1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Well guys i got this boat i knew before i bought it .... it was a little bad but when i opened it up i was shocked but im not to worried im sure i can do it.

I paid 320 bucks for the boat/Trailer/Controls I needed the Controls for a motor and they work ... so thats an easy 100 bucks saved

Again im Replacing Stringers/Deck/Transom

Plan is to layit all out like WoodOnGlass says he dose his stuff.

CSM/PB/1708 All poly resin

This will be my first build and working with glass but im sure i can handle it and i have all the tools and a few good buddy's who can cut some straight lines.

I think the reason the stringers rotted was due to the bilge was to high and the water would just sit below and not drain there are no holes for the water to enter the bilge area i dont know if this was done by the MFG but it wont be like this again ..

I plan to put 1000.00 in the restore deck/stingers/transom/ext paint job and the inside floor.
for 1k i wont find a boat that will come close to how solid this boat is in my area .

I have the space and all the tools all i need is a little money and alot of time .

Wish me Luck

Rob.
Let me know what you guys think and if you have any idea's post-em up and thanks for taken a look.
Pics Below.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Welcome to iBoats!
I saw your post on Boatnuts thread. I'd highly recommend you build a cradle for your boat to do the rebuild on. The cradle should have padded 2x4 runners that support the "V"'s in your hull. When the deck, stringers and transom are all out the hull will be a little flimsy and can flex. You should take a LOT of measurement right now so you will have them when the new construction starts. It must all be the same of the top cap will not fit back on. Looks like you're making great progress. You can also use nylon straps around the boat to keep the hull from flexing once everthing is out.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Wood has you pointed in the right direction, for sure. These classic glastrons are cool boats with a loyal following, so this is a good project boat...see classicglastron.com if you haven't already.... Also plenty of good Glastron resto threads on this site as well.

I will say 1,000 will be a very tight budget on a full gut resto... I have spent about 1100 on fiberglass supplies alone, and I know I will still need more resin, pour foam for the sub-deck, wiring, durabek or other deck coating, new vinyl for seats, etc... I also spent a few hundred on plywood. You need the right tools if you don't have them (grinder, sawzall, etc...), plus misc like safety equipment (resp, goggles, tyvek suits) and cleaning solvents, rollers, brushes, pales, etc... Your fg supplies will be a little cheaper if you have a local supplier and don't have to pay shipping... By all means, go ahead and start, but plan on trying to save at least another grand to get you to the finish line.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Pmccraney said:

I will say 1,000 will be a very tight budget.

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To be 100% up front and honest i i threw the budget out the window... i will never sell this boat for reasons im going to explain. this is my first project for my son and my self and my father .im 29yrs old and never did anything with my father growing up he was busy working 2-jobs and taking care of my sick mother for the last 15 yars. She passed away in 2009 (46yrsold) and she asked me to spend more time with him and my son 4hrs before she passed on.

I worked over the road for the first 5 years of my sons life (hes almost 9 now) so i didint see him much now i get to take him to school everyday and pick him up.

Now back to the boat LoL~!

I have everything respirators ,suite's u name it i have it here.I just went and bought 20 2x4's they are always good to have and i guess ill run down and grab some padding and glue it on the 2x4's.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

As far as the glass and mats

1.5 Chop Stand Mat 30ft for $30.00
1708 biaxal 10yrds for $80.00
poly resin with the catalyst $150.00

So its not to bad i guess cheapest ive found and its only 10 miles away.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Rollinunknown said:

To be 100% up front and honest i i threw the budget out the window... i will never sell this boat for reasons im going to explain. this is my first project for my son and my self and my father .im 29yrs old and never did anything with my father growing up he was busy working 2-jobs and taking care of my sick mother for the last 15 yars. She passed away in 2009 (46yrsold) and she asked me to spend more time with him and my son 4hrs before she passed on..

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2 additional, great reasons to restore a boat. Sounds like you hit the trifecta: (a) a classic boat that a lot of folks are drawn to; (b) a father-son project; and (c) and a boat you want to keep forever.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Not much work done on the boat today but i did get to bring my father home from the hospital yesterday finely!!!! He's probably got about 3week's to a month for his recovery .

Well he pretty much begged me to go to the shop and look at the boat.

To be 100% honest i did-int what him to see it in its current shape lol i at least wanted to full gut it first . He walked up and said man its gonna be nice when its done ... i was shocked lol to say the least.

Anyways the game plan tomorrow pull the front cap and finish gutting it and start the cleaning and prep.(grinding cleaning grinding and more cleaning lol)

Heres a pic of what it lookd like before i started removing everything.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Rollinunknown said:

As far as the glass and mats

1.5 Chop Stand Mat 30ft for $30.00
1708 biaxal 10yrds for $80.00
poly resin with the catalyst $150.00

So its not to bad i guess cheapest ive found and its only 10 miles away.

