello everyone,

I have been procrastinating starting this thread for a couple of weeks now, seems like every time I log on I end up reading for about 4 hours and never get this up. So here I go.

I just got out of the military and moved back home to Southwest Missouri, my home. I my house is only a few minutes from two lake and I've always wanted a boat. I spent a good many hours searching craigslist and reading lots of info here to see what I was getting into. I grew up in this area and have been around boats on and off my whole life but this will be my first boat and my first experience working on a boat so I tried to be as knowledgable as I could before I jumped in head first. It was looking bleak and I started to think I wasn't going to find anything. Seems like everyone these days wants you to pay top dollar to haul off their trash. I finally had a breakthrough and found someone that wasn't trying to sell a junk heap as a lake ready boat got it super cheap and everything was out in the open. I knew I had an extreme project on my hands but the price was right and it was exactly what I was looking for. I love the style of the old tri-hulls and the early Glastons are my favorite.

This what it looked like when I got it home.


I am actually stuck on that hill, it had started raining on my way home and the grass was slick.


The PO had removed the deck which I found after a lot of cleaning and research was the original from the original.






More to come,
Devon

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

1st and foremost ..

With the deck already gone you're halfway home!!! First order of business is to build a cradle, decapitate her cut the stringers and transom out, grind her down and start the restore. The first link in my signature below has some good info and the list below should be a good start...

It's impossible to give an exact "Quote" of everything you'll need but this list will get you "Started" and from there, after you've done some "Glassin" you should have a good idea of what you'll need to "Finish"

Here's the Starting List.


?
PPE

Respirator (Full Face Preferred $100) if not then double filtered 1/2 face and Goggles with vents taped over.
Latex Gloves (1 - 2 Boxes)
Leather Gloves 1 Pair
Full cover Hooded Tyvek suit. Rubber Band or Tape the Wrists and Ankles and put a wet towel around your neck.
Talcum Powder (coat yourself TOTALLY with talcum powder prior to every grinding Session. USE A LOT)

Equipment

Prybars, Hammers, chisels, Putty Knives
Flat tipped shovel to remove foam, Old Carpenters Saw (The Old Fox Hole Army Surplus Shovels work well)
Circular Saw
Sawzall
Dremel Tool
Router
Drill
Random Orbit Sander (80 grit all the way to 180 grit)
Rasps, Files
4 1/2" Grinder with Backup Pad and 24 grit resin coated sanding discs
Masking Tape
Shop Vac for dust control or Dust Collector if you're fortunate enough to have one. It's good to create a Plastic Tent over the boat to contain the dust. There WILL be a LOT of it....A LOT!!!!

Product

3 sheets 3/4" Arauco Ext. Grade Plywood
You may also need som 1/2" and some 1/4" for seat bases and side panels.

15-20 Gallons 435 Polyester Resin
4 Gals Cabosil
1 lbs 1/4" chopped strand fibers
25 yds 1.5 oz CSM
15 yds 1708 Biaxial Cloth
2 dozen 1 qt plastic mixing buckets
1/2" x 5" Fiberglass "Bubble" roller
2 Dozen Stir Sticks
2 dozen Short nap 6" nylon roller covers and trays
2 dozen 3" Chip Brushes (cut 1/2 of the bristles off

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Thanks Wood for the hardy welcome.

I have read all of Jays threads completely and all of the Judges treads. It was a lot of info and I'm still a little over whelmed but got the outside of the hull cleaned so I could get a good look at the condition of the gellcoat and I've done some testing with paints on the trailer.







The splash well and the bow are to only places I could not get the stains out with liquid clay bar.




This is the stain from the first owner glueing carpet to the bow to hide his multiple failed attempts at scewing trolling motors directly to the glass.

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Just more Pics of my cleaning progress.









In Jay's SeaRay thread he was looking for a way to get the carpet glue off, when I worked floor covering this is how we did it. When the glue is old and with no heat get it a little wet with cold water and use a putty knife or scraper and it should break away from the surface. Some areas will be tougher than others. I prefer to use this style multi tool.

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Here is one of the colors I have chosen for the trailer. I chose the tongue for my test but this will get stripped bach to bare metal and properly cleaned, primed and painted.




After letting it fully cure I tested it for durability you can see the scratch, I really had to go at it to get it to scratch and it still didn't go all the way through.

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Here is the O/B remote control its in really bad shape but is original and I'm hoping to be able to use it and the original motor.




I hope my fab skills are better than this lol.


All the mounting hardware was like this, I'm going to use all stainless hardware.


I don't have any pictures of the O/B yet but as soon as I get to time to build the stand and start tearing it down I'll start a thread for it in the engine section.

Thanks for reading guys,
Devon

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

I'd like to know your exact cleaning processes/products. She cleaned up nice to be so dirty!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

She cleaned up nice to be so dirty!

You got that right!

I'm very impressed with your cleaning detail! I'm guessing there was a bit of "elbow grease" in there?

Looks like you're on your way to a fine resto, I'll be watching this one because it looks like you may be a little OCD like me.

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

I'd like to know your exact cleaning processes/products. She cleaned up nice to be so dirty!

You got that right!

I'm very impressed with your cleaning detail! I'm guessing there was a bit of "elbow grease" in there?

Looks like you're on your way to a fine resto, I'll be watching this one because it looks like you may be a little OCD like me.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I am very OCD everyone I know calls me "The Perfectionist". It makes the Admiral mad cause it takes me twice as long to do anything around the house lol.

