Bought my first boat to cut, gut and rebuild from bow to stern, including engine. Killed my back and suffered the wrath of the fiberglass demons

[alldodge]

Prior Owner

 

[TripleJGraffis]

One thing ive seen is to ensure you support the hull well enough to keep its shape. Good chance you will have to decapitate the hull aka take the top part of the hull off and the bottom will flatten out.

Well let's hope it doesn't come to that.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

make a cradle
pull the cap
put on a tyvek suit with at least a half-face respirator, gloves, goggles, etc.
fire up the saws

Cradle?

 

[tpenfield]

I've been following along and now jumping on board. . . .

Lots of threads in the restoration forum, so you can read through some and get an idea of the things you'll be doing and issues that you will run into.

The foam will be dual purpose . . . structural and flotation. Boats under 20 feet are required to have flotation. Most boats made now up to 26 feet in length have flotation as per NMMA guidelines. (nmma.org)

I agree with the comments about dealing with the boat first and then the engine later.

The cross-members visible from the ski locker do not look original as they have been cut down in an amateur fashion and do not seem to go down to the keel of the boat. Also some of the plywood looks better than expected. So, MAYBE (just maybe) this boat has been restored or had some work done on it previously.

You probably will need to fix the boat entirely, but is worth spending some time to see what wood is soaked/rotted before you break out the wrecking saw. Take some notes, map out a plan. See if there are any obvious signed of a partial restoration.

As for comments on the thread . . . you will get some, many actually, but no worries. Many of our restoration threads go for dozens and dozens of pages.

Then there is the "Splash of the Year" (SOTY) award, which is a coveted prize for the best restoration done each year, as voted by the members of this forum. The 2023 SOTY winner was recently announced.

 

[tpenfield]

Bunk trailers make a good 'cradle' . . . When the structure of a boat is cut out, the hull is as flimsy as a kiddie pool. A 'cradle' acts like a support structure to hold the hull in its intended shape while the work is done.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Bunk trailers make a good 'cradle' . . . When the structure of a boat is cut out, the hull is as flimsy as a kiddie pool. A 'cradle' acts like a support structure to hold the hull in its intended shape while the work is done.

What is a bunk trailer? Does that mean I need to buy a new trailer?

 

[stresspoint]

POs works?

previous owners works / hack job .as Lou said "" nasty "" .

 

[tpenfield]

What is a bunk trailer? Does that mean I need to buy a new trailer?

There are generally 2 types of trailers . . . Bunk or Roller

Bunk trailers look like this where the boat sits on wooden 'rails'
.



.
Roller trailers have rollers to support the boat and the rollers make it easier to launch and retrieve the boat.
.

 

[tpenfield]

Which type of trailer do you have?

Even if you have a roller trailer, you can put some boards under the hull to act as if they were bunks just for the purpose of being a 'cradle' while doing the work.

 

[Lou C]

Also do not scrimp on personal protection equipment. Grinding fiberglass is hazardous to your lungs and resins aren’t good for your skin. Vapors can be harmful. Full face shield & P100s for grinding
Fume respirator cartridges for mixing up resin
Etc.
eye protection too.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Looks like a bunk trailer to me... so I should be good.

Which type of trailer do you have?

Even if you have a roller trailer, you can put some boards under the hull to act as if they were bunks just for the purpose of being a 'cradle' while doing the work.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Also do not scrimp on personal protection equipment. Grinding fiberglass is hazardous to your lungs and resins aren’t good for your skin. Vapors can be harmful. Full face shield & P100s for grinding
Fume respirator cartridges for mixing up resin
Etc.
eye protection too.

Where do you recommend I go for ppe?

 

[tpenfield]

The only thing you might want to do is place some boards to support the bow section, since the bunks only go about 2/3 of the way forward and there does not appear to be a set of bow bunks. But you should be fine.

Before you start cutting (if/when it comes to that) take some measurements of the floor (deck) side-to-side, so you know what it was originally. that way you can double check if things have distorted once the floor & structure are cut out.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

I've been following along and now jumping on board. . . .

