1988 Malibu Skier...not every boat should be saved.

[formulaben]

7 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

Extra points for all those boat words.

Abaft.  I like it.

[chasetepher]

Wow lots of good info in here! I'll be reviewing this and working on a solution soon I hope.

[justgary]

On 3/25/2022 at 8:50 AM, martinarcher said:

Is this a passage hole for the tube?  Not sure I follow since the drain hose would connect to the pan.  My crank pulley sits pretty high off the bilge due to the angle of the engine.  

Sorry for the delay; I have been travelling.

Yes, I meant a threaded drain hole through the hull that is large enough to pass the free end of the drain hose through.  This is the famous "T" handle plug on newer boats.  I find it very convenient to flop the tube through the hole and drain the oil directly into a bucket while the boat is on the trailer.

[martinarcher]

2 hours ago, justgary said:

Sorry for the delay; I have been travelling.

Yes, I meant a threaded drain hole through the hull that is large enough to pass the free end of the drain hose through.  This is the famous "T" handle plug on newer boats.  I find it very convenient to flop the tube through the hole and drain the oil directly into a bucket while the boat is on the trailer.

Yep, the old boats have a single T handle drain just behind the pylon like the newer boats.  The difference is in the transom where the square window Bu's have dual drain plugs that get pulled every time we run the boat to drain the water outside the two main stringers.  

[justgary]

10 hours ago, martinarcher said:

Yep, the old boats have a single T handle drain just behind the pylon like the newer boats.  The difference is in the transom where the square window Bu's have dual drain plugs that get pulled every time we run the boat to drain the water outside the two main stringers.  

Thanks.  I didn't realize that the older ones didn't drain toward the keel.

For information to others that may wonder what the difference is, my 1999 Sunsetter LX has three drain plugs: one in the transom that I basically never remove; the big T-handle one behind the pylon that I only remove to change the oil; and one in the ski locker, roughly next to the steering wheel, that I use to drain water from the boat.

[formulaben]

https://www.boatid.com/sea-dog/3-4-npt-bronze-t-handle-plug-mpn-520047-1.html?view=312708

[chasetepher]

So, after six months of zero free time, graduation was last Friday and now I should have some time to work on this turd in between sending out applications and dealing with sketchy linkedin messages about "a great opportunity for new grads". Does anybody need a Front End dev so I make more money to throw at this project?

Anyway, I was poking around in the shop last night when I noticed one of the cats must be experiencing digestive difficulties.

After scraping it off, I got curious about what that section of boat should actually look like so I spent ten minutes with Simple Green, rubbing compound, and some polish and uh, I'm not mad at it.

So I continued with my little experiment and looked at the side. Here it is before:

And after the same process:

Visually, the before and after of the side isn't as striking but damn, it's way smoother to the touch. Here's a quick test with a spot on the bottom of the hull:

And after a bit of scotch brite and simple green and polish:

 

The bottom sucked because it's about 18" off the ground right now, if I commit to doing the whole bottom I'll just see if I can get the entire trailer up on the lift so I can roll around under it in my best free office chair.

[REHinH20]

Guess it shows how my brain works - when you said Cats, I immediately went to Catalytic Converter!!  Took me awhile to catchup, but I was wondering how that photo meshed with what you said!

BUT, Im impressed with your work, rest of the bottom should be fun!

Edited April 5, 2022 by REHinH20

[Michigan boarder]

NO SCOTCH BRITE!!!!  I use Muraitic Acid on the hull every other year.  I spray it on, and hose it off while gently wiping with a rag or scrub brush.  You can do small sections at a time to keep the acid off of the trailer, but it works perfectly.  I don't dilute it, and wear some eye and hand protection.  But it's super safe and water soluble, and will definitely not hurt your gel coat.

[martinarcher]

Agreed, you may need to do some wetsanding and polishing to get it back to brand new looking but don't scotch brite it or you'll have to do a heck of a lot more to get the scratches out.  Gel coat is awesome stuff and unlike paint, the color goes the entire way through the gel so refinishing is as easy as removing any oxidation with wetsanding (if needed) or buffing/polishing.  

[Woodski]

There are numerous fiberglass boat restoration threads, so before you add decades of additional labor take some time to scroll through a few.  Some are also on this site detailing step by step process turning a turd in to a gold nugget.

[formulaben]

You're getting good advice here.  +1 for the Muriatic acid on the hull.  I had some incredibly tough stuff that I fought to get off and the acid took it right off and didn't even have to polish to get it looking nice.

A true "Cut & Polish" will make it look like new again.  She's going to be a stunner when you're done.

[chasetepher]

No scotchbrite huh? Learn something new everyday. This is definitely where my paint and body skills are showing. Give me mechanical all day. 

Muriatic acid is a good tip, I'll go do some more research before I yeet the whole gelcoat.

Woodski you talk like I don't already have decades of labor in front of me...