Well my process for this was a little more aggressive than I like to be but its very simple and lots of elbow grease. First I rinsed off as much as possible with the hose (no pressure washer because I was unsure of what shape the gellcote was in). Then I used regular automotive soap scrub through the dirt (I originally started with a microfibre sponge but after getting a good sized area cleaned I found that 13 years of build up had caused a thin layer of oxidation on the gellcoat so I switched to a non abrasive scotchbrite sponge). Once all the dirt and buildup of gunk was off I let it dry till its was just barely moist then I spread on the liquid clay (this stuff is great its basicly an old-school rubbing compound with two additives one is just soap and the other is a wax remover) and let it dry on the surface, it will look like chalk dust on the surface. At this point I did a lot of prep, I got two clean and damp microfibre towels ready and as soon as its dry I scrub it off with small circular motions (wax on wax off) till the surface is nice and smooth, its like exfoliating the surface. Most of the gellcoat was in excellent condition but the keel and a large spot on the starboard side are really bad, it looks like lots of beaching and the PO had raked it on the side of a dock or a rock I'm not sure so I'm going to re-gellcoat the entire hull now.

 

[jb93]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Get you a container of Bar Keeper's Friend (powdered cleaner like Ajax). Sprinkle it on wet hull and on your wet green Scotbright pad and go to work. Takes off all stains - including rust. Go easy on the scrubbing as you will see some of your gelcoat white foaming up. It is kind of like wet sanding the hull I think. I cleaned up an old hull that way and it worked awesome on the rust and stains. You can pick up cheap at Wal Mart.

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Excellent! My boat is nowhere near that dirty. I may try this before a buffing and see what I get!

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

I just want to be clear, even though I am not new to fiberglass work, I am new to boat repair and I do NOT take anything that the veteran iboaters say lightly. Yes there is alot of gellcoat on this boat that is in great condition, and I was trying to fool myself into believing that I could though a few quick fixes on and be on the lake, but after I got down to the nitty gritty I stopped lying to myself, there are numerous weak spots in the hull, the gellcoat is cracked, scraped, and chipped, it needs new stringers, the transom is rotted through and the list gets longer everyday. Forty years of neglect has rendered this boat unsafe not only for me and my family but for other people on the water. Everyone needs to realize the risks they are taking by putting unsafe boats on the water. I have been reading more and more about why can't I do this, why can't I do that. The fact is you would not drive your car if your brakes went out, so why do argue about putting your boat on the water with a rotten transom. in the same fashion if your tires are so bald the steel belting is showing you get new tires, but you want to argue about replacing rotten stringers. I am not here to start a debate and would love for all the seasoned iboaters (Jay, Wood, Oops, Judge and I know I am forgeting a few) to help me on my journey. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone but it seems like no one wants the truth anymore they just want some one to pat them on the back. Well I think thats all for tonight.

Devon

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Ok so I have been pondering how I'm going to restore this boat back into better condition than it was new and add a modern twist to it. Keep in mind I am going to have this boat for the rest of my life and never plan to sell it. This is what I want to do, since the hull is week and I want to give it some extra strength without adding a ton of extra weight, on the bottom of the hull I want to put a single layer of carbon fiber with epoxy resin (for strength as well as the modern look) and then on the inside of the hull do a layer of 1.5 oz CSM and a layer of 1708 with poly resin. Then I was wondering if I can use gel coat on the epoxy resin to off set the carbon fiber look so the hull is not entirely carbon fiber. I will try to get a design drawn up so you can see what I'm talking about. Any feed back is greatly appreciated.

Devon

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Nix the Kevlar, 1708 is more than enough. Get the Floor, Transom and stringers out and the hull all ground down and post some pics. We'll be here to guide you through the process. When you're done she WILL be better than you and something you can be proud of.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Then I was wondering if I can use gel coat on the epoxy resin to off set the carbon fiber look so the hull is not entirely carbon fiber. I will try to get a design drawn up so you can see what I'm talking about. Any feed back is greatly appreciated.

Devon

What WOG said ^^^ and I'll add that gelcoat doesn't go over epoxy very well, adhesion problems....

 

[Auger01]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

What a great find! There is just something special about those old glastrons. I look forward to following your progress on the restoration. I just finished a similar project. Those windshields go together like a puzzle, so I would be happy to share what I have learned about them if you need help.

Epoxy is great stuff, but gelcoat won't stick to it unfortunately.

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Thanks for the info everyone. It's going to be a while till I can really get any progress done, but it will happen once I get a steady income. I have been calling around to the marinas here in the Tri-lake area but it seems like no one is willing to hire. I would take minimum wage to clean up shops or anything to get some experience, but no one is interested. I am so anxious to get started but my military pay has come to an end and the Admiral is pregnant again and won't be able to go back to work till after the baby is born (she is a nurse).

thanks again,
Devon

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

What a great find! There is just something special about those old glastrons. I look forward to following your progress on the restoration. I just finished a similar project. Those windshields go together like a puzzle, so I would be happy to share what I have learned about them if you need help.

Epoxy is great stuff, but gelcoat won't stick to it unfortunately.

The only issue I'm having is that the center is overlaping I'm thinking it is the hull flexed in and I am hopping when I build the cradle I can correct it. The PO had it suspended with straps after he removed the deck.

 

[devon84]

Re: 1974 Glastron V-140 Skiflite full restoration!

Ok so I've been neglecting to update on the '74 because I got a job as a truck driver and it kind of took a back burner to my newer boat. Anyone following this please check out the other two threads in my signature I need tons of advice!

The newer boat!







Yes, that is me paddling back to the ramp after burning out the coupler!