First boat! 1989 Quantum 1800xb Force 125

[SoDakNovice]

Far better off by taking the loss and starting over with something else. As a first boat owner, I would consider an aluminum boat as there is very little wood to rot and easier to repair by a long shot ! No one wants an old fiberglass boat, not even the dump, so be prepared when you try to get rid of it.

Nah. I’m okay with learning and putting the work in. I purposely bought a boat in poor condition. I was hopeful I got lucky but my expectations were realistic. I don’t plan on selling it any time soon.

 

[racerone]

It takes a lot longer to build / repair a boat then what they tell you.

 

[SoDakNovice]

If anyone could suggest some solid tools for this job I would really appreciate it. Right now this is dependent on my HOA being okay with me putting up a temporary shed. I’m in South Dakota so doing this outside over the winter isn’t an option I’ve learned.

 

[SoDakNovice]

Mechanic is gonna take the motor off for me and advised me to keep it on hand til my restore is done in case I need something from it. No answer from HOA yet.
So far for tools I have a grinder(still need to buy it) and I think I can get by with my orbital sander but I’m not sure. Total cost is gonna be around 500$ with the temp shed depending on what one I buy.

 

[briangcc]

Harbor Freight and toss their cheap warranty on it. When it dies, take it in and get another. No muss, no fuss.

Read through some of the other resto threads. Some have used oscillating tools to cut close to the hull before grinding. Others have used circular saws to rough cut the floors and transom. I personally wouldn't use my good Dewalt for this.

Then lots of good PPE. You want to look like a spaceman visiting Mars as fiberglass dust is no joke. You don't want that in your lungs OR on your skin.

Good luck with the HOA, I've only heard horror stories from anyone who lives in one. You may have to look into renting space elsewhere.

 

[SoDakNovice]

Harbor Freight and toss their cheap warranty on it. When it dies, take it in and get another. No muss, no fuss.

Read through some of the other resto threads. Some have used oscillating tools to cut close to the hull before grinding. Others have used circular saws to rough cut the floors and transom. I personally wouldn't use my good Dewalt for this.

Then lots of good PPE. You want to look like a spaceman visiting Mars as fiberglass dust is no joke. You don't want that in your lungs OR on your skin.

Good luck with the HOA, I've only heard horror stories from anyone who lives in one. You may have to look into renting space elsewhere.

I’m hoping. If not I’ll be asking my mother to do it at her house an hr away which would really, really suck.
Another option may be seacast but after reading some of grafs restore(really similar boats) and this searay link that was posted. I think I’m going to be doing stringers as well. The inside of my boat was basically completely hollow. I saw nothing connecting the flooring to the bottom of the hull like in this searay. No foam. Nothing. I could see from the bilge(battery compartment) All the way to the ski locker.
Maybe now that I know some of the basics my eyes will see what I’m looking for. Hopefully I’ll have the boat back tomorrow without a motor on it.
Do you mean to buy harbor freight tools because the tools I’m using are gonna break from this? All the tools I have right now are dewalt.

 

[briangcc]

Yes. HF tools are basically disposable and I would use them on this project. A few cuts and you'll choke your good Dewalt tools to death. Look at it this way...what's cheaper to replace?

I'm half heartedly shopping for a tin 16-18' open bow fishing boat and the ones in my price point are going to need floors and transom work. I have a craptastic Skil circular saw that's chomping at the bit to do any work for me. Cost me $30 at Blowes and its worth everything that I paid for it...won't cut a straight line.

Seacast...you need all the wood removed. You can check Archbuilder's threads on Project Fuggly and Miss Morgan as he used it throughout both builds.

 

[SoDakNovice]

Yes. HF tools are basically disposable and I would use them on this project. A few cuts and you'll choke your good Dewalt tools to death. Look at it this way...what's cheaper to replace?

I'm half heartedly shopping for a tin 16-18' open bow fishing boat and the ones in my price point are going to need floors and transom work. I have a craptastic Skil circular saw that's chomping at the bit to do any work for me. Cost me $30 at Blowes and its worth everything that I paid for it...won't cut a straight line.

Seacast...you need all the wood removed. You can check Archbuilder's threads on Project Fuggly and Miss Morgan as he used it throughout both builds.

Dude, you just saved me a **** Ron of money! THANK YOU! I was about to blow like 3-400 in tools.
Tbh I’m all over the place on plans for this transom. Coosa board, marine wood, there’s a **** ton of options.
Late night thought I had was using seacast to reinforce the transom like rebar in concrete. Drill some channels 4x3 across and pour the seacast in at the end. I would still be doing a bunch of fiber glass, if I tried this I would definitely use wood. Tbh I don’t think it will work. I think the seacast will expanding and destroy the work I did. So then I’m back to trying to use coosa board or anything other than wood so I never have to do this again.

