'76 MFG Fishin Caprice II Center Console Rebuild

[gm280]

I say you did a perfect job repairing the cracks and holes. Very nice job. And the transom looks equally great as well. You have a knack for glassing it seems. I can't see any issues with your project. :thumb:

 

[Shakedownscott]

Thanks gm, that means a lot to me.

I never would have been able to complete this without all of the great advise and help from people on this site. Reading all of the previous builds and getting answers to my own questions has given me the confidence to attempt glass work.

Looking at the transom after grinding out the holes and crack, it was pretty rough. I wasn't sure I could pull this off. I know I have read here many times that you can fix almost anything on a fiberglass boat. I am really starting to believe this.

I have made a lot of mistakes and hopefully learned from at least some of them. I also hope some day someone will be able to learn at least one thing by reading through this build, so I can feel that I have given back to this great community.

 

[Chrismas Sko]

Awsome progress there SDS! I have been gone at school for a while but looking back on this is wild. The repair jobs on the hull are great and the transom looks perfect. your install looked like it went a million times better than mine!

Hope all is well. Keep truckin.

 

[Shakedownscott]

Thanks Chrismas. I am positive you will get yours going in the right direction too. There is quite a bit to learn about using fiberglass, and I have made a lot of mistakes. The best part is you can just grind it out and re-do it. You have a lot done on your boat, so you should be able to get up to speed quickly after school is through for the year.

I added two layers of 1708 over the transom, man it is solid as a rock. Should last a good long time, with proper care of course.

I am putting the boat aside for a few weeks to go striper fishing. I took off most of the next three weeks off from work to go fishing. It is pretty much going to be my vacation for the year, been looking forward to it for some time.

 

[Carpenter2486]

i just red threw your project, I really enjoyed this, I will be using your photos and experiences for my rebuild! I have a few big holes in my fiberglass at the transom I'm dealing with soon, and I'm glad I seen yours before I did mine, some good ideas. Looking forward to seeing it completed!

 

[Shakedownscott]

Hi Carpenter, just read thru your Dixie rebuild. You are doing great, and coming along really well. The holes thru the transom really bothered me, some how seemed much worse than just replacing the wood on the inside.

Now that its done, at least on the inside, it feels just as strong as the rest of the boat.

 

[kcassells]

Ditto to all above compliments. Catch some BIG stripers. Next season will be in your boat the way you're moving. :joyous:

 

[Shakedownscott]

Thanks kcassells. Just got back from fishing in Rhode Island last night. Fishing was pretty slow but managed to get a few small stripers and good sized blues. I really hope to be done by next years fall run. Spent a lot of hours this trip watching people on boats catching fish that were just out of casting distance.

Here are some pictures of the 2 layers of 1708 I put down over the transom before putting the project aside. Have a little clean up work to do, but overall came out ok. That is really the last big lay up job I had to do on the boat. Everything else I can do in my garage over the winter.

 

[tallcanadian]

Great job. Looking good.

 

[Shakedownscott]

Thanks TC. Have some chores to take care of before the snow really starts flying here. Then I can get back to the boat project.

 

[kcassells]

Ahhhh... the old magic marker trick. Do that myself. Glass looks good Poppy!

 

[Shakedownscott]

After too many days away from the boat project I am back at it. Working on getting the ends of the stringers in and attached to the transom. Glad to be back at the project and making progress. I should have quite a bit of time nights and weekends to work on the boat. Unless of course something else in the house breaks or one of my junker cars crapps out.

 

[Shakedownscott]

Got the stringers bedded in PB and attached to the existing stringers using 1/2" plywood plates.










After completing all of the fillets at the base of the stringers, I cut all the fiberglass needed to attach the stringers.




I am going to have to start thinking what comes next on the project. Seems like I have been working on the transom and stringers for such a long time, now there is light at the end of the tunnel. I looked back through this thread and its been over a year getting them in place and glassed in.

 

[sphelps]

Fab work looks great !
I think the light at the end of my tunnels are always freight trains .. :lol:

 

[Shakedownscott]

Thanks Sam. I think the train wreck is going to be having to piece together the inside liner, hope it all fits together right.

 

[Shakedownscott]

Here she is all foamed up. I still think the foam has been the funnest part so far.






After foaming, I started to add the small deck areas that hold up the rear liner section.

 

[Carpenter2486]

Looks great!

 

[Shakedownscott]

Thanks Carpenter. Looking forward to some updates on your Dixie project when you guys get back to it.

 

[Shakedownscott]

Need some advise on how to repair this damage to the rub rail area. It has a crack that's right between blue paint stripe at the top and the rest of the hull. It follows along the lap strake line for a foot or so then it runs up towards the rub rail. Here are some close up pictures.






I took the cap off the hull so that I can get to the backside of the damage.




From the inside of the hull you can see the crack where it is yellow in this picture.



I am not sure what is the best way to attack this, Whether I should grind more from the inside or the outside. I could imagine trying to re-crate the lap strake line could be a pain to do.

 

[sphelps]

Looks like the inside is not that bad ... I would grind it back a few inches on the outside . Might need to take it down a good bit to allow room for at least a layer of csm and 1708 and maybe another layer of csm ... You should be able to sand it down and fair it out ok after that .. It is in kinda a tough spot but you can handle it !
A layer of 1708 on the inside wouldn't hurt ..