alternative deck options in fiberglass boat

[tramsdell]

Hey all, i'm new here. been into boats for a long time now but been too busy being an auto technician to own much of a boat. due to a career change i can now get into this a little more. i picked up an eyesore 18ft early 90's bayliner for nothing thinking i would get rid of the boat for the PO and keep the trailer as payment. curiosity got the better of me and i found myself surveying the boat and sizing up a restoration. now i know this boat is never gonna be worth much, but material costs will be my only investment as i enjoy mechanic-ing as a hobby nowadays. interior is 100% shot and deck is all but gone

So, my question... I need to replace the deck and more than likely stringers and everywhere i read basically recreates the factory timber, ply, sealant, carpet. I think it's silly to try and keep water out of the bilge (coming from aluminium boats) and wonder why nobody lays "planking" if you will over the stringers. I know it's done around here on aluminium fishing boats and any deck water flows into bilge where the pump/evaporation/pulling the plug takes care of moisture down there. is there something about a fiberglass hull that will go wrong in applying this technique?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Welcome to Iboats

Unfortunately late 80s / early 90s bayliners rotted on the sales floor

The issue was poor workmanship and incomplete encapsulation.

Read the DIY stickies at the top of the forum, specifically links 14 and 18, then 2, 3, 4a and 4b

The floor is the last thing to rot. Your transom and stringers long since rotted

Remove the interior, remove the motor/drive, and put on appropriate PPE and fire up the tools of destruction

dont try to reinvent the boat, it never works

Rebuild the stringers, bulkheads and transom with exterior grade plywood, fillet with PB, use CSM and 1708 for tabbing. Install the floor, pour the foam, glass in the floor, gel the floor and transom, then reassemble and go boating

Restoration will cost you about $3-4k and the boat will last another 25-30 years

 

[tramsdell]

3-4k usd materials alone?? that's silly. in 25-30 years this boat wont be around to enjoy that nice deck. i'm just wondering what kind of problems may arise from laying new stringers and planking over stern to bow. quite honestly this boat will probably get shadow grass treatment every fall and i'm not expecting to need it more than 10 years absolute tops. down the road a real boat will be purchased, then sold when its time for the yacht, but this boat is going to be a fishing/hunting machine... if it costs more than 2k i may as well stick with the plan and junk it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Yes, most full hull restorations that are done correctly to make the boat structurally sound and safe will cost you about 3-4k after all incidentals, wood, saw blades, resin, cloth, matt, gel, PPE, etc

Just the propper PPE will be about $200

The deck and foam are part of the structure

Do it correctly or dont take people out

Boats have a finite life. Your bayliner is almost 2 lifetimes old.

And you probably figured out, 80s/90s bayliners only make sense to restore if there is sentimental attachment

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

Forget everything about tin boats when working on a glass boat. All the stuff you want to shortcut is what holds them together.

Your first inkling was right - You got a trailer for next to nothing and it's the perfect wagon to tote the junk to the scrap yard. From your description, don't even need pics.

Sorry.

 

[tramsdell]

Just the propper PPE will be about $200

...

Do it correctly or dont take people out...

thank you for your concern. i simply don't see where the 3-4k dollhair mark is even close. maybe to fully trim the interior back to factory? this is a dirty ditch banging bayliner. it will get half the seats it was made for. glass is still good. what am i missing? plywood, lumber, foam, epoxy, carpet, seats i honestly don't see that adding up beyond a grand.

 

[tramsdell]

Welcome aboard.

Forget everything about tin boats when working on a glass boat. All the stuff you want to shortcut is what holds them together.

Your first inkling was right - You got a trailer for next to nothing and it's the perfect wagon to tote the junk to the scrap yard. From your description, don't even need pics.

Sorry.

lol don't be sorry that's what i expected to hear... its a bayliner after all

 

[tramsdell]

MOD EDIT - Sorry again. Can't do that here.

 

[Dennischaves]

Your going to need a minimum of 30 gals of resin and manyyards of 1708 and csm,milled fibers and cabosil pour in foam
a lot of mic hardware glues wood and sandpaper paint grinding discs fillers the list goes on
3 to 4k to do a proper restoration is about right as Scott said
I just did a 19' boat and it cost me about that
I just took the boat out for the first time
Was it worth it ...probably not to anyone else
But to be it was because I knew my kids were safe
And I'm not scared to go out in the ocean with it
I don't see how you could do a boat half ass and be safe after my experience restoring a boat

 

[zool]

You can do it safely on a budget if most of the hardware and drive train is serviceable. Things like steering rams, trim cylinders, fuel tank, windshield,bellows, blower motors, ect can bust a tight budget. Even if u dump it, those parts can be sold along with I assume is an Aquamatic drive and engine.

If they check out, then you just need the structural and cosmetic materials.

You can use bcx plywood from HD for the deck, transom, and stringers, get some bulk 14G wire for most connections, and a reasonable paint system to cover a glassed deck without carpet., and look for a deal on some seating.

