Formula 15 Renovation

[ducky]

Nah not going to pod it. Don’t want to mess with something that’s already banging.

Although it would be nice to add another 350mm and get away from the lifejacket rules haha

And yeah cobby. At least I’ll have no question mark over it. Glad a mate had a proper moisture detector.

[VooDoo]

Wow !!!!!

After following Blacklab99 and your threads about fiberglass boat rebuilding, i will think not twice but 20 times before going down that path.

Good luck Ducky - i am sure the end will justify the means and you will be a very happy chump steering that boat in the bays.

Just a side question, how can one avoid such water damage when looking to buy a 2nd hand fibreglass boat? Is there any way to check it before handing over the kaching$$$???

[ducky]

Honestly mate there was no real rot to speak of. It’s just wet. The rot would have set in in the coming years.

Honestly the best way to treat it is to assume anything original is shagged. And anything rebuilt is done wrong unless there’s full build pics.

With that in mind you shouldn’t pay overs.

[Bugatti]

A clean canvas to make it shmick

A question ducky. That under-floor with the mould, was the wood "resined" (coated with resin)? It looks like uncoated wood , , , , but that could be the photo. Also the stringers look the same.

I had the misfortune of having to do the same with my Skimmer. A miss-placed fixing nail (floor to keel-beam) in the keel-beam split it and it was just a time bomb before it gave way and the keel-beam failed in the centre.

It was fortuitous as the re-do, fixed a lot of the "cheap & nasty" assembly of the original boat deck-out. The stringers were only 1/2 length (I ran the replacement stringers the full length) and also all the underfloor wood wasn't resined. And the stringers had "de-laminated" from the hull, because they weren't resined and sucked up the resin out of the glass work that fixed them to the hull.

Exciting and tiring times for you.

Cheers, Bugs

[cobby]

Thermo or properly treating ply? You have this as inspiration to extend (and fit the 115 ) https://www.boatsales.com.au/amp/edito ... le-59541/

[ducky]

Thermo or properly treating ply? You have this as inspiration to extend (and fit the 115 ) https://www.boatsales.com.au/amp/edito ... le-59541/

I literally chat with Danny every day. Ripper bloke and awesome boat.

The ply here was resin coated bug. But sloppy as ****. Stringers are glassed. But again roughly. Will be Properly treating ply. There was nothing on this boat that was soft that I’ve found. It’s all just damp. So knowing that shitty treated ply has lasted 18 years without major rot gives me confidence in saving a bulk amount of money and using it for the rebuild.

Won’t be extending though. I’d like to raise the transom to 25” if possible. Know any formula 15’s that have done that? Need to work out if you can get the engine bolts in after?

[cobby]

Quick search oshb shows a few have raised 445s and 146s. I mean, if shoving bolts through is the biggest potential issue, could always build a 20 and just install a jacking plate to get the 25?

[ducky]

The idea behind 25 was to reduce slop coming in the back. Eg the rip when a well known charter boat pulls up from 35 knots 15m off the back of your boat while you’re jigging.

[cobby]

I don't see how it could be an issue, transom height would be roughly where the rubber cowl seal is on the current setup, doing the transom means any previous bolt holes will be filled in and your whole splashwell setup will also be raised. Any extra bulk or support tabbing can be manipulated around the engine mounting area. If there's concerns about the higher cog from the raised powerhead then offset it with extra weight during layup on the stringers by adding extra glass and going 450csm, 600woven or db, 450csm, 600woven or db, 650csm. Lot of extra work and cost but it's a fair amount of extra weight below waterline to bring the cog back down

[blacklab99]

Jacking plates are good and serve a purpose, BUT, if your at rebuild stage, then raising the transom ( as I have) to take a 25 " is the better option to take for sure. Both options lift the power head up further out of the water, but the extra 5 " makes a huge difference at the back for the reasons you mentioned.... raising it from 20 to 25 doesn't mean the splash well height is raised as well. mine was trimmed when replace to match where it sat originally. More work, but the benefits you sure will appreciate.
I was lucky enough to fish out of the same boat I have, that had the mod's done to it,, made it a different boat....

Col