 

[aspeck]

If you do it right and then maintain your vessel it will last another 30 plus years!

 

[SoDakNovice]

Current fiberglass list:
Going west system since it’s readily available.
50inx10yards Chopped strand mat
50inx10yards 1708 biaxial mat
105b epoxy resin and 206b hardener with pumps
406 colloidal silica
404 high density adhesive filler
403 micro fibers adhesive filler
Fiberglass rollers
Foam Paint rollers(for resin?)
Bondo spreaders
36 pack 2oz b chip brush
PPE and respirator
12x20 portable carport garage
Harbor freight oscillating hand tool, grinder, possibly DA sander. Pry bar, chisel, 2 scissor jacks(mechanic suggest I could pop half the cap to get to the transom). 4- 6inch bar clamps.

 

[roscoe]

Far better off by taking the loss and starting over with something else. If you choose to try and repair it, expect to spend 6K or more then you will need a motor, can buy a newer running outfit for less.

Cut your losses and abandon ship.
It will be a cheap and valuable lesson.
Seriously, you will be spending 2-4 thousand dollars just to fix the hull properly, plus a motor, plus 10 ? full weekends of your time. and you will end up with a boat that has cost you a ton, but is still only worth $1,000 if you are lucky.

 

[SoDakNovice]

Cut your losses and abandon ship.
It will be a cheap and valuable lesson.
Seriously, you will be spending 2-4 thousand dollars just to fix the hull properly, plus a motor, plus 10 ? full weekends of your time. and you will end up with a boat that has cost you a ton, but is still only worth $1,000 if you are lucky.

First of all. It’s not about what it’s worth it’s about what I can do with it. Fiberglass boats are few and far between where I live. At least one like this.
Secondly, low retail is 3k. Suggested MSRP is $12,000.
Third I don’t intended to sell it anytime soon. Thanks.

 

[airshot]

First of all. It’s not about what it’s worth it’s about what I can do with it. Fiberglass boats are few and far between where I live. At least one like this.
Secondly, low retail is 3k. Suggested MSRP is $12,000.
Third I don’t intended to sell it anytime soon. Thanks.

That msrp was back in the eighties when brand new, after you get it done, you would be lucky to get 1K....think about this...." Fiberglass boats are few and far between"......perhaps now you know why.....
Your money, time and effort, and you won't be the first to regret a complete rebuild on a glasser.

 

[briangcc]

Granted my information is dated but I'm probably one of the few crazy people here who have re-powered a boat with a brand new outboard. I did it in '00 with the '99 Bayliner in my signature. With the low hour '99 Force 120HP outboard as trade fodder, it still cost me $10k out of pocket for a 115HP Honda 4 Stroke.

Prices have only gone up from there.

Granted, you might luck into a sweetheart deal on a used outboard but those in my neck of the woods are difficult to come by. Usually you're buying a whole boat and scavenging it for the outboard, disposing of the rest.


Just make sure you are comfortable with everything that's going to be involved. Right now all we know is the boat needs a full gut & redo and the motor is suspect.

 

[TripleJGraffis]

If anyone could suggest some solid tools for this job I would really appreciate it. Right now this is dependent on my HOA being okay with me putting up a temporary shed. I’m in South Dakota so doing this outside over the winter isn’t an option I’ve learned.

Harbor Freight is your new best friend. Cheap tools that are of decent quality too! If you but any tools.....GET YOURSELF A MULTIPURPOSE TOOL!!!!! Those little suckers are a Godsend!!!!! Don't skimp on cheapo replacement blades either.....It is inevitable......The blades go bad......but they go bad alot quicker with cheap ones...and the ones that I had would break off and go flying in the middle of me cutting. I wasn't a fan of that safety hazard. I spent 100.00 on a 10 pack of multi material Milwaukee blades and another 50.00 on a 3 pack of some super premium blade, just to compare the two. All in all, the cheaper 10 pack does a decent job.....But those 50.00 blades did last a long time before going dull.

As far as doing this in winter goes.....I feel ya brother! I am in Wisconsin and it gets bad here too! If ya saw the beginning pages of my thread, you will se that I did exactly what you are wanting to do. Got a Harbor Freight portable garage, propane heater and a tank. Turning that bad boy on the lowest setting, was more than sufficient! Just make sure you are venting a door open or something, because that propane smell can get strong. Aside from that, I am not sure what other options you have available to you. Enjoy the build!

