Small rowing boat

[gio80]

Hello everybody,
I'd like to have some advises about how to restore a small fiberglass rowing boat.
The boat is quite good, probably needs to be sand and painted new.
The real problem is in the cap rail and breast hooks, the wood is seriously damaged and needs to be replaced.
Also after using the boat, you can ear some water inside the bow sit, so I think there is some hole around the metal plaque next to the ring.
Can you suggest me an economic way to do it properly? (what wood to use, how to bend it, which varnish, etc.)

Thank you very much,
Giovanni (Essex).

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Small rowing boat

Welcome to iBoats from across the Pond!!!!

Nice little project!!! Here's what I'd recommend. I'd drill a hole at the bottom front of the enclosed bow seat as shown in this pic,

which should allow the water inside to drain out. I'd leave the hold there so no more water could ever accumulate in there and you should always store the boat with the bow up! As you say, it appears that all she needs is a good sanding and possibly some patching, fairing and then a nice paint job along with replacing all the wood and she'll be good as new. The wood should be a Marine type wood. Mahogany, Spruce, White Ash or Oak, Teak, Cedar come to mind. Coated with either several coats of Marine Varnish and maintained well, she'll last a LONG time. I might also suggest you drill into the exposed stringers and keel to determine their condition as well. If the wood is dry then fill the holes with a good marine sealant. If not then they may need to be repaired or replaced. A picture of the bow and the hooks will enable us to give you better advice on those repairs. The materials here in the States are a bit dissimilar to those over there but we should be able to make the connection and lead you to the proper materials to make the repairs.

 

[IraRat]

Re: Small rowing boat

That looks like a lot of work.

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Small rowing boat

That looks like a lot of work.

Man your in the wrong part of the forum then :lol:

 

[sphelps]

Re: Small rowing boat

That a cool looking little boat and would be a lot of fun restoring . And small enough not to break the bank ..

 

[gio80]

Re: Small rowing boat

Thank you for answering me!
I'm really new to this kind of boat-world and even explaining in English is not so easy to me (I'm Italian), but I'm really excited about this project and I would like to do my best!
The idea of drilling a hole worries me a little, because if I place the boat upside down, the day after there's no more water inside, so maybe we don't need to do it if we fix the bow.

In the picture you can see that around the metal plaque next to the ring, there is some filler missing, that is probably the cause of the water inside.

Even if someone in this forum said that it's a desperate project, I think I will try, starting with taking off the old wood, hand sanding and painting with a good resin.
Do you think I'll need a particular sand paper?

Also, is there a homemade way to bend the wood around the boat?

Thank you again, I will keep you updated!
Gio

 

[52FordF2]

Re: Small rowing boat

Also, is there a homemade way to bend the wood around the boat?

You could build a steam chest. It could be a long enclosed box, PVC pipe, etc. with a tea kettle putting vapors through one end. After the strips of wood have been in there long enough, you pull them out when you need them and clamp them to the edge you are conforming it to. After it dries removed clamp, check fit if okay - screw it, epoxy, or glue.

It looks like you have a project that will be nice to do and have.

Take care

 

[sphelps]

Re: Small rowing boat

Is the step/seat in the bow filled with foam ? If not ,how about cutting a hatch on the top or side and use for storage . Could the water be coming in under that metal plate screwed just under the bow eye ?

 

[gio80]

Work in progress!!!

Work in progress!!!

Here I am, excited for my project!
Thank you all for your suggestions, today I've taken off all the wood and have sanded the all boat.
Now I need to find the right resin to fill all the small cracks and scratches.

Is the resin transparent?
As I want the boat to be white, do I have to paint it before I put the resin or after?

Then in the picture you can see the metal plate under the bow eye. As you can see there is space that I think I will fill with normal all use sealant... I am right?

So next I will try to bend the new wood with the homemade PVC pipe steam box, but first I have to find the right wood, hoping it's not too expensive.

Thank you again, any suggestion welcome!

 

[sphelps]

Re: Small rowing boat

You should not use just resin on filling scratches and holes . Poly resin alone is brittle and would crack and chip . You can make your own filler with resin mixed with micro- balloons or there are other pre- made fillers out there . 3m Premium Marine Filler works really well on scratches and dings and such .
If it was me I think I would remove the metal plate on the bow and see what's going on under there . That may be where someone covered over some damage . If there are large holes , those will need repairing with fiberglass mat and cloth depending on the size of the holes .

 

[gio80]

Re: Small rowing boat

You should not use just resin on filling scratches and holes . Poly resin alone is brittle and would crack and chip . You can make your own filler with resin mixed with micro- balloons or there are other pre- made fillers out there . 3m Premium Marine Filler works really well on scratches and dings and such .
If it was me I think I would remove the metal plate on the bow and see what's going on under there . That may be where someone covered over some damage . If there are large holes , those will need repairing with fiberglass mat and cloth depending on the size of the holes .

Today I painted the boat with resin and hardener in order to fix all the scratches and I had my first greenhorn adventure...
While I was painting, I felt the tin were I prepared the mix resin+hardener getting really hot and smoky, and in a few second the resin became hard as a stone!
I realized then I had to use a small amount of mix in different step and work fast :embarassed:
So tomorrow I hope the new layer will be dry, so that I can sand it delicately and paint it with marine fiberglass gloss.
I know that I'm not doing all the step that I should, but I really have no time and actually I simply wanted to save the boat from being abandoned.

 

[gio80]

Re: Small rowing boat

That looks like a lot of work.

Here's the result of a week of full time work.
Probably not perfect in many details, but a lot of fun, a boat saved from the bin, and not so bad!!!



Thank you all for your advises!

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: Small rowing boat

What a fantastic job!

Looks great!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Small rowing boat

WOW!! She Looks Nice! Would love to hear the details. What Paint did you use? What Wood did you use? Did You actually Steam Bend it? How did you attach the wood? What kind of Fasteners did you use? Where will you use the boat?

 

[gio80]

Re: Small rowing boat

WOW!! She Looks Nice! Would love to hear the details. What Paint did you use? What Wood did you use? Did You actually Steam Bend it? How did you attach the wood? What kind of Fasteners did you use? Where will you use the boat?

I took off all the old rotten wood and I started sanding the boat from dirt, algae and old paint.
Then I painted it with epoxy resin+hardener, in order to fill all the small scratches and cracks.
When dry I painted with some white waterproof gloss, prepared for me by a car decoration shop.
In the inside instead I used regular white paint for outside use, since I always store the boat upside down.
I bought half a panel of 6 mm. marine plywood and I had it cut in strips that I used for the top rail and with which I made the breast hooks and the seats.
Then I tried to clamp the strips on the boat and I realized that I didn't need to steam it, because it was bendy even after gluing the strips in pairs.
So I simply drilled the holes in the wood and re-used the original screws. Then I painted the wood with some decking stain protector.
To me it has been just a first time try, I know that it has some defects, but at least I gave the boat a few more years of river trips.
Thank you!

 

[sphelps]

Re: Small rowing boat

Looks great ! Glad you saved it . Now go enjoy it !