New Boat Project

[lipripper]

My buddy troy is probably the best boat mechanic on the coast of Georgia. I met him years ago when I was chartering and fishing The SKA Trail. Anyway to make a long story short, I have been helping him out(bitch boy) as he has been redoing some of his personnel boats. We just finished up on a 24 ft chapperall. it was an Inboard and we converted it to an outboard. Whole new transom, replaced stringers, built in a transom 30 gal live well and a new floor, then installed a Yamaha 250 motor he rebuilt on it.:thumb: Ill get some pic of that next time im out there.

Anyway, we started a new project this week. Its a 16 ft high Tide. we took the cap off the boat and removed the stringers on one side and got it grinded down to the glass. we will reinforce the floor with 3 layers of glass, two layers on the sides...then build new composite stringers , glass them in then do other side the same way..Then the floor will be built, wiring, plumbing fuel tank gun boxes paint and hang a new motor. we hope to have it done by duck season as this will be his duck boat. he already redid the transom and heres a shot of the left side verses the right side. just have to clean it up and start laying fiberglass.... Pretty cool learning how to do this stuff..enjoying it.:thumb:

Ill try and keep this thread updated as we go along...

[chuckz28]

Nice. I had to learn how to do composites like fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar in the aviation field. Don't much enjoy it lol. Not sure about boating but for aviation you have to vacuum seal repairs for a number of hours as your adhesive dries to get out all the air and make for a solid and flat repair. Also if you have to use micro balloons do NOT breathe them in, wear a respirator!

[lipripper]

Nice. I had to learn how to do composites like fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar in the aviation field. Don't much enjoy it lol. Not sure about boating but for aviation you have to vacuum seal repairs for a number of hours as your adhesive dries to get out all the air and make for a solid and flat repair. Also if you have to use micro balloons do NOT breathe them in, wear a respirator!

Good hunting buddy of mine is a lead of a repair team at Gulfstream in savannah. he works on their "little" jets.

[chuckz28]

Yeah Gulfstream is a good gig. We had some Gulfstream but got rid of them as they got older and went with something different.

[AvidFisherman]

I halfway restored a 84 skeeter a few years ago and then sold it to my buddy who finished the restoration.

[lipripper]

Update.. we decided to finish prepping the right side for glass. so we removed the stringers from the right side and sanded/ ground down all the gelcoat off. Now its down to the original fiberglass. we left the center stringer in for support at this time. once both sides are finished, we will then remove it and tied both sides in together with glass in the center.

we also patched a few holes in the hull...live well hole etc as they wont be needed any longer.

[lipripper]

Heres a few shots of the last one we did. All new stringers in the floor...new deck, support and livewell tied into the transom, new transom and bracket installed and rebuilt motor hung.

[Bouncer]

rip once a boat like the one in the last pics is complete and finished, whats the total cost yearly to maintain it and all that shit. is it like a pool where it's nice to have but it's a pain in the to maintain and pour money into or is it simply once the boat is done it's done.

[lipripper]

Less then 500 a year for the motor if ya do the work yourself... a tune up if ya will.. oil n fuel filters spark plugs lower unit oil. Not much to it really. The rest is just cleaning and waxing it a lot of elbow grease if ya will. its when shit breaks and you cant fix it a boat earns its name...
B break
O out
A another
T thousand....

BUT...if you don't use it and let it set..fuel goes bad batteries go dead and ya start having problems...ya have to exercise it..if ya will at least monthly In my opnion. Just like anything else..if ya ignore it..it;ll go to shit.

[Bouncer]

I remember when I was a kid, my dads friend had a lifelong dream of owning a boat. Finally got a decent sized boat and all I can remember is it seemed to take over his life and he had sold it within a few years. haha

[lipripper]

THERE IS A SAYING OF...THE TWO BEST DAYS OF OWNING A BOAT IS THE DAY YOU BUY IT...AND WHEN YA SELL IT...lol

[Scrumhalf]

I've always wanted a sailboat. One of my friends at work has one and he spends every spare minute doing something or the other on it. It's either the hull, or the motor or the sails or whatever. I think I am just happy sailing with him once in a while and let him own the damn thing lol...

[Bouncer]

I wonder if owning a boat somewhere like lake Michigan (fresh water) would be easier compared to owning a boat on the ocean (salt water). I'd imagine the salt does most of the damage.

[lipripper]

I wonder if owning a boat somewhere like lake Michigan (fresh water) would be easier compared to owning a boat on the ocean (salt water). I'd imagine the salt does most of the damage.

Manufacturers build boats for different running conditions....you will have a lot of issues running a "freshwater boat" in the salt... But not so much the other way around. To answer your question...yes..it's easier to maintain a boat in fresh...rather then a salt water environment.

[lipripper]

Update: 9-8-16

yesterday after work I rode out to work with Troy a bit. During the storm clean up time he got a layer of glass in the bottom as he had no clean up to do...lol yesterday he had already gotten a stringer built for the center, we checked it out..then started cutting fiberglass and patterning it into the hull...

laying out the glass...





adding resign and getting it on. we did a total of 3 layers in the floor as well as 5 layers to reinforce where the lifting eye will be in the bow.


Here you can see the thickness in the front... this hull will be very strong for sure..


bottom of hull finished up..


overlap of seaming..


early next week we will be doing the port and starboard sides...then after that the stringers will go in...then we have to build the new floor.... shes coming along.. more updates to come..