78 Astroglass. Need Input

Hello everyone.

Im new and this is my first post, please bear with me.

I aquired my dads old bass boat and plan on restoring it soon. Need any information i can get. Thoughts, opinions, support, anything. I dont even know where to start so here we go:

about 5 years ago my father purchased a bass boat for about 3 grand. He barely got to use it because he had a lot of heart problems. Its a long long story but he got to the point that he only had 6% usage of his heart and was going to be put on a heart transplant list and have to wait in a hospital for possibly years. Being the stubborn guy he was, not wanting to mess with living in a hospital bed on life support, nor run the family broke driving 500 miles to see him and be with him, he shot himself. I was 17 at the time and my best memories of him were me and him out fishing on this particular boat. My uncle got the boat when he died, and he let it sit outside and rot in the weather for a couple years, only had it on the water a few times. (hes an idiot and i deem him incapable of operating or caring for a boat.) So i threw a fit, and forced him to sell me the boat. The boat is very centimental to me now.

Now that you have heard my sob story, i need your help. I have only had this thing out on the water maybe 5 times since i have owned it. It now sits in my garage. I travel for work so i dont have much time to mess with it in the summer, but im off all winter with money still coming in so i plan on getting busy soon.

I want to restore this boat but i am having a really hard time finding information on it. Let me describe it to you and maybe you guys can help me

The boats title says it is a : 1978 Astroglass Cheater. Its 15 foot and has a 115 horsepower evinrude 2 cycle engine with power trim

It leaks. I notice where you put the plug in on the back, the fiberglass is pulling away from whatever it is mounted to, making it so that when the plug is in, it still leaks water there. Also it looks as if someone hit a stump right under the passenger side batter compartment. The glass is busted but has been poorly patched from the underside. The patch job has some cracks in it and lets water in. The wood where that battery sat is completely trashed and the floors have some soft spots in them as well.

I dont know how bad the floors are rotted out, like i said it sat outside rain or snow for like 2 years so its probably bad.

Its not very fast at all, seems like a 115 horse should go a lot faster, id say it goes in the 30mph range. Takes a lot to get it to plane out, when 2 people are in it if one person goes up front it will plane out instantly but getting it to plane is difficult. Also i weigh 280 pounds and when im alone she leans to my side, pretty embarrassing!!


My boat is almost completely identical to the boat pictured in this restore album i found here.

http://s128.photobucket.com/al...gaff1/


I was wondering how difficult of a task this is going to be as well as how much it is going to cost me. Also is there any way i can repaint it when i get the major work done? Oh and how hard of a job is it to take the upper portion of the boat off, how are they fastened on there? Is it bonded or just riveted or something?

I have already stripped all the carpet out and gutted her. Got everything unhooked from the engine and that is ready to come off as soon as i get my cherry picker back.

Sorry for the blabbing post, and thanks upfront for any replies i recieve

Clint

Here is a picture i found of it from before i started stripping the carpet and gutting it.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...d/IMG_0485.jpg


Modified by clintard_leonard at 2:32 AM 12/2/2007

Welcome to BBC Clint http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif You will find alot of information here. Don't forget to search the archives to.

http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

By looking at your pics,it looks like you are doing a damn fine job so far.
I have never been through this whole process but other on here have and will try to answer any questions you have.
So of the posts pinned at the top of this page show other similar projects.

This is a great site for gathering info and encouragement. It sounds as if the transom is rotten and probably the stringers. The reason for lack of speed is the additional weight from water-logged flotaion foam. Several on here have done complete restorations so they will be able to help you through this process. Good Luck http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

Clint it looks like your off to a good start. I looked at your pictures. When you were spliting the top cap from the hull were you able to lift the top cap near the splashwell (top of transom lip) without havign to cut the lip? My boat was so waterlogged that i got lucky and able to split it without cutting the lip off.

It looks like your staying with the original design construction on the boat. That is good and taking lots of pictures and notes are what will help you piece it back together.

I'm currently rebuilding a 1990 Javelin 396xfd single console.
Look at my thread for tips.

