1980 HydroStream Vamp resto-mod

1808 is down and the center cap is bonded on. I need to do some grinding on the cap that I should of done before bonding, but that should be ok.

 

Alright, its mostly cured so I removed the screws holding the cap on and put down a nice layer of thickened resin to smooth out the transition to the cap. Going to give is a good sanding along all the edges to get them nice and smooth. I do need to go get a new dremel so I can get the tight corners that my other sanders cant get into.

 

Got one of the 2 seats tonight. Other one should be showing up tomorrow, Ill be building bases for them soon enough but I first need to figure out a good height for them to sit at. I actually like these seats alot more than I though I would. Going to have the rear seat made to match by the local upholstery place.

 

Put a random 13 inch base on the seat to see how it sits. 13 inch is a bit tall, so Im going to order a 12 inch base.

 

I'm really liking the style of those seats, they fit the vibe of the boat well.
The colors are going to look sharp with your planned color scheme too.

 

Yeah I am actually pretty impressed with the seats. I did sit in one, and they are very hard foam. Hoping they "break in" a little bit from sitting in them and being in the sun.
But, the other seat showed up today along with 2 big rolls of sand paper for my block sanders.

Didnt end up getting anything done on my boat today, I spent the time at my buddies house helping him remove his outboard so he could trade his boat and trailer for a small utility trailer. Now he has a spare outboard that wont work with his current boat... but I am considering buying it from him as Im the one that did the repair work on the motor and I know how it runs. Its a 70hp evinrude, so its a little less power than my merc has, but its newer and would look much better on my boat than the merc does.

 

Bonding the beams on right now! Once they are cured I can go back in and bond it to the transom, float pods and then lay more glass along the back of the beams. I also need to bond the beams to the front of the bulkhead too.

I used old engineered wood flooring as a backer to hold it tight and smooth.

 

While the side beams are curing, I went out and got a 7 inch seat base, I think its going to work perfect once I add the foot and the swivel. The foot is going to have the bolts coming up, then the foot will be bonded to the hull. This is my best method for mounting the seat as there is not much I can screw the base into on the edge of the floor.

Also I started removing the rub rail on one side. Its riveted and glued every 4 inches.... such a pain in the ass. Also I found a screw sticking out of the side of the hull... it wasnt holding anything but a tuft of carpet.

 

Now I have something new I need to find for my boat... a matching mini boat! Hydrostream made the Hustler, it was a 15-25hp version of the ventura (same hull as mine but without the front seats) They were about 11 feet long. I need to find one of these for my son, then make it match mine. Looks like on average they sell for around $2-3k in perfect condition.








For my boat though, I have decided on my audio system. Im skipping everything and just getting the panel radio/speaker thing that goes where the glove box is. Reviews are really good, there is a app that lets you control all the features of the radio with your phone. I think in terms of simple solutions, this is going to be the best.

 

That mini boat is cool, maybe you can find one sitting around for a few $$$ and rebuild that one next winter.

Good choice on the glove box radio, sometimes simple is best.

 

This is a pain, gravity is not my friend here, so I am doing the glass work in sections. Holding a single 4 x 2 foot section of wet fiberglass up and trying to get it stuck is not easy.

 

I have seen people use a rotisserie frame to restore car bodies, that would probably work well here.

Except for the difficulty attaching the bow end - and it would be huge.

 

I actually thought about building one for this boat so I could flip it over. Would making working on the underside of the hull easier too. I also thought about shelling out the money for a vacuum bagging system, but in the end I will just do it the hard way and be a better builder in the end.

Resin is pretty much all cured already with the dual heaters blowing, but I have to go pick up my neighbors from the airport soon. So I will have to wait to finish.

But the next step is I need to use my light chop mat and put it on the back side of the side beams to link them to the upper hull. In some spots I will be putting large sections of my heavy 1808 structural cloth.

 

ok there we go. floor and center of the transom is glassed with 3 layers of 1808. I need to the the right and left sides of the transom thats under the caps.

 

Fuel tank, drain tube/flare tool, and a pair of seat bases on order. Tomorrow I need to measure the old steering lines so I can order those too. Cant mount the seat bases until I know how far out my steering wheel will be sitting, and I cant gelcoat the floors until I bond the mounting plates for the seat bases. So I need to get those in soon.

Items that need to be ordered still:
Radio
Cleats
Motor reinforcement plates
Steering (tomorrow)

-total $650

Items I need to pick up at the store:
Black gelcoat - 1 gallon floor
Black gelcoat - 3 gallons bottom of hull
Black gelcoat - 3 gallons top of hull
Black glitter - 3-5 lbs
Clear gelcoat - 3-6 gallons for entire hull
High gloss additive - 3 gallons

-total $1248

Clear gelcoat and glitter will depend on if I plan to glitter the bottom half of the hull, or if I am just doing the top side. I can also glitter flake part of the bottom of the hull. No point in putting glitter under water, so I could do like 12-16 inches down if I want the thing to sparkle.


Starting tomorrow my kids are home from school for the rest of the week, and my buddy is swinging by so I can cut some metal for his trailer. So work will be light, but I plan to finish glassing the back end.
Wednesday I will glass the main support beams to the front bulkhead (they are just clamped for now until I finish the rear).
Thursday I will glass the backsides of the main beams so they are nice and sealed up (also fix that screw hole I found).
Friday I will wrap up anything I didnt get done, and if everything is done then I will finish cutting off rub rail on the left side.
This weekend im either taking a break for fishing, or I will be going at it with the sander until the top side of the hull is clean, smooth, and ready for gelcoat.

I do need to eventually make the rear bench and the side trim panels, but those will only take a few hours to do.

 

Are you using the cable & pulley type of steering or a more modern setup?

 

Going with cable again. The hydraulic systems are nice, but expensive and many times dont work on the older motors.

But a properly lubricated and maintained cable system works well, its when you get cracking in the lines that let water in to rust the cable when you run into issues.
Hydraulic systems run from $600-$1200 depending on the quality/brand, while cable systems start around $100

 

I finished bonding the beams to the the transom and underside of the caps today, also fixed my screw hole and started patching the 100s of holes in the side rails from years of people screwing things into them.

No pictures as its pretty much the same as the other pictures.

Going to figure out tonight the best way to clamp the front part of the main beams, they are currently sitting at an angle to the bulkhead, and I would like for them to be flat. So, I think I will put a 2x4 against the side of the hull, then using a clamp in "spreader" mode to push the beam tighter. Right now the clamps are at a angle from the the floor up to the beam, so I cant get them flat. Doesnt need to be perfectly flat against the side of the hull, but I would like for it to be better than it is now.

 

Steering ordered! I ended up with a 14 foot system. Unfortunately it wont be here until the 17th.

Alright, now on to tonights pictures. Holes, lots and lots of holes (143 total). In 40 years the amount of things that got screwed into these gunnels is ridiculous.. The big holes (first picture, left side) got patched with fiberglass first. All the rest of the holes will be filled with kitty hair, its a fiberglass reinforced polyester filler. Its very thick and has small fibers in it that results in a very strong hole patch.

 

143...

The upholstery must have been a fair amount, probably the regular groups of 3 down both sides, the rest though, damn...

The right rear corner especially.