Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

[Bondo]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

Why would anyone start a thread like this? Simply bored and looking for an argument I guess. Better question, why would the mods let it fly?? What bologna!!

Ayuh,.... What's yer Issue,..?? Nobody said you Have to click on the thread, much less read it....

This is 'bout the facts of Life, 'n the Truth 'bout 'em...

 

[bgc]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

I wonder where the line gets crossed on people seeing a boat and assuming it's being neglected, verse being cared for. Is outside storage instantly being neglected? Is no cover or tarp, or shrink wrap mean neglect?

You have a point. Many owner are doing their best to care for their boat. Keeping it open may be the best way to dry it out but I see and own boats that have been sealed up tight to rot. It astounds me the number of boats at the lake that have a nice cover that keeps the humidity trapped and allows rain to drip in.
There are a myriad of way to care for a boat that differs in each part of the world. Bottom line seems to be "Keep it Dry". Kind of an oxymoron...Keep it dry by placing it in the water....

 

[oregoncruiser]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

Larry E, hello back at you over there in Creswell!!

Bond-O, your correct it was my choice to read it and respond. At first reading it just sounded like an argumentative thread about how all fiberglass boats are junk. Probably should have let it go. My bad!!

 

[Larry E]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

Larry E, hello back at you over there in Creswell!!

Bond-O, your correct it was my choice to read it and respond. At first reading it just sounded like an argumentative thread about how all fiberglass boats are junk. Probably should have let it go. My bad!!

Thats right Cruiser those of us who live in Oregon dont know a thing about moisture and its affect on things...

 

[Sunsetrider]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

Deleted

 

[Mike Zee]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

What year boat you tryin to buy?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

What year boat you tryin to buy?

I'm not trying to buy one nor do I have any desire to own a neglected rotting fiberglass boat.

The people I'm talking about are friends and acquaintances.

It's more of a safety issue with me than anything else, I'd rather not see or hear about any of my friends or people I know getting in trouble out on the water because their transom caved in and their waterlogged foam wouldn't keep them afloat. This is the only reason I say anything at all about it.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

It's understandable you would want to help out a friend by telling them the truth. I think the issue is no one wants to hear or believe their purchase was for something not safe. Noone wants to hear they screwed up a large purchase. Sometimes good intentions come off as insults and you can't move past that.

 

[iCam]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

As far as Fiberglass goes I am a newby, but I knew enough about what this thread is talking about that I went with tinnies. Nothing against fiberglass (not that tinnies are maintenance free, still have some wood and foam, or laundry detergent jugs depending on the boat), but they do take a higher level of maintenance. And if that maintenance is not diligent little issues turn into big ones.

I really don't think that most boat owners want their investment to go bad, I do believe that they are ignorant (not blind) to the maintenance that they need to do. Typically when they buy a boat (and I am guilty of this, but I learned a $17,000 lesson, that has made me waaaaaaaay wiser) all they see is fun on the water. All those fish, and Babes that will be flocking around just for a ride are the selling point. No emphasis is put on off season maintenance. I see shiny boats everyday parked Bow down.

iBoats is huge, and it seems every search points 1-2 results here. I wonder if the pros like oops, WoG, jasonoutside etc. etc. could post a sticky that these new boat owners get informed of the requirements to maintain a boat?!?

Just thinking out loud with my coffee.

 

[shrew]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

You have a point. Many owner are doing their best to care for their boat. Keeping it open may be the best way to dry it out but I see and own boats that have been sealed up tight to rot. It astounds me the number of boats at the lake that have a nice cover that keeps the humidity trapped and allows rain to drip in.
There are a myriad of way to care for a boat that differs in each part of the world. Bottom line seems to be "Keep it Dry". Kind of an oxymoron...Keep it dry by placing it in the water....

Drive by once and see it uncovered, probably means nothing. Drive by every day for a month and it's uncovered? Ya, that's not great. It would depend on what we're talking about. Tinny? No problem. Fully enclosed trawler, more than likely not a problem. Bow rider, carpeted runabout? PRoblem. Boats are made to be placed IN the water, not water placed IN the boat. Uncovered in the winter in an area prone to snow....problem.

A properly covered or shrink wrapped boat allows no water to ingress but still allows for proper air flow to prevent 'condensation rain'.

 

[Philster]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

Some guy came and boat my ol' Scarab, and it was to be his first boat. He was a Waverunner guy that dove into boating by getting a 502 cubic inch engine in a 27' boat with an upgraded Bravo drive. Engine was fresh and pristine. Interior was mold free. The boat always sat with a vented Sharkskin cover I got here on iboats.

I told him a few things he should know as pure courtesy: Keep it fully covered, and not just with the mooring cover. Put the bow up for the winter and put the drive down so that water can't collect in it. And... wait until there is no chance of freezing weather before the spring start up, since he surely didn't know how to drain it.

For kicks, I googled him about ten days ago and his facebook page came up, and all his pics were available and not private. He proudly displayed his new Scarab....

...with mooring cover caved in from snow they got up in New England; boat sitting level on the trailer, and the outdrive at max trailer height with snow piled up in and around it. A day or two before that snow fall, he had started the engine and called to ask me where the fuel shut off was. I told him, "Get somebody that knows about boats to help you out". I'm sure all the snow and ice are just great for the interior and the hatches and bilge, etc.

I asked him if he re-winterized it or at least drained it after seeing the pics and knowing what he did. Well, he didn't. And he's had at least 4-5 nights in the low 20's where he is at.