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Current fiberglass list:
Going west system since it’s readily available.
50inx10yards Chopped strand mat
50inx10yards 1708 biaxial mat
105b epoxy resin and 206b hardener with pumps
406 colloidal silica
404 high density adhesive filler
403 micro fibers adhesive filler
Fiberglass rollers
Foam Paint rollers(for resin?)
Bondo spreaders
36 pack 2oz b chip brush
PPE and respirator
12x20 portable carport garage
Harbor freight oscillating hand tool, grinder, possibly DA sander. Pry bar, chisel, 2 scissor jacks(mechanic suggest I could pop half the cap to get to the transom). 4- 6inch bar clamps.

That looks like a good starter list

 

[TripleJGraffis]

First of all. It’s not about what it’s worth it’s about what I can do with it. Fiberglass boats are few and far between where I live. At least one like this.
Secondly, low retail is 3k. Suggested MSRP is $12,000.
Third I don’t intended to sell it anytime soon. Thanks.

They aren't wrong in their statements.....but I am right there with you! For me, it isn't about the value....It's about so much more....The experience....The knowlwge gained....the fact that I will know exactly what I have as well as every single inch of my boat.....Some reason that don't even carry a price tag. If you can manage the price that it'll cost and this is something that you are passionate about, then I say by all means...Go for it! If you can't handle the 10k+ that you might be putting into this boat, then yes, it might be wiser to cut your losses and save up for a used boat that you can get a a lower price.

 

[SoDakNovice]

update!!
Motor is toast and I’m not crazy. Model number is lost to time so no way to rebuild it. Only salvage is the carb(maybe) and the control arm?(shaft between engine and lower unit.
Transom is WAY smaller than I thought. It’s only where the motor is according to him? He also advised me to go through the inside instead of the outside like I was planning.
Flooring that was put on the boat is a hack job. Wood isn’t even treated and half asses sealed. So bare minimum that flooring is coming off the boat.
Stringers are there and encased in fiberglass. Gonna do a drill test once I learn how to do it right.
Tomorrow I’m cleaning out my shed to store the pieces I need to keep like trim etc. I had him remove the motor for me. It’s sitting in the back of my truck. He advised me I should keep it until I get a new motor sorted. But I’ve got nowhere to keep it really. Shed is an option but that limits what else from the boat I can store there. Like saw horses, trim pieces tools etc.

 

[SoDakNovice]

That msrp was back in the eighties when brand new, after you get it done, you would be lucky to get 1K....think about this...." Fiberglass boats are few and far between"......perhaps now you know why.....
Your money, time and effort, and you won't be the first to regret a complete rebuild on a glasser.

Alright. Last time im responding to a junk it comment.
I understand and do not care about the value of this boat. I’m not a speed boat junkie, nor do I have anyone to impress and no I don’t plan on going over 30mph.
I understand in other areas this seems incredibly stupid. I’ve spent the last 10 years waiting for a fiberglass bass boat to go up for sale that didn’t cost 5-10k WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS I ALREADY HAVE. Why would I want to start with thousands of dollars already into it when I have no idea how to fix a boat, motor, fiberglass or anything!
If I royally **** up doing the work on this boat I’m out 600$ and the tools or whatever else I buy. Whereas I buy a more expensive boat that I’m then worried about breaking and have to listen to my wife complain about how I wasted $5,000+ tools and parts.
The goal here is for me to learn how to do this and if I learn right, I’ll end up with a USABLE fishing boat.
I live in the black hills of South Dakota. I invite any of you nay sayers to search for a fiberglass bass boat within 6hrs of me that doesn’t have any problems for less than $10,000. Before you decide to tell me about it, there is zero chance I go look at it.

 

[SoDakNovice]

Harbor Freight is your new best friend. Cheap tools that are of decent quality too! If you but any tools.....GET YOURSELF A MULTIPURPOSE TOOL!!!!! Those little suckers are a Godsend!!!!! Don't skimp on cheapo replacement blades either.....It is inevitable......The blades go bad......but they go bad alot quicker with cheap ones...and the ones that I had would break off and go flying in the middle of me cutting. I wasn't a fan of that safety hazard. I spent 100.00 on a 10 pack of multi material Milwaukee blades and another 50.00 on a 3 pack of some super premium blade, just to compare the two. All in all, the cheaper 10 pack does a decent job.....But those 50.00 blades did last a long time before going dull.

As far as doing this in winter goes.....I feel ya brother! I am in Wisconsin and it gets bad here too! If ya saw the beginning pages of my thread, you will se that I did exactly what you are wanting to do. Got a Harbor Freight portable garage, propane heater and a tank. Turning that bad boy on the lowest setting, was more than sufficient! Just make sure you are venting a door open or something, because that propane smell can get strong. Aside from that, I am not sure what other options you have available to you. Enjoy the build!

The portable shed was an idea from your thread! I was about to give up on the whole project til I saw what you did!