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Old 07-24-08, 02:25 PM   #1
robertmee
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Default My 'new' old boat

Bought a 1986 Glasstream, fairly inexpensive. My first real 'bass' boat (been using a pontoon, ugh). I need some ideas, suggestions on bringing her back to life. I think I have a handle on the whole wet sand/compounding to restore the luster, but I need some ideas for the floor.

The floor is weak in two places. Under the front pedestal (see the lifted screws) and under the driver console. The transom seems solid as a rock so I'm hoping the water damage is limited to the floor and not too much on the stringers, but I'm prepared to do some work there as well.

My main questions are how to tackle the floor. The front seems pretty straightforward. Cut out the floor of the raised area leaving a 2" lip, build a box/deck within covered in epoxy, glass the seams/screw holes and recarpet. On the carpet, since this is inlaid with a bound edge (not upto any edge), how do you replicate that? Or at least cut it the same and keep the edges from fraying (I don't really care about the border).

On the console area, I assume I'll have a tougher time here, and how much I rip out will be driven by how much damage I find underneath. If the damage is localized and the stringers okay, is there a spot repair method to use here without ripping out the entire floor?

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Old 07-24-08, 03:14 PM   #2
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sorry for the quick trip off topic but i couldn't help but notice the road king in the backround. here's me and mine.

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Old 07-24-08, 03:33 PM   #3
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If you are gonna replace the carpet, Step 1. would tear it all out (try to keep each piece WHOLE so you can use as a pattern for new carpet) then assess the flooring situation then. It may be worse or better than you think. As far as the spots that the screws pulled loose on the seat bases that should be a fairly easy fix as you probably will replace the wood under them, then use SS bolts and washers and wingnuts when you replace them as they offer much more stability and less chance of tearing out. If the rear one that is on the hatch is aluminum just use stainless steel screws and washers and wing nuts on the bottom side. Keep us posted and Good luck!!!!
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Old 07-24-08, 04:41 PM   #4
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Lowrider,

Nice bike, man....The picture of the roadking in the background is actually from the seller that I bought my boat from. He's a Harley Salesmanager. He had a really cool Redneck Engineering bike in his garage too. I actually had a GW 1200 trike that I sold (don't shoot me) to finance some of my water sport habits, as I could never get the wife to really ride, but she loves the water.
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Old 07-24-08, 04:53 PM   #5
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i hear ya, mine is exactly opposite. riding has taken a hit since i got my bass boat and the wife is NOT happy. took her out in the boat once and she said it went too fast. but she doesn't mind 70 on the bike without a helmet...go figure.
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Old 07-25-08, 01:51 PM   #6
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Around our place we'd flush cut that carpet right up to the existing edges and do away with that binding/serging. A carpet workroom can do that binding but the cost is over $3.00 a linear foot! OUCH! Use a good sharp carpet knife and cut right to the edge. Modern day boat carpet should not ravel at the edges but if we see a missed thread, we use a Grill Butane Lighter to just flash over the thread. The carpet is a nylon type and it should curl and melt. Be careful! A quick pass over with the lighter is all you usually need!

