Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud !UPDATE!

[MaleficentArmy]

so, heres the story. i was takin my jon boat up the bark river, a tributary of the rock river in wisconsin, and i saw an old red fiberglass boat washed up on shore. it was completely gutted but still pretty nice and seems to be in one peice. i already made sure i could get an abandoned boat title and i contacted the landowners who just had a roofing and siding business there. they said they dont know how it got there, its been there as long as they can remember and they gave me permission to just take it. so i plan on restoring it. i currently have no idea what kind of boat it is, but it is a v-hull with closed bow and dash, 2 front seats, 2 sideways back seats, and it seems to be around 15ft. idk if i can get it out right now though cuz its flooding and theres about 3ft of water over there, the boat is in mud and there is water in the boat, but only from rain and no boat plug (hopefully). any ideas as to how i can get it out? its thick with trees so i cant get a truck or anything back there. also any suggestions for when i restore it? anything i should know about? thanks.


EDIT: i found out the boat is a 1955 whitehouse sea rocket

 

[drrpm]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

My advise would be to leave it be. An abandoned boat left in the water and exposed to the elements in Wisconsin for a number of years is certainly going to have a rotten transom and stringers. It would probably just fall apart if you tried to pull it out.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

your most likely going to have to get it out by water. then you will have to see if it is actually a candidate for restoration.

I would spend some time looking at the stickies in the hull repair / restoration section http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288451

if it isnt a good candidate for restoration, it can be a good candidate for a yard planter

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

+1 To leaving it stuck in the mud.

Based on your description of the boat, those type of old glass boats are a dime a dozen and you could easily buy one for a couple hundred bucks in better shape, with paperwork, and (best of all!) not stuck in mud.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Leave it there. It will probably cost you more to buy a trailer for it than you could buy a complete boat already on a trailer with a title. Not to mention it probably wont make it out of the mud without major damage. By the time you buy powertrain, electrical, flooring, stringers, upholstery, you could probably buy a brand new 15ft boat.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

99% of the time, its only worth rescuing a boat like this if you have some personal connection to it. IE, you had something similar as a kid and want to restore it and put it back to use. If you are doing it because its a 'free' boat, you will have a bad surprise. That free boat will cost you far more than buying one on craigslist that is ready to go.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

there's a reason it's been sitting there that long.

 

[salty87]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

rebuilds are generally only feasible if you plan to keep the boat for years. you won't recover your costs on resale. make sure you want to run it for years if you want to get your money's worth.

 

[Knot Waiting]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Other than an interesting back story there are little advantages to prying this hulk from mother nature vs finding a cheap one on craigslist.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

If there is water around it you would find that a jet ski could give a pretty powerful water jet to dig up the mud close to the hull and start to free it up. I suspect, as the others do, that winters and summers in the dirt have not left the bottom in good condition. If you get it out you now have to fix it or take it to the junk yard.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

so, heres the story. i was takin my jon boat up the bark river, a tributary of the rock river in wisconsin, and i saw an old red fiberglass boat washed up on shore. it was completely gutted but still pretty nice and seems to be in one peice. i already made sure i could get an abandoned boat title and i contacted the landowners who just had a roofing and siding business there. they said they dont know how it got there, its been there as long as they can remember and they gave me permission to just take it. so i plan on restoring it. i currently have no idea what kind of boat it is, but it is a v-hull with closed bow and dash, 2 front seats, 2 sideways back seats, and it seems to be around 15ft. idk if i can get it out right now though cuz its flooding and theres about 3ft of water over there, the boat is in mud and there is water in the boat, but only from rain and no boat plug (hopefully). any ideas as to how i can get it out? its thick with trees so i cant get a truck or anything back there. also any suggestions for when i restore it? anything i should know about? thanks.

Friend I see you are a newbe to this forum . Some members will be very honest with you and blunt..I am one of them and I am saying unless you just like throwing money (and plenty of it)away FORGET IT and then find a boat that can be brought back if you just gota restore something....gez

 

[ericp501]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

I bought a very nice 1996 wellcraft that was taken care of.. I've already put more money into it then I actually bought it for in the first year. That thing will suck you dry! I agree, Leave it! Go on Craigslist.com and search "free boats". I can't believe I'm saying this, but you'll prob find a boat in better shape like that.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

All you're going to do is help the environment when you finish the trip to the dump.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

I agree with the above statement. That boat will take a thousand years to disolve.

 

[pjitty]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

some people have a hard time waxing a boat, let alone restore one. If your a hands on type person and you like restoring stuff, and get a rush when you see a finished piece, than go for it. If on the other hand you can't figure out which end of a screwdriver to hold [skinny or fat], than go buy a boat in decent condition and enjoy. You won't get your money back if you decide to sell, but you will have a boat in like new condition after a total restore. Just my 2 cents...

Joe D

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

If you're a hands on type person and you like restoring stuff, and get a rush when you see a finished piece, then get a fixer upper off craigslist.

Fixed that for you

 

[JimS123]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Taking that boat would be a waste of time.....a waste of money...a waste of energy....and a dumb idea!

Now, having said that, if it were me I'd jump on it and geterhome in a heartbeat. Why? Just the challenge of it. If it turns out total junk, just haul it to the dumps.

I had a similar case when I was a dirt poor college kid. It was a free inboard wooden 23' sedan of unknown make. The engine was stuck. My Dad advised me to pass and i did. Someone else took it and got it running for only a couple hundred bucks. I saw it putting up and down the river for many years to come.

Sometimes the things that make no sense turn out to be a lot of fun!

 

[rallyart]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

I love that post JimS123

 

[MaleficentArmy]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Taking that boat would be a waste of time.....a waste of money...a waste of energy....and a dumb idea!

Now, having said that, if it were me I'd jump on it and geterhome in a heartbeat. Why? Just the challenge of it. If it turns out total junk, just haul it to the dumps.

I had a similar case when I was a dirt poor college kid. It was a free inboard wooden 23' sedan of unknown make. The engine was stuck. My Dad advised me to pass and i did. Someone else took it and got it running for only a couple hundred bucks. I saw it putting up and down the river for many years to come.

Sometimes the things that make no sense turn out to be a lot of fun!

You just inspired me to go and at least get it out. i know it is structurally safe cuz i took a close look at it before the flood. i live right on the river about 1/2mile downstream. so as long as it floats, i can get it home. :]
and i LOVE restoring old things and working with my hands to see that finished project that just gives you an amazing sense of pride. When i posted this i wasnt asking if it was a good idea to get the boat or not, i was asking for advice on how i should go about getting it out, and restoring it.

 

[mk4713]

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

Re: Restoring an old abandoned fiberglass boat need advice its stuck in the mud

If you have the money to spare and the skill to restore it will take some time but fiberglass can fix alot of stuff bud. In Texas it would be left there, can't title abandoned boats. Its easier to get a title for a flying saucer than a boat here. Sounds like something I would do, I would drag it out, if it falls to pieces it just was'nt meant to be.