Ignorance might be bliss, but blissfulness is not the final condition of ignorance -- just the temporary condition.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

People ignorant to the ways of boating will relate everything about their car experiences over to boats.

Boat=Water="Surely all boats are waterproof".

Car engines sit for years and start.
I can run a care engine "dry" just for a little bit without overheating.
Replace the "what" bearing? Cars do not have their bearings greased and checked every year, etc...

My brother had a neat little Sidewinder closed bow with Merc 135hp I/O, some guy from way out of town bought it. The buyer's native language was not English, and my brother was trying to tell him about the boat and how it all worked, but was pretty sure the buyer was not getting it. As the new owner was packing up and ready to leave (in a 4door Camry or something with a hitch!) he asked "Do we mix the oil in with the gas on this one?" We both pretty much knew how all that was going to turn out. :facepalm:

 

[Bluepike]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

I read a post once where a guy had a gouge in to his fiberglass and I replied and tried to explain osmosis and rot. I am no expert but was immediately proclaimed to be an idiot by the "Experts". I have become one from the don't get involved camp.

I'll continue to keep my boat as dry as possible and buy my next one from someone like me.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

^^ It's the internet. Don't let unseen faces with their unknown experience scare you away. Just help the next newbee and karma will handle it from there.

 

[90stingray]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

I just sold my Stingray to a guy and he showed up with a brand new receiver and ball... so i decided to give him a COMPLETE run down on the boat, trailer, towing, and backing. I was probably getting too involved as he was just nodding with a blank look on his face. He said this would be the first trailer he has pulled and first boat he has owned. But at least he had an Avalanche to pull the boat. Its his boat now, but it would break my heart to see it full of snow next winter. I am sure they sure degrade fast out in the elements...

 

[southkogs]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

Ayuh,....it's usually someone who's Just bought an ole OMC Stringer...

But I have a ... awww, geee ... <sniffle>

I think way too many people buy a boat (doesn't really matter what kind) thinking, "this'll be great." Only to find out it's not like your car. You don't just park it and go inside. It requires more attention than that. Some folks buy a brand new boat and trash it within a few short years.

Others can buy some hulk that's been sittin' roadside for 10 years - fix and clean relatively cheaply - and put her back on the water for a lifetime.

If you don't have the time or the gumption to take care of a boat, then you better have the money. If you have neither, you probably don't need to get a boat.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

After reading all the posts here and agreeing that some people are just too dumb and/or careless to own a boat I suddenly flashed back to the late autumn in the 1980's when I removed my almost new 25 horse Evinrude from my boat in order to car top it to Mexico where the road was too rough for trailering. When I got back, I took the motor out of the back of my truck and set it beside my garage, on it's back with the prop facing up. I swear I intended to put it inside "in a day or two". Yeah, right!

We had a colder and wetter than usual winter that year. And, I didn't get around to actually moving the motor until a couple of months later. That's when I found that enough rain and snow water had leaked past the seal around the prop shaft to fill that part of the lower unit. The temps got down into the upper teens, the water froze and split the bottom part of the gear case. As luck would have it it was an easy and relatively cheap fix. Interestingly enough, that seal had shown no signs of leakage before then.

I'm sure that's what happens to a lot of boats. Good intentions that get postponed by the day to day events of life. Pretty soon a month has gone by and then another and then a year and all the while nature is nibbling away at that beautiful piece of marine artwork that we failed to properly protect. A sad story but too often true.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

I get Pi$$ed seeing beautiul boats setting out uncoverd , some for years. When I bought Frisco's Glastron he did not know me and was concerned that it might rain that night and until I told him I had a coverd parking spot and would always keep the cover on did he relax.

I think usually the more expensive boats have owners that get it and the novices buying the used 1989 Bayliner Capris with an underpowerd Force Outboard just have no clue. but I know there are a few knowlageable ones here on iboats and I mean no offence.

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

I think usually the more expensive boats have owners that get it and the novices buying the used 1989 Bayliner Capris with an underpowerd Force Outboard just have no clue.

In a way I agree with you. But one other thing I've noticed: Pretty often in this part of the country the guy who buys the well used '80s model Bayliner has neither the money, the time, nor the knowledge and ability to properly maintain the boat he owns. And, the fuel cost for every trip to the lake really stretches the family budget.

What he can really afford to run and could probably maintain in reasonable condition is a 14 or 16 ft. tinnie with a 30 or 35 HP tiller steering motor. But that's not much good for taking the whole family waterskiing or tubing and it certainly doesn't fit his self image.

After awhile the effort of trying to keep the boat running and in good condition just gets overwhelming and another boat with rotten wood, waterlogged foam and in need of "a little TLC" ends up on craigslist for a few hundred dollars OBO.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Rotten Fiberglass Boats and Their Owners

along what mel is saying--we see these posts here from a novice who wants to buy his first boat, big enough to take his whole extended family of 12, so everyone can lay out flat, tube, spit, ski and fish all at the same time, store it next to the house under the trees, he's saved up a whole $3000 and found that 20 year old sofaboat that "all it needs is..."
First problem and the family abandons him. second problem and wifey won't let him spend the $4000 for the transom stringers, LU or motor. So there it sits.

the other situation is the overbearing *** of a father who thinks if he buys a boat, his children and wife, children in law and grandchildren, will want to hang out with him, and as soon as he starts bossing them all around, he's solo again. So there it sits. next to the pool.