Boat restoration

[cfritsch]

Hi all I just inherited this project of a boat from my great grandfather. All I know about it is it is fiberglass 14 feet, and very old. I am working on getting the title. My uncle used it but only for a couple of years. He has patched it up with God knows what. Where should I start on this thing. Exterior of the boat is in good condition. I plan on converting it into a bass boat so I plan on putting on a deck. Should I just put sealant over the I interior of the boat and then just put wood on top. This is the first boat I have ever owned so I am a complete noob.

 

[kcassells]

Looks like fun! Make sure you are able to get the title squared away. Dif states are dif in requirements before you proceed with expenses.
NOOB.............We all are, then learn. Good guys and info here to pull it off safely and better than it was originall built.

 

[TommyRocker]

Looks like that lip and those seats would make a good support for 3/4 exterior grade plywood. It's a small boat so that might be sufficient. You could cut it to size and see if it supports you adequately in the spans. If not, add simple bracing to the bottom of the plywood. I wouldn't go too overboard with resin unless you have damage to repair. I'd probably just clean it real good and paint it with Rust-Oleum with hardener. Make the plywood removable so you can make sure it dries out thoroughly and that you can easily access the inside of the hull for potential future repairs.

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, welcome aboard

here is my comment, take it any way you want. take the boat out, add a milk crate to the front and try standing on it...... that skinny boat will flip out from under you in an instant.

skinny boats do not do well with added platforms. there have been dozens of them on iBoats..... none of them were stable.

bass boats are flatter bottomed with chines and wider for stability

adding a platform raises the boats CG (while reducing the amount of stuff you can carry). standing up raises your CG. that boat is a glorified canoe. meant for the load CG to be low.

my suggestion, clean it up and use it for fishing the way the boat was designed to be used. with your butt on the seat, where your CG is down low. put a 6hp on it and enjoy it.

 

[sphelps]

I have to agree with Scott .. That boat is really not designed for a front casting deck .
Find a scrap piece of 3/4 ply and lay it up in there . Put it in the water and stand up on the deck .
You will know pretty quick if it’s stable or not ...

 

[Ned L]

Everything that Scott said. Your plan may well have you feeling like you are walking a “tight rope” every time you want to move around.
Narrow boat, soft chine = very tender even without raising the COG. (That means this is not a boat to be walking around on.)

otherwise its it’s a great little vintage boat that would clean up very nicely and give you years of enjoyment.

 

[oldrem]

Even my 14ft flat bottom jon boat wants to roll even without a raised platform because it doesn't have enough beam. Great for fishing shallows sitting down or duck hunting but that's about it.

 

[Woodonglass]

I agree with the others. This boat is a "Sitter" for sure.