[JAKE HARRIS]

Im about to start ripping my Gheenoe down to nothing but the hull and no seats. I am completely new at boat restoration and this Gheenoe is just not set up the way I'd like it to be. I plan on building it as follows with a front casting deck with pvc pipes to store rod tips, one storage hatch for a battery, a trolling motor mount, a rear casting deck near the transom where the bench seat one was with storage underneath for the gas tank and possibly another battery for the power pole micro anchor. Id like to install a false floor with a yeti as a seat or for storage where the center bench seat used to be. I enjoy building things and Im good with tools but I'm just completely new to fiberglassing and painting over fiberglass. By no means am I dead set on these products or methods I'm really just posting this in hopes that someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I should do instead and most importantly what products do I need to buy.

First thing I need to do is sand the paint off. I have read to start with an 80 grit or 120 grit and been told to only sand by hand.

After sanding I've read to use 1/2 inch marine ply or 1/2 inch composite material which I've been told is lighter and easier to work with but I've had no luck finding where to get it from.

Ive done a lot of digging on forums to look for what materials to use for fiberglassing and most forums say to use "regular" fiberglass and epoxy but I am completely new to fiberglass and I have no idea what fiberglass to buy. I'm planning on going to west marine for the fiberglass materials and I've already been to one and the guys working there were clueless. Ill need some fiberglass and epoxy to build a front casting deck, a rear casting deck, a false floor, and to repair small holes and cracks. Ive also seen a lot of people use some type of putty like material to fill cracks and clean up corners. Ill also need some type of expanding flotation foam for coast guard regulations and also to displace water underneath the false floor.

As far as exterior paint and primer I have heard all types of different products but 545 seems to be recommended the most. Most forums on here that I've read tell you to use a paint gun but I am looking to hand paint due to not having access to a paint gun. Id like for it to be grey with possibly a lye rod GOOP IT on the bottom to protect from oysters and random barnacle covered sticks.

As far as interior paint I am planning on using white awl grip with black flick paint over top to hide all of the mistakes and scapes I'm probably going to make in the process. Ive seen on awl grip's website that they make a specialized roller to make the texture right. Is this bullsh$t or do I actually need this roller?

This is not a project that I am rushing into and I will be waiting for some help from guys on here with experience before I start Breaking Out Another Thousand on things I don't really need.

 

[TripSmith]

Sounds like a good project Jake! No one has chimed in so I'll give you my advice after just finishing my first moderate rebuild.

First is don't buy everything from West Marine... Buy online from places like Jamestown Distributors, Total Boat or even Amazon.

You may not need to sand all the "paint" off. If the boat has been "painted" then you do... if it's the factory paint then it's probably gelcoat (polyester resin with tint in it so it works like paint). If it's gelcoat then all you need to do is dewax it (wash it good with Dawn soap) and sand it with 60 or 80 grit sand paper then wipe it with acetone before you lay down new resin/glass.

First thing I'd find out is if the gheenoe is made with polyester resin or epoxy resin.... If the hull is made with polyester then there is no need to pay the premium price for the epoxy when the poly will do just fine. I used "unwaxed" resin from Total Boat for my build (2 gallons) and loved it....

The core you will be looking for is something called Divinycell. It works great for making decks but if you plan on putting screws through the deck then you should go with something like Coosa board I believe.

The fiberglass I think you need is 2 different kinds. "1708 mat" and a "chop strand". Watch some of Boatworks Today's videos on Youtube to learn about a lot of the products.

You will also need some resin filler like silica dust or something to create a thickened putty to "filet" your panels in place.

You need to learn about when to use "waxed" and "unwaxed" polyester resin as well. Basically you should buy unwaxed resin and add the wax on your final coats. The difference in the two being that you don't need to sand after a coat of unwaxed resin before you do your next coat.

You can get a "fairing compound" from Total Boat to cover up your mistakes if you make that many. Watch Youtube videos on using it (Total Boat has their own instructional videos)

I can't answer the paint questions... But I can tell you that I used tinted gel coat from Jamestown Distributors for the topsides of my boat and I LOVE it...... Killer stuff that is looking to be super tough (exactly what I wanted)


My next tip would be when you have a question to ask on the forums to ask one at a time as I think you will have a better chance of getting an answer.

Good luck!!!!

 

[JAKE HARRIS]

Thanks for the help man! I’m not sure what kind of paint is on it because I bought it used from someone who redid it previously and they did a pretty terrible job on the paint so it is chipping like crazy and I can just about pick most of the paint off with my finger nails. I’ll be asking questions individually now. Also do you happen to have a YouTube channel?

 

[TripSmith]

You're welcome. Wasn't very long ago I had some of the same questions. Sounds like you do need to remove the paint like you said.

Yea, I might have a channel