# 1987 Hobie Powerskiff Restoration. Lots of questions



## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Awesome! I'm a bit partial to hobie projects. Seeing the damage there at the transom I would just go ahead and redo it, especially with the stage your at, at this time in the project. That way you won't have to worry down the road. Unfortunately I've done alot of glass work on my skiff and I haven't found any Kevlar yet. I have a CCM boat and yes, the center was foam filled. Nice project to start with, and don't be afraid to ask questions


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## Muskrat80 (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks Cut, I've been putting this off long enough, and I just wont have the time to do it once I head back south so now it is. 

I've seen the cap cut off the transom of these and isn't there a layer of glass in between two pieces of balsa? Would that make it problematic to use ceramic pourable? 

I guess my first 2 questions for the transom repair are:

1) whether to use vinylester or epoxy- I have several small repairs to make on the hull as well. A crack about 4 inches long right above the water line, and a puncture about the size of a quarter. Also hatch repair, and likely a couple more. I want to spray gelcoat after the repairs, and planned on at least doing the hull sides and the cap down to the non skid (I really hoped to not touch the non skid). 

So, I know one camp says no gelcoat over epoxy, yet some say its no prob. I never want to mess with it again, so I want a "one and done" solution. I don't mind gel upkeep as I have buffers, orbitals, da's, etc. I'd use vinylester gel if I had to. So epoxy or vinylester? 


2) What glass for the repairs? I have 5 yards of kevlar glass I picked up several years ago that has been sitting in the box it shipped in. Can't remember why I bought it. I don't know what weight it is, but it is thick. If I remember correctly it was a marine manufacturer liquidating inventory online. 






Can I use this on the transom? Should I just spot repair that hole when I do it, or wrap the whole transom in layers of additional glass after? 

Also, is it unwise to mix materials on the side of the hull, as in I should not use this on the crack in the starboard side? I know technically I'm supposed to cut it out, and adhere the patch from the backside and then build the face. But, there is no access unless I drill a hole in the patch, slip it in there and put tension on it while it cures. Is a simple face adhesion repair ok?


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## Dmagee (Jan 2, 2014)

I was having questioning if I should have replaced the transom in my wife's Hobie so I used a 2" hole saw to check the condition of the transom. Don't drill all the way through to the other side but just enough to pull a plug out. You'll find that your wright, there's two layers of balsa with glass between. I would pull plugs from under the motor mounts and the scuppers. If everything is good you can glass the plugs back in.


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## Muskrat80 (Jul 22, 2013)

Ok, I'm at an impass as to what to do with the console and fuel tank. 

In the pics I have a 14 gallon fuel tank that is mounted in front of the console, which doubles as a seat (I'm not sure how comfortable someone would be riding a gas tank as a seat). 

Option 1) keep the fuel tank where it is, and weld an aluminum console to it using the tank as part of the front wall making the tank/console one piece and having cushions made. 

option 2) ditch the fuel tank, and put one in the floor. get a el cheapo fiberglass console and put a cooler seat in front of the console like the rest of the world. Passenger wouldn't have to ride a gas bomb in that scenario. 

I prefer to keep it, since it is no additional cost, and it keeps the weight forward on the hull to balance out my portly self when I'm on board. Problem is if it is unsafe for a passenger to be on the fuel tank. It is a tnt built tank (fort pierce fl. 1996 .125 aluminum).


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

I personally would go the route that the rest of the world goes.
I can see a problem with an aluminum console when it's wet getting stray voltage. Especially a problem if your going to weld it to the fuel tank. Big no no


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## timemachine (Sep 1, 2014)

Wow- the inside of that boat looks nicely built. Not sprayed out of the chopper gun.

I'll weigh in on the fiberglass repair. One thing that I have seen is that polyester resin does not always stick very well, even on surfaces that look to have been well prepared. I've even peeled off repairs in sheets that look to have been well done. However, epoxy seems to grab pretty well, so my choice of a repair resin is always epoxy. I don't know about the vinylester.

always grind and taper. Wash with Acetone to get all the dust off, then on with the epoxy.

It is my experience that gelcoat sticks to well cured, water washed epoxy. In any case, I would rather peel off the color than the repair.

Youtube is your friend- there are tons of good videos that run you through the process.


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## Muskrat80 (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks for the replies guys. 

I didn't consider the possibility of an electrical nightmare-that makes sense. 

Would it be acceptable to leave the tank where it is, and put a fiberglass console behind it, or is making a passenger use that tank as a seat a less than sane idea? Feel free to be brutally honest as I only purchased it that way, and I'm assuming it was designed as a musky trolling boat. 

I'm not entirely fond of making a passenger sit on the fuel tank. I'm also not that fond of cutting into the floor which means significantly more work- and redoing the non skid. But I'm doing this boat once--and keeping it forever probably. 

I will, but I will be hesitant because the deck is so rigid I'd hate to compromise the structural integrity (it is stiffer than the floor of the last baja I had). Could I fully glass the tank below deck instead of making a removable hatch like you did, right Cut? Would creating a hatch that large reduce rigidity? I want this thing tough--wave jumping tough. 

