Crosby sled

I was recently given a crosby sled and have it down to the bare hull due to some hull repair,soaked foam, and transom replacement that need to be addressed. Just had a question. When trying to separate the cap, I noticed that the floor was what I assume to be fiberglass and was attached to the rest of the cap as one piece. I had to cut the cap in a few places as well as cut around the perimeter of the floor in order to remove it. After removing the floor and foam I noticed there were no stringers in the bottom just foam. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Never myself but have heard of some boats, like a Carolina skiff, that have no longitudinal stringers but do have lateral and lots of foam. Read some stuff on some sites when doing some research a while back of folks designing and installing their own stringer system and attaching it to the transom. Foamed in between, ground somewhat flat and chop mat floor. If you have it all out you essentially have a blank slate to build as you please. Composite or wood is also up to you. I have the desire and enough smarts to build one but no space for a long term project like that. Let us know what you decide to do with it.

This is what I'm working with so far. You can see where the fiberglass floor was glued down on the outside edges and two places in the middle the full length of the boat. About middle ways down the hull there are 6 studs that go through the hull and the floor was also held in place by them. As far as the studs go I haven't determined whether or not that was factory for a console or if someone did that sometime afterwards. When I received the boat it had been changed from its original seating configuration to stick steering. And also if you look at the transom area closely you can see where someone attempted to raise the height of the transom for a long shaft motor. The only way I can see that the floor was foamed from the factory was that the foam was poured in the floor and then shaved down to accommodate the floor which was glued afterwards because the floor and sides of the boat were one piece. Attachment 362017Attachment 362018Attachment 362019

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I like the project. Lots of grinding and reassembly but it would come out nice. BC exterior plywood is so close to marine it stinks and half the price. Got mine at Lowe’s. I also pretreat all wood with resin thinned 50/50 with acetone generously. This is after fit and drilled and so on. Stringers sure wouldn’t hurt and there’s more than one density of foam, the smaller bubbles work better IMHO. There’s a video sequence about a Glastonbury rebuild on YouTube that walks you through a lot of what you will be doing. Holler if I can help.

I'm starting off with 3 gallons of epoxy from raka. I read that poly doesn't adhear well to old work so don't want to take any chances. I also read somewhere that 4 pound foam would work in the floor but will call the manufacturer before its purchased to be sure. I'll probably pour the hull then shave off the excess prior to setting the fiberglass floor in place. I have a long way to go with this project so I will be reaching out for help again. I will be taking plenty of photos to post my progress.

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That was supposed to be a Glaston rebuild. Lots of videos for lots of different stages, pretty good stuff.

Had a 1964 model Crosby Sled. The foam is what strengthens the tri hull. I cut the floor out of mine, removed the soaked foam, put new wood in place, drilled holes and poured foam through the holes, then re fiber glassed the floor.

What do you mean by put new wood in? I don't know if it is just my particular model but there wasnt any wood(stringers) in mine at all and the floor is fiberglass. There is a channel that runs down the center of the floor that goes to the drain. I thought about trying to add stringers to mine but I would have to account for the depth the channel is on the center stringer and shorten the stringer height so the channel could rest on it. I was hoping I could reuse the original floor and stay away from a wood floor if I could help it. Also I have been trying to figure out the best way to rebuild the transom. I was hoping to use a solid transom the full width of the boat but with the shape of the stern I dont think its possible due to the angle changes. I may have to end up rebuilding the same as the original and piece it across the width of the boat but I doubt that would even add any strength. Any help with that would be appreciated


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Mine was older and not double walled on the side of the hull. My floor was mahogany plywood covered in fiberglass.

Attachment 362418Attachment 362419Here are some photos of the one I had while I was replacing the floor, before it was repaired and repainted.

The title I have for my boat says it's a 1967 but looks nothing like anything I have found in that era. It looks more like a picture I saw that was a 1980 and it looks as if it never had the cable steering that boats had during that time. The capacity plate says crosby aeromarine in Marianna FL. But I read that the facility burned in 1967 and was moved to Panama city. So that part doesn't make sence to me. The hull ID is missing to so I cant match it up. I just wonder if the previous owner had it registered that way for some reason.

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I think I have talked myself in to doing away with the original fiberglass floor and gonna use 1/2 inch plywood and glass it to the sides to make it watertight and add foam via holes drilled through the floor. I believe this would work better to secure the seat bases for my stick steering setup. I just have to figure out how I am going to get the wood to take the curve as the floor turns up to the bow. One more question, this may have been asked a hundred times but with a trihull boat if you have a leak below the deck and it is in one of the channels to the left or right of the center how could you get the water out without having a drain plug per section of the hull.

