need help with a 1980 Hydrasport

[Puretexan26]

hey guys i am looking for a little information. i just purchased a 1980 hydrasport bass boat. I have no clue what the model is. It is a single console and measures out at 17'9" if i remember correctly, and on the side of the boat has a KEVLAR 49 decal. This hull has absolutely no strakes whatsoever. Anybody with any information on this hull will be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[FASTPACE]

puretexan: had one years ago, look on the drivers side rear in the black insert, the vin number is there and those numbers will tell you all necessary information. probably a VL 270 series.

[Puretexan26]

How do you decipher the VIN . the hull # on this one is HSX8V507M80A.

[Tony Brucato]

Mike,

I'm not sure how to read the VIN on your boat. Hydra-Sports is still in buisness, maybe they can help.
I don't even remember what model that my Hydra-Sports started out.
SuperDave on this board has a boat that might be the same model, and Raptor on the Byuboyz site has one that looks similar.
Here's a link to Raptor's boathttp://www.byuboyz.com/boats/nickg.htm
Maybe Super Dave will chime in.

Tony

[A.J. Pastwa]

I had a Hydrasport in 1979 and it was a 179V. It was rated for a 150, but would fly with a 200 w/ 150 decals. I hope this was some help.

[Superdave]

1990 H-S X-270, 2.4 oval, carb WH28, 96 & 98 mains, 28 Chopper II @ 6600 with 2 people and a ufll load of gear. No GPS. Does your boat have the VEE-LOK hull? Best of my memory the VL came out around 79-80. If it is a VEE-LOK and is fairly wide at the beam it is probably a VL-475, if it is narrow at the beam it's probably a VL-270. You can tell by looking at the rear, bottom, corner, not the pad. You will see a v shape at the corner, this was to prevent porposing at low/mid range. I don't have a pic that shows it, but can take one tomorrow. If you have a pic, post it. Not sure about the ser #'s, but will try to check.
Dave ;)

[mhr]

I have a Hydra-Sports, 86 model Tri Star 200. It is 20 ft with small tunnels and a 2.4 200. I believe that it is kind of rare, the tunnel bass boat craze came and went pretty fast. Does anyone have any information on these boats? I am new to all of this boating stuff this is my first boat.

Mike
[email protected]

[FASTPACE]

I HAVE A 1988 HYDRA SPORTS 150 FF TODAY, RUNNING A 150 MAG II , TRADED FOR HER ABOUT 6 WEEKS AGO. BEEN DOIN HER UP. JUST ABOUT DONE WITH THE BOAT. STARTED TWEEKING THE MOTOR, LOWER UNIT SEALS[ FOUND WATER] PROPS, GOT ENGINE HEIGHT SET WITH THE CAV PLATE AT 4" ABOVE PAD, WITH 6" JACK PLATE, STILL HAVE 15 PSI OF WATER PRESSURE. HAVE NEW BOYSEN POWER REEDS WILL INSTALL AFTER TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND. IF THEY HELP RPM AND HOLE SHOT , I WILL WORK WITH THE FIREING AND THE TIMING[ CURRENTLY SET AT 19 DEG. THIS FALL I PROBABLY SHAVE THE HEADS AND INSTALL THINNER HEAD GASKETS. WILL SEE HOW THIS HELPS PERFORMANCE. WOULD LIKE TO SEE ABOUT 175 TO 185 HP.

[JTS Racing]

Is your hull a true V or a pad-V? I worked at HS in the early 80's. The 179V's were fast but would tend to porpoise at slow speeds due to the strakes being extended to far forward. The 200 series boats were the next generation and the X270 was the perfered HS bass boat at that time. The 475's if I remember correctly went into production around late 81 or early 82. About this time the Shadow tunnel-V bass boat hit the scene and HS's first attempt at this style was the TriStar. Tunnels a little to small to trap enough air for the weight of the hull. Earl left and founded Stratus with Roake soon to follow and the tunnel was improved with the VT Rocket, and later the STV.

[Tony Brucato]

Wow. Good to see so many Hydra-Sports here.
I like them so much that I have two.
Here's a picture of my slow one. It only does 60.2 GPS with a 3 liter Merc.

