1976 Glastron T156 Overhaul!!! Flooring/ seating/ hole repair/ painting help !!!

[NWBoats]

Hello All,

I just recently came into ownership of a 1976 Glastron T156 for a minimum amount of money; to say the least, it needs a little work. At the time of purchase it was operational. The actual purchaser of the boat bought the boat for the motor then basically handed the boat to me. I like have the project to work on but as for most, the money situation is tight so I am looking to save pennies where I can, but at the same time having a quality product. I do have a little experience repairing boats, I recently bought a '68 MonArk McFast and replaced the floor and did minimal fiberglass work.

SO, back to my current project that I need some guidance on:

Floor - I will attach a picture, but there is a floor but it seems to need maybe another sheet of plywood? I want to know what is the cheapest wood I could get a way with using and yes I do plan on putting carpet on the floor.

Seating - The boat has no seats behind the console. I want to put in a single seat for the driver and I want to build a bench seat on the passenger side and along the rear of the interior of the boat. Nothing fancy, literally all I want to do is make the bench seats from scratch. My plan is to put a couple speakers under the edge of the front of the seats. So, my question is, what is the cheapest wood I can use to make some durable seats and yes I plan to put some padding and having them wrapped when finished. Also, side issue I just thought about, do you think the sheer weight of the wood will cause an issue with how the boat floats and drives?

Holes/cracks - The boat has some gashes in the hull (not complete holes), some cracks from old age and it does have some possible old screw holes in the topside. I plan on removing the remaining snaps on the top side for what I can only assume would have been for some sort of cover at one point and filling those in along with the cracks and gashes. Do you think these holes can just be filled with bondo? Or do I need to use something else? The one problem I can foresee would be the fact that some of the holes are under the rail so I dont have access to the back side. And in the one picture you can see where they put in a fiberglass patch, I plan to correct it, but I will need some advice on how to paint it.... See next paragraph below.

Painting - I really want to repaint this boat; I want to come up with my own paint scheme, but I am thinking it may be too large of a task. Let's assume I muster the courage to try to repaint this boat ..... is there a type of paint that I can get away with using or do I have to use marine grade paint. YES, I KNOW, marine grade is the SMARTER route to go here, but I am not necessarily worried about long term. At most, I want to get a year or two out of it then sell it. I read on another forum that a guy used some Rustoleum spray paint and it worked out pretty well for him. Thoughts?

I know I asked a lot of questions and I appreciate any and all help and yes I know, you get what you pay for ..... :happy:

 

[bradinwnc]

Good luck man, I hope you find something solid under the deck. I didn't have that luck myself.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Holy laundry list NWB !

Well ok..let see here..deck wood. You can use cheap outdoor ply ( 30 bucks a sheet ). Resin coat it then a few layers of mat should do the trick.

The bench seats would use the same wood as the deck. Im assuming that you're carpeting them too. Yes..they may affect the boat ride. Depends on how much weight and where. The side one probably wont do much..but the back one might. Consider taking it out for a ride before you build the rear bench..then add a few bags of sand,bricks or a side of beef to the back end and try it again. If its ok..then build and slap the bench in.

No..no bondo..for the love of god please no! You can use marine tex to fill them little guys..sand and buff ( they wont color match..but it will save you a few bucks )

That glass repair. Well..if its an ok job but just looks like crap then fair it out. If it has to be re-done..well you know the scoop on that ( grind and glass ).

You know that Marine paint is Smarter eh? Well..not so fast there lol. Any paint on the bottom could spell trouble..However..Woodonglass has this Tractor paint job formula that seems to be helping a lot of members here keep coins in their pocket while giving a descent result. He might pop in your thread to tell you about it..if not you can find one of his posts and he has a link in his siggy. Its something like 'paint your boat for $100' .. I still think its gonna be about a buck twenty though

Anyways..good luck and hope to see some progress pics.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yeah, well since I am a C.O.B. this is right up my alley!!! AC Plywood will do the Trick for your wood. Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and TransomsPolyester Laminating Resin and CSM and 1708 for the Glass work. And this will tell you all about your paint.Paint Your Boat with Tractor Paint...Say What!!!