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These are the pictures I am referring to. It's the closest thing I have found to my boat only mine does not have the side console anymore. The previous owner had it set up for stick steer.Attachment 362426Attachment 362427Attachment 362428

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I used 1/2 inch plywood. I drilled about 2 inch holes with a holesaw in each chamber of the hull. I drilled them about every 3 feet. I tilted the boat nose up so the foam would run to the back. Measure foam parts, mix and dump, allow the foam to expand and start to set before i made another pour. . I had tabbed the plywood to the hull around the edges, poured all the foam, put wood plugs back in the hole, fiber glassed them in and layed in a thick layer of fiber glass cloth, built it up and was ready to go. It was an awesome little fishing boat. 25 hp would zip you along nicely. Set up with stick steering would be even better.

The model I have is rated for 65hp. And had a 50 on it when I got it. So I imagine its gonna be crazy fast as long as I can keep the weight down.

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Great project and those old tri hulls ride real good.

I do like the looks of it. A 50 hp motor on that front drive stick steer would be pretty quick.
Do you know the year model?

I do not. The title to it states 1967 but looks nothing like any pictures I have found during that time frame. Closest thing I have found is a 1980 model. The hull ID plate is missing at the bow eye and the capacity plate says it was manufactured in Marianna FL. I read that the facility burned in late 1967 and was relocated to Panama City Florida. So to be honest I have no idea what I truly have. It doesn't have the cable steering like boats from that era and I cant find where those holes would have been repaired either. I believe it was a side console at one time but was changed to stick steer by the PO.

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My dad had 2 when I was growing up. Both console steer. Of the three I have been around none of them look like the one you have. It looks like a great fishing boat

If you get a refrigerator box and lay it in the boat where the plywood is going to curve up in the nose. Cut a couple of straight cuts and overlap say the outside sections over the middle section and see how much needs to be cut off to lay flat. Make those cuts and you have the template for the plywood. As I said earlier, make all your cuts, drill all holes, and then pretreat with the resin/acetone mix. Makes the wood really tough. If you can figure out a way to make the holes you’ll foam through have 45* sides, the plugs you put back in will be stronger. I tend to overbuild but also seldom have to revisit my work for repairs. Also, use plenty of resin and remove all the air bubbles you can, makes it stronger and holds less water. Might not hurt to glass in a piece of 3/4 ply where the seats will be, 45* on the edges to remove the hard edge. Easy while in this stage and the seats will have a stronger base than just 1/2”. Just some ideas that ran through my head while I read.

You make a good point on the 45 degree holes. Kind of like cutting the top off of a pumpkin. I just wonder if they make some sort of a hole saw that would do that although I do have a multi-tool that I could just cut squares out and number those so I know exactly where they go back since I'm sure they would not be the same. I had already thought about adding in the plywood for the seats but did not think about the 45-degree cut along the perimeter. As far as the floor goes I do plan to install Marine vinyl hopefully in one piece and wide enough so it lays across the floor and even comes up the sides to where it turns 90 degrees again at the top and then put a piece of angle there to finish it off. If done correctly I don't see how any water at all could get through the floor and into the wood. I did plan on applying resin to both sides of the plywood before it is installed but just wonder if I need to do that with fiberglass resin instead of epoxy since I want to use PL premium to glue the plywood to the hull of the boat. With the PL premium being a polyurethane base I just wonder if it would adhere to the plywood if there is epoxy on the bottom side. I just purchased the 3-gallon kit from raka. Depending on what I have left over when I get to the floor will determine whether or not it gets epoxied with 1708 or use polyester resin.

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I’ll start by saying that you’ll use more resin, epoxy or poly, than you think you will. I used cabosill(spell check) as a filler for the poly resin I used to stiffen it and act like putty. I’ve seen floors attached to stringers with a layer of bondo or tiger hair on top of the stringers, apply the treated wood floor and used stainless screws, enough to hold it til the boding agent hardens. Then scuff the edges and fill any gaps with the thickened resin and add a 4 or 5” strip bonding the ply to the hull. Then cut and resin in a layer or two of ounce and a half chop mat, adding to the wall/floor transition in the process if you want. With this as a floor you shouldn’t have any issues with it til you’re tired of looking at the boat. The woven mat is strong but doesn’t flex for the transition from floor to wall.

Another option for the seat bases is to install the floor without these and plan where to attach them. Then treat the wood and either glass them top and bottom or wrap them with the flooring you used everywhere else, maybe with 5200 around the edge to seal and bond.if you glassed them you could paint them however you chose. The idea is to spread out the footprint and remove as much leverage possible. I used 1/4” aluminum and spread the plate between two crossmembers on the floor about a foot to 14” wide. It never wiggled after that. The seat bases I used had a 2” pipe and base that was about 10” across. The skinny posts we use on decks aren’t made for use while under way but I’ve seen them used for that. I have no faith that they would last.