Its the resin, cloth/mat and consumables that will add up alot...figure 15+ gallons of poly resin, 30 yds of 1708, and some csm...The resin is subject to hazmat fees, so figure that too

I would check out all the systems for serviceabilty first, and go from there, regardless if I was to restore it, or part it out.

Tyvek suits, nitrile gloves, and a full face mask is mandatory, so I wouldnt skimp there.

JMO

 

[AShipShow]

Yep.. agree with everyone... to get your boat to a condition that you could get me to step foot on is gonna be at least 2500... I'm close to 4k on my bayliner, but where are you going to get a 20' bow rider that will be solid for 20 years for under 20k?

 

[MTboatguy]

I have been playing and restoring boats for over 30 years now and by time it is all said and done, Scott is pretty much right on the money. Normally I won't even look at Fiberglass boats these days, unless there is a trailer under it I can make money on, the last one I bought was actually a decent 18 foot Glastron, with a EZ roller trailer, I stripped the boat, took it to the dump, paid $17.00 to get rid of it and put the trailer under my new to me Starcraft.

I have 3 boats sitting in the yard right now, that I will strip, take to the dump or recycle and sell the trailers for more than I paid for them and go on with life. Restoring old boats is a passion, but never will be a profit involved and for me with a short season, fiberglass just does not make sense and after looking at dozens of Bayliners over the years, it makes less sense to even deal with them.

 

[tpenfield]

To the OP . . . I think once you rip your boat apart and see how fiberglass boats are built, I think you will understand why your alternative deck idea won't work.

 

[tramsdell]

thanks for the constructive replies. i underestimated the volume of materials i would need. for sure i understand the fiberglass hull needs the mainstream construction to hold it together. Being that this isn't a boat i actually want and the cost is going to be higher than the value, i will surely gut it and dump it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

just for your own edification, read the links I mentioned in the stickies. link 14 is heavy on pictures and videos, make sure to read them.

 

[tramsdell]

just for your own edification, read the links I mentioned in the stickies. link 14 is heavy on pictures and videos, make sure to read them.

Yes after review of said I completely understand why it can't be done the half ass way. The only thing I'm hairy on now is cost. All glass and controls are good, bellows look ok, assuming engine and drive are ok. It seems one could build a deck and leave it mostly open , sans seats, on a budget.

 

[zool]

The wood is inexpensive, the resin cloth, and pour in foam is what adds up for the structure...but if u plan to use poly resin, it has a shelf life, so u dont buy it all at once....usually in 5 gallon batches...so the total cost is not a one time deal, most of us buy what we consume in small batches...so u dont feel like ur spending as much as u are

 

[tpenfield]

The wood is inexpensive, the resin cloth, and pour in foam is what adds up for the structure...but if u plan to use poly resin, it has a shelf life, so u dont buy it all at once....usually in 5 gallon batches...so the total cost is not a one time deal, most of us buy what we consume in small batches...so u dont feel like ur spending as much as u are

When I repaired the bulkhead and stringers on my Formula's, I had to have a special line item in the budget for beer

 

[Scott Danforth]

Im lucky now, as there is a fiberglass and resin store between work and home so I pick up resin as I need it. when I was in Wisconsin, I would order resin in 5 gallon cans and hope I didnt run out..... and pay shipping and EPA handling fees

depending on where you are, when mixing resin, watch the temperature. I have had resin kick so fast and hard it melted the bucket, even at 1% MEKP

about 25% of the resin you buy will become trophies (bucket with a puck of resin and a brush hanging out of it). about 25% of the resin and glass you buy will be ground out as you re-grind for next layers.


if you want to break it down to expenses for a typical 19-21' boat:

PPE and incidentals - estimated
$75 on tyvek suits (full with hood, etc)
$30 on tyvek booties
$120 on a good 3M full face particulate mask
$30 on gloves
$30 on masking tape
$40 on shop vac bags
$100 on saw blades
$150 on a grinder (your going to burn one up)
$50 on grinding discs
$50 on mixing cups
$75 on brushes and poly rollers
$10 on trash bags
$75 on various cup brushes and extensions
$50 on aluminum bubble rollers for fiberglass

Wood, Glue, etc - estimated
$250 for 6 sheets of plywood
$100 for stainless screws
$10 for tite-bond III glue

Resin, Glass, foam, etc - estimated
$750 on resin (6 5-gallon buckets at $125 each)
$100 on CSM
$200 on 1708
$300 on foam
$100 on ground fibers, milled fibers, cabosil, Q-cells and fillers, etc
$30 on PVA
$200 on gel
$120-180 on EPA hazard fee
$250-500 on shipping

Solvents:
$130 worth of acetone


add 10% for misc

you can save a small amount by using 2-part paint vs gel

 

[Scott Danforth]

When I repaired the bulkhead and stringers on my Formula's, I had to have a special line item in the budget for beer

and about $300 for beer