14' Lakeland project

[Nick51786]

I just picked this 1994 14' Lakeland tiller up today. Boat, motor, and trailer cost me $350. The motor is a 40 horse evinrude. Not sure of the year anyone here give me a rough guess by looking at it. I haven't tried starting the motor up yet was told by previous owner that he had it out on the water 3 weeks ago and it ran good. I'm new to this site and fixing up boats. But for the price figured I couldn't go wrong. I don't know how much I plan to do to it . From what I can tell without pulling up the carpet yet the only real rotten part is where the center seat pedestal is. Looks like someone tried cheaply fixing it by screwing a piece of plywood there. Rest of the boat feels pretty solid. I plan on pulling the carpet up and getting a better look at everything this weekend. Anyone give a newbie any helpful advice. Thanks nick

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Hi Nick and welcome,
Post up some pictures of what you have to help us see what you see and be better able to give advice...
Get a free photobucket account, load your pics there, then click the IMG tag next to the fullsize pics, and post them here in your reply...
Good Luck and have fun!
GT1M

 

[Nick51786]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

I just picked this 1994 14' Lakeland tiller up today. Boat, motor, and trailer cost me $350. The motor is a 40 horse evinrude. Not sure of the year anyone here give me a rough guess by looking at it. I haven't tried starting the motor up yet was told by previous owner that he had it out on the water 3 weeks ago and it ran good. I'm new to this site and fixing up boats. But for the price figured I couldn't go wrong. I don't know how much I plan to do to it . From what I can tell without pulling up the carpet yet the only real rotten part is where the center seat pedestal is. Looks like someone tried cheaply fixing it by screwing a piece of plywood there. Rest of the boat feels pretty solid. I plan on pulling the carpet up and getting a better look at everything this weekend. Anyone give a newbie any helpful advice. Thanks nick

Couldn't figure out how to add pix from my phone so hear is links to my boat
Photo by nickhallenbeck • Instagram
Photo by nickhallenbeck • Instagram
Photo by nickhallenbeck • Instagram

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Hope for the best... but prepare for the worst. If there's one rotten spot on a boat there's usually more, and carpet is a hider and promoter of rot.

... but for $350 if the motor runs you got a heckuva deal.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

The Lakelands are pretty nice little boats, light weight and ride well. That 40hp Evinrude is a horse and am guessing a mid 1960's.

So get started and show us what ya got!

 

[Nick51786]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Planning on starting the project tomorrow , ill take lots of pics and post them as I go. Yea I found out the year of the motor it is a 64, hopefully I can get to try firing it up tomorrow. Could someone tell me what the mix ratio is for the gas? And what's a good way to clean up the outside of the hull? I can't wait get started and see what happens!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Mix ratio is 50:1

I'd buy a new impeller for that motor, it'll be $20 or cheaper for just the impeller or $40+ for the kit. Lots of vids on youtube that show you how to change it and it's a very easy job the second time you do it.

Also drain, check, and install new lube in the lower unit (foot) Check for a milky appearance (means water intrusion) and metal filings. Also change the "O" rings on the drain and vent screws.

What are your plans for the inside of the boat? Leave as is for now and fix up later?

 

[Nick51786]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Thanks ill watch some of those vids and make sure to do that! Well it seems like there is a lot of wasted space on the sides I'd like to utilize some of that space and make compartments for rods and tackle. I know after doing some cleaning today that the center of the boat is rotten I haven't torn the carpet up yet but from my first glance were i tore some wood up the stringers do appear to be in decent shape. So maybe ill get lucky and it won't turn into a complete nightmare lol here's a couple pics after a few mins cleaning destruction pics to follow
Photo by nickhallenbeck • Instagram
Photo by nickhallenbeck • Instagram

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

The heck you say? A glasser? From the first pics I thought it was a tinner!

Well, it's not a real big boat so whatever you have to do to it won't be as costly or time consuming as a lot of the other f'glass projects on the board.

 

[Nick51786]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

What thickness of plywood should I use on my floor? And I was just planning on coating this with resin? How long will this take to dry once applied?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Is the floor soft and mushy??

