12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

[oregonboatnewb]

Hey guys, just purchased a 1968 "Ultra Lite XII" Fiberglass boat/motor/trailer combo from a older man who hadn't used it in a long whole... Got the boat home, took up his make shift floor to find TONS of Dry rot in the sub frame... I went out and purchased 3/4 presure treated wood, and some good water proof paint, and calking + roof rubber cement, but before i take it any farther, It was recommended i ask some of you local guru !!!

Also, the boat has a small leak in the hull, i found this out by filling it with water, and it would drip out 1-2 drops ever minuet... Moral of the story... is it worth the money, or should i just keep the trailer/motor, and dump the boat for what i can, and get me some aluminum !

Pictures:

This is my 1st boat, i cleaned out what i could.

Trailer just got new tire, and i rewired the whole thing.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

Here are the spots it was leaking from... they are black (could be from paint being scratch off, or black death mold ?)
The one in front is about 8 in long, only 1-2 in wide

and one alittle bit back

Here are supply's i had planned on useing.

Motor

 

[mthieme]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

Hmmmm.
It's not that big of a job to get her right.
I would probably fix her.
Nice trailer, what is the motor?

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

1982 7.5 evinrude. My main concern would be the weight of the wood/supply's + fiber boat from 60's being able to plane (my boat terms are nubish.)

nothing facny, i tow it behind a E30 emw

 

[mthieme]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

I think I'd spring for some resin over the roofing tar. Innovative thinking though. 3/4" is overkill - I'm thinking that board is about 80# (?).
Yeah, don't plan on winning any drag contests, but it depends on how you intend to user her. If you're running on a small lake, it'll be just fine. I'm guessing she might do 15-20 mph without a significant load.
The motor looks pretty clean.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

my 1st question, before answering, is what do you pay for it? if the trailer and motor are worth what you paid. i would consider watching craigs list, and see if you can find a little 14ft tinney.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

So your thinking take back the 3/4 in, and get some 1/2 in ? the Middle "fiberglass stud" that runs through the middle has drill wholes on the top, from the previous owner putting in his "custom carpeted floor" I think the water is going through these small holes, and thats how its getting to the bottom part.

I found a local guy who is giving me a sweet deal on resin/paint/fiber... does the pictures of the fiber crack look like fiber rot ? would i need to replace the entire area, or just sand it all down hard, and attempt to fiber over it (never done fiber before) I'll go get some better pictures.

 

[mthieme]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

I had the same thoughts as TD at first too.
It appears you are past that point (?).
You can always upgrade and get you're money back out of her - which was my second thought.
Can I ask what the package set you back?

I was thinking 3/8", 1/2" is okay...how heavy are you?
You'll need to clean up what you have there to see what needs to be done.
I'm thinking you might need to use maybe one layer of mat and resin here up.
Hard to tell just yet. Can;t tell if you actually have a crack or whether she's just thin there from usage (beaching - loading - etc.). I'm also concerned about what appears to be ribs showing just above the patched area. Any idea what the deal is with that?

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

I'm 220, my gf is 120, my bro is 210, that is who i would like to be able to boat around... mabey a few more people in the summer time, as we would go exploring with as many as we could fit in !

The gentleman wanted 750.00 for the whole thing, i got it for 450.00 + a .22 rifle that cost me about 150 bucks, 8 years ago... so probably around 550.00... i figured i had to buy it, cause the motor/trailer seem to be worth at least 800 or so.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

looking at the last pics, i would look for another boat, the trailer and motor are worth what you paid. that boat will not hold the 3 of you safely. a 14 footer would be loaded to the max.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

What is the max weight of a 12 ft aluminum vs a 14ft ?

 

[mthieme]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

I agree with TD to a great degree.
You definitely got your moneys worth out of the trailer and motor.
My McKee is 14' and wider - more stable with hard chines (tri-hull) and three adults is really pushing it especially after loading. I think it's good for about 750# (?).
Unless you're on a small calm pond, I don't see three adults in that boat with gear in a safe manner. Two - no problem.
Like TD said, AL would be a good choice. They are easy to come by and cheap unless you luck into a wider 14' glass boat like a Carolina Skiff, Whaler or McKee. I'm thinking between you two guys, the motor, fuel, cooler, you're up to 600# already. If you have a Bass Pro anywhere close by, they have jon boats you can touch and feel along with ratings. Remember the 7.5 still ain't gonna win you any speed prizes no matter what you put it on. It'll get you you there though.