If your looking for boat supplies here is a good source to use. If your climate is in the 50 and up temp then you want to make sure you get the slow hardener. They have a fast hardener but even here in Va with 50 degrees it sets quick so go with the slow. You will need some wood flour to create fillets (fillets are used to smooth the angles for the glass). Depending on how much your planning on doing i would got with at least 10lbs of wood flour. If your planning on filling any old livewell holes make sure to get some collidal silica and milled fibers and mix the three together. It will look like snot but once it hardens it will be strong at nails. Don't waste your money on buying the pumps. I found it took longer and you loose time for setting the glass. Depending on how much new wood and glass your laying in the boat you will need at least 6 gallons of epoxy, (3 gallons of epoxy and 3 gallons of slow hardener). Get them to include some wood mixing sticks.
For your epoxy and fiberglass get it from Eboat http://boatbuildercentral.com/

If your going to lay all new fiberglass on the hull take notes of how much fiberglass you removed. On the hull you will want to use 1708 w/ mat to build up the hull thickness depending on how much glass you have removed. 1708 biaxial tape for glassing in the new stringers and transom and foam boxes. You can use 1708 w/ out mat for the floor and transom and foam boxes. Make sure that before you set the new stringers in that you have the hull perfectly level or when you go to set the top cap back on you will notice it does not fit correctly.
for the 1708 w/ mat glass and get a 4 and 6 inch bubble roller. They will help to remove air when laying the new glass. If you work wet on wet when laying the glass it will help to get a better chemical bond as well as waste less epoxy and not have to sand as much.

On the transom i would oversize your holes for the motor mounting bolts as well as the splashwell holes and then fill them all in with epoxy and wood flour mix. Then redrill the holes and before you set the motor use two motor plates inside the bilge compartment against the transom. This will prevent water from damaging the wood if the marinetex failed.

It looks like your making good progress and have gotten alot of the mess cleared out.
Keep us posted as you go.
thanks, Garland

You Guy's those were pictures of Paul McGaffs boat. Clint said that his boat looked like that one. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/doh.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/doh.gif
Clint, just view( and read ) all of the pinned post at top of the forum that are related to transom or floor rebuilds. Also chek out a post farther down the page by Boostedone. He is redoing a Skeeter that needed a lot of work. The price will very depending on how much stuctural work you will have to do. I repaired the transom and rear sub floor for about $700. As far as new paint I would also read some of the posts about wet sanding and buffing the finish to restore some shine to the original finish. Good LUCK in restoring your Dad's boat,as I am sure it means a lot to you. Sorry to hear about your father.

Hi Clint,
There were some tell tale signs on mine. under the seats were bubbled up. If you pull the drain cover and look down there was rotten wood on the edges. and the batteries boxes were really bad.
The top cap was only riverted on under the rub rail but was attached with fiber glass uder the seats in the rod locker (remember that one Larry)and up in the side of the front livewell.
Clint my boat was really bad I replace every piece of wood including the 1/4 inch reinfocement in the hull. I spent close to 1500 bucks but I did alot of upgrading as went along. Most fo the costs for me were resins 15 gals. mat 20 yards, 3/4 marine grade plywood 5 sheets @ 80 bucks 1/2inch 2 sheets @$64 etc.
If you do want to tackle this I would be more than happy to help you along with it. I could not have comlpleted mine without the help of many on this board.I f you need to get a hold of me sooner try my e mail address on my profile. If it wasnt for having soooooo much tackle i would still have that boat. It is a fun one mcgaff1 http://xs-s.com/zf/images/smile/emthup.gif

Thanks for clearing that up.
Good luck with the project Clint.
I'll try to help,ProcraftMike has been through a lot of this too.

Clint, welcome to the BBC!!!

Now that you have the basics taken out of the boat, it is time to do some investigating to see how bad certain areas of the boat are. Is there a way to gain access below the floor to see what the condition is? If the carpet is out, poke around with a screwdriver and see if the wood is soft below the glass. Does the area around the floor drain appear to be soft? Pull the floor drain and get a mirror and a flashlight and look below.

Regarding the transom, based on how you described the drain plug, I would venture to guess that you have a waterlogged and rotted transom. It is possible that it is full of water and froze at one time, cause the fiberglass to separate. Remove the tie downs on the back of the transom and see if you can determine the condition of the wood. Lift up and down on the motor when it is tilted up, is there any movement of the transom? Are there any splashwell spider cracks in the transom area?

