Okay here we go.

[jake.kelly]

I have a question, probably many and please you're going to have to talk to me like I'm stupid as this is my first boat that I am restoring.

It's an old 1978 bass boat and it needs a lot of TLC. It was my dads and it's the only thing that he really left to me. I want to restore it.

I have taken out pretty much everything and noticed that the floor boards and the stringers are shot.

The back half of the boat, where the live well begins, all the way back to the transom, there is this white coating covering the floor and back of the boat. What is the procedure and what tool do I use to take that stuff off? what is it? It seems to glue and hold everything in place, such as the live well and things like that.

Please go easy on me as this is my first time doing this and it's all a learning process for me.

Thanks

Love you





http://i.imgur.com/vAkOw7f.jpg (It's covering the back half of the boat, it's a white paste. It seems to be holding everything in place such as the live well in this pic) Does it all need to come out?


http://i.imgur.com/yJpOQm6.jpg?1


http://i.imgur.com/hYa84hj.jpg


Also in this next pic (a little off from the original topic) can someone please tell me why there is hard foam in the rectangular cubby hole to the side of the boat? If I'm redoing the floor do I need to take that old foam out and put new foam in?

http://i.imgur.com/LNRCGIW.jpg

 

[Allbutwet]

Re: Okay here we go.

Welcome Aboard Jake! Take some pics and post them. You will get better answers that way. Plus you can't be stupid or you wouldn't be here asking questions.

 

[HalfFish5087]

Re: Okay here we go.

Jake, the white stuff your refering to looks like paint or possibly a gelcoat above the fiberglass. I would imagine that you could do a little sanding or grinding you expose the fiberglass.

If you don't already have the following I would recommend at least these 2 tools for demolition: Angle grinder with course flap disks and a oscillating cutting tool. The cutting tool is great for making small cuts that are close to the hull which will be required for the livewell removal.

If the foam is dry, I would leave it in. However, I see some debris on the foam which tells me its likely been exposed to the elements so I go ahead and remove it and replace with new later on.

There are many great threads here that will help you out with your rebuild. Good luck!

 

[jake.kelly]

Could you please take a quick look at the pic and help me out

Could you please take a quick look at the pic and help me out

Quick question.


Could you please take a quick look at the pic below and let me know if it's possible to use an angle grinder and carefully cut out the upper deck and cabinets as a whole, take it out and then restore the stringers and floor and then set it back in as a whole and fasten it down? because that part of the boat seems to be really solid and not bad.

http://i.imgur.com/1geLFl3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KpC7bXs.jpg

Is that something that can be done? or should I just go to h*ll?

Also what type of blade and size on an angle grinder do you suggest?

and what type of oscillating tool do you suggest?



Thanks you're an amazing person and people should write poems and songs about you. ( for those of you who respond, for others who just looked at my question and are going to leave, please disregard this last sentence, as it is not for you).

Thanks guys

Jake

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Okay here we go.

If you have rot below deck, I'm pretty sure the bottom of the decking won't look as good as the top.

As far as cutting it out, lifting it out, and replacing as a whole I think you'll find it too heavy/bulky and weak to stay together in one piece

I'd cut it down to 3 pieces. Bow, midship, and aft to lift out... but that's probably not going to happen either with the decking fastened to the stringers unless they're total mush.

Best would be to start at the top and work down, remove upper most decking first, then all bulkheads that sit on lower decking, then the lower decking.

 

[jake.kelly]

Re: Okay here we go.

Also what type of blade and size on an angle grinder do you suggest?

and what type of oscillating tool do you suggest?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Okay here we go.

You really want to take a LOT of measurements first. Your hull will become very flimsy once the deck and superstructure has all been removed. You need to know the upper lip dimensions so you can get it back to it's original shape in order for the top cap to go back on correctly. You can use nylon straps to help hold it's shape

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Okay here we go.

Also what type of blade and size on an angle grinder do you suggest?

and what type of oscillating tool do you suggest?

In reality, cutting that close to the edge of the deck and hull will more likely than not lead to gouging or cutting through the hull. We see that rookie mistake a lot here.

The best way to cut the decking out is to use a Skill circular type saw with the blade set just deep enough to penetrate the decking, this put the blade far enough away from the hull to keep it out of harms way. Then the small plywood strip that's left attached to the hull is broken off and the fiberglass that remains is carefully removed with a gringer.

I know you're trying to save and reuse your plywood, but if you mangle the hull in the process it won't be worth it... and as I said before, the plywood probably isn't in that great of shape on the bottom anyway.

 

[HalfFish5087]

Re: Okay here we go.

Jake,
I certainly agree with Jig and WoG it would be very wise to make sure you get a lot of measurements and make sure that the hull is very well supported before cutting off the top. That way the boat doesn't have a change to flex when you start cutting everything out.

