1980 HydroStream Vamp resto-mod

So while the filler cures more, I decided to clean up my tilt and trim plate. The main bolt that holds the ram to the plate was bent, so I figured lets figure this out.... yeah, it was not bent, it was broken in half! This is the bolt that keeps the ram attached to the plate.... I dont even know how this didnt fall apart at this point.
This thing was 3 good waves away from falling off the back of the boat.



https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7fsSMNK_1j8

 

First layer sanded nice, couple of low spots so I put some more filler on then the weather turned... drop 20 degrees in less than a hour. So the filler is taking longer to cure and I have to wait a bit.

 

Second layer of filler sanded, adding a 3rd layer to finish getting some of the pad straight. I think one more layer over the whole front area and some hand blocking and it should be good to go.

 

Another paused day its 35 degrees and windy out and I just cant work on the boat in these temps. Normally I can work in this weather, but the problem now is that working on the bottom of the hull requires the garage door open to lift the boat (front crane sticks out a few inches past the garage door).
So guess I am just hanging out today.

 

The solution is always "need a bigger garage".

 

I have looked into extending the garage back another 10 feet. Might be something I do in a year or 2.

But, today I can do some of the wiring for the boat. Get the gauges, nav lights, and radio harnesses all made up.

 

Also I have added another step to my refinishing that will improve the overall finish and durability of the boat. After I am done with all the sanding, I am going to spray the entire boat with vinylester primer and wet sand the whole thing. This primer will fill in any imperfections in the hull, help me get some of the waves out and vinylester is 100% waterproof (gelcoat and polyester resin are not). So by spraying the boat with this, it will seal up the boat much better than just spraying the gelcoat down.
Its going to add about $400 to the costs along with probably a weeks worth of time, but it will give me a better boat in the end.

 

I could extend mine 50 feet and in 2 years it would have shrank to being too small again, the building materials must shrink from the temperature changes is all I can figure.


Unrelated but similarly strange:
My wife seems to shrink my pants in the dryer - but only the waist, never the length...
Oddest thing.

 

lol, aint that the truth!

 

After chatting with another hydrostream owner who did his boat with the same fillers and primers as I am, he said to roll on the primer and not to spray it. Spraying it wont get it in all the little pin holes, but rolling it will.
So, roller it is! and thats good news because rolling is 10x easier than spraying.

 

Got my throttle figured out, and its more or less universal for motors and it was cheaper than getting a new control for the motor I have. Cabelas had the hot foot in stock, and they price matched Amazon for $100 off.
This is a foot pedal control for throttle, gets rid of the clunky hand throttle and allows me to keep both hands on the wheel while driving. Pretty much all the hydrostream owners on facebook agree that this is the way to go on these boats.

So, now I have some new fiberglass work I need to do, going to make a platform for this unit, Also goin to trim out part of that float box to give clearance for the cable to come off it.

 

Base made for the pedal. Still trying to decide on the best location. I would like to put it on the right side, but its just a bad angle and my leg cramps up trying to use it up there. Most people with these boats end up running the pedal on the left side and just use their left foot. So, I think I am going to make 2 bases. One will be on the left side and one on the right side. I will glass them both in and see which one I like better, but I will always have the option to switch between the 2 mounting spots.

But this base is made the same way as my seat base was but its thinner wood since it doesnt need to support my weight.

 

While I dont like it a ton, it feels like the best option here and will used to it. My only real concern is the throttle cable coming off it will go right under my seat and then need to go up to the gunnel where it can go out to the motor.

 

No work today, It was a beautiful sunny 65 degree day, very little wind. But my daughter had dance competition, wife was supposed to take her, but ended up not being able to. So I took her, spent 9 hours at the convention center for 2 dances.... but the girls pulled it off! they got first place, first place again, fifth place, best in class, and highest points in class! So proud of her and her team, they crushed it today!

 

Got some work done today, this bottom is proving to be a pain to flatten out, but I think im on the last fill as its 90% smooth and level.
I do have to be in the office tomorrow, so that sucks as I wanted to get my primer tomorrow. Guess I will get it Wednesday and start painting wed and thursday evening.

 

Alright, bottom is good! Since I have all night still, I am going to bond the hot foot pedal down to the floor so its all set and ready for the motor.

 

Pedal bonding right now, used ample thickened resin to make sure its fully on there. Should be cured by later tonight and I can take the screws out and remove the pedal and put a layer of resin over the top to seal it all up.

 

Did some cleaning of the garage today and some motor work as I didnt end up having time to get my primer. But I moved the rest of my ice fishing gear to the basement and the sleds to the storage unit. Also setup the big beach tent my dad gave me when I drove down to Georgia for Christmas. This tent will be great for beach days, its a 12f x 12f spf 50 one.
The motor work I did was to swap out the distributor, match up some wires, and get things kinda back together on it. I still have to pull the carbs that are on it off and clean them up, pull the lower unit and replace the water pump and swap out the lower unit with my spare that has a good skeg.




EDIT: Just realized my neighbor still has his Christmas wreath up on the front of his house

 

Primer has been acquired! Also, the guy who runs the fiberglass place I go to used to work for hydrostream! So I got to talk with him for like an hour and get all the pointers and story about these boats.

 

Well, I decided that time is running out for wiring, so I ordered the boat side wire harness for my motor. $270 gone on that, but it will just plug in and work. It also goes up to 1981 models, so if I find a good deal on a bigger merc I can still use it. I also ordered a new keyed switch, the one I have is kinda fine, it works, but the last owner didnt know how to solder, so they melted most of the plastic on the back. The new keyed switch will be mounted right into the dash, so I can run the new harness right into that, then splice the neutral safety switch down to the shifter.

Also to note, merc swapped the distributors out for coil packs in the late 70s, so I could get one of those motors and have it slightly more reliable.