# the skiff repair job new pics



## bullardsls1 (Jun 29, 2010)

ok well as most of u know i busted the bottom of my boat last Saturday  night . the boat was rotten to start with so it needed fixed right anyway . first off i had to gut the boat pull off everything deck'fan'consolecooler/seat' toolbox and outboard. There is alot of stuff to take off a boat . after gutting the boat i had 5 friends help me set the boat off the trailor and filp it over . that was a heavy boat for 6 people .  i got the ole buffer out and started sanding away with some 60 grit . the patches that was fixed before never had the foam put back in . i drilled holes throughout the boat  and filling them heavy with great stuff and max fill foam . that stuff seams to work well . i am sanding all the jell coat off the bottom of the boat ' all the way 2 the brown lol. bought 4 gallon of 3m fiberglass today  and getting all the woven mat i can find at lowes autozone u name it i have went in there today . gonna Finnish the sanding tomorrow and start the glassing here is a few pics of the progress so far  here is one of the gutted boat on the tailor






flipped over with the monster hole showing 






pic after i started sanding and filling with the foam






it got a lil late last night had to hook up one of the 400 watt hps lights to  keep going got to get err done 






starting the patch 















a total of 7 layers just on the weak  spots 
here is the big fiberglass matt i had to start with i cut it up in small sections  to apply 




http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab120/bullardsls1/SANY0047.jpg
the back of the boat was tuff and solid i only put 2 layers on the back the very front has 3 layers but in the middle  where it was really weak  at least 7 here is the final coat of fiberrglass after a lil sanding 




 the final on fiberglass resin was 11.5 gallon  and cans of foam was 9 and one big can . never got to take a pic of the sanding it took alot of time  the boat was painted with ppg orange sherbet  paint u can c the sand marks up close but its a boat who cares its gonna be scratched up before u no it . the boat is dirty right now took it out yesterday


----------



## GT Whitetail (Jun 29, 2010)

Looks like your making fast progress! Outta hold up for awhile now.. Good luck with the rest of it


----------



## thompsonsz71 (Jun 29, 2010)

lookin god so far.... one of the drawbacks of glass, but its easier to repair if you dont know how to weld it


----------



## bullardsls1 (Jun 29, 2010)

lol i am a pipe welder thats what i do travel from state to state welding i just take summer off . the skiffs are really  a tough boat . but this one was rotten really bad he to have hit something really hard and then patched it while it was still wet and the foam was still wet the very back of the boat is real solid . but the front of it a 6 year old could punch through it . i belive i will be fine . the boat will go real shallow and very stable  and with 4 extra layers of fiberglass on the front it should be fine


----------



## Confederate_Jay (Jun 30, 2010)

You may already be planning to do all of this but I'll offer 2 cents.  I'd take a metabo/ cutting blade and and trim up that  little piece that is kicking up.   Not sure where you find it up there but I have seen the glass  cloth mat on a bolt or roll that would allow you to make your repair with one solid piece.   I have a piece of a roll that I got from my father inlaw years ago and   I have used it to fix several boats.   There is also a fiberglass filler( like bondo) that have  the glass fibers in for strength.  You can you use to fill the opening and cover the exposed foam and stringers.  Clean up your edges , wipe the hole area with the filler , let it set up and sand it off smooth then you will have a smooth flat  surface to apply your glass to. 
  My first experience with glass I watched a guy do this to a Whaler  and it made a beautiful repair... only problem was he just used filler  to repair some gouges in the gunwhale, sanded it  and painted it.  He didn't glass it over and in a short time the chunk of filler just fell out.


----------



## willholl79 (Jun 30, 2010)

I was thinking about getting a 19dlx or 21dlx skiff for a bowfishing rig, but after seeing this I'm not so sure.  I like the fact that they only draft 6" but that's no good if it's bouncing off stumps and rocks.


----------



## turkey foot (Jun 30, 2010)

Hey Bullard, is that an air boat, or do you use the fan when fishing in the middle of the day ?