 

[Nick51786]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Yea the floor is soft in spots, mainly in the center of the boat. Was gonna tear up the floor and put new plywood down but was not sure what thickness to buy. I only checked a small portion of 2 of the stringers and they appear to be solid I'm sure ill get a better idea tomorrow when I start my tearing apart. I'd really love to have this done within the next week is that asking to much? It's not a huge boat and if the stringers are as good as they appear I'm hoping it won't be a difficult and long process

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

Unfortunately it sounds like you want a tinner tear out and build back in an f'glass boat, but it doesn't work that way.

This is how your deck should go back in:


There's the high probability of saturated foam below deck and stringer and transom rot toward the aft of the boat since that's where the most water accumulates. The wet foam and water weight will slow your boat down and the rot makes your boat weak and less than seaworthy. Wet foam also isn't buoyant and will actually help your boat sink faster because of the added weight instead of float in case of an accident.

Your decking thickness is probably 1/2" plywood supported by foam... if there's foam in your boat it supports the hull as well as the decking.

If you just want to get on the water fast and aren't really concerned with your own personal saftey or the safety of your passengers (wear PFDs) you could slack-azz in a slob fix by pulling up your carpet and then throwing down a cheap sheet of 1/2" plywood over top of the rotten mess to cover it up and screw it down to anything that may hold a screw, then throw some cheap carpet on top of it to get you through the season and do a proper restore during the off season. Be warned though that by doing this you'll trap any moisture below deck and this will cause anything that is good below deck now to deteriorate even more quickly than before, the cheap new deck will also absorb this moisture and rot quickly too.

If you choose the slob fix I suggest you keep it to yourself and don't document it here, but come back and document your proper restore at the end of the season.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

To do it right is probably going to take more time and expesne than you anticipate even if the stringers are still in great shape..

Those are very nice lil boats and I'd recommend doing it right the 1st time. You wont be sorry by doing it that way either. Also you will most likely find that those boxes on the sides are filled with pour in floatation foam and also suggest you leave it that way. There should be very little foam under that decking as it's all in the side boxes.

 

[Nick51786]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

I plan on doing it the right way, I want a boat that will last me many years and be safe for me and friends to enjoy. My first question how tuff is it to fiberglass? And I've read about plastic boards similar to plywood isn't much more then marine plywood. Does anyone know where I can get this? Also how about is there anything like composite decking that would work for stingers. Tearing into my boat I realied my stringers aren't much more then 1x6 boards it appears. Sorry these may be stupid questions I'm not sure just looking for alternatives that I don't have to worry about getting wet and rotting.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 14' Lakeland project

I plan on doing it the right way, I want a boat that will last me many years and be safe for me and friends to enjoy. My first question how tuff is it to fiberglass? And I've read about plastic boards similar to plywood isn't much more then marine plywood. Does anyone know where I can get this? Also how about is there anything like composite decking that would work for stingers. Tearing into my boat I realied my stringers aren't much more then 1x6 boards it appears. Sorry these may be stupid questions I'm not sure just looking for alternatives that I don't have to worry about getting wet and rotting.

Those aren't stupid questions and many have asked and explored those same questions here in the past.

I really appreciate your attitude of want to build your boat right and have it last for many years... too many people on here just want to slap some crapola together to have it only last for a season or 2.


As far as the composite materials, yes they're available... but are very expensive. Take Coosa Board for an example:
coosa board prices - Google Search
$328 for a 4'x8' sheet of 3/4"

That is more than triple the cost of this pressure treated marine grade plywood:
3/4" Marine Treated Decking
This plywood will comes with a lifetime warranty and will never rot even if it gets wet (I have the same plywood in my boat).

As for boats getting wet and rotting:
A boat that is taken care of will last a lifetime without rot, one that is neglected will rot and age quickly.

Keeping your boat covered and dry when not in use will extend it's life significantly. Providing drainage for areas than can hold water will also extend the life of your boat.

Boats can get wet, but they also need to drain and dry out too. Constantly exposing a boat to unneseccary water and moisture is the folly of many boaters and their rotten boats.

If you spend the time and money to restore this boat it will give you the incentive to take care of it and that's all you'll need for a boat that will last many years.


As for the difficulty of fiberglassing, it's not that hard... but you need to study and research it before starting to keep from making rookie mistakes. That's where this forum really comes in handy, there's a huge amount of info on this subject here. Read the different restoration threads and watch the videos that some have (there's also good vids on youtube) study the subject and ask questions here for any answers you may need.