14.5ft center console.

[tim2]

I have just got a 14.5ft longbeach center console with a 40Hp Merc on the back.
I have a bit work to do just to clean it up a little and make it look a bit better, i thought i would start this thread to show a few pics and hopefully people can add there input and maybe some other people will learn a little?
I am pretty new to the whole fibreglass boat thing, therefore i will be learning a lot as i go, any help is appreciated.
The Boat seems pretty solid, as far as i can see the hull is very good, a couple of scratches here and there, but mostly good.
Heres a bit of list i want to do.
Fix some gelcoat problems around the gunner rails.
Fix the holes that have caused the gelcoat problems.
Get some oil stains out of the carpet, or change it.
Change the sounder.
Do something with the anti-foul.

I am doing searches of all the related threads and reading them through, but i will post a few photos and any help would be great.

[tim2]

Sorry, this is not the best pic, i will try to get a better one on the weekend.http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/4923/dsc3431lj3.jpg

[tim2]

Some of the the Gelcoat problems.
Any advice here is welcomed.(read "begged for")
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/7623/dsc3427fz0.jpg

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1551/dsc3428vf8.jpg

[bobbyb]

hi tim2. dont know much about glass repairs but i know a nice boat when i see one--------and thats one. congrats. cheers.

[Noelm]

I think those gelcoat repairs may need more than just gelcoat, you may need to grind away the offending part/cracks and repair properly, then you can start talking gelcoat repairs (I reckon) biggest problem will be getting a good colour match so it does not look "repaired".

[tim2]

I think those gelcoat repairs may need more than just gelcoat, you may need to grind away the offending part/cracks and repair properly, then you can start talking gelcoat repairs (I reckon) biggest problem will be getting a good colour match so it does not look "repaired".

thanks, I really appreciate the advice, i havent been putting a lot of time into the repairs just yet, but i thought that might be the case:-/
I want to use the boat a bit before i go nuts on that stuff and maybe i will want to change the layout of the boat a little.
At the moment i really want to clean it up before anything else. Probably not so smart on my part, but i bought it to fish, not just repair:D
I will hopefully do a bit of a detail this weekend, if i have time. If i do i will post some after pics.

[Outsider1]

A bit of that gelcoat damage is probably from the anchor being dropped there when being deployed.

It also seems to be only cosmetic, replace that missing screw and it will also be less noticeable. There is potential for further damage even if you repair it, so perhaps think about covering it with something a bit harder wearing as a cheap initial fix e.g. marine carpet, some timber strip or the like. Just a few ideas for what they are worth.

Cheers

Dave

[tim2]

A bit of that gelcoat damage is probably from the anchor being dropped there when being deployed.

It also seems to be only cosmetic, replace that missing screw and it will also be less noticeable. There is potential for further damage even if you repair it, so perhaps think about covering it with something a bit harder wearing as a cheap initial fix e.g. marine carpet, some timber strip or the like. Just a few ideas for what they are worth.

Cheers

Dave

Thanks Dave,
I hope its cosmetic, and i like the idea of a piece of timber.
Thanks for the idea.

[tim2]

I took the boat for her first good run today, besides the test drive.
I was really happy with how it handled. Didnt cross the bar, but found some decent chop and a few decent wakes to hit and see how she would take it.
While cleaning afterwards i was able to remove a lot of oxidisation on the gelcoat and also cleaned up some of the anti foul with a high pressure hose.

[Hornet Rider]

I took the boat for her first good run today, besides the test drive.
I was really happy with how it handled. Didnt cross the bar, but found some decent chop and a few decent wakes to hit and see how she would take it.
While cleaning afterwards i was able to remove a lot of oxidisation on the gelcoat and also cleaned up some of the anti foul with a high pressure hose.


Tim, great looking boat. How did you find the 40hp performance on you outing today? Enough grunt to get you out of trouble, if needed, or would you think she needs a few more HP, say up to about 90hp or so? Would be keen to see some pics of her stern. Looks like she has a deadrise of below 10 degrees or so? Any extra strakes for stability to counter broaching on the stern? Do you know what the hull weighs?

cheers

[tim2]

Tim, great looking boat. How did you find the 40hp performance on you outing today? Enough grunt to get you out of trouble, if needed, or would you think she needs a few more HP, say up to about 90hp or so? Would be keen to see some pics of her stern. Looks like she has a deadrise of below 10 degrees or so? Any extra strakes for stability to counter broaching on the stern? Do you know what the hull weighs?

cheers

I think a 90 might be a bit big for it! The hull is rated to forty, but i would like to see a 60 four stroke on it. I think in the future i will settle for a 40 four stroke, but you never know?
It had plenty of power for what i was doing, but might handle the bigger chop better with a bit more power?
I will try to get a couple of stern shots today.
I kind of understand deadrise, but i dunno where to measure it from and too exactly. You better explain about the stakes too:-[

[FNQCairns]

Why not repair the gelcoat, as mentioned above it will look patchy and will need to be applied over grinded out sections (good way to check for cracks a little more substantial than simply surface cracks too) ....then coat the entire topside in a quality marine nonslip coating in the colour of your choice, anything not white suits me because of the glare. Think it would spif up the boat somewhat too?

It certainly is a good looking boat, looks like the shape means business.

cheers fnq

[tim2]

Why not repair the gelcoat, as mentioned above it will look patchy and will need to be applied over grinded out sections (good way to check for cracks a little more substantial than simply surface cracks too) ....then coat the entire topside in a quality marine nonslip coating in the colour of your choice, anything not white suits me because of the glare. Think it would spif up the boat somewhat too?