Lots of threads in the restoration forum, so you can read through some and get an idea of the things you'll be doing and issues that you will run into.

The foam will be dual purpose . . . structural and flotation. Boats under 20 feet are required to have flotation. Most boats made now up to 26 feet in length have flotation as per NMMA guidelines. (nmma.org)

I agree with the comments about dealing with the boat first and then the engine later.

The cross-members visible from the ski locker do not look original as they have been cut down in an amateur fashion and do not seem to go down to the keel of the boat. Also some of the plywood looks better than expected. So, MAYBE (just maybe) this boat has been restored or had some work done on it previously.

You probably will need to fix the boat entirely, but is worth spending some time to see what wood is soaked/rotted before you break out the wrecking saw. Take some notes, map out a plan. See if there are any obvious signed of a partial restoration.

As for comments on the thread . . . you will get some, many actually, but no worries. Many of our restoration threads go for dozens and dozens of pages.

Then there is the "Splash of the Year" (SOTY) award, which is a coveted prize for the best restoration done each year, as voted by the members of this forum. The 2023 SOTY winner was recently announced.

Thank you! Not looking for an award... the finished product will be an award in itself!

 

[rxl650]

Just bought another glass boat myself. It's been years. There will be times you want to make a really big fire pit. Take your time, ask questions and do it right. Eventually you will be rewarded. I did a couple over the years without splitting the deck from the hull. I've also turned a few roller trailers into bunks. Easy stuff.
Get a good oscillating tool. Grinders make alot more dust, but can be faster. Shop vac nozzle as you work helps alot as does an exhaust fan. An old furnace blower works well. I adapted a 5" hose to one. Keep small chilren and pets away from it. A good fiberglass roller makes the work alot easier also.
Forget the motor for now as suggested. Unless a great deal comes along. Get the floor out and start fresh. Just from the pics I would say your looking at removing the previous owners handywork. Make sure any and all wood is 100% sealed. Marine grade is expensive, but I believe worth it in the end.
The Force engine is known as the worst motor ever manufactured by many. Previously known as Chrysler. Known as the second worse motor. Merc bought them at one point. People I know that own them to this day are simply stubborn. I wont go on the water with them, but have taken many calls to come get them off the water. lol
Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Where do you recommend I go for ppe?

I found almost all my stuff on Amazon:
Tyvek suits with hood (I found larger is better) - https://a.co/d/8lio1gP
P100 respirator - https://a.co/d/9G3FlUm
Goggles - https://a.co/d/64pxylm

Also useful:
Nitrile gloves (often worn under leather work gloves)
Duct tape (I taped my sleeves to my gloves)
For long grinding sessions, knee pads over the Tyvek suit were nice.

 

[Scott Danforth]

cradle.

I built mine on top of my bunk trailer for the Avanti using plywood and dimensional lumber.

a standard bunk trailer will not have enough support for a restoration. Especially if you pull the cap. think of a tuperware container. once you pull the lid, you can squish the rim around.

 

[Scott Danforth]

POs works?

Prior Owners work. as in the hack job on the floor

 

[TripleJGraffis]

I found almost all my stuff on Amazon:
Tyvek suits with hood (I found larger is better) - https://a.co/d/8lio1gP
P100 respirator - https://a.co/d/9G3FlUm
Goggles - https://a.co/d/64pxylm

Also useful:
Nitrile gloves (often worn under leather work gloves)
Duct tape (I taped my sleeves to my gloves)
For long grinding sessions, knee pads over the Tyvek suit were nice.

Is a tyvek suit a one and done kind of thing?

 

[aspeck]

Thank you! Not looking for an award... the finished product will be an award in itself!

Oh, but we love to honor the guys and gals that start a total restore project and follow it to the "splash" (first trip out on the water). It is a lot of work to refurbish a boat and we like to honor that work.

Is a tyvek suit a one and done kind of thing?

Yes ... you can get PPE that is reusable, but not for $10 or $11 bucks a throw. Reusable PPE can be very pricey ... and require a lot of cleaning and prep between uses.