Fiberglassing

[Kickstarts-suck]

Got a 14.5 foot fiberglass boat for free and the back needs work. It has plywood bolted to it now and the people that had it drove it around fine.

How should i repair it? Do i put a new piece of plywood down then fiberglass over it? Ive never fiberglassed before but i kinda know how.

It has a trailer but we couldn't bring it until i put new bearing in it.


http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/8919/dsc00733dw3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7034/dsc00734sg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/4562/dsc00735wf0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2826/dsc00736jp2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1420/dsc00738xu8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Scro]

I've only seen one other boat that was in that condition, and it was the roof for a dog pen:scary: :p

If the whole back part is missing, I would find somebody that really knows what they are doing. I don't see how that didn't leak when it was in the water.

[Aceman]

Originally posted by Scro
I've only seen one other boat that was in that condition, and it was the roof for a dog pen:scary: :p

If the whole back part is missing, I would find somebody that really knows what they are doing. I don't see how that didn't leak when it was in the water.

I agree. Aren't those kind of boats the ones you see at the bottom of the marsh? Or sunk but still tied off to the dock?:blah:

[Kickstarts-suck]

I dont see why you think its not fixable. I dont need a perfect boat just something to get out to the fishing holes. I dont care how bad it looks as long as it does its job.

It works how it is i just wanted to fiberglass it and make it look better.

Couldn't beat the price.

[Aceman]

Sometimes free doesn't necessarily mean free. It's the free ones that will sometimes end up costing you more in the long run............you'll see one day.;)

[wilkin250r]

Actually, it's not that hard.

Obviously, looks and speed are not a huge concern, which makes things easier.

Repairing the original transom (the rear wall where the motor mounts) to look like new almost requires a professional. Too expensive. For your project, you're going to do the exact same thing that is already on there, except you're going to do it better.

You'll need to know a little about fiberglassing. It's not hard, but it's definitely more difficult than simply "painting". If you sign up for a free membership atSystem Three (http://www.systemthree.com/) you should be able to download their Epoxy Book. This is where I got my start.

Let me know if you've got that far, and if you would like further help from me.

[Kickstarts-suck]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
Actually, it's not that hard.

Obviously, looks and speed are not a huge concern, which makes things easier.

Repairing the original transom (the rear wall where the motor mounts) to look like new almost requires a professional. Too expensive. For your project, you're going to do the exact same thing that is already on there, except you're going to do it better.

You'll need to know a little about fiberglassing. It's not hard, but it's definitely more difficult than simply "painting". If you sign up for a free membership atSystem Three (http://www.systemthree.com/) you should be able to download their Epoxy Book. This is where I got my start.

Let me know if you've got that far, and if you would like further help from me.

ok cool thank you :)

[Kickstarts-suck]

Well i took the wood off the back today and got some pics. Not sure what to do
Im thinking I should just get some plywood and put it along the whole back of it. Kinda like it was just bigger. Dont want to cut the rotten stuff out because i dont want it to leak.
http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3048/dsc00739xe8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6148/dsc00740ho0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8669/dsc00741pi9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[wilkin250r]

No, don't cut the old stuff out.

Yes, just replace it with plywood, but do it BETTER. Coat the plywood with epoxy (the System Three stuff in my earlier post). Then, bolt it in place, and cover the whole thing with more fiberglass.

You could try just throwing some old plywood on there for a $15 fix.

My way, I'm envisioning about $50 for fiberglass resin, about $30 for fiberglass cloth, and about $30 for good-quality, hard plywood.

[Kickstarts-suck]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
No, don't cut the old stuff out.

Yes, just replace it with plywood, but do it BETTER. Coat the plywood with epoxy (the System Three stuff in my earlier post). Then, bolt it in place, and cover the whole thing with more fiberglass.

You could try just throwing some old plywood on there for a $15 fix.

My way, I'm envisioning about $50 for fiberglass resin, about $30 for fiberglass cloth, and about $30 for good-quality, hard plywood.

ok yea ill do it the way you said and not go the cheap way