1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

[SlimJPope]

I wanted a project to work on with my grandpa before he's gone and this boat and trailer combo was free from a friends yard. So after many months of research here at iboats.com I decided to go forward on this project! :redface: Any advice or encouragement is very much appreciated as I have no experience with glass work.

I found few small (under 12') boat projects here that detailed how they dealt with a transom rebuild so I thought I would record my effort along the way.





I hauled it to my grandpas where it got power washed and dried over night. Next day I pulled off all of the hardware, then cut out out the seats. I wanted access to the bow and back corners to inspect/ work on damaged hull/transom areas and because they allow water to get trapped under them.




You can also see the damage to the transom. Next free day I have will be cutting/ grinding that out and getting ready for a new install.


Off to place an order for a few gallons of Epoxy!

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

After reading enough threads I know how much everyone loves pic and more pics

Here are some of the damaged hull areas that I need to address


bow

Back right

inside back right seat


As can be seen from pics above the transom has been exposed to water from above and below, its time to go!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Welcome to the dry dock, SlimJPope...

That is a fantastic looking project and all the more special for the reason you are doing it...

Thanks for the pics...we are junkies for them...that is a nice looking boat...

OK, my first question is, this is a fiberglass boat, right?

Second Q; why are you going to use epoxy instead of poly?

Other than that, we'll be here to help you out any way we can...

Have Fun!
GT1M

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Thanks GT100000 for your interest!

Yes, all glass boat! I would have gone PE or VE and saved some money if it had been less critical. I went epoxy because I wanted a little extra peace of mind when rebuilding the transom and major hull repairs in some spots. I also dont want to deal with the smell of PE or VE. Another plus is that there is no gelcoat to fight with so Epoxy seemed OK as I have to paint it all anyway.

My goal for the next week while I wait for my order is to track down the 3/4" A-B grade outdoor siding for my new transom

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Very cool, sounds like you have a good plan worked out...

Looking forward to your progress...

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Don't forget the Safety PPE. Did you order some cabosil and some milled fibers for making filler and filleting material? What weight cloth will you be using?

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Hey woodglass, Big fan of yours!

PPE was a full suit, mask, gloves and glasses today. I looked like walter white from breaking bad. I still have itchy wrists as I type this though.

I ordered 2.5gal system of 3-1 epoxy, 5 qt of cabosil, 5qt of farring compound, 13 yards 38" 3/4 CSM,

Grandpa has a huge roll of 54" light woven cloth and few yards of 6" heavy cloth for tabbing I plan on using too

I started the tear out by using the air powered cutting wheel to cut the edges and bottom of the transom free from glass. Using shallow 3/4" cut with my skill saw I cut down the transom to make smaller chunks and pulled the loose layers of ply free. I then realized that the back laminate would pull fairly clean off the back so I directed my attention there. With a hammer, couple slotted screw drivers, and prybars I got most of it free. LOL grandpa was walking by with a garden edger that a borrowed and it worked like a charm for the deepest parts.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Once the transom was free and I cleaned up some edges I turned my attention to old hull repair that failed. I ground through the hull and found a large bubble or void where water went though the top of the crack and had lifted/ ruined the bottom side of the patch.



I'm not sure If I should grind from the outer hull side and get ride of crappy areas altogether or just glass from the inside and deal with the outer hull after? What do you all think?

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Looking good Slim...

You can grind out most of the damaged areas from the inside, make a majority of the repair, then when you are ready, you can flip the hull, grind out the rest of the damage till you get to your previously done good repair and finish it up...the main advantage is keeping most of the outer shape of the hull intact to be better able to work on it when flipped, and gives a good backing to the inside repair...

But, you could do all the grinding and repairing in one shot if you want to, also......when you create the breach from grinding, just support the inside repair from below with some tape, cardboard and wax paper...

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Great to hear that I can leave the hull surface on to keep the current form. I was really hoping that would be the case.

One question I have is what to clean the surface with after I grind the area. I was planning on getting some acetone but I happen to have a quart of M.E.K. substitute and was wondering if that would work well to clean the surface. If not I'll buy extra acetone when I get some.

Another question I have is should I rebuild the transom exactly as it was or should I use two full length panels. If you look at the pics above you can see that the original transom was a full length 3/4 panel with another 3/4 for the top 6" where the motor would clamp to. I was thinking 2 full panels would displace the weight and torque of an engine better. I was planning on putting a 9hp so I can travel out of the bay and do a lot more fishing. My 12' tin mirror craft is rated to 25hp so I really dont think it would be too over ambitious. I can glass the back area really well when I install the new transom to help with the transfer in load. What do you all think?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

I would use acetone and not the M.E.K. I would double up the ply for the transom too! I agree 100% with GT on doing the repairs on the inside first then flip the hull. You're doing some fine work so far. Keep it up!!!

