It's time.

Well, I have determined that the time has come restore my wooden drifter. It's approximately 20 years old, and is showing that the sidewalls and floor need replacing. I intend post some photos of its current state, but I don't know where to begin. Help!

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Permalink Reply by Terry E Walsh on April 25, 2013 at 7:23pm
You can get a lot done with wood patches, new glass and epoxy before you begin to replace the bottom and sides completely. You might not have to replace that much, so show some pics and you will get a lot of help before you get started.
Permalink Reply by Terry E Walsh on May 1, 2013 at 6:58pm
Does not look that bad! Make sure you poke around for soft wood, if you don't have any just strip her down really good and clean and start to reapply 8 oz cloth wetting it out with West System epoxy.Now on the bottom use 20 oz cloth and some graphite powder on the last two coats that you will finish up the bottom with. If you have never used the epoxy and glass before just cut it out over sized and place it on dry and put the epoxy on until it clears out. Have Fun!
Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on May 2, 2013 at 6:45am

Brad, I am assuming that the remaining fiberglass is evidence of a repair. I wonder if a polyester rather than epoxy was used as might have been common back then. Epoxy and polyester don't bond well to each other so obviously removing all the old glass and enough sanding to provide a bit of "tooth" for the epoxy to adhere to might keep it working for another 20 years. Sometimes you can still smell the lovely odor of polyester or vinylester resin in the glass.

The book looks pretty solid overall. Is this the chine area?

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 5:32pm

more photos

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Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 5:35pm

more photos

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Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 5:39pm

and more

Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 5:42pm

and more

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Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 5:53pm

one more

Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 5:54pm

one more

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Permalink Reply by Brad on May 2, 2013 at 6:03pm

I am going to have to take some pictures of the interior side of the sidewalls.  At this point my plan is to replace the entire sidewalls, and refinish the floor.

Permalink Reply by Terry E Walsh on May 2, 2013 at 6:11pm
Ok sooo, it looks like you are ripping off plywood getting off the old glass so use a heat gun and it will peel off alot easier! When it comes to repairing this boat there are a lot of ways to tackle it. It looks to me from the pics this can all be repaired fairly easy using epoxy and glass, and wood filler consisting of epoxy and saw dust mixed up to look like peanut butter. Unless you (want to)replace all the wood you can fill with the peanut butter and sand flat and finish it all up by going over it with a sheet of glass. When filling deep holes I usually start by drilling small holes and letting the epoxy soak into the wood for solid penetration. When you are fixing those big gaps on the anchor board you can either pull it back together with screws then fill and repair or replace the whole piece,I am all for the easiest fix! Don't forget you can go over your corners with six inch glass tape but don't forget that glass does not like sharp corners were it will be dragging in skinny water. But were your big cracks are going up the back it will work fine. So I like durability and don't worry so much about the weight. I want my boat bomb proof. Keep asking questions, you will get a lot of advice. Terry you can even call some of us if need be.

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