pcmpete
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2009
- Messages
- 328
Just picked up a 1974 Glastron V187 Swinger with a Ford 302 and volvo drive for $100. I bought it just for the motor for another project.
The more I looked at the Tri-Hull the more it's lines grew on me so I decided to do a complete rebuild/restore.
I have built R/C aircraft and Helicopters from Kits and plans for over 20 years so I experience from building things from the ground up and making them work, so restoring a boat should follow similar practices and techniques.
The Project:
The first thing I did was to fire up the motor and test it's compression. All good so far, bar an idle problem that a tune-up should solve when that time comes.
All the guages work
Steering silky smooth with a nice steering wheel
Throttle/shifter cables and controls work smooth
Nav lights work.
All these items will help the budget on the more important parts.
Speaking of the important parts, the stringers and bulkheads and anything else that 'was' made from wood is shot. I spent two hours with a hammer and shovel to remove the wood. Some people should not be allowed to play with fiberglass and wood at the same time.
This is never a good sign
Next is to start grinding out any remaining wood from the hull, then pull the motor.
I have never done a boat rebuild before so I have a few questions/ideas I would like to run by the iBoats crew:
1. How important is it to brace the hull when the top is removed? My plan is to replace just the three stringers without the top on, (stringers go under the bow deck which is part of the top) then refit and align the top before i fit the bulkheads and floor. Is this a good idea or not?
2. Does the foam need to be replaced? There is currently foam either side of the engine and along the stringers.
3. I plan on epoxying all wood, so do I still need to use marine grade plywood or can I use outdoor plywood from Home Depot/Lowes?
I am sure I will have a lot more questions as I progress.
I am going to document my project on this thread and update photos on
The more I looked at the Tri-Hull the more it's lines grew on me so I decided to do a complete rebuild/restore.
I have built R/C aircraft and Helicopters from Kits and plans for over 20 years so I experience from building things from the ground up and making them work, so restoring a boat should follow similar practices and techniques.
The Project:
The first thing I did was to fire up the motor and test it's compression. All good so far, bar an idle problem that a tune-up should solve when that time comes.
All the guages work
Steering silky smooth with a nice steering wheel
Throttle/shifter cables and controls work smooth
Nav lights work.
All these items will help the budget on the more important parts.
Speaking of the important parts, the stringers and bulkheads and anything else that 'was' made from wood is shot. I spent two hours with a hammer and shovel to remove the wood. Some people should not be allowed to play with fiberglass and wood at the same time.
This is never a good sign
Next is to start grinding out any remaining wood from the hull, then pull the motor.
I have never done a boat rebuild before so I have a few questions/ideas I would like to run by the iBoats crew:
1. How important is it to brace the hull when the top is removed? My plan is to replace just the three stringers without the top on, (stringers go under the bow deck which is part of the top) then refit and align the top before i fit the bulkheads and floor. Is this a good idea or not?
2. Does the foam need to be replaced? There is currently foam either side of the engine and along the stringers.
3. I plan on epoxying all wood, so do I still need to use marine grade plywood or can I use outdoor plywood from Home Depot/Lowes?
I am sure I will have a lot more questions as I progress.
I am going to document my project on this thread and update photos on
Last edited:
