Bass Boat Hull Repair- Fiber Glass

[FishingTheFL]

If I let it get real warm before using they tend not to be there. Here is the first hole. 4 layers of fiber over lapping by 3" each piece.

Just need to sand and do a couple layers on the inside where the bright spot is. Still feels a little weak there.

The big bottom hole.... I plan on doing from the inside... I found that I spent more time sanding globs off then actually getting anything done. The rusty water was coming from a hole behind the big hole that was about the size of pin head. By Sunday I will have both sides of the first hole done, and the entire interior sanded so I can mask the outside and layer up. I suppose I should stick the transom in before I get inside it again. Hull shifts a lot without it installed.

Thanks for all the help guys. Looking forward to getting this hu k of junk to float again

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[2lbperch]

Floating is fun. Sanding is not. Good luck getting it back together. See you on the water soon I hope.

[FishingTheFL]

How do you guys feel about wood stabilizers? The center beam is solid issue... I'd like to avoid cutting it out but if the stabilizer is not as good as a new board then I will cut it out.

Thanks for input. This might save me a bunch of time or put me back another week.

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[2lbperch]

They buy you time if wood is not too far gone. The wood will still rot. The wood is only a fraction of the strength a stringer structure. More like a form or mold for the glass. You could form fabric around toilet paper tubes, done right, strong. Rotten wood is heavy. That is bad. You'll definitely keep the boat if you put in new stringers and floor frame. Drill a couple small holes in it and see what the wood looks like off the bit. If juice comes out, I'd be cutting. Sometimes it's just the back third. Then you need to figure out how water got in and fix that. You can drill holes all over and inject epoxy into them, about the same, timely and you will always wonder when the hull buckles 10 beers into that wake you didn't slow down for.

[FishingTheFL]

I stuck a knife it it. The core of the wood is solid maybe couple cm of wood is rotted but I think I'll just cut it out. It hasn't cracked yet but why do all the work I guess just to do it twice... >.<

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[2lbperch]

Grind the glass off the top then. See what you have. Even the wood till it's good. If its good an 1/8 inch in, Then take a router with a round over bit to the sharp edges on the top so the new fabric lays nice over the top edges, do four layers with a 3 or 4 inch overlap. Drill some holes without going through the hull. The bottoms will be worst. If it's good, pour epoxy into the holes you drilled, and glass over.

[FishingTheFL]

Top and side image of beam.. I'd hate to cut this out but I already bought courser mat to do it. Guess its harder to wet out. Sounds like the stabilizer only hardens what it can seep into. I think I'll go the long route if it makes it last longer. Should I seal the new beam with resin like the transoms?

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[2lbperch]

Ooohhhh yes. Get dimensions and buy replacements. Yes, give 3 coats of epoxy before you butter it in. That will seal it up. Put your time in, the boat will outlast your g kids. When you're retired, they will have memories on it & fight @ your funeral for it.

[FishingTheFL]

LoL. Sounds to good to be true. I like the tp backing idea. I was trying to come up with an idea besides masking tape. I assume you wet the tube all the way like the fiber,let it cure then over lay it? I bet they never used backing and that's why there was holes and it rotted again.

What mask should I use for grinding and sanding. I been using the cotton one but it seems to let the dust in still.

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[2lbperch]

Get the good 3m brand with the exhale valve in it at lowes. I put a bandanna over that and try to keep that tucked into the tyvek suit. Try to find shade, got nice curing temperature this weekend. Watch for the blush or chalky looking stuff on the cured areas, that's from humidity and needs to be sanded off before the next coat.

[FishingTheFL]

I was reading some stuff last night on about matting between transom planks... Some where I read that I should of used one layer woven, one layer random mat, then more woven in that order for my holes??? I used masking tape on the outside and 6 layers of woven fiber. There was no air bubbles when finished.

The other thing I'm pondering now is that when I do the floor ribs, they had the non woven fiber wrapped around the wood with thicker woven mat. I'll up load a video of what I'm talking about. I wonder if they just used it as backing for the woven or as a bonding layer... Every time I read I get mixed info and it sounds like I'm working I circles... Here is a pic of my first hole fixed

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[2lbperch]

Should be fine. I'm sure you layered them randomly not paying attention to the weave direction, meaning the you have fibers going in multiple directions. You can always throw some mat on the outside and inside. Tap on it lightly with a hammer, if it is rigid, hammer will bounce right back. The Internet is varied opinions. Look how the builder built the boat and try to replicate that, but better.

[FishingTheFL]

Looks like this thing was just thrown together by someone who don't care. I stood on it with one foot and hopped around before I read the article. Seems just as tough as the left side that's undamaged. I switched over to the transom for now because of the heat and not wanting to wear my suite yet. Looks like I'll need a bunch more resin if I do the center beam. This course Matt looks like it can absorb a lot.

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[FishingTheFL]

So I spent part of the weekend cutting out and sealing the transom in resin. I'm getting ready to put the two piece together with mat later today and maybe glue it to the boat.

How do you get the bottom part of the board to sit flush against the fiber glass? Natural curve in the ply wood make the bottom cup some

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[2lbperch]

Get it as close as you can to the bottom of the hull as you can. Fit it dry first. Get some 2×4's. Screw some scraps into the stringers and center beam where the wood is good. Don't go through the hull with the deck screws. Cut boards to length from the scraps to the transom so you need to pound them in with a 3lb. hammer. That will keep the transom tight to the glass while curing. Fill the little gap around the edge with thickened peanut butter stuff, take a plastic spoon and make it rounded to the transom and boat, that let's the mat or cloth lay nice without breaking the fibers bending them 90 degrees. Cure it, pop the boards out, cloth the transom to the sides and bottom. Fill the screw holes in the stringers with the extra if not replacing.

[FishingTheFL]

What tool do you guys suggest for hitting this curve... By hand is working the best... But its slow and killing the arms.

[2lbperch]

You could use a small orbital or d/a sander. Looks like you have it close. Either way, round over the sharp edges if you make one. The paint you put on will pull away from it. Just knock it down with a few sanding strokes, be and look fine.

[FishingTheFL]

The problem is couple little pin holes on the inside. The guy i paid over the summer just did a patch over them and a crack that I enlarged into a hole to fix. Picture of it in earlier post. Let me see if I can get a pic of my dilemma

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[FishingTheFL]

I'm currently starting the removal of the center beam and flattening around this rib to fix the hole and have a flat area to work with. I was going to do 8 layers on the inside for the hole and two layers on the exterior hull. Then 3 layers down the length to transom for pin holes. Maybe one layer the length of the outside. Got enough tp rolls after a week of saving. Now that I don't have people. Buying bundles I don't mind getting cutting fiber glass again.

I'm going to have to come up and kill that tree for all the info your giving me. Keeps this boat project alive.

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[2lbperch]

What you are doing will work. Sanding on roving that coarse is tuff. Take a die grinder to the pinhole to open the top of it. Fill it and put your fabric over the holes. Those beams are also the floor support. You'll have to measure to be able to have a flat floor. If you build it that strong, the hull won't flex too much, but the floor height will be lower. You don't want a crooked or unsupported floor.

[2lbperch]

Sent you a pm.