1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Greetings all.

My wife likes to fish, and I want her to be able to go where the fish are. Well, OVER where the fish are. I'd like to keep her out of the drink. Hee. :)

Anyway, I found a little fiberglass boat and the price was right. I know NOTHING about fishing or boating, but I never let that stop me from learning a new thing. One thing that I've learned is that fora like this are wonderful resources.

I need the suggestions and advice of those who have done this sort of thing before. In exchange, I will try to be interesting, or at least not annoying, and will document the process of the restoration of a typical fiberglass boat for posterity... if I can't serve as a good example at least I can be a horrible warning.

I have ordered a book called "The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual" by Alan Viatses, and it should be here in a few days.

I would really appreciate it if y'all could be the brains, and I can be your eyes and hands. We can play "Spend Goodluckfox's Money." :)

Here's my most recent video. 1965 Crosby Sea Sled Restoration Part 02 - YouTube

Question: How can I tell whether the blue stuff is gelcoat, fiberglass, or more paint?
Question: I have tried EasyOff, and it affected some of the paint, but not other parts of the paint. Why? What I am worried about is thinking that the blue is gelcoat and that it can be found in all parts of the boat when in fact maybe it's not like that? I am worried about messing something up, thinking I'm removing paint when I'm in fact getting into the gelcoat. Can anyoone look at my video and let me know what I'm facing?
Question: What do I need in order to remove the paint and strip this thing down to gelcoat? Feel free to suggest specific products and tools. EasyOff doesn't look like it's going to cut it.

I realize that it's possible that there may be things that a shop is going to have to do. I'd like to do as much as I can to cut down on expense, and so I can learn how to Do A New Thing.
 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

If you can post some pix that'd be helpful, vids are often difficult to access, particularly from the office :rolleyes:

If you put acetone on a rag & lay it on a surface you're unclear whether it's paint or gelcoat......... Bubbles & soft, its likely paint.... No change it's likely gelcoat...

Like I said, pix would help. You can't post too many. Open a free photobucket acct & copy the IMG
Code:
 for any pix you want to post, and paste it in your post.  It will look something like this:

IMG]http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg61/1960GlastronFireFliterestored28.jpg[/IMG]

And get posted IN your thread instead of as an attachment, like this:
[IMG]http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg618/jbcurt00/1960GlastronFireFliterestored28.jpg[/IMG]

Welcome to iboats!

Look up Patrick's thread (Pmccraney), he's in your neck of the woods & has some fiberglass boat experience, despite his current tin rig dalliance....[URL="http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/1988-sea-nymph-gls-17-a-574287.html"]
1988 Sea Nymph GLS - 17'[/URL]
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Don't get too concerned with the paint just yet, you need to check your structural members (transom and stringers) for rot first. This will involve drilling 1/4" or so holes in them and checking the shavings for dark colored or wet wood, if the wood shavings come out light colored and dry your wood is good.

You want to wait to do the painting until after all of the heavy work is done so you don't mess up your nice new paint job.

By the looks of that home made deck on the bow I'd say you may have issues with the structural stuff.
 

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Don't get too concerned with the paint just yet, you need to check your structural members (transom and stringers) for rot first. This will involve drilling 1/4" or so holes in them and checking the shavings for dark colored or wet wood, if the wood shavings come out light colored and dry your wood is good.

You want to wait to do the painting until after all of the heavy work is done so you don't mess up your nice new paint job.

By the looks of that home made deck on the bow I'd say you may have issues with the structural stuff.

I have a Photobucket account that I haven't done much with in a long time. I will use that and post pictures.

Okay, so I need to check the structural integrity of this little boat. I had been sort of just assuming for the sake of argument that "hull is basicly good." I mean, I have to start from some point, right? But... the test you describe sounds pretty simple, and knowing whether the stringers and rotten or not would be "a handy piece of information" as Ron White would probably say.

