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Author Topic:   13 foot new project

Nauti dog posted 01-08-2014 09:03 PM ET (US)
I just bought a 1972 13 footer and plan to do a complete gel coat finish both inside and out. I have no real experience and the boat seems to be in decent shape but in talking to others I have some concerns about water intrusion to the foam and would like to check the soundness of the transom. Looking for any advice in getting this project started. I have the boat completely stripped and was going to start sanding soon. Any advice would be appreciated.
Binkster posted 01-09-2014 09:27 AM ET (US)
The most accurate way of determining if there is any major water intrusion in your hull is to weigh it on a scale at a commercial stone yard, weigh in station etc. and get a printout. It may cost you about $10 or so. Get the trailer alone weighed first then the boat and trailer. A dry 13 footer of your vintage should weigh under 300lbs stripped, my '61 hull weighed 285. An informal way if getting a rough idea is to lift one corner of the stern. An average person should be able to do this. If you can't get it off the ground, you, or your boat may have a problem. Also an average person should be able to roll it over by himself, again I'm talking about a stripped hull.
rich
Nauti dog posted 01-09-2014 12:27 PM ET (US)
Thanks rich, the boat seams to be very light and I can easily lift the boat from the stern. Someone told me to drill a hole in the bottom and see if there is any water that drains out. I'm waiting for someone to reaffirm this before I do that. I live in Wisconsin and I'm pretty sure at 40 below zero wind chill no water will come out but plan on warming the garage this weekend and want to do some fact finding once I thaw out this hull.
Tom W Clark posted 01-09-2014 12:41 PM ET (US)
No, do NOT drill unnecessary holes in your hull.
Do remove the drain tubes from the transom and tip the hull bow up in a warm area to see if any water drips out. There may well be some and if there is water ion the foam, it will not just drain out, but the longer you leave the drain tubes out, the more water can evaporate from the surrounding foam.
A hull from 1972 should have the drain tubes replaced any way, so this involves no added effort or expense.
Nauti dog posted 01-10-2014 04:36 PM ET (US)
So I pulled the tubes out and heated up the garage and got a couple drips out of the hull. I will keep the boat tipped up and let it dry out until it's close to water ready. I put my finger in where the tube was and the wood in the transom seems to be in very good shape but I have quite a few stress cracks back there that will need repair. Do I need to follow each crack and open it up or am I better off grinding the entire surface???
picflight posted 01-13-2014 02:44 PM ET (US)
@Nauti dog, though not an expert, I have just began to maintain my boat, learned a lot from the more experienced folks on this site, some cracks can be left alone and some can be just opened up and filled with gelcoat. It just depends on where the cracks are and how ambitious you are feeling.
Take lots of pictures as you go along, it helps to review in detail when you are not in the garage, saves trips to the garage when you want to contemplate the repair procedure. Also, pictures help in following your progress. Post them there, I certainly like to see other's projects and it helps in getting very specific advice on the item you are working on.
I agree with Tom 100%, "No, do NOT drill unnecessary holes in your hull."
Nauti dog posted 01-14-2014 11:25 AM ET (US)
Thanks picflight, I pulled the tubes and it seems dry but it's still pretty cold here and don't want to run heaters 24/7. Not sure how to post pics yet but I will figure it out. Originally I was going to re gel coat the entire boat but other posts have scared me away from that, so I am going to chase as many cracks with a deburring type tool and sand what I need after filling all the holes. Still not sure how deep to grind gel coat and what cracks can be left in.

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Author	Topic: 13 foot new project
Nauti dog	posted 01-08-2014 09:03 PM ET (US) I just bought a 1972 13 footer and plan to do a complete gel coat finish both inside and out. I have no real experience and the boat seems to be in decent shape but in talking to others I have some concerns about water intrusion to the foam and would like to check the soundness of the transom. Looking for any advice in getting this project started. I have the boat completely stripped and was going to start sanding soon. Any advice would be appreciated.
Binkster	posted 01-09-2014 09:27 AM ET (US) The most accurate way of determining if there is any major water intrusion in your hull is to weigh it on a scale at a commercial stone yard, weigh in station etc. and get a printout. It may cost you about $10 or so. Get the trailer alone weighed first then the boat and trailer. A dry 13 footer of your vintage should weigh under 300lbs stripped, my '61 hull weighed 285. An informal way if getting a rough idea is to lift one corner of the stern. An average person should be able to do this. If you can't get it off the ground, you, or your boat may have a problem. Also an average person should be able to roll it over by himself, again I'm talking about a stripped hull. rich
Nauti dog	posted 01-09-2014 12:27 PM ET (US) Thanks rich, the boat seams to be very light and I can easily lift the boat from the stern. Someone told me to drill a hole in the bottom and see if there is any water that drains out. I'm waiting for someone to reaffirm this before I do that. I live in Wisconsin and I'm pretty sure at 40 below zero wind chill no water will come out but plan on warming the garage this weekend and want to do some fact finding once I thaw out this hull.
Tom W Clark	posted 01-09-2014 12:41 PM ET (US) No, do NOT drill unnecessary holes in your hull. Do remove the drain tubes from the transom and tip the hull bow up in a warm area to see if any water drips out. There may well be some and if there is water ion the foam, it will not just drain out, but the longer you leave the drain tubes out, the more water can evaporate from the surrounding foam. A hull from 1972 should have the drain tubes replaced any way, so this involves no added effort or expense.
Nauti dog	posted 01-10-2014 04:36 PM ET (US) So I pulled the tubes out and heated up the garage and got a couple drips out of the hull. I will keep the boat tipped up and let it dry out until it's close to water ready. I put my finger in where the tube was and the wood in the transom seems to be in very good shape but I have quite a few stress cracks back there that will need repair. Do I need to follow each crack and open it up or am I better off grinding the entire surface???
picflight	posted 01-13-2014 02:44 PM ET (US) @Nauti dog, though not an expert, I have just began to maintain my boat, learned a lot from the more experienced folks on this site, some cracks can be left alone and some can be just opened up and filled with gelcoat. It just depends on where the cracks are and how ambitious you are feeling. Take lots of pictures as you go along, it helps to review in detail when you are not in the garage, saves trips to the garage when you want to contemplate the repair procedure. Also, pictures help in following your progress. Post them there, I certainly like to see other's projects and it helps in getting very specific advice on the item you are working on. I agree with Tom 100%, "No, do NOT drill unnecessary holes in your hull."
Nauti dog	posted 01-14-2014 11:25 AM ET (US) Thanks picflight, I pulled the tubes and it seems dry but it's still pretty cold here and don't want to run heaters 24/7. Not sure how to post pics yet but I will figure it out. Originally I was going to re gel coat the entire boat but other posts have scared me away from that, so I am going to chase as many cracks with a deburring type tool and sand what I need after filling all the holes. Still not sure how deep to grind gel coat and what cracks can be left in.