'65 Lyn Craft 15' fiberglass boat

[buxmj]

Hey guys, I have to apologize for not starting this thread a while ago, the project did! I got this boat after trying to restore a wooden lapstrake boat from the 50s but unfortunately it ended up in the proverbial burn pile. It was nice to get the space back in the garage for the mj and I realized I would be better off restoring a fiberglass boat that can be outside during the reno and stay there once it is finished. I do have 2 engines to choose from, a '71 Evinrude 50hp from the wooden boat and a Mercury 402 40 hp that came with this boat. They both seem to be in great shape but I am leaning towards the Evinrude. I had never worked with fiberglass before but read and heard it is straight forward and pretty easy once you get going and I agree with that now that I have done quite a bit of the fiberglass. Enough talk, pics are what we all need to stay interested, right? Btw, this is a total cut and gut restoration, there was no good wood in the floor or the transom. 

[buxmj]

I will make several posts to try to get you all caught up. I bought this boat and trailer 3 1/2 years ago and built a cradle for it in the back yard so I could redo the trailer. I went ahead and splurged and had it sandblasted and powder coated, it would have taken me forever with a wire wheel and I wanted to work on the boat! Last summer I finally got to grind the inside of the hull and that is the last pic in that first post. Grinding fiberglass has to be one of the most miserable things you could do in Florida in July outside! I enclosed the boat with a canopy, tarps and plastic sheeting to keep the neighbors happy, so much dust is kicked up. I was in a tyvek suit, respirator, rubber gloves, leather gloves etc, fun times. Then the rebuild began around Oct. I have gone through about 15 gallons of polyester resin and lost track of how much fiberglass mat (1708) I have used. 

[buxmj]

Today I was able to paint the inside of the boat with primer, 2nd coat tomorrow then gloss white next week. I will put the cap back on soon after and then start the repaint of the outside of the hull and the cap. Still a ways to go but making good progress over the last 6 months. Hope to have it splashed sometime this year, fortunately being in Florida it can be in Dec so still a good bit of time left, we will see. 

[89 MJ]

I know very little about boats, but it looks great! 50 is more than 40, so the engine choice seems obvious . This will look great behind the MJ. 

[PCO6]

Nice job.      That looks like a great project.   I have a 1986 fibreglass trailer project on the go.   I knew nothing about fibreglass before I got going.   It has been fun to learn and is pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it.   So far I've only been patching holes but I'm going to be modifying the wheel wells and that's when things will get interesting.

 

At our local Sportsmens Show there's a vintage boat motor display every year.   The guys who are into it do a great job of restoring them.  As a group they help each other to track down a lot of used parts for each other.  I always stop to talk with them just to take in a bit of their passion for it.   

[buxmj]

I need to update this thread. I have made some progress but unfortunately because of messing up my back twice in the last 6 months the work on the boat has been slow. Nothing serious with my back, just needing more time to heal the older I get... 

 

I did finish the inside and got the cap reattached and added a layer of fiberglass to the cap because the gelcoat has so many spider cracks that any paint would show those cracks. I also got the boat flipped and have been working on the hull itself. The bottom had so many blisters that I ended up sanding the bottom down to the original glass and then sanded all remaining gelcoat to get a good bond for a layer of glass just like the cap. I am in the early stages of fairing, hoping I will have more time on the weekends here in the next few weeks to get some paint on the hull, fingers crossed.  

[500 MJ]

That is looking very nice. Great attention to detail! Lots of work, but you'll have a brand new boat in the end. 

[buxmj]

I can't believe it has been over a year since I updated this thread. First of all thanks for the compliments, much appreciated. It has been so much work but I am hoping to splash in the next month or 2 and finally enjoy it!

 

The last pic showed that I just finished adding a layer of chop strand mat to tie the whole hull together. The original gel coat had been baked in the Florida sun for decades and there wasn't any part of it that wasn't spider cracked at the least and crazing at its worst. I sanded most of the gelcoat off, something I hadn't planned on needing to do but just like our mj projects we can't foresee what is waiting for us.  

 

After the added layer of glass to the outside of the hull came the fairing process which was a lot of work and so tedious but in the end I am glad I took my time. Finally got the primer and paint on the outside of the hull and then flipped it back over and did the same for the cap. I finished painting a few months ago and haven't had much time to work on this unending project but have everything to get it in the water, just a matter of time to put it back together.