oops!
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2007
- Messages
- 12,932
Re: 1981 15' SeaSquirt Project
hi buddy. sorry it took so long to get to this post chris, thanks for you paitence.
i have not been able to get on the forum for 48 hours and it just about killed me...lol
i just read over this whole thread and looked at the vids.
Jb's, pic is bang on....
you boat is not like other boats......the restoration process it totally different, than say a standard run about.
this statment is totally correct.
ok.....first off, let me clear up some misconceptions.
the cap wont come off.
the foam acts like a glue,,,,,a really really strong glue. each inch of the glass under the cap is glued via the foam to the hull..
even if you were able to separate the cap hull joint, you would most likely damage the fiberglass, trying to get the cap to separate from the hull.. and even IF you did get it off and repair it, you would find that when you walked on the deck, you would feel it move under your feet due to a lack of bond from the foam to the hull.
it would feel like a piece of warped glass over a foam core.
minor holes in the foam filled boats, are fixed by an out side repair only.
most of the time, a hole in a fiberglass boat is fixed form each side of the glass,,,,,the inside and the out side.....
not the whalers. (foam filled boats.) the hole is totally opened up. the foam is left to drain, usually for a few weeks, then the repair is dont thru a different process, too much to type here.
due to the amount of time and complexity of these repairs.
when the whaler style boats are waterlogged, they are usually toast.
but, have no fear, because this is a glass boat, it can be fixed !!!!!.
you will have to do a transom replacement, (yes, your is shot) and you will also have to do some proper hull repairs.
right now, you are at the crossroads as pmmcraney suggested.
you have no motor for the boat, this is usually the "break point" for any restoration.
this is due to cost.
most restorations, cost money in time, glass, resin. wood and tools.
these costs can far out weigh, the cost of a new used boat with a running motor..
so for a profitability standpoint, restoring one, is usually a waist of time and money.
in your case, the boat is worth a lot of money fixed....so you have a leg up.
you will need to decide if you are going to commit to this project.
it looks like captain gauge and his dad could really have fun with this project.
if you look at it from that standpoint.....it would be great !
ok.....on to the repair.
in vid 2 when you were contemplating removing the deck at the floor angle, you were correct.
take a sawzall, and go around the edge of the floor.
remove the floor.
using any tool that you can, i use a maul, remove all the foam that is wet.
the foam will be ok about 6 inches from the bottom of the hull, so you need not worry about what is between the hull and the side gunwhales......just what is wet at the bottom of the boat.
your boat will not have stringers.....just foam.
once the foam is out, the fiberglass hole in the hull can be repaired in the traditional methods.
the transom will have to be cut out in the same fashion. remove the inner skin.
keep the cut out of the splash well.
you cannot consider seacast for this job.
repair transom in traditional methods.
for the wiring space, once the transom is replaced, and the hull repaired,,,use a pvc pipe as the wiring tube.
when re installing the deck......you will need to get the deck to proper height.
this will mean you will need to build a stringer like system, or even plastic blocks to get the deck to proper height for glassing.
once height has been achieved, glass it in.....
you will need several pigeon holes or holes in the deck to re foam the boat.
this link will help you with deck replacement and foaming.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=522237&highlight=fiberglass+deck+foam+hull
i would strongly suggest that you gellcoat in the new deck....
ok....i know this is all kinda vague, but we can walk you right thru this repair step by step when you get to each stage.
just a bit of info for all the restoration junkies out there.
the boston whaler is one of the cheapest produced boats on the market.
the resin and gellcoat is of very low quality, the entire structure of the boat is made from the foam.
the foam IS THE BOAT....the fiberglass surrounding the foam is just a shell to keep water away from the foam !
however, due to the rigidity of the foam and the shell combined, the whalers are a fantastic boat.
the only problem with them, is if the hull is compromised, the repair must be immediate or the entire boat will quickly become waterlogged.
hi buddy. sorry it took so long to get to this post chris, thanks for you paitence.
i have not been able to get on the forum for 48 hours and it just about killed me...lol
i just read over this whole thread and looked at the vids.
