can a girl do a stringer job?

howdy, all!

i've been lurking around here for a few months now, getting some info
and i'm about to take the plunge and buy the cpes/resin/fiberglass. i
have the floor out of the boat except for the stringers, and i have douglas fir boards waiting in the wings.

before i show you some pics, here's a little about me.

i've spent a lot of time on the water, but this is my first boat.
i bought it so that my girlfriend and i could spend some quality fun
time with her three girls on the nearby lakes.
i work on airplanes for a living so i feel pretty comfortable taking on
this project, but my fiberglassing experience is limited to mostly patches. i've really enjoyed reading this site
and looking at everyones pics so here are some of mine.

i knew she was a project


PO took out all the seats and made some out of composite. i may tweak them a bit before i have them upolstered.

carpet out

everything out



it was wet everywhere.

i wasn't a big fan of the colors so we wetsanded the paint off.


so that's where i'm at right now. i still need to build some stands for
her and order the goo. how much cpes does it take for the stringers? i
want a plywood floor, too. i hate foam after pulling it all out. i like
the jobs i've seen on here that have ribs instead. that's what i'm
planning on. is two gallons going to get it? four? please help!

Welcome to the site. Looks like you have a great start. You can get all the help you will need to get that boat better than new. I recommend getting the two gallon kit if you are going with plywood floors. I had a little left but had to get two more quarts for a rear seat box/speakers and I built a front partition under the dash for front speakers. CPES is a great product and worth the cost and effort.And keep the pics coming. Monty

It really looks better already,what colors are you going to go with?

i'm leaning towards black and white with a grey carpet. the kids want black and red. i'll probably run out of money doing the floor so that will probably wait until next year.

i've seen pics of the seats, and i didn't really like them either from that year. i don't really like the ones the PO made either. i'm going to custom do them as well. the kids will probably be sitting on a cooler if i can get it done this summer. my goal is fourth of july weekend.

i orderd the cpes last night. i need to get going on the stands and getting her level.

What part of Arkansas are you in Jamie? My brother is in Hot Springs, lots of nice lakes around there. We spend the 4th up there every year.

I also got the 2 gallon CPES kit for my Mustang. cpes
Still have a ways to go but I would guess it's going to be enough for me.

TL; what's wrong with the colors?

the motor runs, but needs a few things. i plana on putting in new plugs and wires, belts, changing the oil and filters. i need a battery, too. we pulled it out at the hangar i work in, so i stare at it during my breaks and think of all the money i could put in it. i'm really trying to focus on the floor before i spend all my money.

vondy, i live in hot springs, too, downtown near the bath houses. it's a really pretty place and lake ouachita is where we usually go. i've been to greeson before, too. i think that's the one with the cliffs? it's been awhile.

the colors weren't so bad, i just couldn't make them look nice, and the kids "wouldn't be seen on that"

Haven't been to Greeson. Done Quachita, DeGray and Hamilton. My brothers neighborhood has a ramp on Hamilton. For the 4th we usually spend the day on DeGray. That one is probably our favorite. Quiet and clean.

We always watch the fireworks on Hamilton during the 4th too.

All the lakes are so much cleaner than our dirty Texas ones. We love going there.

heh. that pink is funny. we talked about pink, black and grey, and laughed it off. i kinda like the black and red, but it reminds me of the snap-on truck that parks at our hangar. i would feel like i need to pay it all the time.

i've seen a few with newer graphics put on them that i really like, but like i said. if i don't do the floor first i'm gona run out of money.

turbo_lesbo wrote: i would feel like i need to pay it all the time.

Umm, you are just getting started now. Just wait.

why omh, you got soft stringers?

one word "blue"

Welcome to CCF. If you search around here there a several in depth, detailed discussions about stringer removal, replacement, to foam or not to foam, flooring, and gelcoat vs painting a hull. All for free, just your time looking. Good luck with your project and hope it provides years of enjoyment.

Even if your boat project is not completly done, if there is a reunion within driving distance please attend. This is a great group to associate with.

Yeah, we live right on Cedar Creek. We are marine contractors. We actually installed all of the steel retaining wall (except for the 500 feet that leans) on John Paul Jones park at Hubbard. I know what you mean. I'm doing a project at Tawakoni right now. It's even worse.

My dad has a house on the water in Gun Barrel just around the corner from some of the better ski water on Cedar Creek. We like the Brazos too but you're right, it's a drive. It's a drive even if you live in the Rio Vista area LOL. So we stick to the Creek unless we can get to Rio Vista for the most part. You should PM me. We could probably grab some water together sometime. I grew up at Cedar Creek. My family has been in the area since Texas was a Republic so I know a few people around town.

Heck...maybe if we team up we can force people to take a break from Christmas to throw us a proper birthday party.