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Picked up a gal of the acetone from ACE and can easily grab more on my way to work. They even carry real MEK where as Home Depot didn't because people had been using it to make meth :facepalm:

Going double ply for the full length of the transom and glass around the area really well. Just need to find a use for the MEK sub that I bought on accident for a repair on my sea eagle 9.

The white cap/rail around the boat is awful weak IMO. Originally the oarlocks where mounted into an 8" chunk of 2x4 that was bolted on the weak rail. I was thinking of reinforcing the whole rail with 1/2" ply under whole thing and then add a second layer of 1/2" ply in the areas I play on mounting something? This would be to prevent damage during cleaning/ storing, people boarding/ leaving the vessel, fatigue damage from rowing around, and give me a sturdy platform for mounting the goodies. I was hoping to mounting 2 down riggers with 4 pole holders and have not figured out the best way to reinforce the rear area to accommodate this.

Thanks again for all your help, it make a big difference!

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Ground the surface of the transom skin and beveled the major hull crack. The hull is thin enough that I am thinking of adding a layer of glass in the bow and back seat areas in addition to a few layers on the hull bottom just to prevent premature failure. After inspecting the white cap it looks to be 1/8th where as the hull is only about a 1/16th and if I reinforce the joint it should hold up to most wear. Another day of grinding and I'll be ready for the new transom!

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Well it's been awhile, I had to catch up on work and then the name sake of Seattle kicked in. It's been wet and raining for over a week and forecast says at least another week. Really glad I have epoxy now so I can work inside without fume issues. Called around and finally got my sheet of 3/4 marine plywood, $93.

After cutting a cardboard template I realized that the original transom was a 3/4" full length and some 1/2" to support the upper portion, not more 3/4". This means that the original metal strip that covers the transom top wont work if I do two layers of 3/4". However I'm also a little concerned about the extra weight all in the back could cause issues getting up on plane. Since I was planning on getting some 1/2" normal plywood to rebuild the seat I was thinking of just using some of that instead of a second 3/4" marine, but that seems like it could hurt in the long run. I did find a place that could sell me half and quarter sheet so it's possible to get a piece of the 1/2" marine.... Thoughts anyone?

From the pics above you can see that when I opened up the bow seat there are exposed screws from the keel strip. I was going to pull these out and fill the holes with peanut butter, then add a layer of faring compound to cover with glass. The idea is to add just enough thickness to not punch all the way through the hull when adding new keel strip screws. It wouldn't hurt to thicken the bow around and under the waterline.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Right, another day grinding in the rain but that's still progress none the less. Bought the 1/2 marine plywood to match the original depth and make things simple in the long run. Next day of work will be on the transom by wetting and adding peanut butter before clamping the pieces and hope they hold. I forget to get milled fiber to add to my peanut butter so I thought I might just cut and shred up some cloth to make some loose fiber. While that is drying I can keep grinding the back in preparation.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

Another day of work, got the transom together and the back almost ground out enough for installing the new transom, back seats, and the cap. I cut some of the fibers by hand too long and they tangled up and made lumps in my peanut butter that I had to pull out. I only pulled out about 1/5 of the fiber I put in so I'm happy enough with that.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

wow its been awhile since I've updated anything. Seattle weather lived up its reputation for about 2 months and then I had a small surgery that kept me off my feet. I have been working hard on my boat and today I'm taking a break and updating my progress.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

used a band saw to cut out most of the transom, and used a scroll saw for the tight spots, got the surface wet to penetrate the wood



mixed up some fiber and cabosil to make peanut butter that I spread around heavy, then I clamped the tacky wet side of the transom to the area prep with peanut butter.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

So transom was glued in but then weather and health got in the way until about April. I did alot of grinding when I could and at the end on the month I glassed in the transom better with a layer of 3/4 matt and 6oz tabbing,



patched the major hull issues



and added a light layer of cloth to one side in the back, which was silly as I ended up sanding most of it off just to prep the surface.

 

[SlimJPope]

Re: 1970 11.5' glass rebuild, transom, seats, hull repair

In the bow I added 2 layers of light cloth and some 6oz cloth just to reinforce this area for trailer and dock accidents