I've used cheap 4-1/2 angle grinders and they worked fine for me so just about any brand will do. I have found that the higher quality disks seem to last a bit longer, but that could be my imagination. As far as the oscillating cutting tool, I went with this one.

Dremel Multi-Max 2.5-Amp Oscillating Tool Kit-MM40-01 at The Home Depot

It really helped to make good controlled cuts through glass and wood. Grab a few extra blades if going through a lot of glass as they tended not to last too long for me. I would suggest to use this type of tool for removing the upper decks and cabinets as it will leave you with much better cuts. It will take longer though.

 

[gatorfan6908]

Re: Okay here we go.

Well Jake,
I'm proud to say you are the first Imgurian I have seen on this site other than myself... If you other folks don't know what an Imgurian is... feel free to disregard.
Let me start by saying congrats on making a decision to restore this boat, as I can tell it has great sentimental value to you. May I go ahead and tell you that you need to take a second (or day or two) and step back to look at the project you are about to embark upon. Restoring a boat is no easy, quick, and by far not a cheap project. You can look at a minimum of around $2-3K just in materials, tools, consumables, and whatever else you discover you need along the way. Not to mention that a project like this takes months if working part-time (afternoons and weekends). Most take upwards of a year to complete due to unforeseen circumstances. It is a lot of back breaking work spent in the sun and getting disgustingly dirty/itchy from grinding fiberglass, getting resin/gelcoat/foam on your arms and legs, not to mention the cleanup required from each time you take the grinder to the glass...
Look at your work environment... if it is your garage, you are going to have to be ok with the fact you will lose all of that space and have a humongous eye-sore to look at until you can move it out, which isn't until later in the project.
That being said and you making the final decision to move forward... I can admittedly say that restoring my boat has been one of the most fulfilling self-achievements I have ever experienced. I have learned more about glassing, fabricating, improvising, working with electrical components and wiring, and drinking beer than ever before. It takes a long time to understand what folks are talking about around here, especially the pros, but the more threads you read the more things start to make sense.
Each time you complete another step, you gain that much confidence in the rest of the work you will do. You will even find yourself finding ways to improve the boat as you go along. Anyways, best of luck to ya and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[jake.kelly]

Re: Okay here we go.

What would be the best way to support it when I start cutting away? It's sitting in it's trailer right now.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Okay here we go.

What would be the best way to support it when I start cutting away? It's sitting in it's trailer right now.

This thread has a lot of info on that subject:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/boat-hull-cradle-help-584635.html

 

[jake.kelly]

Re: Okay here we go.

So leaving it in the trailer while doing the work is a bad idea? The trailer seems to fit the boat well.

Oh and just to let you know .... I have only cried twice since starting this project. I think I'm doing okay.

Jake

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Okay here we go.

So leaving it in the trailer while doing the work is a bad idea? The trailer seems to fit the boat well.

Oh and just to let you know .... I have only cried twice since starting this project. I think I'm doing okay.

Jake

The trailer supports the boat as a whole, when you start taking it apart and especially removing the stringers it needs quite a bit more support than the trailer offers.

 

[jake.kelly]

Re: Okay here we go.

So as you may know I'm destroying my boat! Right now I'm ripping out the floor and as I take out the plywood I see the hull has I believe fiberglass on it and up on the stringers holding them in place. How do I get that fiberglass(?) off with it being that close to the hull. It's basically laying on top of the hull like a sheet.

Sorry if I have already asked this question in a different way, I'm just confused.

Thanks

 

[HalfFish5087]

Re: Okay here we go.

Jake, remain calm. I would suggest using the oscillating tool and make small cuts being very careful not to go through the hull. Try and keep as much as you can intact as it will provide you at least a pattern later or may be able to go back in after you repair the stringers.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: Okay here we go.

How do I get that fiberglass(?) off with it being that close to the hull. It's basically laying on top of the hull like a sheet.

A lot of guys will cut the tabbing and glass covering the stringers a little above the hull, leaving a small vertical piece remaining, then grind it flush after all the wood and yuck is gone. Sometimes, once the stringer is gone, the remaining piece can actually be carefully peeled from the hull. The total adhesion by some manufacturers just wasn't that good originally.

 

[jake.kelly]

Re: Okay here we go.

I know I'm not there yet, but I'm curious what the procedure is, step 1 to however many steps ...when installing the stringers? What do you use to hold them in place, tabbing? Fillet? Fiberglass? or is that all the same? and what order with the different layers?

Thanks

 

[GWPSR]

Re: Okay here we go.

Scroll back up to Woodonglass' reply. Look for the link in his signature "Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms" (Or click <-- there)

 

[jake.kelly]

Re: Okay here we go.

I know I have asked this before and I was directed to a link that talked about how to cradle your boat but they never talked about using nylon straps to cradle it, only building wood cradles. Would you think using Nylon Straps would be okay to hold the form of the boat? Please say yes! How many do you think would suffice for a 16 foot bass boat.