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1974 Glassmaster 18' tri hull

MatthewDS

New member
I recently acquired this boat. It had been sitting for at least 3 years, a significant portion of that time, it was not covered.

I anticipate Having to replace the floor, stringers, foam and transom. The hull looks solid and does not seem to have been abused or damaged. The interior is pretty much completely trashed.

My plans are to replace/repair the items listed, then build casting decks front and back.

My questions are about the stringers.

Is it feasible to replace the stringers without using wood, like a completely glass and resin stringer? Or will that add too much weight?

If a core material is the way to go, is there and alternative to coosa? Trying to avoide wood.

Any suggestions or insight is appreciated.

Thank you.
 
Personally, I'd look for another boat....here on the east coast, there is no shortage of used trailer-sized boats for relatively cheap prices....

You can make glass stringers but it won't be cheap....if you need to core them, balsa and foam are two options to wood but again, not cheap...you can also go with a hollow core and eliminate that expense....either way, you would be best to get an engineer or marine architect to confirm the layup....
 
So far, I am into the boat $108 for trailer tires. The boat, motor, and trailer were free.

I know it will be a project, but it is something I can put money and time into it as I have it, instead of a big chunk at one time.

My question about the stringers is more about clarification. The stringers can be built and made sound without wood cores, that the core material is just there to support and form the glass layers around? after the glass and resin sets up, that is what is doing all of the work? Or, is the core material needed for extra strength or durability?
 
Correct.------There are a number of ways to do this without wood.--------I am using composite material now on a project.--------Look at the strength of 1"diameter carbon fibre tubes.----That is overkill.-------Think about making your own fiberglass tubes and use them to build your stringers.------Sky is the limit when you ignore your time to do this job.-----I believe the " WINNER " boat company used fiberglass framework way back in the 1970's so should be easy to do today.
 
IT can be either way...typically, when we describe composite structures at work, 'core' is typically a structural component of the assembly used to improve stiffness while saving weight. We use 'form' for the supporting structures used to make the composite structure without becoming an integral part of it.

The stringers on my fishing boat are hollow fiberglass rectangles, with the layup ~ 1/4" thick...
 
Excellent, thank you for the info!

I like the idea of eliminating wood under the deck.

For the sake of my budget, I will have to stick with marine ply for the deck and transom.

Unless anyone has suggestions there.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge.
 
I'm extremely late to the conversation here, but for the transom I would suggest Seacast: https://www.transomrepair.net

I know the big trend right now is Coosa board and that's fine too. I once used Seacast on a boat I completely rebuilt and the stuff was amazing. The transom was rock solid and will last longer than anything else on that boat ever will.

KJ
 
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