Stripper 'Stream

[jpeelout]

Man this crap is a pain in the butt! I'm using a 4" grinder with a wire wheel to get the four layers of paint, two layers of bondo, and about five layers of primer off. It's not extremely hard, just time consuming. The boat started out brown with silver metal flake, then was painted red, then just bondoed and primed before white paint was applied. The complete deck looks horrible so I am stripping it to repaint. I had read that the gel coat was put on thick from the factory so I am using the grinder. This is not true in my case, as it is just over paper thin and already I have gone through the gel in a few small spots.

I am planning to leave the hull white as it is in great shape and still shines. But what color or colors do I paint the deck and interior. I was thinking mostly white with black in the middle of the bow and over the windshield channel rials all the way back to the splash well but I am open to suggestions. Oh, I forgot to mention it's a '78 Hydrostream Viper.

As far as the complete resto I was planning, I was enlightened by my brother-in-law who is a boat mechanic, that it only needs a stiffener on the outside of the transome. The guys that owned it before me had done a pretty decent job on the fiberglass/wood work.

[Riverman]

And the big question is.....




Has it been recored?

[oldskier]

I was enlightened by my brother-in-law who is a boat mechanic, that it only needs a stiffener on the outside of the transome. The guys that owned it before me had done a pretty decent job on the fiberglass/wood work.


:eek:!

[Hippie459MN]

:eek:!

:iagree: :eek: :eek:

[jpeelout]

Before y'all get all freaked out and junk, My brother-in-law is pretty reputable in this area so I don't have anything to worry about! In fact he wants the boat just as bad as I do, if not more. After looking at the inside of the transome area, we found no rot in the wood and in fact the fiberglass resin is a dark color and not the wood. solid like rock.

Riverman, that is the big question. We both did the rubber mallet test on the hull at different times and got supprisingly good results. I said that I don't plan to do the resto now but I am not apposed to redoing the boat later.

You guys wouldn't have any advice on the stripping process would y'all? If so, I am going to keep an open mind for the suggestions. Hopefully this will get done in time to ride before it gets too cold for me to enjoy riding in it. I am almost tempted to run it with the paint stripped off and bare metalflake showing.....ALMOST!!!!! We usually ride in our boats all year long becuase msot of us around here hunt out of them.

No, I'm not going to hunt from a Hydrostream!

[jpeelout]

Had to take a break for a couple of days because of the weather and a meeting. How can I tell if I have a comp hull? My Viper is a 78 model. After seeing a couple Viper decks with the crossmembers molded in, it has me wondering. Mine doesn't have these and I can make the bow area flex with moderate pressure about 3/8" to 5/16" from one or two fingers. Just wondering.

[samari]

Comps don't have a floor just 4 stringers.

If you're not familiar with the hydrostream brand and it's core I suggest doing a search and reading a little. I,we stress this to keep you safe.

I sanded the gell off the bottom of my viper but it took forever. 36 gritt was my friend.

[jpeelout]

I've heard some horror storys on the cores of these boats, do you think it would be that much a factor with a stock 90hp mariner/merc?

[XstreamVking]

You might benefit from using some chemical stripper. Use it for the top stuff, then finish out the stripping process with 80#grit on a d/a. I used some stuff called Tal-Strip last time I did one like yours. Check with your supplier for the newest and best.. Be patient and try not to cause your self more work.

[oldskier]

I've heard some horror storys on the cores of these boats, do you think it would be that much a factor with a stock 90hp mariner/merc?


You will hear more if you hang around long enough. All due respect to you and your brother-in-law, but if you have an original 'Stream with a dry solid core I think you are the first here on this site. We all HOPED we had one but we were all wrong.

Oldskier
Samurai
Riverman
RJDubiel
Matt Gent
Maple Leaf
Quinten
Mragu (check HIS story out, never rigged or in the water-rotten core!)
and many others I can't remember right now.

It is only a factor if you want to go fast. You will.....

[Hippie459MN]

Add me to that list. Mine was partially redone by someone else and even the new section of core in mine was soaking wet. And also, The thump test is not a very good test as mine sounded just fine but it wasnt at all.

[Riverman]

Bernie how could you miss Jeffy (Sonik)?? :smiletest: His is very minty yet rotten.