It certainly is a good looking boat, looks like the shape means business.

cheers fnq

Not a bad idea, i like the idea of covering all of it, it would certainly hide the patches.
Thanks for the advice.

[Hornet Rider]

I think a 90 might be a bit big for it! The hull is rated to forty, but i would like to see a 60 four stroke on it. I think in the future i will settle for a 40 four stroke, but you never know?
It had plenty of power for what i was doing, but might handle the bigger chop better with a bit more power?
I will try to get a couple of stern shots today.
I kind of understand deadrise, but i dunno where to measure it from and too exactly. You better explain about the stakes too:-[

Interesting that the hull is only rated to 40hp. At 4.5m & a glass hull, I would have expected it to be a bit more, much more in fact, but the designer must have limited it to 40hp for very good reason. The overhead pic seems to show a higher forefoot/bow than transom height but that could be an optical illusion. There are a number of posts on here about deadrise/dead rise (search under both spellings) but I've attached the info below to help.

Stakes are those raised parallel portions on the bottom of the hull running fore/aft, sometimes the length of the hull, sometimes only toward aft. Not to be confused with spray rails, but added to a hull to induce/improve hull lift on to the plane (lifting strakes). On hulls with little or minimal deadrise, which should normally lift out of the hole on to the plan with more efficiency than deeper V hulls, thicker strakes (or winglets) are included in the design to stabilise the hull in chop, in following a sea to assist with anti-broaching, & to brace the hull in fast, tight turns (grip or grab the water so the hull doesn't skip out in the turn).

It looked like the way your boats appears in the overhead pic to taper at the transom that it would have low deadrise. Your next pic will tell :)

http://www.answers.com/topic/deadrise

Why some boat bottoms are V-shaped and others are flat
The amount of V shape in the bottom of a hull is known as deadrise. Technically, deadrise is an angle measured upward from a horizontal plane at keel level. If you stand in front of or behind a hard-chined boat and look along the hull, you will be able to judge the amount of deadrise.A flat-bottomed boat has a dead-rise angle of 0 degrees; a deep-V hull has about 24 degrees of deadrise. The amount of deadrise varies with the intended use of the boat. A flat-bottomed boat rises onto a plane quickly and provides a comfortable, stable ride in calm water—but it will pound heavily in rough water. A deep-V hull provides a softer ride in those conditions, but will be more reluctant to rise onto a plane. An all-purpose hull—a common compromise—has a dead-rise angle of about 15 degrees. Deadrise angles are not always constant along the length of the hull; they often vary progressively from midhull to stern. The deeper V at the bow allows the hull to cut through waves more smoothly, while the flatter sections aft make for more efficient planing.

(Pics of lifting strake retro-fit on deep V hull x 2, and pic of winglets on 8 degree deadrise hull x 1)

[tim2]

Thanks Hornet Rider,
I was a bit off on what i thought deadrise was, and had no idea about the stakes.
I will check it all out and post a more detailed reply as soon as i have time.
As far as i can see there are no extra stakes, just the usual spray rails i believe.
I will try to work out the deadrise.
Thank you for your help.

[tim2]

I finally had a bit of time to do a bit of work on the boat this weekend(thanks rain).

I have changed the sounder to one that i already owned, and i am not sure if it is a bit low or not(i havent had a chance to test it).

I cut back and polished one side, since the other side was a bit wet and kind of exposed to the weather.

I have taken some shots of the transom to show hornet rider, also to show the transducer.

Sorry the pics are a bit blurry

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/9743/dsc3443pb3.jpg

[tim2]

The rest of the pics are pretty bad, jut these two for now.

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/1149/dsc3444dq3.jpg

[iricangi]

Do you have an opening under the cushion at the front of the console? I have one was gonna put a seat on it, but a cushion looks just as good

[tim2]

The cusion/seat directly infront of the console is hollow underneath, it is accessed from the stearing side(rear), i store my safety gear there. The seat in the bow has a storage/esky compartment under it, as does the drivers seat.

[iricangi]

Hmm i bought a console boat like this a few months ago and have steadily started doing stuff to it, not to the extent of yours though yet.

Is that windscreen just plastic? and if you have spare time in the next week or so could you please take a foto or 2 of the windscreen more up close, i want to imitate the frame and glass/plastic

Thanks matt

[tim2]

No worries Matt,
I actually want to replace the plastic in the windscreen as it has the ravages of age about it.
If you are in my area you can come and look for yourself. I live in the southern Goldy

[Pridey]

Agree with Bobby B, lovely looking boat mate.

The damage does look superficial, again the problem with fibreglass is its hard to make the repairs look repaired unless its done properly, I wouldnt bother with what I saw there, however I would suggest a larger outboard. If you were only doing rivers/esturay work then not really, but if your out in the open water then I would almost say its a requirement.

Enjoy

[tim2]

I want to get a bigger outboard, but the budget doesnt allow it at the moment. Hopefully one day.
Thanks for the input.

[Hornet Rider]

Tim, the rain is good for more than just filling the water tanks eh? Thanks for the pic, looks like (guessing here) the deadrise is in the order of 16 degress or up? Thought you said the hull was rated to 40hp max? You got new data to up that hp to something that would better suit that hull? I see there's a blue roller on the trailer. All the glass owners tell me red rollers are the ones to use. Don't know if blue does any damage or what the difference in compound is between red & blue, but someone on here will know. Hope you're getting heaps of satisfaction from the project. Cheers

[tim2]

I have no idea about the rollers, i will have to check that out.
The compliance plate on the boat says 40hp, that is why a bigger outboard would be a larger cost than just the replacement of the engine, i assume you can have the transom strengthend but i think the cost would probably not be worth it?
Probably should have explained that earlier.