So am I understanding that I'm to drill a 1/4 inch hole somewhere in my transom and look at the shavings to determine whether they are dark and wet or light and dry? Is there any particular place on the transom that would be good to drill for this test? Do I need to make multiple "core samples" if you will? And what do I need to repair these holes I'm punching into this little boat?

Next, about the stringers... those are the wooden framework that the fiberglass hull is sort of built around, correct? Where are they located on my boat? I don't really see anything that looks like that, unless it's underneath the deck... which I have no idea how to lift up or otherwise get underneath to inspect the stringers.

This particular line of inquiry looks like it has a high risk of turning this otherwise functional boat into a pile of boat parts awaiting individual attention before being turned back into a boat again. I... I really don't want to do that. Not right now. I mean, I don't want the little boat to collapse in the middle of the lake with my wife in it, but at the same time I'd like to at least get a season's worth of fishing out of the thing before I literally tear into it. That's why I'm concentrating on cleaning, cosmetics, and "bolt ons". Sandpaper and power tools and cleaning agents and mechanical systems are something I'm pretty comfortable with and I know I can do them in a fairly timely manner.

I found a youtube video that talks about debonding and delamination on boats.
Boat Stringer Inspection - YouTube

So I guess what I'm asking for the moment is:

1. Where to test the transom, and what to use to repair the holes I drill?
2. How to lift the deck to get at the stringers to test them?

I'm just going to hope that this test shows good(ish) wood.
 

Pmccraney

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 26, 2011
Messages
1,734
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Hey there:
Nice to have another iboater from Jackson....
Another tip: you can imbed your videos in the post by clicking the little "film reel" icon (second from the right up there^^^). It will open a little dialogue box and you just paste your video link in there...
Shoot me a pm if you ever need some help.

Oh, yeah, another tip: Get a metal boat :) (much easier to restore than a glasser).. [that's a long running debate/inside joke on here]..
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

1. Where to test the transom, and what to use to repair the holes I drill?
2. How to lift the deck to get at the stringers to test them?

Drill the transom from the inside, 3 holes should be enough. Drill down low, one hole port side, one hole center, and one hole starboard.

The bad thing about a fiberglass boat is you can't usually check the stringers without cutting a large hole in the deck. Check your transom first, if you have rot in the transom you'll need to remove 2 or 3 feet of your rear decking to replace the transom... then you can check the stringers.

Rotten transoms are bad:
bustedtransom.jpg

This boat didn't even make it to the water on one trip.

IMAG0145.jpg

This boat barely made it back to the dock it took on water so fast.

If you want to get out on the water fast with little expense, buy an aluminum boat... they're much easier and cheaper to work on than fiberglass boats.

I'm guessing you got that fiberglass boat pretty cheap, there's a reason for that... it needs a lot of work. There's no such thing as a cheap boat.
 

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Hey there:
Nice to have another iboater from Jackson....
Another tip: you can imbed your videos in the post by clicking the little "film reel" icon (second from the right up there^^^). It will open a little dialogue box and you just paste your video link in there...
Shoot me a pm if you ever need some help.

Oh, yeah, another tip: Get a metal boat :) (much easier to restore than a glasser).. [that's a long running debate/inside joke on here]..

Nice to meetcha! :) Watch out, I might take you up on offers of advice etc. :) I'm a member of the GMC Motorhome community, we are all the time helping each other out with our rigs. It works out well for me, since I'm about 20 or 30 years younger than most everyone else; I get to crawl around under their coaches and do heavy lifting, and they provide valuable technical advice and years of experience.

I see that I'm not the first person to restore one of these boats: There appears to be a thread by user "i386" where he brought back a complete basket case. So far I have learned that I don't have stringers! :) So far, that thread and his pictures are an excellent "worst case scenario."
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Don't let jng scare you. Do you know how the boat was cared for and maintained in t.he past? I could not tell from the vid so I cannot comment. Post those pics and we can and will guide you. If you're handy you can do all the work. What size motor do you plan on and what kind and size of water will she be fishing?
 