Jpeelout, it needs a core, they all do. Yes it is unsafe to use the boat without recoring, and if you're going to all the trouble to make it look nice make it structurally sound too. :thumbsup:

[oldskier]

Bernie how could you miss Jeffy (Sonik)?? :smiletest: His is very minty yet rotten.

Jpeelout, it needs a core, they all do. Yes it is unsafe to use the boat without recoring, and if you're going to all the trouble to make it look nice make it structurally sound too. :thumbsup:


:iagree:What HE said. (Couldn't remember Jeff's screen name...)

Not tryin to discourage you, just the facts ... it's WORTH it not to wonder how hard you will be hitting the dash if it delaminates.

[jpeelout]

Thanks guys! Sorry hadn't replied before (major computer issues and wanted to punch it in the face then do some ground and pound on it). I think it's time to rebuild this boat. I definately do NOT want to hit the dash at any speed!!! It's kind of hard to swallow but I have other boats to ride in until I get this bugger done. How hard is it to get the deck off of the hull? Thanks again, Josh.

[jpeelout]

Hey so in the mean time, what color(s)/ paint scheme should I go with?

[afr]

me to i have had 4 myself and done maybe 50 recores over the years

[Riverman]

How hard is it to get the deck off of the hull? Thanks again, Josh.I didn't split mine, I did it all underneath and I'm 6'2".

[jpeelout]

That's nuts, I'm going to take another look at your resto before I start mine. I guess i've seen most of them done splitting the havles.

[jpeelout]

for not listening to y'all!!!! The transition from the floor to the right at a minium side is caulked in using sheetrock caulk!!!!! What kind of moron does this to a hi perf boat? I nor will anyone else be seeing this boat in the water much less riding in it any time soon. Total resto to follow elsewhere in the fourm. Again guys, thanks for the advice. I'm going to need much more in the future. Josh

[oldskier]

The transition from the floor to the right at a minium side is caulked in using sheetrock caulk!!!!! What kind of moron does this to a hi perf boat? Josh

Josh, I've heard of floors made of OSB and I have a little 14 ft aluminum fish bote that had a transom made of OSB....The interior of my Powercat was built with 3/4 plywood and 2X4's and it had every type of aluminum and steel available at Ace Hardware bolted to the transom to try and keep the motor off the bottom of the lake.

You'll be glad you recored it when you are done, but don't get in a hurry, it will take LOTS of time.

NOTHING feels like a ride in a boat you have completely rebuilt yourself.:thumbsup:

Bernie

[jpeelout]

Josh, I've heard of floors made of OSB and I have a little 14 ft aluminum fish bote that had a transom made of OSB....The interior of my Powercat was built with 3/4 plywood and 2X4's and it had every type of aluminum and steel available at Ace Hardware bolted to the transom to try and keep the motor off the bottom of the lake.

You'll be glad you recored it when you are done, but don't get in a hurry, it will take LOTS of time.

NOTHING feels like a ride in a boat you have completely rebuilt yourself.:thumbsup:

Bernie
Quick question, What is OSB?

[samari]

OSB is regular outdoor plywood, you want to use marine ply.

I didn't split my deck for the core either.

[Riverman]

OSB is oriented strand board, the crap they sheet houses with.

Untreated exterior plywood is fine, it's the encapsulation that counts. No need to go to the expense of marine ply.

[twright55]

OSB=Oriented Strand Board

It's the stuff that looks like a bunch of wood chips glued together (which is what it actually is.)
It's actually stronger per weight than regular plywood in shear in one direction, but the glue is not very water resistant.

[oldskier]

OSB= when you get it wet it turns back in to garden mulch.

[jpeelout]

Thanks guys. So I started tearing up the floor and it was all wet (no suprise anymore) plus it had 2x6" pine shelf boards to support it on top of the rotten stringers. Three across the back, three across the middle, and three between the dash and bulkhead with three longways down the center. The floor was plywood (untreated) that was held in with about 24 screws. The downside is I was so ticked off that I didn't take any pictures before and during the demolition. Oops!

You guys are saying I can use regular pine plywood for the bulk of the structural stuff as long as it's incased with glass really well, right?

