fiberglass repair transom hull

Okay, first a little history....

My girlfriend bought this boat as a gift for me at a local auction without my knowledge (I was 800 miles away at the time). By the time I found out about it, the deed was done and the papers signed. The good news is that she only paid $200 dollars total for the entire rig....the bad news is that she is in love with this boat. Part of it is because it was at the time her first "big auction" buy and part of it is because she knows I love the water.

1975 Ankor Craft 17' boat and a 1975 Chrysler 90hp
The boat was last registered in 2010, but I don't know when it was last on the water.
The engine seems sound and looks to need very little if any work to get it in running order.

Now, I have a slight bit of glass experience and have access to more experienced people if need be. I have lots of time, so that is no issue. I do not have an unlimited budget, so I need to be as cost efficient as possible.

What it boils down to is this....in your opinion, is this boat worth the rebuild? Before you ask, the transom is mush and replacement is a "no brainer"

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Personally, Unless you just can't say NO to your girlfriend, OR you just want a project that will cost you 200 hrs of hot, sweaty, itchy work, as well as $2K ...I'd cut my losses and look for something more desirable. That hull and motor are NOT High on my list.

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Everything below deck is probably mush to go along with the transom too.

For sentimental value, it's probably worth restoring. Your GF needs to realize that this boat is going to take time and money tomake seaworthy and safe... but when you get done with it you'll have a like new boat for a very small fraction of the cost of a new boat.

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Appreciate the replies, but she's a lost cause. I peeled back the carpet today and needed to go no further

Gonna get her drunk on wine this evening before I break the news....

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Kapitan Frosch said:

Appreciate the replies, but she's a lost cause. I peeled back the carpet today and needed to go no further

Gonna get her drunk on wine this evening before I break the news....

Click to expand...

That makes you smarter then most of us

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Since you own it, I'd continue taking it apart, slowly. The knowledge you'll gain about how most boats are built, how & where to look for signs of problems, could be very valuable.

If the Chrysler has ANY salvageable parts & pieces, sell those off might cover most or all of the cost of the boat. Since Chrysler parts are hard to come by, somebody, somewhere, could probably use them.

Welcome to the donor boat 'boat rebuild fund' filling program :watermelon:

Windshield, boat, motor or trailer: pull off & sell anything & everything you can. Even the trashed fold out seats could be used to make patterns of all the base & seat construction, as well as patterns for new vinyl.

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

No worries about the original cost of the boat, the old evinrude trolling motor is selling for half of what she paid for the boat. I do like the look of the chrysler motor though, and may decide to hold onto it if I can get the prop reworked and if the compression is good (despite their unreliable history). I love the old style engines, mostly because they are simple enough to work on I guess.

Thanks again.

Re: fiberglass repair transom hull

Well, I'll tell ya... you could buy a boat a decade or 2 newer and pay thousands of dollars for it and still be faced with the same repairs.

If you're going to buy/own a boat built before the year 2000, the best way to buy it is to buy a rotter for dirt cheap and restore it. This way you'll know what you're getting, and like I mentioned before you'll get a like new boat for a very small fraction of a brand new boat. You'll also know your boat inside out.

Even if you don't have much or any fiberglassing skills, you'll still do a better job of rebuilding your boat than they did on the assembly line at the factory and the quality will be better than when it was new.