Need help with fiberglass boat

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I just bought a 14ft fiberglass boat by correct craft and need a little help. It had a 40 horse johnson on the back of it but i took it off. I'm looking for more like a 15-25 to cruise around the gulf in. With the gulf in mind i have some questions and concerns. The boat itself looks like it's in pretty good condition. But i don't know if fiberglass goes bad or not thats the question. The boat in the inside kinda has wood molded along the sides that would be too hard to cut out with a saw, but the previous owners seemed to cut the floor out thats it. As they cut it they put a little slash through the bottom of the boat which i'm in process of fiberglassing many times over cause i'm a safety freak on the water. The transom looks good no cracks, or dents and a boat this light that we threw in the back of a truck seemed to hold up. Their is however the top of the transom with a thin layer of wood on the outer part of the hull thats separated. I figure i could just fiberglass it and it will be alright. My main question and concern though is the fiberglass itself. It's not a paper thin boat but you can press the sides in and shake it and the boat will twist and turn(note it's gutted with only the semi-rotted runners showing). When i press in the fiberglass or push it in, it makes a CRACKING noise and it troubles me but friends have said all fiberglass does that. Can fiberglass go bad? When it makes a craking noise like that it that bad or just the fiberglass boat with no floor or support yet? Also it's not even a half inch thick on the side but the bottom is sturding and thick but i tried stepping in the bare hull and it made cracking noises. Sorry for the long post but i'm concerned and ready to start working on it, Basiclly my question would have been does fiberglass go bad? Thanks!

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Need help with fiberglass boat

I don't think you will ever find a boat that has 1/2 inch thick glass on the bottom, let alone the sides in the size boat you have, so I would'nt worry too much. Yes, Fiberglass can go bad, but its usualy because of damage that has ben exposed to moisture. The fibers can wick moisture. You would need to let it all dry and grind it away until you are to good solid glass, then you can repair it. I would say you are getting the creaking because you no longer have a solid structure due to the missing floor and rotted stringers. It could be the upper deck and hull are flexing independent of each other. The deck and hull are joined at the rubrail. You will need to gut everything down to just a bare hull, and go from there. I have my 17 footer gutted to the bare hull, and I walk around on the glass with no protest. I would be careful if I were you, but you will be surprised to see just how strong it is. <br /><br />I also think you may want to reconsider your decision to go to less power in your boat. What if bad weather came up, and you needed more power to make it against wind or current? Also, with less power, you may end up stressing the motor out more. The beauty of more power is that you don't have to use it if you don't want, the engine will live longer because it isn't stressed as much, and a 40 horse isn't that much heavier than a 25 horse. You definatly do not want a 15 horse unless you are boating in a pond. Good Luck....