Re: 1985 glastream
Hello Jack,
Welcome to the wild, wacky, wonderful world of Iboats.
You are definitely in the right place to get all of the information necessary to help you through whatever this project is going to demand of you.
First of all, let's get you started in the right direction.
You already got the picture's thing figured out, it gets easier with time, as does every thing we do in life.
Next, you are embarking on what could be one of the most trying, frustrating, money sucking, time consuming adventures of your entire life, but...
If you stick with it, you will be gratified beyond your wildest dreams when all of your Blood, sweat, tears, and money turn into a beautiful boat that gets splashed.
I am not saying this to try to discourage you, but to enlighten you.
I too, bought my first boat ever, earlier this year, have done a preliminary going over of it, gotten it in the water for a few enjoyable fishing trips, had the engine blow up and that is where I am at now, doing a complete restoration...
The "new car smell" for me has worn off when I realized what I was in for, but I know that when I am done, I am going to have a perfectly solid, safe, useable fishing platform for at least 20-30 years. Probably longer than I'll be around...:redface:
OK, now your next step is to determine if what you have is worth it to YOU, to fix up.
How you are going to determine this is by some serious reading in the restoration forum..."Boat Restoration, Building, and Hull Repair".
In that section there is a wealth of information and knowledgeable guys who have "Been there and done that"...
In most of the opinions, you will find that the boat itself is the least valuable part of the package, the trailer value is somewhere in the middle, and the motor is what is usually considered the most valuable part of the rig.
That being said, there is no reason that while you are looking for a motor to hang on the back of that bad boy, you can't start gong through your hull and finding out where you stand.
One of the first things you need to do is determine the structural soundness of the hull.
There is only one way and it requires CAREFULLY drilling into the transom and the stringers.
Once you have that, that will tell you what direction you are headed in.
So far, I have only seen boats that are in desperate need of a complete re-string and transom job, unless the previous owner kept it in a climate controlled storage area for the boats entire life...not likely, and a 26 year old boat, that has been kept outdoors is probably more like the rule than the exception to it.
BUT, before you get yourself into trouble...
Start your own thread on the boat restoration forum, where the heavy hitters are, ask your questions, and you will succeed.
I have to get to work now, but I look forward to following along with your new found project. I will be here to cheer you on, give advice or instruction when I can, and generally wish you the best of luck.
Regards,
GT1M
