Originally posted by: kpie2208 on 9/7/2005 6:01:36 PM

hello fellow nafc members i was looking for some help. i have recently traded my 7.5hp sears gamefisher boat motor for a 1980 fiberglass boat with a 1980's 25hp mercury 2 stroke motor and also it in the deal included a trailer. the boat has sat for about 7 years in and out of a garage in the upper peninsula of michigan. since the boat was sitting so long on the trailer the hull had a crack in it where it meets the trailer right above the water line, it also has a streak about 10 inches long on the keel on the bow of the boat where the fiberglass is gone completely and at about halfway there is a big hole bout an inch wide. the streak is luckily or maybe unluckily right below the water tight compartment in the bow of the boat. the other day suprisingly i got the motor started up in a garbage barrel in my barn, so i patched the boat very very temporarely and took it down to the boat launch and got her running.

while i was out on the water i checked the crack above the water line and that one seemed to be doing alright and the streak was doing good to but when i finally got the boat warmed up i put it in gear and off we went. and as i put the throttle slowly down all the way the motor would skip. my neighbor thought it was a gas problem and i agree but this is a mercury and on this modle there is no idle screws to adjust so im kind of screwed on that i am going to end up taking the carb off and cleaning it out and hopefully clean 7 years of sitting crap out.

but back to the main topic when i got the boat back to the launch area i had to put it back on the trailer and in order to do that it has to roll on the trailers rollers and the bow rolled right up and scratched my gum ptach job right off. maybe that was a good thing though because i planned onm refiberglassing it this winter. i need help on that though
i have never done any fiberglass work before so i was wondering if anyone has any information on do it yourself fiberglassing i can get some fiberglass sheets for free but i need to buy some bondo or glue and am wondering what is the best form of glue to use for this and what will do the trick.


ps: if anyone has any good tips for me please post back or write to me at kpie2208@yahoo.com

pps: also if anyone has any great deals or trades they have done in boating before post them now.

thanks to all that help
k GILLS