Repairing Volaro Dart...

Thanks for having me on your forum...
Quick story: Married daughter bought a cheapo Volaro Dart fibre glass boat to have fun with the kids at our local lakes...
Pulled the boat up onto the sandy shore and a wind got up overnight - swamped the boat, which drifted - and sank to the gunnel's... Rescued with the help of 4 strong guys... Now in Dad's/Grand-Dad's back yard - to fix it...
Post Mortem:
(1) Seats and seat frames ripped out the floor and shattered... Probably no problem, my hobby is woodwork; I have Pro-Machines and tools.
(2) Inner-floor/deck is soft and loose - ?stringers appear loose
(3) Mariner Outboard intact and working well
I've read a few forum threads re restoration relating to stringers etc:
This one in particular: http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/savage-avalon-451833.html
Okay... The woodwork aspects don't phase me - but I've never tackled Fibre Glass and Resin before... And never repaired nor restored any boat before... Reading the thread, and looking at the pictures, the fibre glass part of the job looks rather daunting...
I haven't even looked at the transom yet... But I suspect that is probably rotted-through...
I haven't hacked the floor/deck up as yet - inclined towards fitting a false 12mm deck on top of the existing structure and sealing with matting and resin, making new A-frames and refitting existing upholstery, spit and polish, and park out on the front verge "For Sale"...
I don't think the job is beyond me - I have enough tech-savvy and common sense to see me through most tasks... But I do realise (now) that this under-deck work is a BIG job - Dirty, Dusty, and Time-Gobbling...
Daughter (only) paid $3K AUS for the boat... (Actually, Dad paid for it...)
What do Forum members suggest..? Worth the effort? - or Bodge and Sell?

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

I would be leery of selling something you know you is a hodgepodge of repairs without disclosing it. If the stringers are bad the boat is not safe. If you are used to wood working then working with resin is not much different from working with Polyurethane stains. The fiberglass is a little new but sanding and grinding is not much different from sanding wood. Just need more protection and dealing with the itch. If your family is still going to want to use and have a boat and this one fits your needs then by all means fix it and you will have many years of good service from it.

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Jedo_03 said:

- inclined towards fitting a false 12mm deck on top of the existing structure and sealing with matting and resin, making new A-frames and refitting existing upholstery, spit and polish, and park out on the front verge "For Sale"...
- or Bodge and Sell?

Click to expand...

Why would anyone even suggest this on a public forum?

What you have described is fraud, and stating your possible intention could make you liable should you choose to take this route.

Say someone buys your bodged boat and discovers it's in need of repair, then they come to this forum to see if they can fix it and come across this thread... you would surely get your "just desserts".

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Would you like to buy a boat with rotten stringers and not know about it ? Sell it as is and and fill the buyer in on any problems or fix it correctly and keep it ..

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Wow....I wouldn't even have that type of thought in me regarding selling something that's got major issues by covering it up.

Maybe this should be a family project...for everyone involved in using it. It will teach many things as the project progresses. One for the daughter will be how to inspect a boat before purchasing it. Another would be, if you want "toys" you have to work for them.

Post up some photos of the boat and let's see what you're dealing with and then go from there.

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

sphelps said:

Would you like to buy a boat with rotten stringers and not know about it ? Sell it as is and and fill the buyer in on any problems or fix it correctly and keep it ..

Click to expand...

Hmm... Well... I DID buy a boat with rotten stringers and not know about it..!!

But thanks to All for your comments: yes, a rather un-Christian attitude I was displaying there...
Fact remains - the stringers were long rotted when we acquired the boat... PLUS, the Pirate we bought it from is a well-known and long-serving member of our local boating club... (we went on his credentials)... and he would have known the stringers were buggered (says now that he didn't know... and that the damage was all done when the poor little boat floundered on that dark and stormy night... of course)... GGGRRRrrrr....
Anyway: rage over...
Yes - rebuilding is the best option we have... I'm sure the job is pretty well within my capabilities...
I will post pics - but not an awful lot to be seen... The wrecked seats have been removed, and the carpet, leaving the bare deck which appears to be just a loose wafer of Fibre Glass (FG) in places... The seats were secured to the deck, and perhaps the force of them being wrenched out has (further) loosened / damaged the deck and sub-deck...
I have bought a copy of Geoff Webster's "Second Hand Boat Workshop", 3rd Ed which details the "Soft Floor" repair at pp98 (and also the Rotted Out Transom rebuild at pp88), and together with the wealth of detailed info in this Forum, I'm pretty confident to go ahead and remove the deck to assess the innards.
I hope that my previous 'dark thoughts' (twas only a momentary lapse of reason... :facepalm haven't upset you blokes too much, and that I can call on your knowledge from time to time as needed.
First question then: Transom first - or Deck / Stringers first..??
Thanks

