# 15ft skiff rebuild



## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

I’m sanding down and fixing up the bottom of the hull first. I sanded through three coats of pain and some old fiberglass repair and got down to the gel coat. Can I fill in the deep scratches with resin and then paint or do I need to use glass mat as well?


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

If the scratches don’t compromise the glass, you can fill them. If the glass is damaged, you’ll have to lay some glass in the defect. What was the patch you ground off supposed to fix? Usually big, ugly patches hide big, ugly defects.

Nate


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

I like that boat. What is the beam and width of the floor?


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

WhiteDog70810 said:


> If the scratches don’t compromise the glass, you can fill them. If the glass is damaged, you’ll have to lay some glass in the defect. What was the patch you ground off supposed to fix? Usually big, ugly patches hide big, ugly defects.
> 
> Nate


If you look in the last pic from the transom looking towards the bow, there are about 20 small holes that were patched with a giant glass piece. They are filled with resin and are sanded smooth at this point. Guessing the patch was for “insurance”???


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

PG350 said:


> I like that boat. What is the beam and width of the floor?


4 1/2 ft at the beam and 3.11ft at the floor if I’m not mistaken.


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## BassFlats (Nov 26, 2018)

I like your trailer arrangement. A little difficult to launch?


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

BassFlats said:


> I like your trailer arrangement. A little difficult to launch?


Haha yeah I didn’t have a boat trailer to get it home. Since then I’ve bought a trailer for it! Lol


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Thoughts on all the holes being drilled, due to delamination between the glass and the core so they drilled holes throughout the delam area then back filled with epoxy?

either way it’s. Cool looking hull and should ride nicely, any idea what plans it was made from?


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

texasag07 said:


> Thoughts on all the holes being drilled, due to delamination between the glass and the core so they drilled holes throughout the delam area then back filled with epoxy?
> 
> either way it’s. Cool looking hull and should ride nicely, any idea what plans it was made from?


honestly I have no idea what plans it was made from. Closest thing I could find to it would be a hobie power skiff. Does anyone else have any idea?? It has a super thick hull. The transom is about 2.5-3in thick. The area around the holes doesn’t appear to be delaminated. Any other ideas?


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## BassFlats (Nov 26, 2018)

It's not a Hobie.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

BassFlats said:


> It's not a Hobie.


google searches are a close match to these


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

That’s a river rat used to be built by ugly boats I think slayer skiff owns the mold now however


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## Hightide03 (Nov 7, 2019)

Pretty cool little boat! Are you planning on cutting out the floor or is it pretty solid?


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

I have always loved the looks of those hulls. 

I would put at least one layer of glass over all those holes on the bottom, just my 2 cents. I know they are epoxy filled but they make me nervous.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

PG350 said:


> I have always loved the looks of those hulls.
> 
> I would put at least one layer of glass over all those holes on the bottom, just my 2 cents. I know they are epoxy filled but they make me nervous.


Could always add that layer of glass from the inside and save yourself some fairing time...


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Hightide03 said:


> Pretty cool little boat! Are you planning on cutting out the floor or is it pretty solid?


it’s pretty solid except for one spot but I’m going to make the rear deck bigger and remove the center console soo I think I’ll remove the floor and replace with 1/2in marine plywood so I definitely don’t have any issues for the next 10 years


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

yobata said:


> Could always add that layer of glass from the inside and save yourself some fairing time...


What do you mean by this?


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Adam89 said:


> What do you mean by this?


If the hull is not cored, add a layer of glass on the inside of the skiff hull and leave the (hopefully) thickened resin plug on the outside.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Been sanding away at truck bed liner for a few weeks now. Finally got it to gel coat. Used 2-part glasses bondo filler to even things out and then re-sanded. Next step is to gel coat the bottom


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Finished sanding and then rolled two coats of gel coat non waxed.


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## Simplehandy (Dec 20, 2019)

What did the monkey say when the train ran over his tail? Won't be long now! lol


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Simplehandy said:


> What did the monkey say when the train ran over his tail? Won't be long now! lol


that’s just the bottom. I’m also redoing the inside


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the motor tuned up after a complete service including lower unit rebuild, water impeller and housing, fuel pump, carb rebuild and plugs. Also got the last coat of waxed gel coat on. Ready for a wet sanding/buff/polish


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Finished wet sanding, buffed and waxed. Got her flipped over and she is now upright on the trailer!!! Next I’ll tear apart the inside and re-deck the front and back decks!


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Really like that little hull.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

PG350 said:


> Really like that little hull.


Mee too!! Can’t wait to get to a point to water test and see where I can put weight at in the boat. Thinking a deep cycle and live well up front, gas tank in the rear and then a center grab bar with a cooler attached


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## GaG8tor (Jul 8, 2019)

Very cool. Nice work, man.


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## Kowalski (Jul 25, 2018)

what a fun cool project ! such a cool unusual hull, nice score !


