old boat question

[mrlucky]

recently was given an older fiberglass boat that hasn't been used in 3 year. All 3 of those years in was outside in the elements. this weekend we gutted the whole boat and washed and waxed the outside and brought it back to life. while talking with some people they mentioned that i have the boat checked out to see if it is still worth fixing up because it may have begun to rot or deteriate. Is this a possiblity and if it is what should i look for or do.

[wild bill]

first thing to look for would be the obvious signs of rot. soft floor, transom rot. the floor is fiberglass covered wood along with the stringers and transom. all of it would be repairable with work and some money if it was bad. also look for gel coat pops. they usualy look like little blisters and are usually about floor level or lower. another thing i would be worried about is wether or not the foam has soaked up any water. that will add a ton of weight to the boat.

[mrlucky]

yeah when i was waxing the outside there were a few of those bubbly blister here and there but when we pulled up the carpet the fiber glass was still good and solid. if there are blister then don't bother trying to fix it?

[waterfoul]

I doubt you will find many boats built before about 1995 that doesn't have blisters. Gel coat, contrary to popular belief, is NOT waterproof. It's the resin beneath it that keeps the water out. So water can, and does get between the gel and the glass. Some boat builders use better gel and resin (like vinylester) than others... and others simply paint their boats... which is waterproof.

So in short... I personally wouldn't worry about a few blisters. I would however replace the wet foam and figure out how it got wet. Is it stored outdoors? If so, this is the most likely cause.

You also need to ask yourself how much you are willing to spend on this boat...

[mrlucky]

i don't want to get anoying, but if the plug was out of the boat the whole time and the water was able to drain out and was tilted up a little would have made a differnce, the floor was also pretty solid and when ripping of the side walls the foam in that area was dry. I doon't now i'm a boating virgin.:confused: any help is greatly apperciated.

[The Whale]

Sounds as if your boat is still pretty solid, though really unsure without a first hand ya know ?

Check the floor area foam, is it dry too ?, if so, that would be an excellent find. you said the floor felt solid ?, all of it ?, did you check back where the transom and the floor come together ?

The big question was asked, how much you willing to put in to it ? If you feel she is strong in the superstructure, go for it and fix her up. Sounds like she may just be fine.

What year/make/model etc. ?

[waterfoul]

Sounds as if your boat is still pretty solid, though really unsure without a first hand ya know ?

What year/make/model etc. ?

This would be good to know. My old 1972 Glastron is as solid as the day it was built... and it was kept in the water every summer for many years by my uncle before I got it. So some boats just fair better than others.

[mrlucky]

1979 ebbtide

[Rootsy]

I doubt you will find many boats built before about 1995 that doesn't have blisters. Gel coat, contrary to popular belief, is NOT waterproof. It's the resin beneath it that keeps the water out. So water can, and does get between the gel and the glass. Some boat builders use better gel and resin (like vinylester) than others... and others simply paint their boats... which is waterproof.

So in short... I personally wouldn't worry about a few blisters. I would however replace the wet foam and figure out how it got wet. Is it stored outdoors? If so, this is the most likely cause.

You also need to ask yourself how much you are willing to spend on this boat...

I'm into the 3rd year of my 1966 18 Donzi restoration and she's rough but doesn't have a blister anywhere... Actually i am something of a Classic Donzi enthusiast all be told... I have my share of time around these boats all the way from 1965 16's to brand new classics and larger models... Your blister blanket statement is absolutely inaccurate. There are a number of reasons for blisters to form...

how many people have blisters in their bathtubs????

[Jason Adam]

Drill a few small holes in the transom and stringers. Use a deep grooved drill bit so you pull some of he coring back out. If the coring(sawdust) looks light and dry, you are probably alright. If the sawdust looks dark and dirty, it is probably wet.

If the boat is dry, while its probably a poor investment, it is probably ok to fix up. If the boat is wet, send it to the landfill.

There are a ton of good dry boats cheap. A wet boat is a MONEY PIT...

[Jason Adam]

Oh yeah, if you do decide to fix the boat up, seal all the holes you drilled with epoxy..

Oh yeah again.. If it is some old tri-hull with problems, your gonna dump a bunch of money into a old boat the will still ride like crap. Figure out what you need to dump into this thing on paper. Add 60% to that, as you certainly didnt remember everything and everything on a boat ends up being way more expensive than it should, than look at what you'll really end up with(your not gonna turn a 1970 tri-hull into a 2000 deep v, and compare it to what you can buy something decent on the used market for.

Or maybe the boat is perfectly structurally sound and none of the above matters..

Good Luck.