[oldskier]

You can use regular outdoor plywood. You could use marine plywood. You could use corecell or coosaboard or another type of synthetic material. You could use epoxy or polyester resin or vinylester resin. All have been done with success. Just make sure the wood is fully encapsulated like Jeff said. The balsa is 1/2 inch.

Don't worry about pics at this stage except for yourself, we have all seen TOO MUCH rotten wood in Hydrostreams. Just make sure you post some as you get to the rebuild! We love to see a rotten boat getting a reprieve from the landfill.

[jpeelout]

Will do Oldskier. Thanks again, Josh

[Riverman]

Don't worry about pics at this stage except for yourself, we have all seen TOO MUCH rotten wood in Hydrostreams.Bernie, you've saved him a ton of work already!

[jpeelout]

Back to working on my boat today!!! Gonna get messy!!!! Do I really need the bulkhead and tank up front or can I just rip it out without worrying about measurements for a new one?

[chargerk1d 2]

U just need that bulkead thats all i did on mine its an easy thing to do i just redone my viper all new core and every thing i have a thread up here also i followed riverman on his thread and that was a big help

[jpeelout]

Charger, the bulkhead is junk!!! The bottom 2" of it are shreaded like the rest of my boat (check out the part where I pulled up the carpet!), so I am going to have to do something with it anyway. At a bare minium it has to go without being replaced. Thanks anyway though, Josh.

[jpeelout]

Oh, how does your viper run with that 90hp on it?

[jpeelout]

Thinking of rebuilding my 90 Mariner 2-stroke to put on mine.

[jpeelout]

Riverman and Oldskier,

My core has been cut out for the most part by the previous idiot. I'm trying to figure out how much core is on the outboard sides of the stringers so I don't cut into the bottom of my hull. Also was the core in your boats feathered into the bottom of the hull on the outermost edges? Mine is not.

[Riverman]

Don't quite understand the question. Core is 1/2 inch thick.

[jpeelout]

Oops, I'm trying to figure out how wide the core is, and was typing one handed while eating a bowl of cereal at the same time.

Sorry about that,
Josh

[Riverman]

To remove the glass on top of the core, set a skill saw to cut 1/4 inch deep and make a bunch of cuts about an inch apart. You should be able to easily see where it ends, just under the coaming.

[jpeelout]

To remove the glass on top of the core, set a skill saw to cut 1/4 inch deep and make a bunch of cuts about an inch apart. You should be able to easily see where it ends, just under the coaming.
Please excuse me for being ignorant but what is the coaming? I am looking at oldskier's resto and can see a better picture of what I am looking for. I know now that someone tore out most of the core and didn't replace any. The core between the stringers is still there but, outside of the stringers between the bulkhead and about 10" in front of the transome, there is no core.
Josh

[jpeelout]

Was the core on y'all boats feathered in at the most outboard edge? The 10" section in the rear of mine is squared off so I want to make sure it stops there and not further up towards the deck, like someone put in another core on top of the original one.

[jpeelout]

Ahoh!!!!!!! I found how thick the glass is the hard way! Gotta make a repair to the outer hull. This also confrimed my theory that there is no more core on the outside of the stringers. Time to start getting the bulkhead and airbox out. Back to work.
Josh

[Riverman]

Mine had core just outside the stringers.

[jpeelout]

Riverman,
Mine had core outside of the stringers at one time also but, it was removed not entirely by one ov the previous owners.
Josh

[jpeelout]

How do I go about fixing the hole that i made in the bottom? Should I fill it in from the inside or scrape paint off the bottom until I hit glass and fix it that way? I may glass the inside to make it even then scrape the outside and use filler before repainting and buffing.

[jpeelout]

Well, I have to take a break for a while from the boat. Have orders to be at the armory at 0700hrs on sunday morning so we can deal with this oil rig "accident". I was told to tell my guys to pack for two weeks (last time we were told two weeks it turned into 18 months and a trip around the world!) so hopefully we won't be gone long. Will talk to y'all when I get back. Josh


Oh, by the way, I've been in the LA National Guard for almost 10 years.

[ViperVince]

I am just starting a re-core on my 80 Viper. Some tools I found very handy are a sawsall, a multi-pupose tool ( I got mine at Harbor Freight for $50, the cutting blades are great for light cutting and make no dust, the scraper works well for getting the thin layers of wood that are left on the glass off, and a roto-zip with the saw attachment and a wood blade. My transom is good so I will be leaving the deck on.

