Careful what ya wish for…

[Basicmastermind]

Hello, greetings from the natural state. I’ve wanted a boat for years. Specific ones like a Glastron was at the top of my list. Apparently I wished aloud long enough whereas one finally fell upon my lap. I was mentally prepared for a restoration. But I dunno if I’m financially prepared for what might be a monumental task. I wanted to post my photos and get some opinions on seasoned vets in regards to the time, effort, blood, sweat and most importantly the fundage that will have to be dedicated to getting her back in ship shape. Is she worth it? Or should I throw her back towards the shore and keep on fishing? Not pictured is a 125 hp Johnson.

 

[alldodge]

Welcome
All restores need to be "I love this boat", otherwise your going to hate it and should not go through with it

It's going to cost a bunch of money because you have to gut everything and start over. You will find fiberglass in spots you didn't think you had, and that's the good part

So if you love it go for it, if not toss it

 

[briangcc]

I like the lines and its pretty much what I envision for my boys as their first boat. That being said, I wouldn't touch it as I have very limited time and no ambition whatsoever to own lots of PPE, several new tools, several hundred hours of sweating in a Tyvek suit grinding away,....umm you get the picture.

Which is why I'm going aluminum for the boys. Few sheets of ply, some expanding 2 part foam, some indoor/outdoor carpetting and I'm in good shape. Provided I'm not rewiring it bow to stern, probably a couple weekends of work and something the boys can help me with so they take a little extra pride in what they're driving.

Which is a long way of saying....if you aren't that into it, I'd keep the motor (provided its sound) and look for an aluminum boat that would be a much quicker restore.

 

[Basicmastermind]

Welcome
All restores need to be "I love this boat", otherwise your going to hate it and should not go through with it

It's going to cost a bunch of money because you have to gut everything and start over. You will find fiberglass in spots you didn't think you had, and that's the good part

So if you love it go for it, if not toss it

Thanks for your response. I’ve never worked with fiberglass but have literally been watching YouTube instructional clips for almost a year. It’s the part I’m a bit nervous about.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Go to the 4th sticky down, start with link 14

 

[bigblocksarefun]

If you can do it yourself, the cost will be limited to materials and time. I did this to a 1975 Crestliner Crusader C775 (17.5') about 15 years ago....gutted it, new stringers, deck, carpet, seats, engine box (mine was an outdrive, this won't apply to you), seats, wiring, drive etc. Swore I'd never do it again. It was my uncle's and he gave it to me. I spent about 8-9 months after hours during the week (when I could) and weekends (when I could). Replaced the 250 I6 with a 292 I6. Had a fun little boat with family history that my (now ex) wife hated because "it was brown" @&$*&%. Ended up selling it a year later just to make her happy; it actually worked out for me because I was PCS'ing to a cutter where I was hardly home enough to actually use and properly maintain it.
Prices I'm sure have gone up significantly since 08-09 I seem to remember the bottom line number being like $5-6k, which included (but not limited to) material wise:
- replacement engine (used)
- replacement outdrive (also used) and gimbal rebuild
- engine controls
- replacement wood for stringers and deck
- glass and resin
- paint
- carpet
- interior upholstery
- seats
- gauges & wiring
- nav lights

 

[aspeck]

First pic and I was, "That is a sweet boat ... nice lines and lot's of potential!" Then with each picture after I was, "Oh man, that is going to be a lot of time, effort, and $." Now don't get me wrong, if you decide to tackle it and do it right, it will be a sweet ride that will last you a long time if properly maintained. But, and it is a BIG BUT, it is going to take you a LOT of money for supplies (if you are doing it yourself) and a lot of inhaled fiberglass and itching (that is if you are using PPE properly!). And you better rob a bank if you are going to pay someone else to redo it for you. That is going to be a full stringers, transom, floor resto. There are a couple guys on here that are into the middle of restos like this one and if you look at their threads you can get a sense of the work and $ involved (https://forums.iboats.com/threads/b...ed-the-wrath-of-the-fiberglass-demons.770985/). Good luck in whatever you decide, but I would spend my $ on a boat in better condition because at my age time on the water is more important that time working on the boat.

 

[Lou C]

Don’t scrimp on the PPE you do not want to inhale ANY fiberglass dust nor do you want resin on your skin!

 

[TripleJGraffis]

My guy, that looks like a fun project wit huge potential! With that being said, you are possibly in for a massive task. You can watch YouTube resto videos for another year....but that won't change how old and decrepit this boat might be. I am in the middle of a full resto myself. I have quite literally been exactly where you are now. I have probably spent over 5k already on tools, materials, etc. .....2k of that 5 k I have already put into the boat and it will still sink if I drop it in the water right now. If you are concerned about not being able to afford the job, then don't take it on. It's not for everyone.....but for those who can commmit, it's quite an eye opening experience. Check out my thread! You'll see what I mean. I have been at this since January and am just now starting the rebuild process. You also need to factor life into this....becasue life can and will get in the way. You need to be prepared for that.

If you feel you are ready to take this on, then I wish you the best of luck and will probably follow just so I can watch a noob like me get teir hands dirty! My advice.....Start small and tear the deck up it up...then test the stringers and transom because if the deck is shot, chances are that the rest is shot as well. DO NOT trust a hard surface just because it appears sound. Fiberglass can be tricky like that. My transom was rock solid, but a core test showed me that the condition of the wood was otherwise. As soon as I cut a hole out of the fiberglass into the transom, the wood fell out......NO, you couldn't even tell it was wood at first.....It looked like dirt was falling out of the hole! It was so far gone that it had reduced to mulch!! And the guy I bought it from told me that he had just had it out on the water with his wife and kid last summer!!!!!

If you are going to do this.....do it right. Folks are here to help you along the way!

 

[froggy1150]

Before you do anything take pictures and measurements of EVERYTHING! do 3x more than you think you will need. I did what I thought was more than enough and wound up having to "adjust" a few things to it good

 

[kcassells]

Time and money go hand in hand and is never the issue. There is always something to do on a rehab while funds get tight.
This a great forum with a bunch of great guys to get you thru it. You Do as they said, "Have to Love the boat".
Also there are alot of Glastron rehabs on this forum to review and learn from.
Best of luck and have at it!

 

[Lou C]

It’s a huge job; I’m past the age where I can do these but even the partial re hab I did on my ‘88 FW back in 2006/7 has held up well still solid (I think partly because I ditched the moisture holding carpet & had the deck gel coated in non skid gel coat). So even without a total refit I got 17 years of use from it so far….