Video · DIY Builds & Mods

How I Rebuilt a Fiberglass Skiff in My Backyard, Start to Finish

I buy a used 14 foot skiff, strip it down and rebuild it in my backyard with new deck, fiberglass, gelcoat and a bigger motor.

Published May 24, 2021 · 1:03:55 · Watch on YouTube

What’s in this video

My house sits on a canal that runs about 9.7 miles out to the Gulf. That’s too far for a quick day trip by kayak, so I wanted a skiff to explore further, visit islands and mothership kayaks out. I found one from Mike at the Seasick YouTube channel and paid $1,300 at the time. It came with a trailer, an 8 horse Mercury four stroke and a trolling motor. I sold the trailer for $150, the outboard for $950 and the trolling motor for $45, then bought a used 25 horse Yamaha two stroke.

On the maiden voyage the bow rode way up and it was slow getting on plane. So the plan was a full rebuild. I use the davits in my backyard to swing the boat over land to work on it. I cut out the old plywood deck, kept the original supports, and used an oscillating tool with a bi-metal blade to cut rusted fasteners I could not back out. To get the curve of the hull, I cut foam board templates by measuring the width at points along the center line, then traced them onto marine plywood.

From there it’s all in this one video: sealing the wood, fiberglass repairs, structural and deck glassing, modifying the bench seats, installing hatches, hull prep, sanding and gelcoat. Then I mount the motor, run the electrical and plumbing, tune the engine and add final hardware and a stern anchor. I used FGCI polyester resin and glass for everything, with help from Mike on the fiberglass side. If I can do this in my backyard, you can too.

Key moments

  • 0:00 Purchasing the skiff
  • 1:30 Meeting the seller
  • 2:22 Initial inspection
  • 3:40 Maiden voyage test
  • 5:58 Skiff performance issues
  • 7:23 Project planning
  • 8:39 Demolition and cleaning
  • 10:36 Removing the deck
  • 12:14 New deck installation
  • 14:17 Sealing the wood
  • 17:24 Fiberglass repairs
  • 21:15 Structural glassing
  • 23:48 Deck glassing
  • 26:53 Finishing fiberglass work
  • 32:20 Modifying bench seats
  • 34:44 Installing hatches
  • 36:39 Project recap
  • 38:22 Rigging preparations
  • 40:44 Hull preparation
  • 44:06 Sanding and gelcoat prep
  • 46:19 Applying gelcoat
  • 48:52 Interior finishing
  • 51:02 Final accessories
  • 52:34 Motor installation
  • 55:07 Electrical and plumbing
  • 57:14 Engine tuning
  • 1:00:12 Final hardware
  • 1:01:52 Stern anchor setup

Quick takeaways

  • Cut foam board templates by measuring the hull width at several points along the center line, then use them to cut the plywood deck for a tight fit.
  • An oscillating tool with a bi-metal blade cuts off small rusted screws and fasteners you can't back out.
  • If the bow rides high and the skiff is slow to plane, trim tabs, a hydrofoil fin or more weight up front can help.
  • Selling the trailer, old outboard and trolling motor helped pay for the fiberglass supplies and the bigger motor.

Gear from this video

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