The floors? We'd cut back all the rotten wood, fabricate some 1"by2" or 2"by2" to use as flanges or lips. Resin coat them, give them a layer of fiberglass and place them under the old deck, leaving an edge or flange for the new wood to rest on when you put it down. We'd through bolt these flanges where possible and/or screw them to the old deck. Resin coat the edges of the old deck where you cut out the rotten wood. Cut the new deck to fit, resin coat and/or glass the underneath side, rest it on the flanges. Screw it down, resin coat, glass and if necessary fill the edges where it didn't fit totally correct with glass putty. Be sure to use plywood that is the same thickness as the old deck but if you don't you can use glass and putty to level the area. Sometimes we also find that the piece being replaced needs some support underneath, be sure you replace what was there or add some cross beams to the piece you're replacing. We like to be sure the glass has cured, a day or two in summer --longer if cold and rainy, then we carpet the repaired areas. We also attempt to find out what caused the rot? Were the deck screws not put in with a sealer? Was the drain keeping water in the boat? Where possible, particulary in livewells that come under the deck seat posts, we get in there and seal those deck intrusions.
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Old 07-25-08, 02:08 PM   #7
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Thanks for the excellent post....I have the boat sitting over at my boat mechanic's place right now (I'm on travel with work) so I had him look at the floor more closely. He said the upper deck is not rot but where the deck was broke due to somebody's big a$$ leaning too far back on the chair. Don't know that's good news or not and I imagine the repair is much the same. The floor under the console is what really worries me the most. I'm afraid of what I'll find under that area as it is really soft and the area is confined so working on it will be difficult. I'm not about to remove the topcap like some have done. I'll sell it before I go to that extent.
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Old 07-25-08, 02:35 PM   #8
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If that front livewell or storage area reaches beyond that seat post hardware, we'd place some stringers/reinforcers under the break. Attach with screws or thru bolt from the top. Glass the top with 2 layers of glass and resin. You'll have to cut the console area to see how bad the rot is and how far it extends.
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Old 07-25-08, 02:51 PM   #9
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Thanks again for the suggestions! You sound like you do this for a living. Where are you located?
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Old 07-25-08, 03:19 PM   #10
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We used to build the Storm Bass Boat. Hurricane Wilma and the realization that $55,000 and up bass boats were really out of the reach of most fishermen. So we we sold Storm, moved north and now concentrate on our www.bassboatcarpets.com website and a bass boat restoration facility n Bainbridge GA.
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Old 07-26-08, 02:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carpetman View Post
Around our place we'd flush cut that carpet right up to the existing edges and do away with that binding/serging. A carpet workroom can do that binding but the cost is over $3.00 a linear foot! OUCH! Use a good sharp carpet knife and cut right to the edge. Modern day boat carpet should not ravel at the edges but if we see a missed thread, we use a Grill Butane Lighter to just flash over the thread. The carpet is a nylon type and it should curl and melt. Be careful! A quick pass over with the lighter is all you usually need!

The floors? We'd cut back all the rotten wood, fabricate some 1"by2" or 2"by2" to use as flanges or lips. Resin coat them, give them a layer of fiberglass and place them under the old deck, leaving an edge or flange for the new wood to rest on when you put it down. We'd through bolt these flanges where possible and/or screw them to the old deck. Resin coat the edges of the old deck where you cut out the rotten wood. Cut the new deck to fit, resin coat and/or glass the underneath side, rest it on the flanges. Screw it down, resin coat, glass and if necessary fill the edges where it didn't fit totally correct with glass putty. Be sure to use plywood that is the same thickness as the old deck but if you don't you can use glass and putty to level the area. Sometimes we also find that the piece being replaced needs some support underneath, be sure you replace what was there or add some cross beams to the piece you're replacing. We like to be sure the glass has cured, a day or two in summer --longer if cold and rainy, then we carpet the repaired areas. We also attempt to find out what caused the rot? Were the deck screws not put in with a sealer? Was the drain keeping water in the boat? Where possible, particulary in livewells that come under the deck seat posts, we get in there and seal those deck intrusions.
First off welcome to the boards bud. Second so glad to see someone here that actually does this for a job. Info that you have and use on a daily basis is very valuable here . As you can see we have several members that are doing there own work and need guidance. My hats off to ya.

