Dan0

noelm - chine (?) timber as per the photo, removing some of the material here, that brown weep stain there, thats visible in the photo attached Am heading back to collect boat this week from the estimator / repairer. The quote was quite reasonable and the proprietor spent ages walking me through everything , really nice bloke, but still at ths point more than i can do $ wise at present as a few other things popped up and i would like it all done. I am planning to get it home and try do as much of the prep work as possible. I have read a ton of material online re glass repair and other projects etc, and have some experience making fibreglass kayaks (30+ years ago) so am thinking of doing some of the smaller stuff myself. There is still a lot of work just to prep that rear area properly without stuffing anything up further. Spongy sections of the floor means at least half needs cutting out so may end up doing the lot. Needs a main fuel tank (missing) so am looking at one of those poly ones as have heard they are pretty good once you add the foam baffle at least. Would be interested to hear if anyone has experience with poly tanks. Otherwise will get in touch with that bloke you mentioned in Vic. Was a bit heartbreaking in general to see all the dramas uncovered with it, sort of suspected some if it was sus but perhaps not as bad as it is, but am actually looking forward to bringing it home and having a go at least some work. HAve seen lots of posts around the place with folks doing thier own transom but the devils in the details as they say, would hate to start then find somewhere in the middle of the process we missed somet hing. Ton of other stuff to do at any rate.

Yep thats what we ahve agreed on regarding any through holes. Only ones we found so far are the two toilet through hull fittings, we found weeping around one of the brass fitting when inspected so am getting those fittings removed and the two holes glassed up. With the damage underneath a chisel to the two holes revealed no penetration through the hull glass, the dirty coloured weeping water was just that section of timber giving way. All that will all be sanded back and re glassed and finished off etc with a new section of timber to match. Transom plan is definately to cut it all out from inside - side to side top to bottom - plus prepare about half mtre or so of the stringers and hull going forward so everything gets glassed and tied in nicely. Just wating on that quote.

noelm - I recon the ply will be the go, cant justify the huge cost difference between the products. As you say with proper prep will last years, and easier to work. Fab1 - Its a different world now for sure. I did some research on my boat prior to purchase and actually found out that in 1989 these boats were all still hand laid glass, not chopper gun, they used to make them in WA. I guess 30 years isnt a bad run for a transom - still solid in some parts actually but looks like someone didnt seal the bolt c holes correctly at some point years ago and the water just did its thing over the years getting in, the damage is to the middle and all around the main bolts areas. It seems to dry out as it goes to the sides and up, but that may be missleading. Either way its out. They are going to cut it all out from the inside leaving the outside "skin" in place and then refit new transom from the inside, I thought they cut the whole rear off but the bloke says they will clamp it all in place and when done will be better than new.

Quick update, Just dropped it at the repairer. First thing he noticed was the pod edges were pushing into the transom, quick check confirmed its rotten through. Also found the spongy floor toward the rear. They will lift it up on the hoist for a better look as he suspects the hand painted anti foul may be hiding a ongitudonal crack as we can see something at the rear keel area. Some good news was the subfloor construction is all fibreglass ladder he was quite happy with that. One thing we talked about was marine ply vs thermolite or coosa with him preferring the ply. Ive looked into both and am leaning toward ply as well. Cheers

Yep tip of the iceberg, always wondered where all the water was coming in from. slowjigger = absolutely right, at this point its about getting the basics spot on and sorted. Aside from some mild panic setting in, i guess its a great opportunity to really get to know the boat. Have decided to take it into a shipwright / boat repair shop in north Bris for a thorough inspection. I recon will leave structural stuff to the experts, am ok on tools but dont want to muck around with that aspect. Floor will have to come up for sure or at least a few access points cut out for inspection, likely the lot. I wanted a new floor anyway, this has just pushed that. Am kicking things off by pulling everything out including all the old carpet and seats in preperation for the inspection. Will ask the repairer would it be worth getting the hull bead blasted to see condition all over and find any other potential issues, not sure if that is something they do on glass though. Looking ahead am guessing there may be some options on how to fix it, at this point i dont really know what to say apart from as good as new. But maybe i should be stating what materials, preferred repair method etc, though there may not be any option apart from cutting it all out and glassing etc. Its not the ideal start to a mini project but there it is. Will try remember to take some some photos and post as things progress if anyone is interested. cheers