This boat for whatever reason never had stringers. I assume that when the boat was built the sides and floor where all one piece and was all encased in foam. There are a couple access holes where I guess the foam was poured in after the two halves were put together. The seat bases that were in the boat when I got it are about 16 in square and has a swivel on top for the seat to mount to. With using plywood instead of the original fiberglass floor, I will have to figure out a way to weigh the floor down while the adhesive sets and I was thinking on using PL premium directly on top of the floor section of the hull for securing the plywood since it will be almost impossible to fasten it down with any sort of screw. At this point I doubt I will have to worried about tapping the plywood into the side of hull perimeter because the sides would come in the boat past the plywood. I was just going to adjust the sides in and out so they were Square to the floor and then glass that 90 degree angle where it meets the floor. I'm nowhere near the point of the even testing my theory yet due to the fact that I can't seem to figure out the transom. So far I have laminated two pieces of three-quarter inch ply with PL premium and have it setting up as we speak. I wanted to be able to put plywood from one end of the stern to the other but due to the shape of the transom I don't think it's possible. If you look back at the earlier pictures I believe that there's only wood in the area where the motor would mount to and the two boxes on each side of that we're glassed-in to the transom holding everything together. I wish I could have figured out a way to install a solid inch and a half thick piece of plywood to the transom area because I know it would have been much stronger then when it left the factory. Hopefully my rambling hasn't confused you with my lack of boat terminology

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The boxes at the transom were no doubt also serving as a knee board would in a regular built boat. For the lower HP that the boat will be using, a thicker transom, that is what was used in my 150hp Bumble Bee, isn’t really needed. If you have a curved transom, kinda like a Boston Whaler would have, then cutting relief cuts and applying pressure during resin drying process would be needed. I also have an idea of laminating several pieces of 1/4” or 3/8” ply, which has much more flex, might be an option. Getting the curve right if not done within the boat would be a challenge. Push came to shove, I would try my best to reproduce what the manufacturer did and glass it well and pretreat the wood. A lot of low to mid grade boats of the time didn’t treat the wood used and the boats got wet and fell apart.

Joining the sides (fiberglass) to the floor (wood) isn’t as hard as you might think. Keeping any voids filled in and air pockets to an absolute minimum is very important. I have lots of thoughts bouncing around in my head but not having the boat where I can see it has me frustrated. I’m going to PM you my phone number. Please call me and let’s bounce things back and forth.

Quick question what type of wood would you say these are in the photograph. Looks like a solid one by that is on the inside of the wall section and then there are plywood blocks spaced about 40 inches apart on Center. These are going to be removed and replaced. Would you say that the evenly spaced plywood blocks could be one solid strip or would they need to be spaced.Attachment 362772Attachment 362773

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Is this the transom?

No, it's the sides/cap of the boat. I plan to glue the transom in tomorrow. I added another layer of 1708 to the rear of the boat today and sealed the transom wood. The original transom was two pieces of half inch ply laminated but I decided to go with 2 sheets of 3/4 laminated to give me an inch and a half overall. I know with my boat inch and a half probably isn't necessary but I did notice before I removed the outboard that the set screws were almost bottomed out to be tight. Just waiting on the epoxy to cure now. The cap is going to be needing some attention as far as removing all the old wood so plan to start on that tomorrow as well. Just wasn't sure as far as those plywood blocks are concerned if I could just have blocks to go around the whole perimeter which would help fasten the cap down and the rub rail once installed. With the original construction of the boat I noticed that the cap was only screwed in through the fiberglass itself self and then a few places where the blocks were.I figured if I had wood all the way around then no matter where I put a screw I would hit something.

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When I connected upper and lower hulls it was just riveted together and then a couple of layers of chop mat about 4 or 5” wide to cover both from the inside. Now these were much bigger boats. Most I’ve seen, including my bass boat, were connected by rivets and silicone between the layers before the rivets were installed. For most boats this is sufficient. When I say silicone I’m referring to 5200. Much better than common silicone and designed for marine use. A little more runny so look for it to follow gravity some in thicker areas.

Can’t imagine what the blocks were for unless it was backing for some interior part. Adding wood under the upper hull where you plan on adding anchor cleats and such is smart at this stage.

I will try to get some pictures of how the top cap joins the hull and post them here. There really isnt much of a flange to rivet or screw to it's not a shoe box fit so to speak the top cap kind of rolls upwards and then joins the hull on its side. That's kind of why I was thinking about putting a backer in place where I could fasten the hole to the top cap using stainless steel screws and then button it up with the rub

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This is a really neat project that you are undertaking! Be sure to post some pictures when you get it done.

I am going to, the rain and cooler weather has halted things a bit. Going to get back on it this weekend if the weather is in my favor


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WOW! Nice work!
For the hull to top connection, could you extend flanges? To give enough room to screw it/rivet it together?

Looking forward to more photos of your progress

Due to the shape of the rub rail I believe that if I go to high with a flange. That it may cause the rub rail to sit too high but I have not looked at it yet very closely. I am going to at least run a layer of glass around the inside perimeters to even out some of the fiberglass that was chipped by the screws that were holding the cap and rubrail in place. This is a picture of the rub rail. I was going to replace it but when I looked at prices I think I can just etch and repaint.Attachment 363023Attachment 363024

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Yes sir! I started pricing rubrails the other day, uuggghhhh!