Tony

[FASTPACE]

HYDRO: I HAVE ALSO OWNED A VL 270 GLASS BOAT. RAN 63 MPH WITH A STOCK 150MAG II. VERY FISHABLE RIG. GOOD HOLE SHOT HIGH DRY RIDE. THEN TRADED FOR A DIAMOND VEE SERIES 1990 MODEL 200, WITH A 200 XP, RAN STOCK ABOUT 73 MPH FOR ABOUT 3.5 MINUNITES, LOCKED HER UP. THEY COVERED A NEW POWER HEAD, STILL RAN ABOUT 71 WITH STOCK JETS IN THE CARBS. THE 1988 150 FF IS A TRUE PAD BOAT. HAS A GOOD RIDE BUT NOT AS HIGH AS IT WILL BE WHEN I GET IT PROPPED CORRECTLY AND GET ENGINE RPM UP ENOUGHTO ALSO LIFT THE BOAT. THIS IS A DUAL CONSOLE MODEL SO I AM CARRING ABOUT 150# MORE WEIGHT THAN OTHER 17'9" BOATS. THIS BOAT WILL PORPOISE IF NOT TRIMMED PROPERLY DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION.

[FASTPACE]

TONY: GREAT SHOT OF YOUR YELLOW RIG. POST SOME INFO ON YOUR FAST ICON/////

[Tony Brucato]

It started as a 1987 dual console 19 footer. I added strakes and changed the pad.
Last year I cut everything out of the inside down to the bare hull, and built a small center console and flush front deck.
It handles very nice.
I'm running a 260 that's been modified by JSRE. Of course I have an SVS on it.

Tony

[FASTPACE]

TONY: I HAVE ONE STUPID QUESTION? WHAT DOES SVS MEAN? AND SEVERAL OTHERS. DID YOIU MAKE THE CENTER CONSOLE? WHAT ARE STRAKES/= ARE THEY THE STRAIGHT RAILS EITHER SIDE OF THE PAD? IF SO, I HAVE THOSE ON MY 88/150 FF. WHAT MODS. DID YOU DO TO THE PAD? WHAT TYPE GLASS MATTE DID YOU USE? HOW DID THE FINISH TURN OUT AND HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE A SLICK TOP COAT WITHOUT FISH EYES AND SEEING THE GLASS MATTE STRINGS? SO MANY QUESTIONS AND SO LITTLE TIME.

[mhr]

So would it be worth it to spend time and money on the Tri Star tunnel, or would I just end up with a crappy hull no matter how much I lightened and strengthened it? I am an engineer so I like to play with things that are different and interesting. I am just wondering if it would be worth it?

Mike
[email protected]

[Tony Brucato]

Fastpace,

SVS means "Stackable Velocity System". Check out http://brucatosvs.com/
Yes, the strakes are the flat steps that run lengthwise on either side of the pad. They provide lift at low speed. I added two pairs to mine and built up a 10 1/2" wide pad on top of the V pad that was already there.
I built the strakes and pad out of Sitka spruce epoxied to the existing hul. Covered with cloth and West epoxy. Filling and sanding for a long time.
Mike,
I would think that if you can lighten the Tri Star enough it would be worth your efforts. It would definately be different and interesting! If it's worth it to you, is all that matters.

Tony

[JTS Racing]

Fastpace, has your hull been modified??? There was somewhat of a fix for the porpoising. It involved adding a small wedge to the outter corners at the rear. This helped force the nose down at slower speeds without hurting the top performance. If it hasn't been done it would be worth looking at.

Mike, my opinion of the tunnel bass is they were not designed for the average guy and got a bad rep pretty quick. Most can be made real fast "for a bass boat" for the straight shots but you really have to be careful in the turns. I know several guys that have "hooked" um and went swiming. They also don't ride as smooth as the pad V's in rough water. You have to have some power to get um aired out before they run well due to their weight. I never had a tristar but have owned a VT Rocket and a Shadow. As for playing with yours and making it faster, yes that can be done. Nothing like a good winter project.

[Superdave]

Here's a pic of the starboard side bottom. I ook it at an odd angle, if you need a better one I can try. Notice the v-pad. This is what Hydro & myself were reffering to. Makes a BIG difference.