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What kind of Resin? No wax I hope! You're gunna need around 15 gals before you're all done. You're gunna need 5-10 more yds of CSM. 4 1/2" grinders with a rubber back up pad and 24grit resin coated sanding discs. Lots of Acetone. I highly recommend you do a LOT of research and reading here on the forum.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Woodonglass said:

What kind of Resin? No wax I hope! You're gunna need around 15 gals before you're all done. You're gunna need 5-10 more yds of CSM. 4 1/2" grinders with a rubber back up pad and 24grit resin coated sanding discs. Lots of Acetone. I highly recommend you do a LOT of research and reading here on the forum.

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Trust me ive been reading my butt off ... im just sitting in the house taking care of the old man till hes able to get back on his feet.I been on here reading at least 12-15hrs aday ... sometimes till 4am cant sleep much gotta keep an eye on him for the next 6-7days then we are in the clear and the boat gets all my spare time when im not working.

I figured 15-20 gallons and its no wax Polly resin ill get the exact brand and stuff and post it .
The guy said epoxy resin is a huge no-no when it comes to boat building so he said the same thing as everyone els on here ... well almost everyone heheh.

Ive been learning how to lay it out were you don't want the resin to puddle up due to it kills the strength of the glass. Keep it thin but also cover it as well ... and make sure no air bubbles and make sure its completely soaked.

Ill probably buy 65yards of the csm since its so dang cheap im sure i use a bunch for other stuff as well.
and 40-45 of the 1708 since im going to lay-down a layer of 1708 on the hull .

** Also i got my hands on 3 15" Thick Twin Memory foam mattress im going to cover them in plastic and sit the boat down on them that should be the best thing even better then the padded 2x4's. Ill post pics when i get it on the ground.

I have tons of 4.5" Grinders im a Tuckpointer so that's why i have the respirators and stuff .
Right now i have about 35 60grit flap sander disc's i might stop in and grab some more cut off wheels for my air cutter then i should be good to go.Ill look into the rubber backed one's thanks for the heads up.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

I got the front cap off today found some good and some bad no biggie .

The problem is im 6ft 300lbs walking on a fiberlgass hull ... Shes not cracking or makeing any sounds but the hull dose flex a tad when i walk on it . Dose anyone els have this problem or is it just me ?....

The plan is once all the grinding is done and everything is clean i will set my 3 stringers down then lay out the 1708 down on the hull for more strength but for now im just worried.

She's sitting on 3 Twin size Memory foam mattress and they aren't even 50% compressed so i know that's good .

The hull will be striped and cleaned tomorrow by around 8pm im sure ....and then all i have to do is pickup the wood&glass supply's then the fun times start I will post pics tomorrow night .My old man is gonna swing by and help me trace down a few problems with some non working lights that have not worked in 15years lol.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Good find. My brother had a similar Glastron a little older than yours. He beefed up the transom a bit and ran a Johnson 115. We skied countless hours behind it. We even ran it completely aground on a sandbar in the Missouri river on a foggy night. It took about all night to dig it out enough to float it off (points for a little boat!). They are tough boats and a good choice for a first project especially if you figure for $350 you more or less bought a trailer and it just happened to have a boat on it.

Just my 2 cents as you begin your project, I would not go nuts and buy more materials than you figure on using at each stage, or during week or two at the most if they are convent to acquire in your area unless you are getting some killer deals buying in bulk. I have a body shop and will not buy resin or even fabric/mat in bulk any more. I use a lot, and use it almost every week. I've probably thrown away 1000's of dollars worth of the stuff over the years. As for solvents, you'll probably do good buying those in 5gl cans.

If you are still thinking about padding... since you are in construction you might know some people that do carpet. Most boats your size sit on trailers with bunks usually wrapped with carpet. Especially since you are looking to build a 'temporary' rack, I would re-purpose some carpet that is headed to the dump along with any other 'free' materials I could scrounge up and put the savings towards doing the interior.

Since you have cleaned it up have you poked around with an awl? It may not be as bad as you believe. Maybe that boat is bigger than I think, but from the amount of materials you plan to lay into her It sounds like you are going to have the meanest little icebreaker around.

Hope your dad is doing good, and have fun with the project.

Re: 1977 Glastron T-178 Rebuild.

Well im back at it ... Been working and dealing with my family i almost said the heck with it and cut the boat up but ... I went and bought all the tools and extra lighting to get this thing back on the water . Ill be removing the stringers and transom tomorrow ill post pics as i go.

The transom on this boat is crazy ... Its gonna be fun.