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

GaG8tor said:


> Very cool. Nice work, man.


Thanks!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Kowalski said:


> what a fun cool project ! such a cool unusual hull, nice score !


I was alittle nervous after getting it home but each step that I get to check off makes it worth it


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got out the center console and cleaned her up a bit. The floor seems to be super thin. I’ll be cutting it out and putting down half inch floor to stiffen it up.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Stripped out the center console. I have a buddy wanting to use is for his skiff. I’ll post some pics of his skiff as well


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the floor and back deck cut out today. It’s amazing how thin the floor is and that they don’t use actual stringers. It’s just a piece of mat and resin


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Sooo there wasn’t foam under my flooring. Would y’all suggest putting foam down?


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Kinda looks like under my floor. Mine did not have much room for a whole lot of foam. Should be easy to redo at least. I did not put foam under my floor and everyone on here had a heart attack so put it in unless you want a bunch of sh!t.


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## Kowalski (Jul 25, 2018)

"Kinda looks like under my floor. Mine did not have much room for a whole lot of foam. Should be easy to redo at least. I did not put foam under my floor and everyone on here had a heart attack so put it in unless you want a bunch of sh!t." 

Ha Ha Ha message boards can be brutal


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## ChristianBrat (Jan 6, 2020)

Adam89 said:


> Sooo there wasn’t foam under my flooring. Would y’all suggest putting foam down?


I would put foam in. It's cheap insurance. Just make sure you put chase tubes in first


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

ChristianBrat said:


> I would put foam in. It's cheap insurance. Just make sure you put chase tubes in first


Chase tubes???


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## BassFlats (Nov 26, 2018)

Conduits for wires/cables or for draining water


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

BassFlats said:


> Conduits for wires/cables or for draining water


How do y’all decide where to come up with the conduit? I mean I have a good idea where my grab bar will go but it would have to be exact since I want to hide the wires as much as possible


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Adam89 said:


> How do y’all decide where to come up with the conduit? I mean I have a good idea where my grab bar will go but it would have to be exact since I want to hide the wires as much as possible


Put a sheet of plywood in boat, stand in boat on top of plywood, place your hand where you think the most comfortable place for the grab bar will be (It helps to have the grab bar already for this step). Mark the location and set your conduit there...


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

All of the inside is cut out. The grab bar should be done by next weekend. I’m going to start glassing the whole inside for structural integrity. I have a good idea for my layout. Front deck will be 5ft long and back deck will be 3ft long


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Lookin good man, now it's ready to rebuild.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Lookin good man, now it's ready to rebuild.


Heck yes! Now the fun part!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the front bulkhead cut out. Working on the rear now. Getting these angles right is harder than I imagined it would be haha


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got my bulkheads and stringers cut and put resin on them. Drying over night and then glassing in hopefully in the next few days


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## GaG8tor (Jul 8, 2019)

Wow man. You are really moving along


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

GaG8tor said:


> Wow man. You are really moving along


I’m definitely trying. I only get about one day a week to work on it though. Hoping to be done within two months


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got my bulkheads and stringer glued in. I’ll resin and glass them in next weekend.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the deck supports glued in. I’ll glass them in along with the bulkheads and stringers


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got my bulkhead corners smoothed in with glassed bondo, floor template made, floor cut out and bottom of floor resined. I’m hoping to have the floor glued and glassed in this weekend!!!


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

lookin good man!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the front and back deck supports glued in. Can’t really do anything else until the weather warms up bc I need to resin things in


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

All I got done this weekend. Should have the floor glued and glassed this week sometime


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

I finally got smart again and covered boat and put a heater inside so I can epoxy some stuff. Inside the boat is 85, outside its 50. Just an idea for next cold spell


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

PG350 said:


> I finally got smart again and covered boat and put a heater inside so I can epoxy some stuff. Inside the boat is 85, outside its 50. Just an idea for next cold spell


I may just have to do that!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got some work done to the boat today due to getting off work early!!


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Adam89 said:


> Got some work done to the boat today due to getting off work early!!


Nice work. Would only be better with a Tacoma in the background. 

Lol, just kidding. 

Make sure to seal all that wood real good.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

PG350 said:


> Nice work. Would only be better with a Tacoma in the background.
> 
> Lol, just kidding.
> 
> Make sure to seal all that wood real good.


I test drove a Tacoma but actually like the Colorado better! The wood will be resined on both sides and then glassed in the top side


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Adam89 said:


> I test drove a Tacoma but actually like the Colorado better! The wood will be resined on both sides and then glassed in the top side


It's looking good.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Glued and screwed the floor down today


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got my floor resined in, going to tab the corners in with glass tomorrow. Also got my bait well box glued, screwed and resined. I’ll round off the inside corners and gel coat tomorrow.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the floor glassed in! That was such a pain in the ass wetting down the floor before putting the mat down. Have y’all found an easier way to adjust the mat when you lay it down? Or do you lay it down dry and then just soak the crap out of it with resin??

also got the inside of the decks painted today. Used white oil based enamel semi-gloss. The actual floor and tops of the deck will be gel coat.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Not exactly round but this will be the shape of my homemade bait well. Going to gel coat it and then glass it in under the front deck. Also started the wiring process


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Doing alittle wiring and plumbing today. Bait well is gel coated also


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

My grab bar was finally finished and delivered. Not bad for $140! Still working on wiring and plumbing. The baitwell is finished and plumbed.