Owned it for maybe 2 or so years, the guy i bought it off said he had a bolt that was sticking out of the trailer that he had at the time and it got caught, he said it was all fixed, i couldnt see anything when i bought it, though he was pointing toward the back rather than here. From what you are saying this goes all the way through the hull, explains why i get a ton of water in as well.

Looking to get some repairs on the hull re damage on the chine, just wondering if that timber goes in through the hull aka is it part of a stringer or are they adhered to the hull and just a quesiton of cut back, sand, re fit another piece of timber then glass in, though am guessing its not going to be that easy. cheers another issue toward the stern,

Thanks so much everyone for the comments and thoughts. Reviewing the posts did offer a lot to think about, though i do really like the idea of changing it - i would be off the water for a long time not to mention costs, and we are already itching to go out. I do appreciate the comments around being exposed and did recalI the odd ocasion ive been caught out staying too late, north of Moreton then trying to get back to Scarborough with a following sea and blowing, odd wave over the bow, you do appreciate all that front end cabin / protection on those days for sure. At this stage as keen as i am on changing it around, might just live with it for now anyway. It is such a solid built boat can possibly be a bit more clever and widen that hatch or do something to make the front deck more accessable. Will now focus on raising the window height, and either fix the bimini or do that hard top idea - basically along ZMK1962 boat mods which look really great and make a lot more sense at least in this situation. While measuring up and just generally taking the opportunity to have a really close look at everything, have found a couple of issues that are going to take priority those being repair the damage we found along one of the chines, battery cable needs changing and some lighting work. The plan now is a massive tidy up, pull all the old carpet out, sand the floor back and flowcoat for a nice white finish, radio, screen and top, and install a bulkhead between deck and bed area as its all open. Basically on the water much sooner and a lot less $ Cheers Dan

Thanks FrankS - have been thinking about it for a while, So planning stage wont cost anything at least so will start there. I have hardwood planks spare from house reno - plenty , so thats a start. Lots measuring up next. cheers

Hi folks, Hoping someone can maybe talk some sense into me, am seriously thinking of cutting the top of my 1989 fglass Fraser formula half cabin and making it a centre console. Or at least doing all the cutting and handing it over to a workshop to finish off. Reasons are, never use the beds area except for storage of esky etc. Kids / dog dont like boating. Would be nice to have the ability to walk up to the front as the hatch is a bit of a pain. Not sure i like the look of that screen anyway, also the top of the windscreen is right at eyeline height so i have to duck a little, or stand on something to look over it. I do really like the clean uncluttered look of some of the centre console builds ive seen. Anyway, am now wondering how much would it all cost to do a 6m boat. Should i just clean it up and be happy with what i got. cheers

Hello everyone Just a quick update - well the boat is still parked out front looking a little sad on tyres. Have pulled the trailer out from under it, looking at repair / extending it or possibly replace and sell that one. Welding gear all sorted, just pricing everything up to evaluate if its worth it.

hey thanks everyone for the information, appologies for the slow reply, much appreciated will definately have a flag on it just in case from now on. Well at this point having had a few people have a look, we decided to sell the boat anyway and move to a smaller boat. Something like a high sides tinnie that I can solo drop in Pine river at the drop of a hat so to speak, and not worry bout bottoming out etc. Kids are a bit older and not interested in boating as much as i had hoped, and my mates tinnie is so easy and cheap to run so its eather that or chop the top off and make a centre console maybe, but that means no boat at all for a while and more $$. so will put the advert up next week hopefully.

