r/boatbuilding

It's up by the front of the boat and it's for my trolling motor.

The only spot in the Mariana was on an outside wall and 50 mph gust smashed it into the pilings, is this repairable? (Sorry for the bad pictures)

My grandparents have had this Whaler sitting in their backyard for over 20 years. It was in the lake for a long time, and then a few years ago it got flooded up onto the shore, where it sat for about six years. I finally decided today to get it up on a trailer. I don’t really know much about boats, so I’m just curious, judging by the video, if anyone can tell whether it’s worth trying to fix up or if it’s something I should just get rid of.

Getting a boat ready to go in the water, sat for a few years. Is this an indication those rivets leak? Picture looks worse than it is, it’s just like crusty water stains

Thanks

Hello, first time posting here, as well as first time boat owner.
I was able to get a mid 80’s Ebbtide Dyna-Trak 160 with a 90hp Johnson Engine with a trailer for $1000.
The buyer lost the key, and said it had been sitting for 2 years, but ran great the last time he used it. I tapped the hull and transom, as well as shook the engine. (as suggested by a friend) to ensure there were not any dead spots in the hull or transom, and everything sounded good. I purchased the vessel and drove it home. Make speed was 45mph and I went about 13 miles. I noticed towards the end of the drive the engine bouncing and shaking. Upon later inspection, it appears that the bottom part of the engine had cracked, or pushed through the transom.Now, if I tap on the surrounding areas, it has a sturdy high pitch sound. I also stepped on the deck (after I bought it, unfortunately) and noticed it sags and is very soft. I assume I am going to have to replace the entirety of the decking as well. I tried pulling the top engine cover off to take a look and it was really difficult to remove and appeared to have something clumped in there stopping me from pulling it off, it’s either spray foam or another bees nest. In addition to that, when I popped open the battery/fuel area it looks like there is two dead basketball sized bee’s nests.
Now, I have never owned a boat, but I’ve built cars from the frame up, and am incredibly handy and can do just anything I try to.
I guess I’m trying to figure out if I got absolutely cooked on the purchase, and what’s the best route to go for the transom?
Can I seal or do I need to remove the engine and try to reinforce the transom?

Any input would be incredibly helpful.

TIA!

I'm building a PD racer and today I went to do more on it when I noticed that it's quite flexible and wobbly.

I didn't expect that. Now I'm wondering if this boat is at risk of breaking when there is a mast with a sail and a leeboard working on it.

Or should I add something to make it stiffer?

Thanks for your advice!

-- Erik

Edit: indeed I did something wrong: I didn't wait until I closed the flotation boxes to test the stiffness. Thanks everyone for your comments!

Glen-L Squirt build by Carlo Hermelijn

The boat is a RIO 380 unsinkable.

I recently came into a possession of a 16' 1984 Mirrocraft fishing boat. I thought getting a Mercury 50hp two stroke, minnkota 45lb power drive, Garmin Striker 5cv plus fish finder, and a trailer all for $1k was worth taking a shot. Of course I didn't expect to get away with doing nothing, but I'm up for it. As of right now I know that several pieces of the deck require replacement. I haven't decided if I'm going to rip it all up and replace all of it, but I'm leaning towards it, just reluctant dealing with rebuilding the console, cabinets, live well etc.

But, to my current plan:

Rip up whatever pieces need replacing (or, as mentioned, all of it). Clean/pressure wash hull. Check every below waterline rivet, buck them as needed, seal with 3m 5200. Lay down PVC pipe down length of keel for future wiring. 1/2" Marine grade plywood, use old deck pieces for templates, cut new plywood pieces, rout bevel edges of plywood, 3 coats of spar urethane, 150 grit sand, lay down bead of 3m 4200 on joists, pre drill and countersink holes, fasten with 1-1/4 flat head 316 stainless screws dipped in 3m 4200, two coats of Total Boat TotalTread Non-Skid Marine Deck Paint.

One question I have at the moment, should I use water or oil based spar for sealing the plywood?

Critique away, please be kind, first time doing this. Advice welcome.

My first trip to the marine wood Mecca did not disappoint.

The team is great.

Extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

They are not interested in just selling you the wood.

They went deep with me on my project, viewed pics and guided me on solid next steps

They could’ve just sold me $500 in teak — but after their guidance and advice, I will be doing a little more prep work to ensure the ultimate success of the project — which may also mean that they sell less $$ on this project.

After over 100 years in business, looks like they adhere to the traditional model for success — customer loyalty.

Even if you can’t visit, I would absolutely trust them to work over the phone and ship.

I wish I had known about them before my first project 3 years ago — so wanted to share (www.boulterplywood.com)

Large variety of exotic hardwoods as well.

Happy 4th of July everyone — good luck with all your projects this weekend.

I got this boat, it’s a 1970’s Grady white 190 of some sort, and I ripped up the floor to see the stringers. The boat floats just fine. And has a hull patch or 2 but doesn’t leak or anything. The stringers look ok (to me but I don’t know jack). If I am wrong please let me know!!!! I was going to make it a center console but I want to know if anyone has any opinions on weather or not it’s even worth it. Also I have no clue on how to access the transom if any Grady white experts know please let me know🙏🏻 the hull also appears to be dented a little but I don’t know…

I got this boat for free at a garage sale of all things. It has Grady white badging and the identification number plaque from way back when says Grady white but I’m not sure if it really is, much less the make and model. I was wondering if any one could identify if it was a Grady, and what year and model it was! Thanks!!!

Hi everyone,

My son inherited this old 14-foot fiberglass bass boat from a family friend, so we have $0 invested in the hull. We live on a small lake where gas motors aren’t allowed, so our plan is to convert it into an electric-only fishing boat with a trolling motor.

We’re pretty handy and aren’t afraid of doing cosmetic work ourselves. We think we can clean, polish, and restore the faded fiberglass and install EVA foam decking. What we’re trying to figure out is whether the structural repairs are worth paying someone to do.

Here are the areas that concern us:

• Front casting deck: The plywood under the front deck (especially around the seat mount and over the livewell/fish well) has deteriorated and feels weak.
• Driver’s console: The floor around the steering wheel and to the left of the console feels soft, rotted.
• Rear deck: The plywood under the rear casting deck/seat area also feels soft.
• There are a few exposed areas where you can clearly see the old plywood has rotted (photos included).

What we’re hoping to learn:

1. Based on these pictures, does this look like a boat that’s worth saving?
2. Do these repairs appear to be limited to replacing deck cores, or do you think the stringers and transom are probably compromised too?
3. If you were taking this to a fiberglass shop, what would you expect a ballpark cost to be for replacing the rotten plywood and restoring these structural areas?
4. Would you repair these sections with new marine plywood, Coosa board, or another material?
5. If the structure is repaired professionally, we’d likely finish the decks ourselves with EVA foam instead of carpet. Does that seem like a reasonable plan?

We’re not looking to create a show boat. But if it’s tied to our dock, it can’t be pile of junk. We’d just like a safe, solid fishing boat for our family and my son, and we’re trying to decide whether we’re looking at a $1,500 project, a $4,000 project, or a “walk away and find another hull” situation.

I’d really appreciate any honest opinions or advice from people who have restored older fiberglass bass boats.

Thanks in advance!

https://i.imgur.com/LnckML7.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/BzEdB51.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/jeSDexP.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/iJ09Z3v.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/sbEDzUw.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/IvQKUs7.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/g3N4NGp.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/PNn2S67.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/hg6s6zv.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/RxsAkfu.jpeg

Ive got this 87’ bumble bee - stinger ii that i got for free.99 (traded some restoration work)

Edit:

Going through it and knew the previous owner like to beach up on local islands here in central arkansas, problem is its rocky with sharp quartz in abundance. I got under it for the firt time to assess where some gelcoat needed attention and discovered this, to no surprise, the keel is pretty worn and beat up. Theres a few sections where it is actually a bit “soft” all the way to to foam, like worn basically completely through in about three spots. Without a huge tear up (just allying multiple layers of gelcoat to build it back up) do y’all think shes even worth messing with?

I also just too a gander at the transom and the edge (hull bottom to transom) is wore down the the transom ply.