Restoring an old bass boat.

[BridgetKF]

I am restoring a Mark Twain bass boat. The motor and electronics are gone and while the hull is completely intact and seaworthy, save a few small spots where the motor had been attached and the plug for water drainage is dry-rotted, it's actually not bad. It just needs a really good cleaning.

I'm in the process of cleaning it and intend to give the inside a good sealant job to be on the safe side. But any suggestions would be useful. I have pictures, but it shows just what kind of rough shape the boat was in when I got it. It actually looks a bit better, now, since it's out of the weeds. And, like I said, it IS seaworthy, no big holes, no cracks, no dry-rot.

It's a 16 ft hull that I'm working on to get it back onto the water. I would love suggestions, thank you.

 

[matt167]

you call it seaworthy but it appears gutted.. Moss around that transom guarantees it's rotted.

The good thing is fiberglass does not rot and as long as the boat is still square, half of the work is done for you. You just need new deck, stringers and transom

 

[Redtruck12]

“No dry rot”
What about WET ROT?
Looks like nothing a few hundred hours and a few thousand dollars can’t fix (not including an engine)

 

[BridgetKF]

I don't have a few thousand dollars. The hull is intact, and yes it's fiberglass. I'm aware the flooring is gone, and the wood is probably going to have to be replaced. But at least the fiberglass hull is completely intact. Like I said, I'm new to restoring old boats. I'll send pictures once I've cleaned it up more. The transom is fiberglass, too. I know I have to replace the stringers and the deck. The deck will actually be the easiest piece since I know someone who's willing to help. I had a friend take the boat over to a nice deep pond and we tested to make sure it floated even under load. We used bricks not people. With the drain hole plugged, it did float and held the equivalent of three grown adults worth of bags of bricks. He has a lift to lift boats in and out of water so we had it attached in case it started to sink. So it will, at least, float well. But I'm aware there's a lot of work to be done. So advice would be appreciated. Like I said, I don't exactly have a lot of money. So I have to do things little by little as I can afford it.

 

[matt167]

The actual transom core will be plywood, or it was plywood. It needs to be ~1.5" thick and is usually 3 laminations of 1/2" plywood or 2 laminations of 3/4"

Expect 2-3k at the minimum to restore that hull and then you will still need everything else. Motor will be at least $1k rigged for a 20-30hp 2 stroke just strong enough to push it around. steering controls will run $350 and you need a dash and at least one seat at that so another couple hundred. It was a dumped boat so your investment will be far upside down

 

[Woodonglass]

Based on your pics and what you're wanting to do...I'm 100% certain this restoration will take a Minimum of $2k. If you don't have that much to invest, you need to rethink the project.

 

[BridgetKF]

Oh, in the long run I'm expecting 2 to 3 k for the restoration as I put it back together. But that's bit by bit in total. Not all in one lump sum. And it's surprising what you can find for free. I've got a friend that, if he can make it up here, can do electronics and steering for me for free once I get to that point.

 

[BridgetKF]

I wanted to upload a picture of the work I'm doing so far. It's taking time, and I have a lot more work to do, but it looks good so far.