Jb's, pic is bang on....
you boat is not like other boats......the restoration process it totally different, than say a standard run about.
this statment is totally correct.
I hate to say this but............In my opinion, once those little completely foam filled hulls get waterlogged, they're pretty well done for. I think you might end up with a ton of money into foam and fiberglass to get this thing fixed up and that's assuming you're able to carefully get it taken apart!
ok.....first off, let me clear up some misconceptions.
the cap wont come off.
the foam acts like a glue,,,,,a really really strong glue. each inch of the glass under the cap is glued via the foam to the hull..
even if you were able to separate the cap hull joint, you would most likely damage the fiberglass, trying to get the cap to separate from the hull.. and even IF you did get it off and repair it, you would find that when you walked on the deck, you would feel it move under your feet due to a lack of bond from the foam to the hull.
it would feel like a piece of warped glass over a foam core.
minor holes in the foam filled boats, are fixed by an out side repair only.
most of the time, a hole in a fiberglass boat is fixed form each side of the glass,,,,,the inside and the out side.....
not the whalers. (foam filled boats.) the hole is totally opened up. the foam is left to drain, usually for a few weeks, then the repair is dont thru a different process, too much to type here.
due to the amount of time and complexity of these repairs.
when the whaler style boats are waterlogged, they are usually toast.
but, have no fear, because this is a glass boat, it can be fixed !!!!!.
you will have to do a transom replacement, (yes, your is shot) and you will also have to do some proper hull repairs.
right now, you are at the crossroads as pmmcraney suggested.
you have no motor for the boat, this is usually the "break point" for any restoration.
this is due to cost.
most restorations, cost money in time, glass, resin. wood and tools.
these costs can far out weigh, the cost of a new used boat with a running motor..
so for a profitability standpoint, restoring one, is usually a waist of time and money.
in your case, the boat is worth a lot of money fixed....so you have a leg up.
you will need to decide if you are going to commit to this project.
it looks like captain gauge and his dad could really have fun with this project.
if you look at it from that standpoint.....it would be great !
ok.....on to the repair.
in vid 2 when you were contemplating removing the deck at the floor angle, you were correct.
take a sawzall, and go around the edge of the floor.
remove the floor.
using any tool that you can, i use a maul, remove all the foam that is wet.
the foam will be ok about 6 inches from the bottom of the hull, so you need not worry about what is between the hull and the side gunwhales......just what is wet at the bottom of the boat.
your boat will not have stringers.....just foam.
once the foam is out, the fiberglass hole in the hull can be repaired in the traditional methods.
the transom will have to be cut out in the same fashion. remove the inner skin.
keep the cut out of the splash well.
you cannot consider seacast for this job.
repair transom in traditional methods.
for the wiring space, once the transom is replaced, and the hull repaired,,,use a pvc pipe as the wiring tube.
when re installing the deck......you will need to get the deck to proper height.
this will mean you will need to build a stringer like system, or even plastic blocks to get the deck to proper height for glassing.
once height has been achieved, glass it in.....
you will need several pigeon holes or holes in the deck to re foam the boat.
this link will help you with deck replacement and foaming.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=522237&highlight=fiberglass+deck+foam+hull
i would strongly suggest that you gellcoat in the new deck....
ok....i know this is all kinda vague, but we can walk you right thru this repair step by step when you get to each stage.
just a bit of info for all the restoration junkies out there.
the boston whaler is one of the cheapest produced boats on the market.
the resin and gellcoat is of very low quality, the entire structure of the boat is made from the foam.
the foam IS THE BOAT....the fiberglass surrounding the foam is just a shell to keep water away from the foam !
however, due to the rigidity of the foam and the shell combined, the whalers are a fantastic boat.
the only problem with them, is if the hull is compromised, the repair must be immediate or the entire boat will quickly become waterlogged.