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Rip out the deck will give you better access to the transom and stringers for full evaluation. Stringers and transom need to pretty much be done together as the support each other. If you want to keep some support cut out about 6" of the stringers from the stern and remove the transom. Once the new transom is in then rip out the stringers and replace them or replace one stringer at a time. Then the deck goes back in over the top. If your deck is like a flimsy piece of fiberglass more than likely the floor plywood is rotted out and long gone. That wouldn't have been caused by the recent swamping. It might have made it more noticeable but definitely not the cause.

No problems on the lapse we just don't want to see you in a liability situation. I sold a boat before I knew better that was just patched with a new plywood floor and that's the way I bought it. Now that I know better I Advise better in fact the last boat I sold that needed a floor and transom I gave away after I ripped up the floor since then there would be no liability on my part and full disclosure. I think it was being used in a childs playground too.

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Jedo_03 said:

I hope that my previous 'dark thoughts' (twas only a momentary lapse of reason... :facepalm haven't upset you blokes too much, and that I can call on your knowledge from time to time as needed.

Click to expand...

Nah no hard feeling everyone has a laps of good judgment from time to time especially me .. :facepalm:
We just needed to give you a little nudge in the right direction . Post some pics of what you have and the guys here can guide you through just about anything. I would start by building a good cradle for the hull . When the deck comes out it may loose it's shape.
Don,t worry there's nothing on the boat that you can't fix yourself and do a great job on !

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

G'day mate,
just came across while looking for something else...

the good thing about them is that they are a fairly small boat so you won't need a lot of materials,
which model Dart is it?
the one with the sexy hump or the other one,
my sons have both versions, one needs the floor/transom done as they're soft but that one was bought like it,
both were bought as project boats so am looking forward to seeing how you go,

FWIW, they make good little hoon boats for pullin' tubes/skis etc on smooth FW lakes and rivers but they're not bay boats

probably not going to bring much more than you paid after it's fixed up but it's a fun ride fixing them up

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Here is a recent pic of the Volaro Dart that I'm about to restore...

More pics to follow, together with some questions...

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

More Pics...
The seats were wrecked - these have now been rebuilt and are in the shed...
Now to the Boat...

Externally, the transom appears intact...
However, there IS damage to be seen internally...

Inside this well... The surface-covering of the transom is broken - and I can poke my finger into the 'break' and feel the crumbly (rotted) timber inside...
I'm assuming that the Transom is buggered and needs a whole replacement...
In addition, these 'boxed-areas' in the stern are obviously ruined...

The box on the starboard side is used as the battery stand... Apart from that, I don't know what they are for - or whether they are 'structural'
The Deck is wrecked...

The fibreglass sheet is loose - there doesn't appear to be any ply/timber underneath this over most of the rear of the boat...
Although the front section (half) doesn't appear to be quite so bad...
SO....
I'm presuming that I need to remove the rotted transom and build a new one...
and...
Cut out the fibreglass deck and renew the Stringers and the ply/timber and re-cover the deck with fibreglass...
I feel quite depressed at the prospect of attempting this...

I've discovered that it might be better to remove the deck first...
Then to remove short sections only of the Stringers at the rear, BEFORE removing the rotted transom (to preserve the shape/profile of the hull... sounds very daunting...
MY FIRST QUESTION IS: Is that correct..??
AND NEXT: Am I looking at using POLYESTER Resin or EPOXY Resin..?? -and how do I know..??
Thanks in anticipation...

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

This is a great looking project:


If you are in need of a new deck (floor) and transom, it may be easier in the long run to remove the cap (upper portion of the boat, above the rubrail).

