Can I save this boat on not break the bank

Hi guys, im looking for some help on weather or not i should spend some time and money on this boat project. I only payed £25.00 for it and am not looking to make it a glamerous all singing all dancing boat, more just river worthy for me and a few mates to bag a few bass etc. As i see it i will need to fill one small hole in the hull and then glass in a new plywood floor and glass the inside of the conecting peices of boat ( inside of the flange when bolted together ) is this the reality and is it something worth doing ? i will just run the boat with my 8hp outboard ( underpowered i know ) but we launch into a small creak and dont need to travel to far up river to fish. Any help/ advice would be very welcome.

 

But we cannot see it...

Any pics?

 

yeah sorry about that, just added pics to my album, waiting for them to ok.

 

It appears you have a fair bit of damage to the deck cap/hull shell flanges. These can be repaired with the usual 'glass work techniques. I wouldn't use use anything but 'glass on this flange. In fact, I wouldn't bond them together, I'd just restore the separate flanges, filling holes, fixing cracks, replacing areas that are missing, etc. Once it's time to marry the two back together, I'd use a polyurethane sealant and lots of screws or through bolts or rivets, placed on a minimum of 6" centers, preferably shorter, say 4" centers.

With an 8 HP outboard, you're top speed will be about 5 MPH (at best), so you might get bored pretty quickly. Also at this speed and considering the hull shape, she's going to wander all over the place (steering), as not enough water is flowing under her to keep her going straight. This is typical of all full plane powerboats that are grossly under powered. Consider a couple of fins, one on each aft corner, so she has something to help keep her tracking straight.

As for your question about is it worth it. Well, the honest answer is nope. It's very rare to recover investments in materials and labor on this type of project, but in your case, just wanting to putter along, drinking beer and catching fish with your buddies, well you actually have a shot at making this work for you, though some of the fish you'll hunt, will be able to out swim your top speed

 

sounds like you will spend more than you paid for it in just materials. If the weathered fiberglass does not structurally weaken the hull, how about just sand it and paint it? Saves money and will not add any weight.

 

Time and money, but not very much of either. Put some duct tape over the hole, flop some loose plywood inside to keep from stepping into the vee's and breaking your leg, hang your 8 hp on it and go fishing. That will work and what's actually needed will automatically reveal itself. Don't forget an anchor. And a bailer.

 

Image
http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/22721/ppuser/52388

 

Thanks for your message, would I get it on the plane with a 25 hp or are we talking 50 plus ?

 

I seriously doubt you'll get her on plane with a 25 and a 50 might struggle a bit, though it's all about weight really. There's a lot of drag associated with that hull form, so you'll need some grunt, just to "maintain" plane. Without knowing it's dimensions, the thickness and build method on the 'glass (assumed chopper), guessing at it will not be very effective. Is there a scum line from when she was in the water, that can be measured? If so, measure the length and width of this line, plus if possible, how much depth at the deepest portion of the hull.