[formulaben]

Just keep the acid off the floor and for sure the trailer!  Have some water handy to dilute and clean up if you happen to spill.  It'll eat the concrete if you let it.

[Michigan boarder]

1 hour ago, formulaben said:

Just keep the acid off the floor and for sure the trailer!  Have some water handy to dilute and clean up if you happen to spill.  It'll eat the concrete if you let it.

It will eat the concrete, it will react with any exposed metal, you'll feel it go into your subcutaneous tissue almost instantly.....but it is safe for the gel coat (not being sarcastic).  And it is not bad for the environment either.  It's very, very easily diluted with water and if I get any on my hand I finish what I'm doing and then go rinse it off, not a big deal.  But @formulabenis right, it will leave spots on your concrete.  Again, just do a small section at a time, start with a 12"x12" section and you'll get the hang of it.

[mxmark4]

9 hours ago, chasetepher said:

No scotchbrite huh? Learn something new everyday. This is definitely where my paint and body skills are showing. Give me mechanical all day. 

Muriatic acid is a good tip, I'll go do some more research before I yeet the whole gelcoat.

Woodski you talk like I don't already have decades of labor in front of me...

No scotchbrite is right. I had to cut and buff for hours on my moomba to get the scratches out I put into it with a scotch brite pad. Take it from me and toss them in the trash now before you make more work for yourself. 

[braindamage]

FSR works great for removing lake scum. Better than acid from my experience. Easy, 15 mins on and all will be gone. Definitely be careful with cleanup.

FSR Davis Fiberglass Stain Remover https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0171Q12V6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_H8477FC879J4EG201M7M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[chasetepher]

12 hours ago, mxmark4 said:

No scotchbrite is right. I had to cut and buff for hours on my moomba to get the scratches out I put into it with a scotch brite pad. Take it from me and toss them in the trash now before you make more work for yourself. 

I get it, I get it! Lol. 

1 hour ago, braindamage said:

FSR works great for removing lake scum. Better than acid from my experience. Easy, 15 mins on and all will be gone. Definitely be careful with cleanup.

FSR Davis Fiberglass Stain Remover https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0171Q12V6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_H8477FC879J4EG201M7M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Ok nice maybe I'll do a comparo with this and muriatic acid.

Ended the day yesterday by cutting out the rest of the trash right side stringer section, going to be interesting to graft that back in. Still not done removing stuff though, I have to do the same cut on the left side stringer next.

[chasetepher]

Everyday I'm sure I'm done removing things, and everyday I'm wrong so I'm refusing to get excited about this, which is I think the last of the rotten wood.

I finally put something new back into the boat, what a great feeling.

Until I realized that I got owned by nominal sizing. 

I hate wood so much.

I'm going to build my next boat out of cast iron, that'll never deteriorate and is much easier to weld.

[chasetepher]

Oh! I did have a helper today. 

[chasetepher]

After much procrastinating and avoiding the heat as long as I thought possible, I got up "early" this morning to beat the temps and lay some fiberglass. Try to hold your laughter for the end please.

It may have been my first time doing composites, but it also sucked. The two sectioned pieces were glassed in with three separate strips of cloth. Two pieces of heavier cloth did the hull to vertical on either side, and then a lighter piece went side-top-side, as the lighter piece seemed to want to do the sharp bends more.

Does it actually matter? I couldn't possibly know.

Is it better than the hummus that was the main stringers before? God I hope so.

Next up is glassing in the entire new starboard stringer, hopefully.

[UWSkier]

That stuff is a mess to work with.  Good job!

[chasetepher]

Thanks UW. There's some improvements I can make, but overall it stuck and it's solid. Not looking forward to doing the 8' stringer.

[Rack]

Chasetepher.

Can't tell what type of fiberglass you are using from your photos but try to use the woven mat type the the builder used.  It looks like you used deck cloth. 

Also Use a fiber glass roller or squeegee to pull the resin evenly into the glass mat. This will get the bubbles out of the glass. 

Make sure you sand the existing fiber glass before you overlap the new glass for adhesion.  

Only mix enough resin to do one side at a time. resin sets up quick depending on air temp and how you mixed the catalyst. I like doing this early in the morning when temps are cooler.

don't forget to wear gloves and a good respirator.

[DUKENO1]

16 hours ago, chasetepher said:

After much procrastinating and avoiding the heat as long as I thought possible, I got up "early" this morning to beat the temps and lay some fiberglass. Try to hold your laughter for the end please.

It may have been my first time doing composites, but it also sucked. The two sectioned pieces were glassed in with three separate strips of cloth. Two pieces of heavier cloth did the hull to vertical on either side, and then a lighter piece went side-top-side, as the lighter piece seemed to want to do the sharp bends more.

Does it actually matter? I couldn't possibly know.

Is it better than the hummus that was the main stringers before? God I hope so.

Next up is glassing in the entire new starboard stringer, hopefully.

Good work so far!  That has to be the longest stretch -limo Malibu ever..lol.  That last pic makes it looklike about a 27 footer