Completely rotted stringers - scrap the boat or fix?

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BoatyBuoy

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Ok so I bought a 17ft Glastron with 140HP V4 Johnson which had been sitting in a garden for 5 years uncovered. The guy I bought it off was bound to a wheelchair 5 years ago and was not able to use the boat after that, but said it was running perfect before that. It only cost me 750 euro and I'm hoping to get it running again without costing too much..

After I ripped up the deck I found the stringers are completely rotted and almost like compost! Just wondering if it is salvageable?

Also the engine isn't looking too good under the cowling.. I was able to turn the flywheel by hand and the prop is as good as new and turning fine. I was thinking about dropping it into a mechanic to replace all the electrical wiring and give it a full service, would you guys think it would be worth it?

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"Replacing all the electrics" on the outboard will probably not be viable. If it can be made to run, then great. If it has issues, then you could easily end up in a black hole.

All boats are restorable, but the decision hinges around the time and effort required, your own skills and inclination, and to a certain extent, the value/hertitage of the final result.

e.g. Are you or do you want to be a marine carpenter, trimmer, and outboard engineer?

Also think about how far back along the manufacturing process you will be going if you remove all the bad bits. If you are looking at a bare fibreglass hull, then that was maybe a days work in the factory when originally built. What about all the subsequent fit-out?
 
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FlowerPower said:
"Replacing all the electrics" on the outboard will probably not be viable. If it can be made to run, then great. If it has issues, then you could easily end up in a black hole.

All boats are restorable, but the decision hinges around the time and effort required, your own skills and inclination, and to a certain extent, the value/hertitage of the final result.

e.g. Are you or do you want to be a marine carpenter, trimmer, and outboard engineer?

Also think about how far back along the manufacturing process you will be going if you remove all the bad bits. If you are looking at a bare fibreglass hull, then that was maybe a days work in the factory when originally built. What about all the subsequent fit-out?
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Hi thanks for the info, by "replacing all the electrics" I ment the electrics outside the cowling running to the ignition and tilt/trim ect. I think the wiring inside the cowling is in workable condition..

How hard could it be to put in new wooden stringers? I was thinking just get some hardwood planks and glue them down where the old stringers were then put down marine ply over it without fiberglass, if I get a year or 2 out of the boat I will be happy!
 
Forget it. That is way too far gone to be worth putting any further money or effort in.

Hard lesson. If you pay peanuts (relatively) for a neglected boat it is almost certainly unusable.
 
Best to sell off a few spares like the prop then take the bulk of it to a scrapheap. The money and time spent on getting it even halfway decent will be more than the cost of a similar model boat in quite good condition. Not what you want to hear, I appreciate, but you did ask!
 
jfm said:
Best to sell off a few spares like the prop then take the bulk of it to a scrapheap. The money and time spent on getting it even halfway decent will be more than the cost of a similar model boat in quite good condition. Not what you want to hear, I appreciate, but you did ask!
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What would happen if I just put down plywood floor and walls then some cheaps seats and took it out to sea? would it sink?

To buy a boat with this size engine in good condition would cost over €4000, I don't think it would cost that much to replace external wiring, full service, bit of plywood and cheap seats?
 
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BoatyBuoy said:
What would happen if I just put down plywood floor and walls then some cheaps seats and took it out to sea? would it sink?
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Short answer, yes.
There's a reason why hulls are built with stringers: without them (or with them "completely rotted", which is just about the same), the capability to withstand any kind of wave impact is just a small fraction of what it should be.
You might get away with the sort of repair you're suggesting if you plan to use the boat strictly in inland waters, always as flat as a flat thing.
But even then, I wouldn't want the responsibility to have any guests onboard...!
Incidentally, I don't think any yard worth its salt would ask less than 4k Eur for a proper rebuild of the GRP parts alone.
And TBH, any serious yard would advise you against doing such job. :(
 
Best thing to do is work on the engine and get that running. Then sell any of the bits off the boat and scrap the rest. If the engine can be brought back you will have your money back on that alone. You will be amazed what a squirt of WD40 might do on that engine

Also if you got the trailer that is worth what you paid for the whole lot

Dennis
 
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it's not so much the damage that you can see easily, but the structural damage you can't see. The probability of the boat's hull failing because it is not built as designed is very high.

Sell the bits that can be fixed and sold, and burn the rest.
 
If you don't do a proper repair job on the hull, then the consequences don't bear thinking about.

You might finding yourself and 3 others flying along at 35mph and then hit someone's wake.....the hull then fractures with you and your mates hurdled into the water along with a lump of engine with a spinning prop along with various arms and legs!

Either spend the money fixing it correctly or bin it.
 
kennyh said:
If you don't do a proper repair job on the hull, then the consequences don't bear thinking about.

You might finding yourself and 3 others flying along at 35mph and then hit someone's wake.....the hull then fractures with you and your mates hurdled into the water along with a lump of engine with a spinning prop along with various arms and legs!

Either spend the money fixing it correctly or bin it.
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Totally agree, situations develop fast at speed and to refurb that boat to a seaworthy condition will cost far more than it'll ever be worth even if it could be done. If you don't it properly you could find yourself responsible for your family/friends deaths - would you want that on your conscience. In my opinion that particular boat should never see water again! Sorry to be so blunt and it is only my opinion. I think the seller, wheelchair bound or not, saw you coming - he wouldn't have got 99p for it on eBay!
 
It might be worth putting a drill through the transom and see if it's full of wet rotted timber as well.

What happens next depends whether you want a project or a boat!
 
Hi there as I suggested in your other
Post you have drilled the transom and that seems ok ? If that is ok it could be repaired but it's hard work ,I suggest you have a look at how the yanks fix there boats this USA forum has loads of info on there that could help you decide if your competent to do the repair they will help you all the way have a look

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-
repair-and-restoration/boat-restoration-building-and-hull-repair
 
Make a thorough business case. £4000 for a "just add water" boat might prove way cheaper than restoration - and the result will be known beforehand.
 
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I have a feeling that Glastrons in the 70's were probably built cheaply with a chopper gun lay-up, hence even the hull probably wasn't very good quality to start with.
Saying that, here is a current thread on the Boat Design Forum in the USA about a 17' Wellcraft being restored, where the owner has had to gut it to a bare hull shell before he could start restoration :
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wellcraft-classic-170-a-55586.html#post776309
 
dingdongs said:
Should have asked the question first before your purchase.save your self time and many hours of work and expense. Take a competent person with you on your next purchase
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Well I know what to look out for now! Live and learn..

Can someone tell me where these huge expenses are coming from? from what I can see, a fiberglass kit for 5 meters squared is 100 euro, plywood about 200-300 euro, vinyl for seating and interior 200 euro, sponge for seat cushions 50-100 euro, engine service and rewiring 300 euro - total is 1100 euro then labor

The boat in good condition would be worth 6,000-10,000 euro
 
EXPERIENCE! Boats and restoration of them is never quite so cut and dried as your figures indicate, nor for that matter quite so generous. For instance I just had quotes on vinyl recovering for 2k but with new foam and back, 3.5k GBP. However if you can do it all for 1.1k and are confident of your sums, do start a thread of the resto job. And good luck :encouragement:
 
BruceK said:
EXPERIENCE! Boats and restoration of them is never quite so cut and dried as your figures indicate, nor for that matter quite so generous. For instance I just had quotes on vinyl recovering for 2k but with new foam and back, 3.5k GBP. However if you can do it all for 1.1k and are confident of your sums, do start a thread of the resto job. And good luck :encouragement:
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Lol, I might just do that! But do bare in mind this is a small speedboat with a very simple layout :) How big is your boat?
 
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