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Don't let jng scare you. Do you know how the boat was cared for and maintained in t.he past? I could not tell from the vid so I cannot comment. Post those pics and we can and will guide you. If you're handy you can do all the work. What size motor do you plan on and what kind and size of water will she be fishing?

I bought it from a guy off craigslist who got it from a friend, used only on their family farm, etc. It looks like somebody at some point took the time and effort to repaint it, but other than that... I'm going to go with "not a whole lot of maintenance" in its past.

The plan is to use it on the Ross Barnett Reservoir (aka "The Rez") here in central Mississippi, a 33,000 acre lake. It's more longish than it is wide, so land won't be too far away.

One of my RV buddies has a 1960 Johnson Seahorse 18hp set up for console control, and it's allegedly a strong dependable motor, and I'd love to have a vintage outboard with "character" as long as it's not going to leave us stranded in the middle of the lake. It's just the thing for this little boat, I think, as long as it runs well. When I can figure out a way to get it from Orlando to here, I'll get it. He got it for a hundred bucks, and sold it to me for that with the stipulation that I do the same if I get rid of it, and give it a good home (it was used to teach Boy Scouts their boating merit badge or some such, and had been in the family for a while).
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

18hp motor will not torque the boats transom much. Stringers are under the deck and are similar to floor joists. But they ARE the most important structural part of the hull. If there are NO soft spots in the deck and the trasnsom core samples comei out light colored and dry then IMHO you should be good to go. Get some pis with good lighting and we can help evaluate much better
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

I'm not tryin' to scare ya glf, these are just some things all new boat owners need to know when buying an older fiberglass boat... "Hope for the best, but expect the worst".

As you can see from i386's pics it's not really that hard of a job to make a safe boat out of the one you have.

... and you do have stringers of a sort in 4 places"
crosbyboat1paint_zps5a2d8d33.jpg


You can see the wood grain of them in this pic:
crosbyboat2paint_zps521952ac.jpg


The floatation foam that fills the V's in your tri hull is probably waterlogged and needs replacing, saturated foam adds a lot of weight to a boat and slows it down... but most imporstantly, saturated foam doesn't float and if your boat gets swamped it will sink to the bottom.

It'll take some time and money to restore your boat, but it'll be well worth in in the end.
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

The thing about your boat and most of those old entry level tri-hulls is that they don't have a bilge drain, they only have deck drains. This means that any water that gets between your deck and your hull is pretty much trapped there forever because there's no way for it to drain out. This saturates your foam and rots you wood below deck. In your youtube vid you show a patch on the bottom of the hull at 2:49, this isn't a good sign that your foam and wood are in good shape below deck... and there's no telling how many penetrations are in your deck until you pull the carpet up, and there's no guarantee that your plywood is even fiberglassed under that carpet in a boat that old.

These are pics of the deck drain in i386's folder:
crosbydeckdrain1paint_zps3d446d84.jpg

crosbydeckdrain2paint_zpsfd6f7354.jpg


I found this pic pretty amusing in that same folder:
crosbyroachspraypaint_zps2b64fd77.jpg


There's another member here doing a restore on similar design boat and he complained of a big roach problem when he was taking his boat apart:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...n-outboard-who-knows-what-trailer-586483.html
As you can see, his boat was/is in pretty bad shape too... and it's 11 yrs. younger than yours.

This is another old boat with the deck drain and no bilge drain design that's an ongoing project here:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...repair/1963-elgin-restoration-588520.html#top
 

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Ok, let's see if this works...








You said that I couldn't paste too many pictures...

So far:

Trailer hitch for wife's car: $300
Boat and trailer: $400
Tires for trailer: $100
Trolling motor, battery, anchor, lines, and assorted stuff: $400
Replacement wheel for bent trailer wheel: $130
Carpet, new trailer jack with wheel, cushions, tie downs, trailer lights tester, and some other stuff: $150

Boat has not yet even SEEN water.