To fully access & remove the existing transom plywood, you will need to remove a portion of the rear cap at the splashwell, or remove the cap. On an outboard, the transom ply extends up into the splashwell area along the boat's stern. You can remove that portion of the splashwell only, but this requires a fair amount of fiberglass work that will be topsides & visible. I'd rather my fiberglass work be under the cap & hidden once the boat is put back together....

Great looking rig. Welcome to the iboats dry dock

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Thanks jbcurt - yes, that's the method I have in mind... many others suggest this too...
Brace the hull... Remove the cap... Cut out transom... Cut away portion of rear deck... Cut out 6 - 12 inches of stringers at rear... Make and fit new transom... Replace cap... Remove remainder of deck... Remove old, and fit new stringers (encase these in F-Glass)... Fit ply deck... F-Glass to seal deck...
Sigh... More easily said than done...

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Thats one very cool looking runabout ! I like the raised gunwale caps .. When you cut the old transom out make sure you cut the inside skin and avoid cutting the out side . I know it seems like a lot of work ,which it is , but once you get it back together and all pretty again you will be glad you made the effort .

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

Jedo_03 said:

Am I looking at using POLYESTER Resin or EPOXY Resin..??

Click to expand...

Poly resin is much more likely to have been used to fabricate your boat originally, rather then epoxy..

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

sphelps said:

Thats one very cool looking runabout ! I like the raised gunwale caps .. When you cut the old transom out make sure you cut the inside skin and avoid cutting the out side . I know it seems like a lot of work ,which it is , but once you get it back together and all pretty again you will be glad you made the effort .

Click to expand...

Thanks for that info: A Useful suggestion...
It makes good sense to cut-out the transom from the inside - preserving the outer (cosmetic) appearance of the boat...
This will be my first-ever time to work with fibre-glass and resins... And when I'm finished and replace the cap and deck... well, my efforts will all be hidden...
Just the kind of info a newbie needs...
Thanks again

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

jbcurt00 said:

Poly resin is much more likely to have been used to fabricate your boat originally, rather then epoxy..

Click to expand...

Thank you for that info...
And welcome news...
Polyester resin appears to be much more friendly on the Retirement Funds than Epoxy... 100% difference here in Aus...
I'm putting together a 'starter' ordering list of what materials I think I need...
Just contemplating the Transom job initially...
Plyboard: 5ply or 7 ply..? Pressure Treated or not..?
I'm thinking the "sandwich" method: Resin coated Plyboard / Resined Glass mat / Resin coated Plyboard:
sphelps has made a great suggestion to cut-out the transom from the inside, preserving the outer skin...
So I would need to consider 'how' I'm going to bond the "sandwich" onto the preserved outer skin - and also how to bond the "sandwich" internally to the hull... How do I do that to ensure it's bonded strongly enough..?
My ordering list, so far:
Resin (Polyester), Catalyst, Glass mat, Chopped Fibre, Acetone? - Vinegar?, Rollers, Measurers, PPSI's...
That seems to be the minimum requirements...
Of course - I won't order anything (or cut anything) until I've consulted with the forum...

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

The consensus seems to be to avoid pressure treated because it isn't dried and you could have some major adhesion issues with the fiberglass. Good quality ACX exterior ply will be fine.

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

you will get excellent advice here about doing up your tub
just noticed the wrong spelling...it's Volero,
anywho, the one that we have with the soft floor is the same as yours...has the same 'boxes' at the back...though 'ours' are in better nick...think they add strength?
other model doesn't have them but that one is only rated for a 65...yours is 85, even though it is the same length/width hull...just has a different cap,
try ebay for FG and resin supplies, walk in joints like Whitworths are excellent, BCF is ok but not as good, staff not really into fixing up boats,
you need to get proper rollers to roll the resin into the fibreglass matt, not paint rollers
go into a newsagent and look for one of Websters mags that covers doing up and repairing FG boats, can't remember which one it is atm but it's worth getting to read on the dunny

lots of these tubs around, a good paint job sets them off

Re: Repairing Volaro Dart...

This will be very helpful:

"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

Of particular note is the transom clamps for gluing the transom ply onto the inside of the exterior glass transom skin