New to me boat

[Kyleschmid]

So I contacted a place that does fiberglass work. He came out and looked at the boat. Since it's not on a trailer he really didn't want to do anything with it. He did tell me he would sell me all the materials and give me any advice I needed for fixing it. So for my first attempt I am going to try and re core the floor panels and if that goes well move on to the other parts that need to be fixed.

 

[Kyleschmid]

So I was finally able to remove the one gas tank. My plan is to cut the large piece out that is between the tanks only on one side Leaving a lip. Then get all the old wood out. I found a local place that sells marine grade ply wood. Then put a layer of 1708 on the plywood. Install the plywood and 1708 over the entire piece. Was going to use total boat high performance slow epoxy. Am I on the right track or is there someth else I should be doin?

 

[Chessie246G]

Well, Here is my take on it. Can you pull both tanks? It would be best to have access to both sides. If not possible then leave the entire skin on the side with the tank. Remove the fiberglass from the side with access. Clean the remaining glass down to the glass. Make a template of the size with carboard. Cut plywood to template. Several coats of resin (preferably slow cure so it can really soak in? once cured, wipe down well with dawn and hot water to remove amine blush. sand with 80grit. slather the side with existing glass in place with thicken resin. screw tight until cured. Onto the bare side, Fillet the sharp edges with thickened resin. coat ply with resin, lay glass. 2 layers or more. Its a bulkhead so not terribly structural. just make sure your layup is dry as possible and no air bubbles. get some aluminum fiberglass rollers form amazon. they will help get excess resin out of the glass mat. cheap and work great.

 

[Kyleschmid]

Well, Here is my take on it. Can you pull both tanks? It would be best to have access to both sides. If not possible then leave the entire skin on the side with the tank. Remove the fiberglass from the side with access. Clean the remaining glass down to the glass. Make a template of the size with carboard. Cut plywood to template. Several coats of resin (preferably slow cure so it can really soak in? once cured, wipe down well with dawn and hot water to remove amine blush. sand with 80grit. slather the side with existing glass in place with thicken resin. screw tight until cured. Onto the bare side, Fillet the sharp edges with thickened resin. coat ply with resin, lay glass. 2 layers or more. Its a bulkhead so not terribly structural. just make sure your layup is dry as possible and no air bubbles. get some aluminum fiberglass rollers form amazon. they will help get excess resin out of the glass mat. cheap and work great.

Thank you. that is along the lines of what i was thinking. getting both tanks out will be easy. but getting the one back in wont happen after the work is complete. i have been watching some videos from boat works today like someone recommended and i think i can take care of this project

 

[deepdesire]

Kyle I have the same boat. Southfork above is spot on. Aside from the bow eye I have experienced all of your issues although I caught them much earlier and was able to repair and control the intrusion. Look at your stringers and bulkheads where the deck plates attach. Compromised seals and screw holes are the culprits. You should also find dried out black butyl tape under all the plates. Dry her out and see to what depth the damage has gone. In that bilge, water gets in at the transom seat and runs onto the battery shelf and down those support stringers. I opened them up like you did, leaving the glass and mat and filled them with epoxy resin. Scrub that bilge out and keep it clean so you can see when things start going bad. That front tank is not coming out without some serious surgery. It does not come out without cutting both cockpit bulkheads.

 

[Fishtales]

I'd get some mold and mildew cleaner, pull the plug and spray and wash down everything. Got to get things clean to evaluate. If on the trailer or land try to position so everything washes out the transom drain. Then take a good look at things. As stated, it isn't difficult but it is time consuming to rebuild the box structure. You may have to get to other areas that are not as easy or have hatches for access. Going to be a labor of love if you stick with it.

 

[Kyleschmid]

Kyle I have the same boat. Southfork above is spot on. Aside from the bow eye I have experienced all of your issues although I caught them much earlier and was able to repair and control the intrusion. Look at your stringers and bulkheads where the deck plates attach. Compromised seals and screw holes are the culprits. You should also find dried out black butyl tape under all the plates. Dry her out and see to what depth the damage has gone. In that bilge, water gets in at the transom seat and runs onto the battery shelf and down those support stringers. I opened them up like you did, leaving the glass and mat and filled them with epoxy resin. Scrub that bilge out and keep it clean so you can see when things start going bad. That front tank is not coming out without some serious surgery. It does not come out without cutting both cockpit bulkheads.

Did you have any issue with the the resin getting too hot while pouring it in?

 

[deepdesire]

Hmmm I dont really know, I made a form around that stringer and poured it. Still good and strong been at least five years.

 

[greauxpete]

My last boat was a ‘95 Islander and I can tell you that the glass work was pretty crappy in a lot of areas. In your second picture on the second set you posted are those the stringers? Did you take off both floor plates? They did not glass in the top of the stringers for some crazy reason and the stringers are right under the joint between the floor plates and deck so if not properly sealed water collects in the top of the stringers since the sides are glasses about 1/2” over the top of the stringers creating a channel for water to collect. You definitely need a pro to look at that. My surveyor missed all of that on my Islander

Exactly..Man made..Man repaired

 

[Fishtales]

Looks pretty bad. I'd wash out the entire transom with a good mold remover and drain out the garboard plug. Them you have to assess things. That one piece of wood is totally gone, I'd be worried that there is a lot more damage that you will detect. Its a 26 year old hull that has a wood core. Your going to have damage and work to do.

 

[benny13]

a lot of this work can be done if you have some skills and tools. A great resource for working on boats, especially this stuff is boatworks today. I became a member of the Patreon when i started redoing a couple stand up jet ski hulls. Since than I have taken on a bigger project in redoing a 23’ Mako cuddly with a friend of mine that has sentimental value to him.

As a member of his Patreon (which you have to pay for) you can have one on one with him to ask specific questions about anything you may need from materials, tools or how to do certain things. I have found glasswork and wood on boats is much more forgiving than you would think, just tons of sanding… tons of sanding…

Best of luck and don’t discouraged, most of these things can get worked out!

 

[cessna210g]

I bought my 1996 Islander May of last year. The surveyor noted the same thing on my stringers. He said don't remove the stringer and replace it. Because what ever resin you use it would not make as good as the original, when it was made. He recommend to use aluminum angle and 3M 5200.

 

[Rayvon]

I bought my 1996 Islander May of last year. The surveyor noted the same thing on my stringers. He said don't remove the stringer and replace it. Because what ever resin you use it would not make as good as the original, when it was made. He recommend to use aluminum angle and 3M 5200.

View attachment 27988

You got some very bad advise from a so called surveyor,not the first time that's happened.

 

[DennisG01]

I bought my 1996 Islander May of last year. The surveyor noted the same thing on my stringers. He said don't remove the stringer and replace it. Because what ever resin you use it would not make as good as the original, when it was made. He recommend to use aluminum angle and 3M 5200.

View attachment 27988

Yeah, as noted above, you weren't given the best advice. If a stringer is compromised, that bolt/nut are just going to squash the two sides of the glass. And, epoxy resin will work fantastically with the old stuff.