[Tony Brucato]

Hydro,

You said that you worked at Hydra-Sports in the 80's. Here's a question for you.
Are the hulls that are marked as Kevlar just reinforced with it or are they layed up 100% kevlar? Thanks.

Fastpace, here's a picture of my bottom mods.

[Puretexan26]

Hey guys. I have been out of town , but am glad to see all the replies. One thing i was thinkign about whiel i was gone is the complete absence fo any kind of strakes on this hull. I thought this was unique when i bought the boat, as i have never seen a hull that is completely slick like this one. Am i just wasting my time with this hull or should i look for something else. All i was really looking for was the motor, but for the price i couldn't resist. the hull needs some work, but doing glasswork is no problem. i currently have the hull stripped down so i can roll it to do the repairs on the bottom, but if i am beating a dead horse then there is no sense. thanks.

Mike

[JTS Racing]

Sorry for the delayed reply. In response to the 100% Kevlar, that's tricky, but without getting technical, Yes. The Kevlar hulls had one layer, I don't remember the exact weight, of the golden cloth layed the full length of the hull on the bottom and sides. Gel shot, first lay std glass matte, second lay was Kevlar. Stringers, braces, rail plates, floor, transom, etc. were put in with std glass matte and cloth.

Texan, is the hull "deep" compared to the std type bass boat. HS also had a salt water division that was building some smaller style deep-V hulls for open or big water use with a bass or pleasure deck. They ride a lot better in the rough than a pad boat.

[Unloaded Racing]

Were the center console boats truely a production hull? I know of a couple that were here in Kentucky and one had Darris all tore up at the Speed Trials. I may be able to get some pictures of one of them.
Tim

[JTS Racing]

You refering to the bass and pleasure hulls with a center console deck? They were not making any....in production....when I was there. I sorta fell out of the boat market for several years after that and I don't recall ever seeing one that was production built. There was a few special built 179's with a center console setup that were lite and fast, but those were custom. Not even the bottom was the same as the production hulls. I left in Oct of 83.

Tim, you going to Smoking in the Cove and are you planning on running Jasper. I got my fuel curve real close. Top is good and playing with the mid now to see if I can improve any there. Going to Plymouth next weekend to see were it stands on just GAS. Man do I need a new prop. Threw a blade on my best one and the second best is almost 12 mph slower on top. :(

See ya,

Jeff

[Superdave]

I worked at Jimmy Holt's Sports Center and we were a tax write off for Jim & Jack Reeves. Where in TN do you live? I know Hydra-Sports had their main plant close to the fairgrounds & a salt water plant on Foster Ave. I live in Hermitage, sub div called Hermitage Hills or aka Bonnaville!
Dave

[JTS Racing]

My memory is almost crap. I think it has something to do with the limited amount of living brain cells:rolleyes: Everytime I learn something, I loose something:eek: I had forgoten about the sports center on the corner of Donaldson Pk and Murf. road. Yes, the Salty Sports was on Foster and the "bass boat" facility was on Oceanside just down from the race track.

In those days I made the drive from the Center Hill Lake area all the way to Nashville. I live on the north side of Murfreesboro now and have about a 15 mile ride to the office in LaVergne and thats tooooo far. :)

[Unloaded Racing]

I think there is still one of the 179 center console boats here in Kentucky. Henry Higgins had one and took the speed trials record from Darris. There was another guy here that had one that a couple years later he took Henry's record by skiing the gearcase. I'll try to get some pictures of Henry's boat.

As for Smokin' in the Cove we are not going. Having to use what time I have between now and Jasper to get ready. We will see you there. Are you running CCC props? If you are Good Luck finding one. See you in Jasper

Tim

[da buckwheat]

was a 1977 model 178V, blue and silver metal flake. It was a pad-V and was 18'3" in length. It was a Kevlar 49 reinforced boat and I think it had an 83" beam. It was rated for a 150 and I had a 175 Black Max installed on mine.

I bought the boat through Binfords dealership in Rome, GA. I went to the factory to pick-out a boat and options and went back 3 weeks later to pick the finished boat up.

As best I can remember, the boat did have lifting strakes, but they were different than my current Allison.

