TOPIC: new to forum...with a project boat

Hey guys and girls, I'm new to the site so thought I'd post a lil about me.I'm 41 into anything old...cars ..boats and toys..I Used to go boating about twenty or so years ago in our familys 60's flat bottom boat with a Merc 1000 sittin on the back it was super fast on smooth water and a blast to ski behind . long story short the boat got put outside roughly ten years ago and now needs redone( transome ,floor,seats and motor....everything...lol). I'm looking for some info on the floor replacement on these animals since theres no stringers. I'm not sure of the make since mom hasnt dug the title up yet ,but i seem to remember the words Eliminator on the side? but that was awhile ago. Hopefully the pics load and thanks for any help or info...Jim

I'll try to get pics on tomorrow cant get them sized right and its gettin late and 4:00 comes quick....Jim

skinny,

WELCOME to the forum.

yours, satx

Welcome aboard Skinny, glad to have you join us. There's some free software that will make resizing your pics much easier, tips can be found in this thread in the support section;
www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/7-support/22256-how-to-post-pictures.html

Welcome aboard Skinny. Your files are to big. I'm sure someone here can help.

Heres a pic of it somewhat cleaned up after sitting outside

One of the inside ..notice the square cut out where I cut to check out how rotten the floor was...there are 6 bolts there that hold on the bottom fin on and let water in and got underneath and made the wood soft

Heres another of the back and the worst of the repairs thats gonna need redone. New wood on the transom and floor and glass work, but hey its only hard the first time !!!

So heres where you guys come in, answering my questions...lol

1.. What type of plywood should I use to rebuild this animal..is there actually marine grade or do i get regular and treat it?

2.. What type of adhesive should I use to adhere the plywood to the fiberglass... epoxy ? resin ? or ?

3... Is it ok to take the plywood off the floor and work on it while its on the trailer? or should it be supported better..I was thinking putting plywood on top of the rollers to support it from underneath.

4.. What is the bottom of the boat classified as since it starts as a V hull and flattens out about half way under to the back?

K I think thats it for now.. lol but I'll have more as Iget deeper into it..THANKS Jim

Skinny,

The pics look good. One of the more experienced members will have many ideas for you I am sure.

I used regular ply wood with an A side finish (smooth). All recent plywood comes with water proof glue. You will more than likely be re-glassing it to the hull so that should seal it up. But hang on the others are much better at this than I am.

By the way they are all a little pic crazy so please post with pics so they can help you out better.

I do like the looks of your boat. It is a way cool project.

Love the lines of the boat !!

I'll take a stab at your questions but you'll find many different opinions and there's always more than one way to skin a cat

1 & 2) yes there is a marine grade plywood, it runs about 100.00 bucks for 1/2" 4 x 8' in Canada not sure in the good old USofA. For a transom I'd use it as it has no knots or voids which trap air in when sealed therefore will be the starting point of rot. You can use regular good one side for a floor to save a few $$ but I still use the marine stuff. Coat the entire sheet with with a regular resin a couple of times before installing then a layer of glass over the top side with the glass extending 6" or so beyond the ply to hold the floor in place ( before covering in glass you'll have to fill the voids / feather in between the edge of the ply and the hull of the boat with a bondo or similar product cause glass won't go around corners. Anytime your putting new glass over old glass it's a good idea to use vynilester ( sp? ) resin it bonds much better. Sorry I forgot to mention you hold the floor in place with small blobs of bondo at various points on the underside and let dry before fill voids.

3) If the bottom of the boats flexing you'll need to support it by building a cradle, but if the hull is solid you should be OK as the floor shouldn't be the main source of strength maybe others will chime in here ??? If it's just a glass hull ( not cored ) I'd think you'll be fine without.

4) I would think that hull would be called a flatty, usually used for the big inboards like a Mandella.

Are you replacing the transom ??

www.fiberglassics.com/library/Eliminator
Looks just like the Eliminator in the library..
Think that is it...

Thanks guys for all the replys...Powercat thats it !!!!! Boggy thanks for the tips. I'm definitely knew to boating and trying to restore one so bare with me if I ask stupid questions...lol..
THANKS AGAIN GUYS !!!!!! Jim

Other than the color, it looks just like my 1965 Eliminator.
My hull was still sound after it spent 20 years in a California barn but everything rubber or plastic was shot. I had to replace seats and every inch of wire in the boat and the motor. The 100hp Tower of Power makes it a lot of fun and the sound gets everyone's attention.

Make sure you keep your old seat bases to use as templates.

Here is a link to some pics. My wife took most of them and you can tell I didn't marry her for her photographic skills!

s10.photobucket.com/albums/a103/FlattopMike/1965%20Eliminator/

I'm not on here much so if you have any questions shot me an email.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I can tell you a little bit about it. I found one about six years ago with no motor and pigeons living in it. I sanded five layers of paint off down to the glass and had it gelcoated. The floor< I replaced with 3/4 plywood. It is a tough one to find a short shaft motor for. My motor was too long even with a jack plate. Long story short... I found a better boat and stripped the boat for my 1961 Bristol. I gave it to a friend.