----------



## thompsonsz71 (Jun 30, 2010)

def not an air boat..... just a pusher fan


----------



## JpEater (Jun 30, 2010)

willholl79 said:


> I was thinking about getting a 19dlx or 21dlx skiff for a bowfishing rig, but after seeing this I'm not so sure.  I like the fact that they only draft 6" but that's no good if it's bouncing off stumps and rocks.




Any good custom made Aluminum boat will hold up to most all abuse you put it through and float just as shallow if not shallower. Skiffs are flippin heavy! Aluminum all the way!


----------



## S Adams (Jun 30, 2010)

JpEater said:


> Any good custom made Aluminum boat will hold up to most all abuse you put it through and float just as shallow if not shallower. Skiffs are flippin heavy! Aluminum all the way!


X2  Aluminum all the way!


----------



## j_seph (Jun 30, 2010)

I see your over here too


----------



## bullardsls1 (Jun 30, 2010)

S Adams said:


> X2  Aluminum all the way!



if i had it to do over again aluminum would be the boat and its still not out of the question . if i find a nice 1860 this winter i will swap it all over . but untill then i will fish the skiff


----------



## SULLI (Jul 1, 2010)

Don't know how it would work on fiberglass but you could talk to the airboat guys and see about maybe putting polymer on the bottom after you fix the holes


----------



## GSUeagle73 (Jul 1, 2010)

looks like the work is going well!!!  i hope you can get back out there soon!


----------



## kscoggins (Jul 8, 2010)

dang Chris, thats a heckuva hole !!!

I hate welding aluminum b/c its such a dirty metal, but it beats patching glass !!


----------



## StikR (Jul 11, 2010)

JpEater said:


> Any good custom made Aluminum boat will hold up to most all abuse you put it through and float just as shallow if not shallower. Skiffs are flippin heavy! Aluminum all the way!



Ahhh, I think he got one that had a bad spot in it.  I had a J16 skiff that made an awesome 3 man boat, that could fish 4 easy enough.  It bounced off of MANY rocks and stumps and kept on going.  Most of the time if you do get a hole it will be a little one and easy to patch.  I think Bullard's boat will be fine if he repairs it right this time, unlike the previous owner.  Oh yeah, that little J16 would run in water less than the diameter of the prop on the 5hp merc.  I've yet to see an alum boat run that shallow.  The skiffs seem roomier to me than a comparable size alum boat.  Don't knock 'em too bad fellas...


----------



## bullardsls1 (Jul 12, 2010)

StikR said:


> Ahhh, I think he got one that had a bad spot in it.  I had a J16 skiff that made an awesome 3 man boat, that could fish 4 easy enough.  It bounced off of MANY rocks and stumps and kept on going.  Most of the time if you do get a hole it will be a little one and easy to patch.  I think Bullard's boat will be fine if he repairs it right this time, unlike the previous owner.  Oh yeah, that little J16 would run in water less than the diameter of the prop on the 5hp merc.  I've yet to see an alum boat run that shallow.  The skiffs seem roomier to me than a comparable size alum boat.  Don't knock 'em too bad fellas...



thinks i belive 11.5 gallon of fiberglass should hold up lol got er dune


----------



## GT Whitetail (Jul 12, 2010)

You did one ******* job man! Looks great.. I got my PSE Barracuda in and its ready to go


----------



## bullardsls1 (Jul 12, 2010)

friday sat and Sunday we are throwing a party on lake weiss bachelor party but thru the week i am good the boat is at my house  in villa rica untill this weekend


----------



## River Rat 69 (Jul 15, 2010)

Awsome Job ! and the paint job looks good too. You should have painted the inside red and flowing over the sides and called it  "BLOOD BATH!" Again Awsome Work !


----------



## bullardsls1 (Jul 15, 2010)

i am gonna rhino line the floor soon  and that will be it . the trailer needs to go tho  lol


----------



## Ihunt (Aug 1, 2010)

Check the load weight on your axle.Boat looks great but it "looks" like the axle may not be beefy enough.


----------

