79 ski barge restoration

[Aggie03]

Howdy,

first time posting on iboats, been a lurker for awhile. I recently decided to fix my dad’s 79 ski barge. It’s sat for a few years and when I went to clean it up I noticed the soft spot had gotten worse.
So we removed the console and cut away the fiberglass and discovered the plywood was gone. The stringers feel solid when you tap on them and the deck is solid in front of and behind where the console sits. (I removed plywood till I found solid stuff).

I have read the fiberglass sticky, but I’m not sure the type of fiberglass we have on the ski barge.

My plan was to cut new marine grade plywood and then cover with fiberglass and try to weave it into the existing fiberglass. Is that possible?

any help in pointing me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
​​​​​​​Robert

 

[hvymtl939]

I would plan on redoing it all. Have you checked the transom? Those stringers look pretty shallow, and wouldn't be all that much extra work or materials.

 

[Woodonglass]

She's 39 years old. Soft deck means everything below is rotten too. Core sample them and the transom and you'll see what I mean. She's made from Polyester Resin so you can use it to restore her. You need to figure on a $1,500 - $2,500 budget and about 150-200 man hours to get her back on the water.

 

[Aggie03]

Thanks for the reply.
From what I can tell the transom still seems solid. No cracks. I guess I’ll learn more about that when I put a jack plate on it.
The stringers look to be 1x4’s covered in fiberglass. I can drill them but They seem hard as a rock.

I thought about taking all the deck out but my dad said he didn’t think we needed to do that cause it’s still solid. It’s really only where the screws were holding the console down that the deck is gone. Trying to keep it simple.

There’s just one layer of glass, maybe I can patch it then put a gel coat over the whole deck?

Its a great boat as long as we keep running it.

 

[Woodonglass]

How has she been stored? The ONLY way to know for sure about the stringers and transom is to core sample them. If the shavings are dry then fill the holes with 5 minute epoxy. I'd be very surprised if they are solid unless she's been stored inside most of her life and well maintained. With a Rotten deck this doesn't seem to be the case. Quick Fixes are very rare for this vintage aged boat. If the Stringers and transom are bad, the boat is NOT safe. tapping on them will NOT tell you the story.

 

[Aggie03]

She’s been stored inside most of her life, except the brief stint she was outside in weather for about 2years. That’s where the soft spot got worse.
Shes covered again.

When I was cutting the wood out to get back to the solid deck, I nicked a stringer and the shavings from the top were dry.

I dont mind core drilling, what size bit do you recommend? Where do I get the 5 minute epoxy? Auto parts store?

Thats why I’m here for information. I really don’t think it’s as bad as it looks from that pic.

 

[Woodonglass]

1/4" bit. Drill down Low on the stringers and the transom. If the low spots are wet then they will eventually rot. No way to dry them out. 5 Min epoxy is found in most Hardware Stores, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Big Lots etc...
You can thicken it with the fine sawdust from your R/O Sander. Make it like Creamy Peanut butter.

 

[Aggie03]

Thanks, i now understand how you make the peanut butter. I’ve read that several times but didn’t get it. I’ll drill everything to make sure. It’ll be hard to drill the lower part of the transom because there’s only one small hole to access that section. I’ll do my best.

If all is good, is my plan ok? Is marine grade plywood the best? Wheres a good place to get the polyester resin?

 

[Redtruck12]

Hey aggie03
welcome to old boat ownership
This is a great forum with some VERY experienced and knowledgable members.
you are in the right place for the right advice.
You will need lots of advice along the way (well beyond where to buy 5 minute epoxy)

Note:
Sander dust and 5 minute epoxy = thickened 5 minute epoxy.

P.b. / "Peanut butter" is an entirely different mixture.

 

[Aggie03]

Hey aggie03
welcome to old boat ownership
This is a great forum with some VERY experienced and knowledgable members.
you are in the right place for the right advice.
You will need lots of advice along the way (well beyond where to buy 5 minute epoxy)

Note:
Sander dust and 5 minute epoxy = thickened 5 minute epoxy.

P.b. / "Peanut butter" is an entirely different mixture.

Thanks, I certainly agree. I’ll be poking around, asking more questions.

I don’t like making things more complicated than necessary. But I do agree with making sure stuff is safe. So I’ll drill some and see what I can find. I know the motor on this boat is worth more than the boat itself. We just want to get it to where we can putt around again and eventually upgrade to a newer bay boat.

 

[Woodonglass]

Lots of places to get resin. Where do you live? Poly Peanut Butter is Different than Epoxy PB. We can discuss all this later as the need arises. Do the core samples and let us know what you find