The Hydra-Sport boats were still being made with the big plastic Hydra-Sport plaques rivited on the sides and I special ordered mine with the stick-on decals and lightning bolts only. They quite putting the tacky looking plastic plaques on them the next year.

I can't remember what the boat weighed but it probably weighed about 900lbs. Mine ran about 68 mph with a 175 and Pendergrass cut Chopper. The boat was much easier to drive than my current XB2002 Allison, but didn't have near the speed potential. The boat rode and handled very well and was one of the best rough water boats I have ever ridden in. The boat was pretty deep and was more stable to walk around in than most of the then popular side-sponson boats.

I can also remember a few center-steer boats setting on the factory yard when I picked my boat up. They were various lengths and pad-Vs that I guess the factory was racing.

The only gripe I had about the boat was that it was much more prone to rot than modern day boats. The wood did not appear to be sealed or glassed in well. It was a very tough boat though.

I hated to see the company taken over by OMC. I think the elimination of engine choices was the kiss of death for what was a very popular high performance bass boat. I think most of Hydra-Sport's attention was also being diverted to higher margin off-shore fishing boats too.

I'd be interested in hearing more about Hydra-sport's history if anyone else here worked for them or had first hand knowledge of the company.

[Superdave]

I don't know the complete history, but I do know that when Jim Reeves got ill he was very sceptical at turning the business over to his son Jack for some reason! Earl Bentz came to Hydra-sports sometime in the mid 80's. Of course you know he was one of the best Formula drivers ever sponsored by Mercury. That's why we installed Mercs & Mariners only at the sports center. Earl was instrumental in adding the VEE-LOK & this was when they came out with a boat 20' long. Soon after they came out with Javelin boats as a cheaper version, but that didn't last long. Javelin is one of the better built boats in the area. We all know Earl left and started Stratos boats in Old Hickory, TN. OMC bought into them and it wasn't long he sold out and went to Ashland City, TN and started Triton boats. I heard HS moved to N Carolina and went bankrupt, moved to S Carolina & did same. Don't know where they went from there. I had Greg (S&F) post an aticle that was in the local paper of Alan Stinsonm. He worked there for years and has come up with is own design by computer. I'll try to find the article. I think he used the Aeromarine software to design it. Well the attachment didn't work, try this link.
atrticle (http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/superdave37076/vwp?.dir=/Boat+article&.dnm=new+bass+boat.jpg&.src=bc&.view=l&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/superdave37076/lst%3f%26.dir=/Boat%2barticle%26.src=bc%26.view=l)
dave

[JTS Racing]

Dave, your close. Earl was there around 3-4 years. Left just before I did. The econo line of boats we started producing was called Vector which was a reworked version of the earlier HS's. I think the Javlin name came along after the OMC acquisition. The HS group that moved to NC was the salt water facility??? Earl did join Stratos with OMC and when OMC acquired HS the bass and ski hulls were produced for a short time in Old Hickory with Statos before being moved to Murfreesboro. I haven't been to Old Hickory in some time, but isn't that plant vacant?? Earl and Roake started Triton in an old warehouse off Trinity Lane in Nashville and later moved Ashland City once the product took off.

[da buckwheat]

get log-on/unauthorized screens when I try to click on links to pictures or attachments (and I am already logged on). Is it just me or are all of you having that problems with this on the S&F site?

For some reason, a few of the attachment links work.... but most (90%) don't.


Thanks

da Buckwheat

[Superdave]

I always thought it was strange that Mercury let someone like Earl be bought out by OMC. You are correct about the Javelin-OMC. Remember the 158 Vees! Ran like a scalded dawg with a stock 80 Mariner. Did you know Denny Warren? Great guy. Was working at H-S, but don't know where he is now. He gave up a good job at Nissan to stay in boats. I know his wife didn't seem too happy. O'well whatever makes your boat float.
Dave

[savage]

I get the same problem !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What can be done to fix it ??????????

[chris_lacey]

I was just reading this post, especially about the Kevlar and it brought to mind the story Earl told in his book about the dealer he called "Bullet proof Bob". Kevlar boat, Bullet proof Bob, Hmmm, you figure it out. He claims he fixed the boat under warranry.
;) ;) ;) :D