My Boat Project: Part I
By Bryan Reilly
Posted 6/2/02

Like anyone else who would sell one of his kidneys for a day on the water, I wanted -- needed -- a small fishing boat. Not having $2,000-$3,000 kicking around for something ready to hit the water, I started looking into some fixer uppers. For a good long time, I was coming up short for something viable to work on, until low and behold, I log into ctfisherman.com to check the classifieds.

It wasn't a boat that I found, but a new bait feeder reel I needed to replace my spent one that Mike G. had for sale. I promptly responded and we got together for the transaction at a Duncan Donuts off of Route 8. Mike was inside. I neglected to tell him what I was driving and headed out the door...until I spotted the reel in his hand.

We went back inside for another cup of liquid life, B.S.ing about fishing (what else?) and got on the subject of boats. That's when I heard the magic words "I've got a boat for sale, needs a lot of work, but it's all there?" Okay, in a word, SOLD. Three hundred bucks later and I'm on my way.

Here are some pictures of it before I picked it up:

Boat, motor and trailer, in need of some TLC. I know, it looks pretty spent, but something about the hull of this rusty beer can made me want to fix it. (Probably the gaping hole in the transom!) Not knowing a damn thing about fixing up a boat, for the money, I thought this would be a good one to learn on.

As seen in the previous photos, I had my work cut out for me. First up, boat gutting 101. AKA "the fun part". Sorry no pictures of the scrap wood pile, but trust me, there was a lot. The floorboards and stringer were rotted, the motor had 40psi in each cylinder (oh well, no biggy), trailer fenders were rusted in half, and one wheel looked like a bullseye for target practice.

The trailer was easy -- new (new to me) fenders and brackets, new running lights, new studs in the wheels, one new tire and I'm in business. For the boat, wire wheeling it down to the aluminum and stripping out any attempts at old repair jobs, as well as the factory seals, which were completely dried out & cracked. (No pics of that mess)

Next, to reseal. Not having a clue what to use, I dove into a Boat US catalog looking for some sealant and came across 3m 5200 marine grade sealant (The stuff that dreams are made of!). One can is about 10 bucks a pop. Yeah, I went through 11 cans but I know the boat is actually sealed BETTER than new. That took a few weekends, then I slathered some good ol' Rust-Oleum on the outside.

Next, I had to do something about a hole in the bow. The transom was easy because it was a hole that was cut out in order to feed a live well (a 1-inch bolt, 4 washers and plenty of 5200).

The bow was worn through in a spot roughly 2 inches long & ½-inch wide -- previously covered up with some fiberglass chunks and some roofing caulk. I ground it out, used some automotive 2-part epoxy (the stuff they use to seal cracks in engine blocks), which is like clay until it cures. Some MORE 5200 (I love that stuff!) over the cured epoxy. Finally, after two layers of fiberglass on the nose, that fixed that problem. More paint inside and out.

To answer the question before it gets asked, no, I haven't had a chance to go fishing yet!

I'm trying to get this baby in the water for Hammapaluza so I can meet everybody as well as chauffeur Zach and a bait bucket full of crappies to victory, but we'll see. (Casting arm is a little weak.)

Now for the flooring...
Contrary to popular belief, 3/4" marine grade or pressure treated plywood is NOT the floor of choice. Reason one, weight. Reason two, adhesives tend not to last as long on "wet" wood, which is basically what pressure treat is. Reason 3, weight (heavy sh*t!)

I was informed by a gentleman much more experienced in boat flooring than myself that the way to go is regular 5/8" or 15/32" plywood. Then, paint on fiberglass resin on the top, sides and bottom of the wood to seal it. For the seams, use fiberglass cloth and jelly to smooth it out.

So far, so good. More to come soon...