By the way I use to own the exact same model of boat but had a 85 merc on her. For a smaller rig she ran surprisingly well. Course that may have been cause I had my grubby hands under the hood.
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Old 07-27-08, 10:06 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by 1FASTLASER View Post

By the way I use to own the exact same model of boat but had a 85 merc on her. For a smaller rig she ran surprisingly well. Course that may have been cause I had my grubby hands under the hood.
Any hints on what the construction is like under the front deck and rest of the floor? Did you ever take a peek below?
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Old 07-27-08, 02:28 PM   #13
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Not exactly sure about the floor underneath every boat but most of the ones we've taken out generally don't have any wiring to be concerned with. Occasionally some drain pipes but if you cut one of those, you can always make a new ones. Sometimes we actually see garden hose type of stuff. If so, replace! When cutting a floor, we tear off the carpet and look to see if we can find a series of screws or brass nails in the existing floor. When we do, we know that this is the center line of the stringer or deck support that is underneath. We then remove the screws, mark the line with a chalk line or marker. Grab an air saw or a small circular saw, adjust the depth of the blade to match the thickness of the deck ( look at the drain hole) and cut along the line you just marked. Pry that piece out and check the edges of the remaining deck--if the wood is dark and/or wet, keep cutting! You must find dry, white or yellow wood. Seal it when you do, before you put it the new deck. If the stringers or lower support system is rotten, OUCH! Start cutting the stringers out but remember, the hull is down there and it's usually not too thick. Now, around our shop, here in Lower GA, we've never cut thru a hull more than once a month that is! Go slow! Be patient, the Bud Light will wait! No Bud allowed before cutting out the floor---You don't want to be razzed for many moons because you put a hole in the old girl!
The older the boat, in general, the thicker the hull will most likely be but even a pin hole will sink a big ship! Grind the old glass before installing any new stringers or wooden supports.
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Old 07-27-08, 03:12 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carpetman View Post
Not exactly sure about the floor underneath every boat but most of the ones we've taken out generally don't have any wiring to be concerned with. Occasionally some drain pipes but if you cut one of those, you can always make a new ones. Sometimes we actually see garden hose type of stuff. If so, replace! When cutting a floor, we tear off the carpet and look to see if we can find a series of screws or brass nails in the existing floor. When we do, we know that this is the center line of the stringer or deck support that is underneath. We then remove the screws, mark the line with a chalk line or marker. Grab an air saw or a small circular saw, adjust the depth of the blade to match the thickness of the deck ( look at the drain hole) and cut along the line you just marked. Pry that piece out and check the edges of the remaining deck--if the wood is dark and/or wet, keep cutting! You must find dry, white or yellow wood. Seal it when you do, before you put it the new deck. If the stringers or lower support system is rotten, OUCH! Start cutting the stringers out but remember, the hull is down there and it's usually not too thick. Now, around our shop, here in Lower GA, we've never cut thru a hull more than once a month that is! Go slow! Be patient, the Bud Light will wait! No Bud allowed before cutting out the floor---You don't want to be razzed for many moons because you put a hole in the old girl!
The older the boat, in general, the thicker the hull will most likely be but even a pin hole will sink a big ship! Grind the old glass before installing any new stringers or wooden supports.

hot dam we got us a boat resto guy...


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Old 07-28-08, 01:47 PM   #15
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yeeehaaaa, ditto to zooker. glad you are here pal.
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Old 07-28-08, 02:26 PM   #16
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Thanks, I'll try and check in on a periodic basis.

Gas Tanks!

The thought hit me today that every once in awhile, there are gas tanks underneath those decks, particulary on older boats. Check for your tank! Most bass type boats have the tanks in the back but a lot of flats boats and bay boats have "BELLY" tanks. They are more likely to break and leak when placed in the belly so a lot of mfg'rs have gotten away from them but on older boats........... You sure don't want to saw into a gas tank! It'll ruin your saw blade, your day, your face, or ...........
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Old 07-28-08, 04:59 PM   #17
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i belive the streams always had the gas tank in the rear. it wont be big 12 gallon likely..

the thing you want to do is REMOVE the front seat base post and all.. every one i know who owns a stream refuses to put in a front seat.. it is cause you'll wear it when it comes loose-note the screws-..

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Old 07-28-08, 05:45 PM   #18
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If that storage/livewell is like so many others I've worked on those seat screws can be replaced with bolts that will go through the deck and the extra reinforcement plate we'd put underneath. Seems like 300 lb bass fisherman are pretty common--Geez, I'm over 250 so you know the seats in my Storm are reinforced!
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Old 07-29-08, 03:12 AM   #19
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Yea bud no fuel tank but a small 14gal in the rear and visibal through rear hatch ifn memory serves me right.