Time machine-thanks for the input. I've restored a few fiberglass camp campers in the past, but naturally they do not see the forces that a hull will which makes me take a more conservative approach to making the best possible repair. 

I've read that vinylester is a darn good compromise between poly and epoxy, but in the end it is just a modified poly. Price difference is negligible. After seeing that you can successfully shoot gel over cured epoxy after blush removal, I will likely go epoxy. 

The repair methodology concern I had was this: 
The normal repair would be to grind and taper, then patch from the backside, and build on the face after. I cannot access the backside easily, so I would likely have to lay up a patch on glass, then drill a hole in the center to add an anchor string--then roll it/contort it to slip it in the hole, let it unfold and resin it into place and put tension on the anchor string to allow it to cure centered. Then build up the thickness on the face of the repair. 

Is it worth the extra effort to do this, or would a simple surface repair building the thickness tapered on the tapered face of the area sufficient?


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## timemachine (Sep 1, 2014)

With the repair that is broken through a little, I would dig that out and see what is back there. If it is foam, you can dig out under the foam a little, and abrade the back side of the undamaged glass, then fill the area with epoxy, and then jamb some saturated 1708 behind the undamaged glass. I call this the inner repair. 

I usually let the inner repair get mostly set up- hard enough to grind, but still tacky, then I do the front side grind and taper. If it is hollow behind the repair- you have the right idea of slipping a patch behind the hole.

ALWAYS WIPE DOWN THE SURFACE WITH ACETONE BEFORE APPLYING EPOXY- (yes, that was yelling, but it's important)

here is a good rightup, although I do things differently

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/whalerRepair.html

My favorite tool for setting up a repair, other than my festool sanders, is a little laminate trim router with a 1/4 bit.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

When I put a gas tank in the floor on my boat, I was the first hobie to ever try it, I'm glad I did, and I have since motivated at least 20 other hobie owners to do the same. My hatch is still sitting on the epoxied on lips, siliconed down. Not a single crack or problem since day one. I use the boat to do things 90 percent of people on this website would consider crazy. The boat will be making a crossing to the bahamas this summer under its own power. Just saying...


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Also my 2 cents.
I use polyester alot to do repairs. Granted no 2 repairs are ever the same, and there are some repairs that demand the use of epoxy. But it's my opinion, that most of the time people use epoxy as a crutch for their lack of skill when polyester would do just fine in a given circumstance. The trick is to use GOOD polyester resin, not boatyard crap resin. Also the surface must be exceptionally clean and dry. I go one step further than an acetone wipe. once the area is ground/sanded down, I blow it with compressed air with an air chuck at point blank range. There's alot of dust trapped in pores that doesn't get removed by even the best acetone wipe. After the air, then I go for the acetone wipe, and I do that with 2 different clean, dry, lint free rags. The air trick I believe is the real game changer. Nothing sticks to fiberglass dust. Another note is to make sure that the surface you are repairing is perfectly dry and the less humid outside the better. Also a perfect mix of mepk helps the resin harden at the correct speed. Kick it too hot and it's going to be brittle, and possibly crack away from whatever you glassed the repair too, don't kick it enough, and well, that's the opposite and needs to be redone as well.


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## Muskrat80 (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks for the input, Cut. I should realize that tackling this project with haste isn't the right perspective, and that wanting to use the existing tank/seat just to save time vs making the boat what I genuinely want it to be and keeping it is worth the cost. 

Naturally I wanted to use what I have on hand, since I'm way the hell up here at Canada's back door vs. being back in Vero and having my pick of thousands of used/new/cheap parts and places like raka, marine liquidators, etc. within a half hour-you know the drill. I spoke to Marista Dan with composite essentials and apparently they make NidaPour right in Ft. Pierce now.

I'm somewhat considering waiting until I move and finishing the project down there- shipping and parts savings alone will pay for a handful of goodies. 

I have a technical question about the in floor tank install-I'm familiar with weight distribution via weight and balance in an aviation environment, but not marine. Did you wing it when it came to deciding where in the hull to mount your tank, or is there a formula, process, etc? I want to be able to not fear serious use.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm sure there's a formula but I'm no naval architect.. however I did wing it, but with alot of experience, and a solid vision of how the layout of the build was going to go. To this day I wouldn't change the location I picked. And when you get to that point in the build I can send you all the measurements


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## Muskrat80 (Jul 22, 2013)

Thank you Cut. Did you pick your tank up at marine liquidators? 

This week will be extremely busy, but ordering some materials. Next week I'm getting something done.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Yes I did, was the exact perfect tank.


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## Muskrat80 (Jul 22, 2013)

Cut, what size tank did you go with? I found an excellent Deal on a ft1295 Moeller 12 gal tank New for $60 locally but I'm not positive it would be worth installing that small of a tank. The other option is a 30 gal, which is prob too big.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

A 12 gallon will be ok.
I've got a 16


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