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## GaG8tor (Jul 8, 2019)

Gonna be sweet


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Adam89 said:


> My grab bar was finally finished and delivered. Not bad for $140! Still working on wiring and plumbing. The baitwell is finished and plumbed.


140.00 was a steal for the grab bar.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

PG350 said:


> 140.00 was a steal for the grab bar.


It definitely helps to know a guy!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Had a successful weekend. Finished up the wiring and plumbing. Also got to water test


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Well For some reason my shaft length on my motor shrunk from when I first bought it. It sat way to high and during my water test I found that I would cavitate. Got it back home and found that my cavitation plate was about 4in to high. Luckily my transom was raised and I can just lower to adjust. It turned out perfect after trimming off 4in


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Man lookin good bud!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Got the front and rear decks glassed in today. I should have gel coat on by the end of the weekend


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

2 coats of no wax gel coat on. I’ll do one more coat and then do wax gel coat with flake


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Can’t wait to get this boat on the water


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## GaG8tor (Jul 8, 2019)

Very nice.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

All vertical walls and rails have been wax gel coated and next is painting the horizontal floor and deck with flake. Updated pics by the end of the day!!! I’m almost done!!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

All that’s left is to attach the motor and a few other things!!!


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

Looks great!


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## GaG8tor (Jul 8, 2019)

Man, you wasted no time. Great job


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

GaG8tor said:


> Man, you wasted no time. Great job


thanks! And no I didn’t. Anxious to get it out on the water!!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Motor mounted and all leds are wired. She is officially water ready!!!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Took her out today! Ran great, stable and dry!!!


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Sweet man, got any speed numbers outa her?


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

@Adam89 , can you tell me the difference and when you use the wax and non waxed gel coat? I havent used gelcoat yet. Only automotive paints and awlgrip products. 

Also how did you do the flake? Maybe some close up shots of the flake job? If you care to share, thanks in advance. 
Michael


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Sweet man, got any speed numbers outa her?


I have a holeshot prop on it now. Fully loaded down I’m seeing 24-25 mph in 1-2ft chop. I have a speed prop that I’m hoping to see 28-30mph on smooth water. Test for that are pending


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Mike Haydon said:


> @Adam89 , can you tell me the difference and when you use the wax and non waxed gel coat? I havent used gelcoat yet. Only automotive paints and awlgrip products.
> 
> Also how did you do the flake? Maybe some close up shots of the flake job? If you care to share, thanks in advance.
> Michael


Soo you’re suppose to use non wax at first. You can layer this on as many coats as you want. Gel coat doesn’t fully cure as long as it is exposed to air. The last coat is a waxed coat bc it makes a barrier to the air and allows the gel coat to fully cure and harden. They have wax additives you can add in to the non-waxed gel coat so that you don’t have to buy two different types but this is what was easier for me. 

as far as the flake. It’s just garage floor flake that was bought at Home Depot. As soon as the last coat of waxed gel coat was rolled I sprinkled this flake on while it was still wet. As the gel coat dries it make the flake stick to it but be quick bc gel coat hardens/dries fast


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Still impressed at how well this boat handles and looks on the water! The girlfriend is impressed too! Many more lake days on this boat to come!!!


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

@Adam89 thanks for the reply. Always something to learn. And I was a salesman for those flakes for a few years. It is an actual paint flake and should melt into the gel coat so will be very durable and add a little texture for traction.


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Freakin love this little boat!!!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Little more progress in the boat. Added a homemade hydrofoil for cavitation when running shallow, also bought a poling platform and had a buddy cut/weld it to fit!! 

I have a jack plate on the way and I’ve already rebuilt a 35hp carb to put on the motor. That will be this weeks projects


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Sweet man, that boat looks very similar to Ugly Boats River Rat, it's a cool little skiff. What is the width and length of it if you don't mind me asking?


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Sweet man, that boat looks very similar to Ugly Boats River Rat, it's a cool little skiff. What is the width and length of it if you don't mind me asking?


it is an ugly boat river rat! 14 1/2 ft long and 4 1/2 ft wide at the rails. Thanks, I’m really enjoying this boat!!


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## Adam89 (Nov 12, 2019)

Finally got around to naming her!! May I introduce “Filthy Oar”


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Did you see any improvement with the cavitation plate / dolphin fin and new carb?


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

You are selling this boat already?


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