CARPETMAN
DAMN BUDDY I AM VERY JEALOUS of ya. One of the boats that I always wanted to tinker with. Did you help on the "Worlds Most Expensive Boat".....That was just an amazing boat with a VERY AWESOME vinyl or paint scheme on it. My mouth watered for days after seeing that rig. Storm built a boat that I really think woulda been a competitor with the go fast rigs like Bullet and Stroker. I DIDNT know they where outta business though. Man you and I could talk for hours on boats. Gimme a pm sometime when ya got a few.

Mr Robert Carpetman has ya covered on how to repair. BEST way to find out where to cut is get the old carpet up first so you canvisually inspect and not go blindly in. Get the carpet up and take some more pics and with the programs we have on the puter we canmark out an outline where ya wanna cut.
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Old 07-29-08, 08:03 AM   #20
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Laser,

Will do...I'm actually in your neck of the woods right now on travel (Little Rock), but when I get back to NC, I'll take some pics with the carpet pulled up.

Thanks for the help, all!
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Old 07-29-08, 04:02 PM   #21
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Laser,
Thanks for the kudus. Son and I owned Storm from 94 to 2005. Hurricane Wilma trashed our factory and local government decided it was time to move Storm from the city. We sold to a guy in Ft Myers, FL---He's still making them. We moved North to get out of South Florida. The Americana Boat was Storm's 25th Anniversary boat and it's still in South Florida. An owner of a beach front hotel bought it for his 75th Birthday present. Yes, he still fishes in it. The paint job was done by a world reknown motorcycle air brush artist. It was the most amazing air brush work I've ever seen. One side was fresh water, one side was salt water. Storm's are super fast, the original Storm hull was a knockoff, in 1980, of a Darren Allision hull. We designed and had molds made for the all composite 22 foot model that fast became the most popular Storm ever built. No Wood, No Rot, Fassst---Got a ton of pics of her but I can't figure out how to insert, even though that little symbol is up there laughing at me.
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Old 07-29-08, 04:13 PM   #22
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Laser,
Thanks for the kudus. Son and I owned Storm from 94 to 2005. Hurricane Wilma trashed our factory and local government decided it was time to move Storm from the city. We sold to a guy in Ft Myers, FL---He's still making them. We moved North to get out of South Florida. The Americana Boat was Storm's 25th Anniversary boat and it's still in South Florida. An owner of a beach front hotel bought it for his 75th Birthday present. Yes, he still fishes in it. The paint job was done by a world reknown motorcycle air brush artist. It was the most amazing air brush work I've ever seen. One side was fresh water, one side was salt water. Storm's are super fast, the original Storm hull was a knockoff, in 1980, of a Darren Allision hull. We designed and had molds made for the all composite 22 foot model that fast became the most popular Storm ever built. No Wood, No Rot, Fassst---Got a ton of pics of her but I can't figure out how to insert, even though that little symbol is up there laughing at me.
There are two ways to attach/insert pictures....

If you want to attach them, use the paperclip symbol which popups a window. From there, browse to your photos on your PC and upload them. They'll appear as links at the bottom.

If you want to insert the pictures so that they can be directly viewed you have to first host them online somewhere. www.photobucket.com is a free and popular hosting site. Once you host them, you can insert them using the IMAGE "[IMG]mypictureURL[/IMG]" symbols
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Old 07-29-08, 04:45 PM   #23
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robert here in nc are you??

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Old 07-29-08, 05:46 PM   #24
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Zooker,

Yeah, I'm east of you in Apex, but have a small place on Gaston and that's where I do most of my fishing. I travel alot during the week, so my fishing is limited to weekends at Gaston.
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Old 07-29-08, 06:15 PM   #25
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gentilemen make no mistake about it gaston is a BIG water lake.

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