::EDIT:: Oh, only 6 images per? Ok, here is the photo album for anyone that curious...
http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u10/goodluckfox/1965CrosbySled/
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Trailer hitch for wife's car: $300
Boat and trailer: $400
Tires for trailer: $100
Trolling motor, battery, anchor, lines, and assorted stuff: $400
Replacement wheel for bent trailer wheel: $130
Carpet, new trailer jack with wheel, cushions, tie downs, trailer lights tester, and some other stuff: $150

Boat has not yet even SEEN water.

Yeah, that's a steal!!!

When you finish adding how much your boat costs you all total... start dividing the pounds of fish you've caught out of it into the cost of the boat, it'll take you a long time to get below $25 per pound for fish.

... btw, you can't put a price on safety... and the fun you'll have in a safe boat will be absolutely priceless!
 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Nope, can't ever post too many, 'course iboats has a 6per post max...

From photobucket, copy the IMG
Code:
 and paste it in your post.  Then pix appear nice & big IN your post instead of as attachments.  The IMG [code] looks like this:
IMG]http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/1965CrosbySled/CopyofP1210210_zpse2561292.jpg[/IMG]

And the pix appears like this:
[IMG]http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u10/goodluckfox/1965CrosbySled/CopyofP1210210_zpse2561292.jpg[/IMG]

Hope she loves it & you both gets LOTS of use out of it!
 

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

Had our maiden voyage today... learning to back the trailer down the ramp was an adventure. There were a dozen pickup trucks with trailers in the parking lot, and then there was our little Honda subcompact car. It looked ridiculous amongst all those duallies and big pickups. The little trolling motor got us (slowly) from the ramp at Tommy's Trading Post to the Highway 43 bridge over the Ross Barnett Reservoir. The inside of the little boat stayed dry; no leaks were found, and my wife enjoyed herself immensely. No fish were caught. I need to find someone that knows crappie fishing to go with us and act as a guide. :)
 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

If you put your steering hand at 6 o'clock on the steering wheel, just push your hand the way you want the rear-end of the trailer to go...

Turning the wheel clockwise pushes the back of the trailer to your left...

Counter-clockwise pushes it right....

Don't over steer, small corrections..... back up slow... Practice in a Walmart parking lot... WAY out, where they don't bother to put up the light poles....:) pull up between the rows of spots & try to back into 1.... it's got lines to make it easier to tell how your doing...

And teach the Admiral launch & recovery from both the tow vehicle & the boat. It may 1 day be required, or she may want to 'gasp' take her boat out w/ you...
sSig_eeksign.gif


The guys in the duallies & the triple axle trailers started somewhere..........

Great news on the trip, no leaks & she enjoyed it!
thumbsup.gif

No fish were caught.
That's why it's not called 'Catching' :rolleyes:
 

satx78247

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
117
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

goodluckfox,

NICE.= ENJOY.

yours, satx
 

goodluckfox

Cadet
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
20
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

How much sanding can one do with a piece of sandpaper before its not usable? I chose a small test section of the boat and started sanding it with 160 grit sandpaper using a sand paper block. Underneath that white paint is some pretty blue gelcoat. I didn't remove very much paint at all before the sandpaper felt like it wasn't removing any more white paint from the gelcoat.
 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
Re: 1965 Crosby Sea Sled restoration (present for wife, need advice, with VIDEO)

160 is pretty fine... It probably didn't take long at all to wear it down or clog the paper.... Start more aggressive & use wet/dry paper... Try 100G if it's too fine still, try 80G-60G-40G until you find 1 that cuts the paint......

Add a few drops of Dawn dish detergent to the water & put it in a 20oz bottle w/ a hole in the lid, for use as a squirt bottle to keep the surface wet & wash away sanding debris..................
 
Top