TOPIC: 1960 dorsett project, fixing the hull!

i found this site a week after i started my summer project. i was wondering if anyone has seen a boat like this before? i really dont know what kind it is other then a dorsett and thats its 1960. when i bought it it had some deep gouges in the hull and the v part is busted from a broken roller on the trailer. wish me luck with this any suggestion plz let me know. am a beginner for sure.

Drifter,

Hi and welcome to FG. There is quite a bit of info on Dorsets in the Glassic Library www.fiberglassics.com/library/Dorsett that should help you identify the model. There are a lot of great people here willing to offer their advice on most any problem/questions you have with the restoration but photos are a must, lots of photos.Best of luck and have fun.

Melanie

tthanks man i actually found it finally lol

Welcome Drifter. Sorta looks like a DelRey. The boats are built strong with quality. Sooner or later Rick will stumble across this string, he's our resident Dorset expert. Don't let him tell you what I did with a Del Rey last fall!
Cal

Welcome to the site. My suggestion is to first get on You Tube and search fiberglass repair video's here's one to start with .


Post some pictures and try to make them a bit larger than the one you last posted. It really helps to see what you have . Lots of good help here and there is some good information ( Pictures) in the library. It's all pretty basic just practice and don't take on too much to soon. Dorsett's are great boats you will really like it when you get it ready for the water. If your Gel coat is good you can buff it out and get color matched gel to fill and patch with on the hull. If it's underneath it doesn't really matter if you match the color. Everybody does it different and you will get alot of good advice here . Take it all in and figure out which way will work the best for you ! Good Luck and get us some pictures - we like pictures.
I reinforced the keel on my San Juan because it had a small worn spot from the rollers and had a small leak. It was a pain had to jack the boat up off the trailer and alot of tight overhead messy work but it worked !

i have the same problem and am going to have to lift my boat how did you go about lifting yours heres a pic of it i didnt touch it yet the way it looks is what the previous owner did looks like he used some kind of plaster

pics soon to come cant figure out why its not letting me post any

I lifted the front up a bit first and got some styro block under it. Make sure to block the tires so it does not roll when you jack it up.When I had the weight off the front -I went to the back and lifted from the stern. I used a hydraulic floor jack with a 2x6 across the back to even out the pressure. Got the back off the trailer then blocked it well and went back and lifted the front some-more Repeat the process till you get enough room to work. Your boat will weigh alot less than mine so you should have less trouble and risk . That plaster looking stuff is probably "Marine tex" You'll have to grind all that off before you do a fiberglass patch. Check the size of your pictures and use Medium size. You can only load one picture at a time- hit submit then when it post click Edit and add another - repeat process for each picture. I get the styrofoam blocks from Lowes , they get them from the small utility trailers they sell. When they are shipped from the factory they remove the tires and stack trailers on top of each other and they use the blocks for spacers. When they assemble the trailers for sale they throw the blocks away. They will give them to you if you ask. They work good for small steps - blocks Etc.

so ive been bustin butt moving my grandma and havent writin on here but for progress today i took your advise on the foam blocks but when i went to lowes i talked to about everyone in the store and they looked at me like i was nutts ha. so insted i got some wood and built some boat stands i jacked up the whole trailer placed the stands and droped the trailer i got it about a foot and a half higher tomorrow i cant wait to start sanding.sorry still no pics am just going to borrow a camera ha still thanks for you help man i appericate it.