Major Boat Repairs

[Witchy]

I'm considering taking on a boat project , the hull is Fibreglass but the superstructure is wooden. The superstructure is in pretty poor condition but I really would like to take this on and wonder if anybody else has done a similar (TOTALLY INSANE) project?

Some of the wood is rotten and would need to be replaced (marine ply?).....obviously inside would need total refit, wiring etc too....

Looking forward to any feedback.
Thanks

 

[JohnD]

no but I know someone who has

an older GRP boat is likely to have water in the hull. You have to plane the outer layers off and re-skin. unless you have a moisture-detector (1) you will not get it all out (2) you will plane off and reskin parts that don't need it.

 

[Witchy]

Are we talking rain water here? Its out of the water and has been for many, many years from what I know.... It's sat up on stocks and barrels and its just being left to rot (hate seeing boats like that )

 

[JohnD]

I think the skin becomes porous and delaminates or something.

 

[TicklyT]

I have heard of old fibreglass hulls absorbing water. I think much depends on the quality of the original moulding.

A web search on Fibreglass + Osmosis could be quite revealing.

A boat owning friend once described a boat as 'A hole in the water you pour money into.'

 

[Witchy]

A boat is only a waste of money if you don't use it - I'm currently on my fourth boat and enjoy every second.

Just found out the current boat in question has a foot of rain water in it and hasn't been protected from the elements for four years.

Best thing that could happen to it would be for a match to be put under it - very unfortunate....why do people let such valuable assetts go to waste

 

[skip2]

Been sailing messing about with boats for many years

try a sailing / boating forum plenty of specialise advice.

In general fibreglass boats suffer from a kind of "boat cancer", the water penerates the inner skin, when it frezzers the skin fakes off, this getting thinner ( the hull) all the time.

So a lot depends on past storage but on the whole boats over 20 years old will suffer some problems, you might have problems with insurance.