1980 HydroStream Vamp resto-mod

Good luck fishing & wear a life vest.

 

I was just out in the driveway banging it against the wall because I left it uncovered in the garage.... there is so much dust on it right now.... I might throw it in the washing machine.

 

Day out was a success (for me). Got a bluegill, pumpkin seed, some small pike and one real big nice pike. My buddy flipped his kayak in the first 30 minutes out... lost a rod, reel, and his net. They are now somewhere in the lake. So he used one of my extra rods for the rest of the day. I marked where he flipped in on my gps fish finder, we plan to go back with big treble hooks on my musky gear and just drag the area. The water is only 3 feet there, but it was really dirty water this day. Usually its pretty clear, so hoping in the next few days if we dont get rain the water will clear up and maybe we can just see where his stuff is.

 

Alright, tomorrow is the day I get this last little bit sanded, wed geloat is getting picked up, then sunday I will be spraying the bottom of the hull.

I am going to be trying balance a little fishing in with my work on the boat though. I realize that the water right now is a bit too cold to even take the kids out for swimming, so I have more time than I had originally planned.

 

Alright, paint guns have been picked up, I need to drill all of them out to 2mm-2.3mm as right now they are 1.4mm. 1.4 will spray gelcoat, but 2.0-2.3 is better.





Also had to make some purchases that will probably get me put some sort of watch list.... Found another dead raccoon under the deck, so I had to pull up part of the deck to clean out the corpse. The smell leaked into the foundation of the house, so need to bleach the ever loving shit out of it and then pour 50lbs of lime on there to dry it all out.

 

Ok, there it is. Primer is sanded and done. Going to pick up gelcoat tomorrow or friday and get it all ready to spray!

I do need to figure out my air compressor though, its causing me some issues by struggling when it gets over 50psi. It might be a power issue as the outlets I am plugged into are a bit shifty, so I am going to bring home the gas generator and try that for some better power. If that doesnt work I might just grab another big air compressor and get rid of the 2 I already have (the small craftsman in the pictures I got for free, never actually used it, but its been taking up space for the past 12 years)

 

I had wondered how you were going to spray with that small Craftsman.

Spray guns & sanders are air hogs.

If you want the Rolls Royce of air compressors look here: https://www.saylor-beall.com/

 

Yeah, there is a larger compressor in that back corner by the door. But its like 35 years old and I think only 20 gallons. Im looking at a stand up 30 gallon one to replace it, should take up less space than the lay down 20 gallon.

The one I am looking at is just a cheapo harbor freight one. Dont really need it to last a long time as I dont use the air compressors too often.

 

My compressor was built in 1960, still trucking along.

 

The old ones are good, this one has been a champ for the past 35 years, the biggest problem I have with it is that its not as big as I would like nor is the motor very efficient. This I think is the main contender for a replacement. Not the best of brands, but it will do the job.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...6011/p-1642874283794367-c-12910.htm?exp=false

and

 

Of the two the one from Menards is more machine with a 240 volt motor and 60 gallon tank.
More horsepower too - although the ratings on consumer grade compressors are more imagination from the ad writers than fact.

 

For sure, I have a 240 line right on the other side of the wall in the basement, there is also 240 wired into the backyard from the last owners hot tub.

 

Gelcoat is now in the garage! This is it, getting the bottom done this weekend! Im going to start in the morning, thinking it should take a few hours to get it done, then I can let the boat hang in the air for a few hours to cure. If it cures early enough then I can put it down on the trailer and do the bow eye area and the transom.

 

Boat pulled out, cleaned all the dust up from the boat and the garage. Got it lifted up and the trailer pulled out. Just need to run and get more acetone, tape and plastic drop cloth so I can get the bottom all wiped down and the top all sealed up.

 

Slight delay while I try to figure out a random grease stain on the underside of the hull. Rather large stain appeared on the bottom of the hull, not really sure where it came from or what the deal with it is. I cleaned it up and sanded it, but I want to let it sit for a bit to see if it comes back.

 

First coat is on! Going to let it setup for about 15 minutes while I take a breather and get something to drink.

 

Nice!

 

Alright, the bottom is done! 5 coats of black and a final layer of PVA to seal it up. Now we wait and hope to God that it cures properly and the PVA does its job to seal it allowing it to cure.

The top is going to be so much easier than painting the bottom.... I had to use my little shop lights on the ground to see how I was painting, eventually I just picked up the light and used the refraction of the paint droplets hitting the surface to tell how much gelcoat I was putting on. A dry area created a whitish plume, but when a area had ample gelcoat on it, there was no plume so I knew that area was good.

 

ok, quick tip... if your ever gelcoating with a spray gun, wear a hat. My hair feels like I have a whole can of hair spray in it.

 

Hahaha At my age it might be a good thing. Fill in the bare spots!