'68 15 ft Newman

[don_fisherman]

This is my "project boat" for the summer. It's a '68 15 ft Newman fiberglass boat with a '65 Mercury 35hp. Took it out... it rides well.


Got a few necessary upgrades
1. Replace Decking
2. Rewire everything
3. Repair/ New Gelcoat

I am just a DIYer so I will be watching these forums for tricks of the trade. Thank you in advance for any help, both direct and indirect.

 

[don_fisherman]

'68 15 ft Newman

Replacing the Deck

Before and afters

Interior (before)


Interior after ripping out the existing deck. Found a couple of rot areas and the stringers were not waterproofed or glassed in.


Ripping out the deck finished.


Original fiberglass stringers

I have a couple of concerns that someone could probably answer. Will the original stringers survive the next decade with the edges open? Should I glass in the replacement stringers? What's the best type(s) of fiberglass that should be applied in this situation?

Also I am thinking about adding floatation foam under the new decking, would it be prudent to do this as I have not found any floatation foam in the boat? Thanks for any advice.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '68 15 ft Newman

Installing floatation foam would be a very wise decision.

You should check out some other glass restos here and get a good design for stringers and bulkheads, that little bit of plywood that is left isn't enough to support your hull.

You'll need to glass in your stringers and glass your deck after it's laid tying the deck into the hull with tabbing for a strong and durable build that will last.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '68 15 ft Newman

Welcome to iBoats!
Check the first link in my signature. It has Drawings and info on how to fabricte and install your new Stringers, Deck and if needed Transom. Have your Core Sampled the Transom to confirm that it is dry and solid?

 

[don_fisherman]

Re: '68 15 ft Newman

Thanks you Woodonglass and jigngrub for the advice.

So far.... upon tearing out the existing deck, I found rot. Well, I found some more in the transom when I tried to core sample it last night :facepalm:...more frustration and work. You can see in the picture, the darker shaded areas are rotten whereas everything else was fine


Now it's time for a bit of planning before I begin rebuilding the deck of the boat. I'm thinking about keeping the previous stringer setup of 2x4s and adding another set directly underneath each seat. Also, I will add some floatation foam under the decking.