If you have a compressor and a Gun then you CAN paint the boat for under $100 but if you have to buy all the other stuff well...then it's gunna be more $$$$!!!! You really need to check the transom, deck and stringers to make sure they are all structurally sound before you "Sink" any major funding into this project. Boats of this vintage that have not been maintained can have some MAJOR structural needs!!!!

 

[gm280]

I absolutely understand your wanting to spend as little money as possible. Heck that IS the same thing with everybody doing repairs. But you have to understand two things. Boats are not a cut-corners type projects. You either do the work the correct way and enjoy for life, or slap it together and get rid of it because corner cutting will come back quickly again. From looking at your provided pictures, you have a nice looking boat. And if you proceed to rebuilt this hull the proper way, you will enjoy the fruits of your labor for years to come... Take the learned advice on these forums of others and duplicate their efforts and you will learn how to and be proud of what you accomplish. It is hard dirty work, but others have gone on before you and will offer you quality advice... Just post pictures and ask questions...we will respond! JMHO :thumb:

 

[Yacht Dr.]

.. Just post pictures and ask questions...we will respond! JMHO :thumb:

He did in his opening post lol

Im thinking he wants to go with the 'plan B' option. Cut a few corners..use less expensive mats etc. He's only keeping it for a year or so...after that its someone elses problem

 

[NWBoats]

He did in his opening post lol

Im thinking he wants to go with the 'plan B' option. Cut a few corners..use less expensive mats etc. He's only keeping it for a year or so...after that its someone elses problem

Exactly! I thank all of you for the much needed advice and wisdom and as I stated before its not my first boat. I know that if I cut corners im hurting the boat in the long run, but I dont plan on having it for the long run. That being said, I do want to do thinks right and do thing the right way. And when it comes time to sell, I dont want to sell someone an over priced piece of junk, I want to sell them an overpriced quality boat. :wink:

Question:
Will Bondo brand glass resin do me any good? I was at Walmart tonight and I was in the automotive section and I found the body repair items. On the can of the Bondo brand glass filler it has a boat and it says its for filling holes and cracks. What do you guys think?

Again, thank you guys for all your imput, can never have too much information!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

My experience with shelved cans of resin is its unusually Low pot life. It tends to Kick real fast..too fast to really work with other than making putty outa it. The Bondo-glass might work ok for your needs. But if your getting resin..might as well make your own putty. Another thing to consider is those repairs are going to be Dark. You might want to use the marine tex..at least that stuff is white.

 

[NWBoats]

My experience with shelved cans of resin is its unusually Low pot life. It tends to Kick real fast..too fast to really work with other than making putty outa it. The Bondo-glass might work ok for your needs. But if your getting resin..might as well make your own putty. Another thing to consider is those repairs are going to be Dark. You might want to use the marine tex..at least that stuff is white.

What about a rondo mixture? Resin + bondo = rondo?

 

[Woodonglass]

My first concern is safety. Doesn't matter if you keep it for a day or 20 years. It only takes one trip to the middle of the lake and the boat have a major problem to be sorry you didn't do it right.

First, IMHO, You MUST ensure the transom is sound. The motor hangs off of it and if it's rotten you have to fix it or when the motor starts torqueing on it and it breaks, you'll soon be swimming back to shore!!! OR WORSE Before you put the floor in, you need to check the substructure under it (stringers). If they are rotten they must be replaced. They are the "Backbone" of the hull and without them the hull will flop around on the waves and eventually the hull will fail.

As far as RONDO goes. Not sure what you mean. BONDO IS resin. BONDO is a brand name. They make Resin, Glass cloth, filler etc... It's expensive compared to other resins you can buy online. About $10 a gallon more. But with shipping charges and wait times, it might be worth it but as YD says it does kick faster AND it has wax in it which can cause issues if you don't do wet on wet laminations and that's not always possible.

 

[NWBoats]

Yes, the boat is sound. It was the first thing I checked when the boat was offered to me. I learned from my first boat the importance of the transom and the stringers. The boat really only NEEDS cosmetic maintenance and upgrades. I WANT to do some little upgrades just to make the boat more than just a boat.

