My boat project.

[water_rat03]

I am not sure how far I am going to go with this boat. I owned it a several years ago, sold it and just got it back. The kid I sold it to put a new outdrive on it, and the engine was put in brand new before I owned it the first time. It now has less than 75 hours on it. Not certain, but low hours, so with the new engine and new drive I figure it is worth a little time.

I bought it back unseen, which was a mistake. Found it had a hole in the keel. An attempt at patching the hole had been made but didn't hold. I sanded it down and attempted another patch, it held but leaked, and just started to crack. So I came here and got some excelent advice.
Turns out I was doing it wrong....... go figure!

Anyway here hopefuly is some pics of what I am starting with.

OK, so pics must have to be loaded on photobucket or somehwere before they can be added here. I will do that and be back soon with pics.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: My boat project.

Whoa...............Hang on there WaterRat you need to Read this

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=425485

I'm just sayin...

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Try again. I remembered to upload pics this time.
But apparently I added too many images. Going to correct the problem and try again.

This is the beast. Not a pretty old girl but it should work.

Has some pits and dings on the outside. Probably won't mess with these until next spring / summer. Haven't fully decided how far into this project I want to get. Might just get it fixed and seaworthy. I am realy thinking about doing the deck, inside, and painting above the water line this time around and then working on the rest of the hull.

This is the hole in the keel, I will be grinding that down and fixing it right.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Continued.......

Trailer needs new rollers too. That is at the top of the list!

The seats were not in too good of shape when I bought it back. Amazing what a difference 3 years can make!

After following some good advice on here, I checked under the deck and found some problems. Just what I could see through the storage hatch made me decide to pull the deck and get to work.
The deck. The wood is solid, only a couple of small patches of rot along the seem. I will be replacing it, but hopefuly it is a good sign. I pulled some of the fiberglass laminate off the deck, but it did not come easy. Working with a putty knife I did get some off.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Continued.......

Under decks looking to the front of the storage compartment. Exploritory drilling into this bulkhead came back with a drill bit full of mush and mud. Digging with my fingers through that crack in the fiberglass also came back with a handfull of wet mushy plywood chunks.

Looking to the side in the ski storage opening at the port side stringer. Just what I could see. Going to get a better look when the deck is out.

And finaly looking back into the back of the ski storage compartment to the rear bulkhead. From here looks good, but will know more when it is exposed. The dark spots on the side are a handful of leaves and some rotted plywood from up front that got swept back there.

Hope this works. Thanks for looking.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Whoa...............Hang on there WaterRat you need to Read this

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=425485

I'm just sayin...

OOps, I missed that one.

Acualy though, the first 2 threads were question threads about fiberglass repair, does that get me off the hook? :redface:
Everything will be on this one from now on, and we will just let the others fade off into the sunset.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

OK, very little progress today. I got the front portion of the deck pulled up, from the seam in the pictures just at the rear of the ski locker.
Once I got inside I found a little more problems than I had hoped for, but less than I had expected.
Of course the stringers from the rear of the ski locker to the front are rotted in a few places. The bulkhead is rotted. Under the formed floor in the open bow is all mush, but I have not dug that far forward yet.
I smacked the stringers with a hammer as far back as I could reach, and they sound solid. Kinda happy about that, at least until I get the next section of deck pulled up.
I think I am going to have to pull the cap off to get under the bow floor. I was hoping to avoid that, but don't see an option. Of course my wife of 20 years told me no, saying if I did that I would ruin the boat. So, does she have no faith in my abilities, or does she know me too well? Can't be too hard to pull the cap, can it?
Won't be able to get back to work on it until sunday or monday, so will try to get some pics posted then. I took a couple today, but didn't load them on the puter yet. Going to spend tomorrow looking around to see where the best place to find the materials will be.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

A quick update today to keep this going.
Had a few hours tonight to work on her. Decided she has PMS, or at least is retaining water for some reason. Pulled things apart, all the wood in the bow is rotten. When I started pulling the foam out I had water running out. Pulled about 3 5 galon buckets of wet mushy rotten wood out. Some exporing of the stringers behind the ski deck brought out good dry wood. Looks like all the damage is from the front of the ski locker forward. Transom is all dry and nice light brown wood from the drill bit.
tomorrow I will be grinding, sanding, cleaning and letting things dry. Hopefuly in a few days I will be installing the new stringers.
A question on the floation foam..... what is it there for? I assume it is to displace any water that might leak in, and to keep it floating if it does get swamped. I was looking for an alternative and saw the swimming noodle idea. I have also seen someone cut blocks of unsulation foam, the 4 by 8 sheets and stick them in place of the foam. Which would be a better alternative? The old foam held water around it, pooled it against the stringers, and made a mess so it is all going away.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: My boat project.

You've already discovered the two most common alternatives. Noodles and construction foam. Your choice!!! Which ever is easiest for you. You are correct about it's purpose. It is to keep the boat from going to the bottom in case of swamping. You need to make allowances for water to make it's way to the bilge so it can be drained from the boat via the drain tube.

Yer makin progress!

I'm just sayin...

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Thanks for the information again.
I am going to check the local lumber yard to compare prices and go from there.
Today I cut ground and sanded my way down to where the hole was in the keel. I laid a first layer of resin in the gap of the hole and am letting it set up. For filling the hole I used a Bondo brand short strand fiberglass filler. The hole was about 4 inches long and about 1/4 inches wide. When that sets up good I am going to sand it down smooth, just to fill in the crack and feather it out a little bit. Then I am going over it with a couple layers of fiberglass and cloth. That along with the patch that was put over the outside should hold it. Then on to stringer installation.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

This will be a long post, don't want to miss anything! Have a couple of questions at the end, especialy worried I am doing something wrong!

