[Hack07]

Hi guys so I’m restoring a small boat and I know what your all gonna say.. don’t bother waste of time and money etc etc. But I would love any advice you all may have I’ve done a fair bit of grinding to the hull to give myself a clean start and started cutting stringers out of 3x2 treated timber that will be glassed in. I will attach a photo of where I’m at I have no experience in this so kind of winging it but want to do it properly. Look forward to your replies thanks.

 

[Hack07]

 

[Lady Half Pint]

What is? A norman?
Did you support the hull properly before you did cut the stringers out? the cabin roof to look a bit wonky which to suggest the hull shape did twist and change if you did not.


Good luck with you project.

 

[Hack07]

I have no idea what boat it is and the boat is just on a trailer hopefully it’s just the camera angle that’s making it look wonky.. I’ve also cut out the old transom and recut a piece of 12mm ply to go in will this be sufficient or should I build it up? And how many layers of fibreglass/ weave should I use? Only planning on going up to 25hp currently got a 15hp with water pump issues but that’s another post 😂

 

[Lady Half Pint]

You to need full support under the hull. To leave just on to a bunk trailer and then to take the transom out too is to cause the hull to flex and twist. You did to take all strength out of the hull that did to give it structure and keep its shape. You will to notice when you do get in the boat, it to be all floppy and bouncy.

That to be bad as you to glass the twist back in which to put stress onto the hull. If you are lucky all it to mean is you to have to compensate with your steering as to not go in a straight line.
Get wood underneath to support it as soon as you can. It is not too late but you must make sure you do to get the hull untwisted before you do to put back together.

Transoms do to usually be around 18mm thick.
As for glass it to depend on the weight you to use. 3 layers of 350 csm would to do it and you can to put biax in if you to wish.

I did ask what it to be because if it a norman you will need to sort the splashwell. They are river boats and need a proper splashwell or to have the transom made much higher and the outboard onto a pod to be safe on the sea. If fixed to be sea safe they can be nice day boats.

This to be normal for a norman and far too low to be safe unless it to have a big splashwell made. 3/4 people who did own this boat died because it did get swamped and sank. A decent splashwell likely to have saved them.

 

[Hack07]

How do I support it properly? I don’t think it’s that type of boat the transom is not that low to the water

 

[Hack07]

 

[Hack07]

Template for transom it had a seat glassed in with storage as you can see in the photo I plan to rebuild it slightly bigger to hold the fuel tank

 

[Hack07]

I should also say.. when I got the boat there were no stringer just had two bits running down the sides with a timber frame built on top no connection to the hull

 

[Lady Half Pint]

Ah. Ok. I did to just see the shape of the cabin which to look like a norman 18.
The bum you have is a displacement bum. So the boat to look more like a plymouth pilot. I guess it to be an 18ft boat?
Do you have any photos of the whole boat or more photos?

To try to find out what the boat is first. Then to see how the stringers were laid and to put them back the same unless you can to see obvious lines to where they once were.

Add more wood to the underneath to support the hull. To think like a bit of paper. If you to bend it to a u shape and to support by cup the hand it to stay as a u shape. To support with 2 fingers you to get bulges and distortion.
If it to be a displacement hull not such a big issue as planing but i to still do it.

 

[Hack07]

I see what you mean yes I will get some extra support under there. I’ll add a photo of the whole boat it’s got a fairly big fin in the middle underneath running the length of the boat and two small ones running half way ish? Il try to find a photo

 

[Hack07]

 

[Hack07]

 

[Hack07]

It’s a 16ft boat

 

[JonD]

Ive always stayed away from repair projects, even though I did two years of Tafe boat building in the UK on the IOW. I think those two years was enough to learn why not to take on rebuilds and leave it to places that really know what they are doing. For me I don't want a crack appearing somewhere when Im smashing my way home in a storm from way offshore. From experience Ive had this happen in the UK on a boat that had been backyard rebuilt by someone.

The story Ive mentioned on here on how I was heading home in rough conditions when a large wave went over my boat crossing the area known as the bridge where the solent water meets the channel at the Needles. My transom split open down both sides and we struggled to get the boat into the sheltered waters of Alum Bay. Anyway the boat had previously had a rebuilt transom.

Here I know several boat builders that build from scratch as well as do repairs. The glass chop, weave and ratio's and lets not forget temperature are crucial in obtaining maximum strengths and bonds.

I have friends who have simply decided to beef up their hulls so they can power with bigger engines and hit waves faster. This has resulted in stress fractures all around the areas they haven't strengthened because where the boat flexed now they have parts that can flex joined to parts that couldn't, so in fact made their boats weaker.

Not wanting to knock peoples work, just pointing out there's far more to a rebuild than buying mat and resin.

 

[Hack07]

I understand that there’s a lot to it and I’m not a professional I’m only going to be using the boat in southampton water it won’t be going out to the Solent. Just want to do the best job I can to make it safe for a bit of fishing not planning on going out far on it. Appreciate the comment thanks

 

[Lady Half Pint]

Jon does to talk alot of sense and he to be right when it comes to stresses.
It to be why people here get told put the stringers back into the same place and same thickness etc and be wary of alter the boat too much.

I to still think it looks like a plymouth pilot, they do 16ft ones.
Good boats.
Definately displacement so 25hp probably to be a waste of money. A 15 will to do it fine.
What you to say is the long fin to be the keel, and the two short ones to be bilge keels so they to stop the boat to roll so badly and to keep it more level when onto hard mud or sand etc.
At 16ft it will never to plane and to expect 6kts max out of it.

What i do to suggest now is to spend hours trolling internet for pictures of plymouth pilot 16 structural supportsand stringers. If you do get a picture you can to plan and get it right.
You not to want too few or to many and to be in the right places.

 

[Hack07]

Great thanks for the info I will look into it

 

[JonD]

I understand that there’s a lot to it and I’m not a professional I’m only going to be using the boat in southampton water it won’t be going out to the Solent. Just want to do the best job I can to make it safe for a bit of fishing not planning on going out far on it. Appreciate the comment thanks

I fully understand that and Im not trying to knock to work you have done, its more letting people know that there's a lot to consider in these projects. Funny enough my boat that I mentioned came from Southampton. It wasn't just the transom but the floor had been re-done in my 18ft dory style boat but they left the foam fill under floor which was waterlogged, which would of added to the transom load from the engine. In reflection, here people are doing 17ft haines modifications to power with engines from 175-225 which seems like asking for trouble.

 

[Ian sea]

Having looked at the pictures it’s definitely not a Plymouth Pilot. I would guess that it’s an old Island Plastics boat. I think they only supplied mouldings for fitting out. As with most displacement boats of that era they wouldn’t have had a glassed in floor but normally loose floorboards.