I see the hole pretty good now. That might turn out to be a nasty little patch job. It's doable though - how are ya with fiberglass?. All depends on which way you want to do. If you decide to keep her, 1/2" flooring outta be okay.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

it is not the weight of the boat, it is the weight capacity the boat will safely hold. different boats are rated differently. each boat should have a capacity plate on it.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

The motor is at a local marina getting an inspection... if im gonna get a bigger boat, i might get a bigger motor (mabey 9.9 or 15) so i wanna make sure its in good condition before i sell it...

my fiber experience is zero.

Yeah i understand everyboat is different... but what would lets say, a 12ft or 14 ft valco be able to hold, and run with... again, not looking to set speed records, just want something to put around, and explore a few local small rivers that are (no wake) for the entire thing =)

What should i ask for my trailer/motor if i sell em separably.

The goal is to get as light of a trailer as possible, so i might just sell this one, i'm told calkins are a few 100lbs heavier then e-z loaders are.

 

[mthieme]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

The trailer looks real nice and Calkins is a good name.
Around here it would easily fetch $500 by the end of the week. You might be able to do better - right now things are moving too well (Xmas, economy).
However, if you get another boat, you'll still need the trailer. It looks like 12' is all that trailer is good for though unless you rework it...looks like the tower isn't going any more forward and the boat's already hanging off the back a little.
Motors vary, but it's clean, and if it checks out....maybe another $500 - I'm guessing here.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

there is absolutely wrong with that trailer. at present it will take a 13 foot boat easily. you could change the bunks and put a 14 on it. keep the 7.5 until you decide how it handles what you have, then you might change it.

you mentioned Valco, Klamath built them, here is a rough estimate.

http://www.klamathboats.com/util.html

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

Just got back from the marine shop... they did an inspection, said motor looks pretty good, recommended changing the water pump (as they told me they would with any old motor, that didn't know all its history) A little water in the bottom area, but easy fix just swap out the gear fluids he said...

I don't know much about trailers, but it would seem this thing could hold a larger boat, there is 2ft of extra wood on the back.

Boat i dont know what ima do... i might just fix it cheap, and put around a local river thats no wake, get a 13-15ft for lakes and such for summer time.

 

[oops!]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

ok.....look at it this way......for a noob.....thats 40- 60 hrs work....and the pt ply will need to need to be dryed for a month before it will take resin....(if your fiberglassing).....and thats before you know about the transom.


if you get a tinny.....a quick coat of gluvit......possibly a transom.....and you can go fishing........for years !


your call.


cheers
oops

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

ok.....look at it this way......for a noob.....thats 40- 60 hrs work....and the pt ply will need to need to be dryed for a month before it will take resin....(if your fiberglassing).....and thats before you know about the transom.


if you get a tinny.....a quick coat of gluvit......possibly a transom.....and you can go fishing........for years !


your call.


cheers
oops

Tinny ? (My guess aluminium boat) Gluvit ? Vas is das ? Transom ? Who ein ich habba orchiornabi?

Noob, remember? Are those brands?

 

[oops!]

Re: 12ft Fiberglass Boat, Worth saving ?

heh heh heh im sorry bud......you never realize how fast jargon steps up on you.....

yes......a tinny is an aluminum boat.......

gluvit is a brand name of a material that you repair aluminum boats with ....

and a transom is the part that you hang the motor off......in your fiberglass boat....from the pictures you have.....there might be..."issues" with it.

even though your boat is relatively small....the learning curve is big....you could easily restore that boat.....(fix it)....and it would be better than new.
but to do that you would spend a lot of hours and money....im estimating an easy 400 dollars.

you could buy "a tinny" and repair that one....and be a lot farther ahead....dollars and time wize. you could be fishing this weekend.

however....if you want a "project"....and you want to learn about fiberglass boats and how to repair them.......the "glass" boat you have there....is an exellent candidate.

please forgive my earlier......jargon...

cheers
oops