Anyway, I have been making a little progress. Don't have any pictures to show for it though, the camera is not cooperating. I think it is time for a new camera!
Got the new stringers in. All went smooth there. I used 1x6 treated dried lumber that was leftover from building a deck on the house. I think it will be stronger over time than plywood, and should last longer.
I found the hole in the keel from the inside. I cut away on each side of the crack. For anyone just joining this repair project, in case you missed it above, I bought the boat with a hole in the keel. The hole was about 8 to 10 inches long, and split about a half inch wide at the widest point. The previous owner attempted to patch the hole with 1 layer of fiberglass laid over the hole from the outside. When that leaked and split open he filled the hole with weatherstripping spray in insulation foam which slowed down the leak to where the bilge pump kept up.
I got the boat, and before I knew what I know now, I sanded his patch off and laid 2 layers of fiberglass patch over the hole. It held but leaked, and in one place started to crack already after 2 hours on the lake. I also noticed the deck which was solid was bouncing with every wave I hit. So, more expert advice from here got me convinced to pull the deck. I found the stringers had about a foot of rotten wood, right where the crack in the keel was. A bulkhead where the crack was had also rotted and the glass was broken. That bulkhead was completely gone, no wood left just glass.
So, new stringers in place, new bulkhead in place I laid 3 layers of glass over the hole from the inside. I was able to grind away all the spray foam, all the broken rough parts, and make the hole smooth. I laid a layer of short strand filler down in the hole and laid 3 layers of resin and cloth over the hole. The first one an inch larger than the hole, second 2 inches bigger than the first patch and so on. I think I am going to lay one more layer over the outside.
I have the deck cut and ready to put down, just need to make sure I am done below deck before I close it up. Anything I am missing, or should do?
Oh, the layers I added over the patch are polyester resin with a cloth that has fibers running in all directions. Not the tight weave or plaid design weave I used for the first patch I tried on the outside. I added the second layer as the first was almost dry, still tacky to the touch.
Next question, what all alternatives do I have for painting the patch on the outside? I don't care about looks at this time, just looking for something to cover the fiberglass patch? Do I have to use gelcoat, which obviously is the best choice, or is there something else that will work?
Next spring if finances allow I plan on working over the outside of the boat. Paint, repair some chips scratches and dings in the gelcoat below the water line etc. But until then looking for some advice.
Thanks!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: My boat project.

First off, what kind of Poly did you use? Was it waxed or unwaxed? You said you laid your layers while the first was still tacky. If it was waxed resin this is NO GOOD!!! Waxed resin must dry between layers and be sanded before the next layer goes down. Second it sounds like you used CSM for your layers. If was me I would put a layer of 1708 Biax for strength. Do some research and you'll see what i mean. As far as paint or Gel coat you can use what ever you want. Remember this rule Epoxy sticks to just about anything but poly and gel will not easily adhere to epoxy.

I'm just sayin...

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

I will have to read the can to see if it was waxed. I know you told me that the resin from Menards or Home Depot type places have wax so I avoided shopping there. This stuff was labled marine repair. I will check and make sure it did not contain wax. If I find it does, I guess I will be sanding and grinding.
I see the difference in cloth. Going to make sure I get some 1708 to add to the repair.
Thanks again!

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

OK, today I checked with a nearby marina for gelcoat. All they had was large cans of it, too much and too expensive. They can order smaller cans of it for me a lot cheaper.
Then they told me that I didn't need to paint it or coat it with anything if I didn't want to. They said the fiberglass patch will be water tight, and there is no need to cover it if I didn't want to. Said all the gelcoat is for is cosmetic appearance to make a smooth colored finish.
I am thinking it is time to go somewhere else for my materials.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: My boat project.

If you are NOT real Picky you could use plain old rustoleum premium oil based paint to cover the patch. It Holds up VERY well. Lots of people on here have used it to paint their hulls and have had GREAT DURABLE results. $28.00 a Gallon $9.00 a Quart @ Home Depot. Easy to apply with a roller.

Takes about a Week for it to cure before you put it in the water. You should put on 3 LIGHT coats NOT heavy coats. Let each Coat DRY 24 Hours. Lightly Sand between coats with a Scotch brite pad. You'll be very surprised and pleased with the results.

I'm just sayin...

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Thanks for the tip on the paint. I think I might give that a try.
Also, a big thanks for all the advice you have given me. This is of course a new experience for me, and I am learning as I go.
Looks are not a big deal for me with this boat at this time, but safety definately is. My kids are on the boat with me, so it must be fixed right.
Thanks again everyone for the help.
I didn't get much work done today. The boat is sitting outside and it rained this morning. Things were just a little bit wet until this afternoon, but it has been threatening rain all day, so I decided to take a break from the project for the day.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: My boat project.

Water rat,
I just looked on the back of my "waxed" poly resin container and it says you can apply additional layers while it is still wet or tacky. However, if it dries, you will need to sand before applying more coats. So don't grind anything off. Just sand if you are going to add more layers of resin.

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.


I'm so confused!

How exactly will I know if my resin was wax or not?
I did read one post either on here or somewhere in my random search for information on fiberglassing that said as long as the stuff has not dried past the sticky stage it is fine to keep adding layers. If it becomes hard and dry it must be sanded. Not sure now, the vote is 2 to 1.
Don't want to start any hate or discontent about it though.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: My boat project.

WR,

HE is correct. You only have to worry if it dries. You then have to sand before the next coat. You ARE GOOD TO GO. NO WORRIES!!!!! Sorry for the confusion.


I'm just sayin...

 

[water_rat03]

Re: My boat project.

Good deal. Thanks again.
I did lay the next layer over while the first layer was just starting to set up, but was not dried and hardened.
Hopefuly tomorrow the weather will cooperate and I will be able to close it up. I wish the camera was working before I close it up.