Fiberglass jon boat hull refinishing/painting

[Honey Butter Bum]

Hey guys first post and wanted to get opinions on refinishing the hull of a mid 80s 16×48 shawnee. There are quite a few superficial scratches and places where the paint is chipping on the hull, but no real deep gouges or thin flimsy spots. A few questions.

1. What kind of cost am I looking at to have the hull refinished and would it be better as a DIY. (I have ZERO experience with fiberglass and would be starting from square one learning). I've heard it can vary from $50-125/ linear foot. 

2. Is it worth putting some sort of slick material on the bottom like the product Wetlander or some type of hardened protectant?

Will be using it primarily on the white river and lower sections of the Buffalo. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Bought the boat for around $2500 so not sure if a $2000 refinishing is worth the money. Thanks!

[GotaFish]

I am interested to see responses to this question as I have a much older model Shawnee that I am hoping to refurbish.  This boat is much older has obvious cracks in the fiberglass and it appears the support spines may be rotted / wet.  Was planning to drill holes and pump epoxy into the spines to reinforce them before working on the fiberglass.  With the spines in this condition is it a lost cause or is it possible to repair this boat to a safe condition?

[fishinwrench]

http://marinetex.com/products/marine-tex-products/gluvit/

[Honey Butter Bum]

Thanks,  fishinwrench. I know you're more of an aluminum hull guy from reading through other posts, but do you think this is a job that is do-able from a rookie? I have read through other forums and watched videos, but not entirely sure of the expertise and experience needed to do an acceptable job. Any opinions or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the link. Gluvit looks like a great product and I will look into it further.

[fishinwrench]

13 minutes ago, Honey Butter Bum said:

Thanks,  fishinwrench. I know you're more of an aluminum hull guy from reading through other posts

 Each has their place.  Where you're running is what decides which hull material is best.   

I'm neither an aluminum or a fiberglass guy.   I love'em all.  

 

If you can paint your front porch then you're fully capable of redoing your hull.   Just read the instructions.

[Honey Butter Bum]

I think I can handle painting my porch, but don't tell my girlfriend that. I appreciate the help. I'll probably give it the ole American try and see how it goes. 

[fishinwrench]

Rip & snort!

Have fun ☺️

[snagged in outlet 3]

9 minutes ago, Honey Butter Bum said:

I think I can handle painting my porch, but don't tell my girlfriend that. I appreciate the help. I'll probably give it the ole American try and see how it goes. 

Let us know how it goes.  Maybe a few pictures too.  

[Honey Butter Bum]

If it turns out well, I will definitely add some pictures. If not, then you will know what happened haha

 

[gotmuddy]

It would be a great project to do yourself.  You dont need to know anything about fiberglass since it sounds like there is no damage.  If your going to coat the bottom(which would be a great idea since you will be dragging on rocks on the buffalo) I would look into steelflex epoxy with teflon.  Mainly used on aluminum, it greatly reduces the drag coefficient, to the point that you can push the boat while on hard ground easily.

 

Those commissary boats were built like tanks