1980 HydroStream Vamp resto-mod

Pump all fixed, filled, and bled. Works great! Now I just need to clean up some of the wiring, find a small battery to run the radio and lights and we are golden.

 

Did some measuring today for the outboard height, looks like I am either perfect, or just a bit high. Right now the cavitation plate is about 1.5-2 inches above the pad of the boat, usually you want that plate level with the pad, putting it higher up reduces drag and increases top speed. So looks like we are going for a speed run with this setup. Going to try to get it out this weekend, then taking it up north the following weekend. We will be staying right on lake Superior, so I might try to get it out on the big lake early in the morning when there is no wind and the water is like glass.

 

Just make sure that the motor is still getting water.

I used to race hydroplanes, so I know a thing or two about running the motor up high! We use to run the prop shaft level with or just below the bottom of the boat. No right turn or that prop could act like a paddle wheel and cause a spin out!

 

Yep, Im about 2 inches above the water inlet, though I might do the low water mod to the motor just to be safe. But I think in the end I will be lowering the motor a bit since I do more tube towing that top speed runs with it.

 

Took the boat out, being able to trim the motor while under power is amazing. I can actually set the motor where it needs to be for top speed and not just be trimmed all the way down like before. When it was trimmed all the way down before, it was pushing the back of the boat up and the front down, so I was not getting great speeds out of it due to all the water resistance. Now that I can trim it while moving, I can set the bow a little higher so just the pad is on the water.

But, the lake I went to is infested with wake boats and jet skis, so I was taking a pounding trying to get a top speed run. But I was hitting 52 mph while bouncing off 3 foot waves, Im thinking I can hit 60+ on a smooth lake.

Decided to take a picture with the top up too since I dont have any good ones. It still looks goofy as hell with this top, but the shade is nice.

 

Seeing it full view the engine really towers over the boat, looks aggressive.

Are the fenders that close to the tires or is it just from the photo?

 

The fenders are like half an inch from the tires, the leafs are worn out, replacing them is going to be a fall project for me.

Yeah, this new engine is really really tall compared to the old engine. Its a straight six, so not very compact compared to the v4 and v6 engines other companies use. But I feel like a taller narrow engine looks better on here than a fat short engine.

You can really see the difference in this picture. The motor on the right is the 4 cylinder, the left is the 6. The right side motor is higher up on the hoist than the 6 cyl is too. If you match up the blue decals on the middle sections, you can see its like 12 inches taller.

 

I like it, gives off a "try it and find out" vibe.

 

I was really thinking about going with a military aircraft theme with the boat since the motor looks like a big tail fin. Like putting my dads Naval squad tail art on it.

 

Also, been looking for a solution to mount a trolling motor to this thing, they used to make a outboard mounted motor, but they stopped making them awhile ago, and they are expensive, hard to find, and also 24-36v systems. I just dont have the space to put in batteries to support 24v-36v, so I want to stick to 12v.

I have a few old trolling motors, I cut one up to see what I can do to mount it to the motor, and it seems like it might be a pain.

Then I found raptor shallow water anchors, and they sell a jack plate mount for them.... Well, this mount would be perfect to hold a trolling motor off to the side, I can link it to the outboard for steering, and it would sit high enough up that at speed it would be out of the water.

They are a little expensive, but I think I can find a used one for cheaper if I hold out long enough.

 

That "sandwich bracket" doesn't look too hard to make. Once you had the flat plate next to the motor a second removable piece to hold the trolling motor would be easy as well.

 

I wouldnt even need to make that part, the arm (yellow part) would bolt right to my jack plate like this picture.

 

Ok, moving back to non-trolling motor related stuff.

I still really need to hook up my hot foot, and I want to get a new prop.

So, going to order a 16f throttle cable so I can get the hotfoot connected, also going to order a stainless 21 pitch prop. Currently I am using a 19 pitch aluminum prop, so the 21 should give me a little more speed, then switching from aluminum to stainless will give me even more speed on top.

 

A little comfort upgrade... now my water or soda wont be spilling or rolling around the boat.

 

Did a little adjusting on the motor, throttle cable was a little loose so I was not getting full throttle when I put it down. So, I fixed that and got to thinking, this cowl pretty much seals up the engine... where is it getting air from?

So, I took one of my spare top covers and removed the handle from it and installed some gutter screen to give it a nice finished look. Not sure if it will even do anything, but it shouldnt hurt anything either.

I know the XS versions of these motors came with louvers on the side cowls for intake and heat exhaust, and the XS was the performance version. So more venting than stock must help a little at least.

 

Spark plugs have finally been replaced, the ones that were in there must of been at least 10 years old. They didnt look bad, but they were old and it was time to replace them. Thinking about doing the water pump this week, but also if it ends up like everything I have done on this boat it will take a extra week because of parts... so I might wait till after my trip up north.

Also got around to securing my fuel tank to the boat.

 

Welp, turns out a trolling motor fit on there the whole time... not much of a lip, but enough that I can get both clamps on there. I might build a bigger lip and run bolts into the top of the transom with ample silicone glue to hold it on. Just need to decide what side I want to put it on. Thinking the left side (pictured) so I can sit on the splash well to run it. The other side has all the cables, fuel lines, and wiring there.

 

So here is the idea. Its made up of a 2x4 and some plywood. Thinking I will seal the 2x4 part with black marine paint, then seal the plywood part with a clear teak finish that matches the other wood on the boat. The plywood part is where the clamps screw into, so it will be a wear part that will need to be replaced every once inawhile.

The other idea is the grind a bit into the transom, then fiberglass and dowel pin the lip in, and again the plywood would be a replaceable part. If I fiberglass it in, then I will need to do some gelcoat touch ups and gelcoat that part.

Not sure I want to be grinding into the hull to mount this, but the only way to mount it is going involve some sort of grinding or drilling into the top of the transom and I feel like grinding and fiberglassing it in is going to give the cleanest finish.

 

New prop installed, got a 21 pitch prop, should get me a little higher top speed.



Also got a hydrofoil to help me with lower speeds. The boat wont nose down until I am around 25-30 mph. This should help keep the nose down at those lower speeds.

 

Took the boat out today, it was a shit show. She ran great for about 15 minutes, then wouldnt go past 5mph. Bottom carb was pissing fuel everywhere again, so I took it apart in the parking lot, cleaned it out and put it back together. Boat ran great for about 10 minutes and back to not going over 5mph.

So, I took the carb all the way off tonight, found a ton of debris in the bowl. So, cleaned it, soaked it, and replaced the main fuel line to the pump. Going to pick up a inline filter tomorrow to hopefully keep this junk out of the carbs.