Rondo is a mixture of fiberglass resin and actual automotive body filler. Its a pure liquid/putty mixture that can be applied with a brush and it hardens just like normal resin or bondo putty but everyone I have seen use it say that it is much heavier then just using resin and cloth. I have not seen rondo used in a marine application, but I have seen it used on smaller projects. So I was just curious if anyone else had used it for their marine projects.

Can anyone provide a link to the best place to buy some Marine Tex? Yes, I did google it and it brought up a million different places, but I didnt know if someone maybe had a little niche online store that sells it a little cheaper then the big retailers.

 

[Woodonglass]

No niche' for Marine Tex that I know of. Personally I like PC-11. Same product. Different name. What application would you have in mind for "Rondo". It almost sounds like what we call "Peanut Butter" here on the forum. Resin+Cabosil+Chopped Milled Fibers(of various lengths) mixed up to various consistencies and used for all sorts of fillers and filleting applications.

 

[NWBoats]

It was just thinking of a putty substance to fill in the small screw holes on the top side and gashes on the bottom side. The problem I am facing is that I have no way of getting to the backside of these holes or gashes, so whatever I do will need to be topical. And then of course I plan on sanding and repainting.

So I dont actually plan on using rondo for anything, I was just curious if anyone else has or would suggest it. I did see the PC-11 on walmarts website, so I am considering that.

 

[Woodonglass]

Ohhhh, ok I gotcha now!!! For small screw holes and scratches and gouges I really like using this stuff....http://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-Premium-Filler-Pint/dp/B0000AZ4YS. If you thin it just a bit with acetone and use just a bit less hardener than it calls for it'll give you about 20-25 minutes working time in the shade, it speads smooth as silk and sands like a dream. I think you'll love it. Here's a tip for filling holes when you have no access to the back. Use a piece of string!!! Make a backer from a piece of thick cardboard (shoe box) and make it just a bit larger than the hole. Poke a hole in the center and thread the string thru the hole. Fold the patch in half and stick it in the hole the pull it up against the hole and unfold it. Now butter it up with some resin and "Glue it " to the back side and hold it in place for a bit. Now you can fill the hole with your filler. For Bigger holes make your backer out of CSM Glass and use your fingers to reach in and sand the back side as best you can and clean with acetone. It'll be almost as good as patching from the inside.



For the tiny screw holes, I use a dremel tool and feather em out and then just lightly fill em in kinda shallow at first and let it dry and then come back later and put on the final finish coat. Or, if it's gelcoat just use Gelcoat paste.

Post up pics of each repair and you'll get plenty of help I'm just an Old Dumb Okie so you gotta be careful takin advice from me!!!!!

 

[NWBoats]

No Title

Thank you for that information. I started on the boat tonight, just started taking some of the hardware off to start sanding and I think I will have to fill about 30 holes!!! So this should be fun. Does anyone know the best way to get the snaps in the picture below off? They dont have phillips screws in the middle like the rest did. I am also thinking about fiberglassing the glove box shut and using it to mount my head unit.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

I would say No on the Rondo thing. Just use some pc on the snap holes and small cracks. That 3m marine filler is basically Marine Bondo..so meh.

Are you sure that snap isnt just the canvas side of the snap still on the screw snap? Can ya just take a screw driver and pop the thing off leaving the snap? Ill bet you could

 

[NWBoats]

Yeah, I will give it a try tonight when I get home from work. Thats kind of what I was thinking it was but I dont want to damage the boat if that isnt the case and in turn cause myself more work.

 

[Woodonglass]

I respectfully disagree with YD about the 3m Marine Filler. The formula for it is a bit different than the Bondo product. The 3M filler is more water resistant, contains glass bubbles making it easier to sand and IS formulated for Marine use and not for automobiles.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Hey..no..its good stuff alrighty. Its resin is Vinyl Ester too ( mucho bueno ). I thought you were talking about filling small snap holes and such with it. Ive used that stuff for years here and there..even seen it used for slightly larger things ( which popped over time ). I only use it for pinholes in glass and small chips in the gelcoat. Sorry..didnt mean to sound like I was treading on the stuff. However..here in the boat biz...its still bondo...Very good bondo..but still living in the bondo family

 

[Woodonglass]

Ok, I gotcha now. I agree!! I like mixing my own filler from scratch but if I'm gunna buy retail I buy the 3M stuff every time!!!!