The first thing I would do is try to determine how far gone the boat really is. If it needs a new floor, stringers and transom, your best bet is to remove the top cap to get access to these areas. Do a search in the boat restoration section for various topics. There is a ton of information here. Good luck, keep us posted and ask lots of questions.

One other thing, you might want to buff or wet sand and buff an area of the top coat. You might be able to bring in back without having to re-gelcoat it.

The trailer appears in pretty good shape.

hey everyone sorry it took so long for me to get back on here. I have everything stripped out now and i drilled out all the pop rivets. Even with all the rivets holding the top cap on drilled out it dosnt seem like it would even want to budge from the bottom half. Motor still needs to come off still waiting on the cherry picker.

Is there such thing as a step by step for the process of removing this top cap?

Also, is this a rare boat or something i cant find any pictures or any information whatsoever on this boat. Is astroglass a reputable boat maker? Does anyone know anything about them or have any links or anything?

Thank you guys very much i really appreciate the help!!

I'm not sure how much information you might find on Astroglass. If the top cap is not budging then something is still holding it down. Check inside the rod boxes as they are usually glassed to the floor, console, around the seats. The top cap is bonded to the hull usually with some type of bondo mix. I used a spreader/pry bar and kept working the bar along the underside of the top cap lip and in about an hour was able to get this area seperated. You can cut the top lip off but it will add time and repairs to the end product. I took my time and when i reassemble the top cap and place the aluminum trim it will still look like factory. It takes time but it will be worth it in the end result. Just make sure to take plenty of notes. if your going to remove the floor leave about a 1/2" lip all around where the floor meets the side of the hull this will enable you to make sure your hull is level when reassembling the floor and such.
Keep us posted.
Garland

One other thing too. Take a look at where the stringers tie into the back of the boat. See if there are any cracks or separations in this area and also where the knee braces tie in to the transom.

The pictures of my floor replacement are pinned at the top of this forum. I ended up leaving a 2-3" perimeter around the outside of the floor and simply laid the new floor over the top of this lip. I had to make my stringers a little taller too compensate for the higher floor, but it worked out just fine. Just something for you to consider.

Astroglass later became Astro boats when the Brunswick buyout occured. The astro brand is no longer made to my knowledge. You're not going to find much about the Astroglass, the boats were very similar to the ProCrafts during the Maidencraft era.

It sounds like you've got a pretty rotted boat there. I think I'd start being realistic and asking yourself just how deep you want to get into this. I can certainly understand the sentimental value of this boat but it sounds like your uncle really let this go over the edge by not attempting to care for the thing when he had it in his care.

Carefully go over the sticky rebuilds at the top of this forum and you'll see what you're probably going to be up against. Then decide.

Good luck!

If the boat really means that much to you, and you are willing to do the work, get some pics and start doing some exploring..

If you want to do it right, check out the forums on the link that javelin posted.. Or more directly:

http://forums.bateau2.com/viewforum.php?f=10

Those guys wont steer you wrong, if you want to do it RIGHT and have it better than it was when it was new, and actually be better than a new boat built today.

If you dont mind doing the work and plan to keep it(not looking at it as an investment) then you are probably better off keeping it and doing it right. You can get by using shoddy materials like plywood from Home Depot and 2x4s, polyester resin, etc for less than a grand and have something that will hold up for a few years if you do a really good job working with the glass and resin. Or you can put a few grand into a solid, total rebuild, using real marine plywood, epoxy, and biax cloth and have something that will last extremely long. Either way you are in it for less than a new one, and a used one will be in lousy shape by the time its 15-20 years old anyhow.
Another advantage to doing it right with qaulity materials like epoxy and biax cloth is first its less forgiving on the technique. While you can do repairs with polyester resin(the cheap stuff sold at most places, 5 gallons is about 100$) and standard cloths, you have to know what you are doing and simply waterproofing the wood takes extra steps. Epoxy is alot easier to work with, in my experience it stays "workable" longer. The biax cloths are 1000 times easier to work with, they go over changes in shape alot easier. A 6 gallon kit of epoxy resin at the place Javelin mentioned is 270$, but since you dont have to use as much, and you end up with better results the first time, I dont think the price difference is as drastic as it seems when it comes down to it.