Thanks Jeffb - its pretty much maxed out any further and its approaching the welds for the ball joint assembly

Cheers, Will take some tomorrow thanks, build plate says 1998 , Yes it only sits on the Chines which is a worry 2000kg rated- thanks, had a quick google around 7k to 10k for a decent one, bit out of my reach unfortunatly at the moment. Will have to look at second hand options see if there is anything worthwhile that is at leaast long enough for starters, maybe do that one up

yeah lots to consider there. its so old worse - rusty, may struggle to put down a decent weld. might just be due for a change out.

Well, looks like it shouldnt be on skids either - being a fglass boat should be on red rollers.

zmk1962 cheers, that is exactly what i need. Might have to weld something on the back tho that may put the wheels too far forward

Thanks for responding noelm, from what ive googled so far its not really good. Have put a jack under the transom and chocked it up just a bit. Starting to be somewhat concerning.

Hello Raiders Just looking for a bit of advice relating to the amount of overhang my boat has past the end of the trailer. Recent visit to major brand outlet mechanic, I was advised that the trailer looked too short and non compliant. Anyway I took it to another mechanic who thought it was ok - I had no idea when I was buying that this was an important aspect. Anyway here is a photo showing the 600mm or so from the end of the trailer skid to end of boat Should i be concerned about anything as I take my family out in it on occasion. Appreciate any thoughts Appologies if this is in the wrong spot. thanks

Hoping someone may have some experience with one of these in the 6meter. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on running one of these plate boats , things like ride comfort, room. Would you go offshore confidently in one. Has anyone had issues with the welds on these. Any thoughts appreciated Thank you Kind Regards Dan s

i use Navionics on a Samsung tablet no sim, works just fine in and around Morton Bay. I haven't replaced it with anything as it does such a decent job. I just taped it under the front windscreen. it does have a free try before you buy period if your unsure. I liked it as Its a well supported app thats been around a while and is a proven product, you can find it on some pretty high end gear. cheers

Cheers everyone

Hello Raiders New to the forum only discovered fish raider in recent months. Would like to introduce myself and the family to the community so this is my first post. A bit about myself, my name is Dan (Dan0) I'm 54 and from Sydney originally grew up around Balmain and Leichhardt, (whatever happened to Balmain High school?) but have resided in Brisbane last 14 years or so with my ever supportive wife and kids 6 and 8.. Have loved being on or near the water all my life. Used to hire kayaks at the Spit and windsurfers at Balmoral. Fished around Iron Cove and surrounds. I remember my first ever job as work experience was working at Drummoyne Boatshed, standing on a barrel on a tender reaching up polishing brass portholes sun shining, gentle breeze- I thought it was the best job ever at the time. Have dived around Sydney and hung around most beaches, Though I love the water haven’t been a huge fisho(s) until about last year when the wife said “ time to go fishing with the kids and create some memories” I read that as go buy a boat, so I did and scored a 43 year old 5m half cabin for a bargain price - owner said still runs perfect... Aaaanyway, after a few minor hick-ups we introduced the kids to boating and fishing and they loved it. My son Michael caught his first ever fish just recently. The biggest win though is wife loves fishing - YAY! So now we are trying to fit in learning more about the fine art of fishing and hope to devote some decent time to fishing / boating so here we are. Kids love bream and whiting (and little crabs) but I am keen on catching something bigger. Incidentally in the 6 months or so we’ve been out fishing we have caught about 6 fish - all released lol so hoping to improve on the stats. Usually around Pine River or Bribie Passage both on the boat or off the beach. Have been across to Moreton Island = 1 small cod. So needless to say we are all amateur fisherpeople but keen to learn. Have picked up a few pointers here and there already like don’t use bread, don’t play the radio loud, don’t let the kids swim where your fishing, don’t leave bait in the boat overnight etc. (Incidentally I am looking for a bigger boat). So hope to catch up with like minded people and hopefully make some new friends along the way. Kind Regards Dan