[jpeelout]

Came home for a couple days and headed back out in the morning, She sure seems sad back there all by herself. Wish I could take some more time to work on her. On a lighter note, I've been spotted (reportedly) on CNN twice as the head of security trying to explain to some reporters that they were filming in the wrong area. Leave it to the media to distort everything about the military, LOL! Anyway, back to work tomorrow on the other end of the state this time. Guess I'll be in touch as often as I can.

[jpeelout]

I'm back! Thank God, and I have a pretty good tan too! Now if I can only get the motivation back that I had before I left. In the Army, we say that false motivation is better than none at all, but then again this ain't the Army! Think I'll just start reading y'all post so I can get my hopes up again, maybe that'll do, we'll see.

[jpeelout]

I started working on it again at the begining of Jan. I've taken out almost all of the core and cut out most of the bladder under the deck. I'm planning to keep the two halves together that way I can save on materials cost. It is pretty cramped up there though. I was wondering, would the hull be ok if I used plywood for the core? I am going to use it for the stringers, transom, and the support areas under the deck. I'm still debating on the cowl for the splash well but that thing is just going to be cosmetic.

I tore into the motor a bit and found some scarry stuff in there! I have a long way to go before I need to worry about though.

Had to stop for a few days this week as I had to do some stuff to try to get a job! That and the weather is quite frosty down here now. It was 33* at around 3:30 when I picked up my daughter from school. We even have ice siccles on the roofs at home! Needless to say, I can't work outside safely right and I have a sore throat to boot.

[jpeelout]

226980226979226978226977226976

[jpeelout]

226983226982226981

[BeefKid]

where are the pics of the progress!! lol take some of the inside before and after... im so close to finishing my vector i redid the whole thing and took the splash well out and its almost done... gotta glass the splashwell delete in and the floor then flip it to blueprint it and do some work to the bottom:thumbsup:

that motor is cool if you can restore that it would be really cool:thumbsup: keep goin man after the core is out and you grounded everything it gets easier! :cheers:
Dont forget the transom!!!

[wanagofass]

where are the pics of the progress!! lol take some of the inside before and after... im so close to finishing my vector i redid the whole thing and took the splash well out and its almost done... gotta glass the splashwell delete in and the floor then flip it to blueprint it and do some work to the bottom:thumbsup:

that motor is cool if you can restore that it would be really cool:thumbsup: keep goin man after the core is out and you grounded everything it gets easier! :cheers:
Dont forget the transom!!!
What exactly is blueprinting the bottom?

[BeefKid]

straightening it.. makin all the edges sharp (chines, pad)

[mickeyjr]

gotta glass the splashwell delete in and the floor then flip it to blueprint it and do some work to the bottom!

Hey Sean, why ya putting a floor in a race boat?

[wanagofass]

Hey Sean, why ya putting a floor in a race boat?
Hey Mickey, I ended up taking my viper to Dale to get most of the glass work done, it would be cool if I could get you over at his place one weekend to give me/us some tips and advice on stringer/knee placement.
PS. Did you end up getting the Vandal?

[BeefKid]

Hey Sean, why ya putting a floor in a race boat?

so i dont trip over a stringer and go through the boat! lol

[mickeyjr]

Hey Mickey, I ended up taking my viper to Dale to get most of the glass work done, it would be cool if I could get you over at his place one weekend to give me/us some tips and advice on stringer/knee placement.
PS. Did you end up getting the Vandal?

Your boat is in my carport. Its going to be nice! Negative on the Vandal, going to look at a turd on Sunday.

[wanagofass]

Cool, I feel kinda bad b/c I keep calling and he hasn't had much progress im not rushing it just anxious, im sure you know what i mean.

[jpeelout]

Beef I was told not to take pictures of the teardown of the core because there are so many pix on other threads! I wish it was that easy, to just rip out the core and replace in one weekend! My core has some very strong spots that are extremely hard to get out and then there are some that I can just use my wet/dry vac. and suck it out. Don't worry about the transome, as soo as I get my chainfall going again the motor will be off so I can start ripping that out.

What do you guys use to fill when blueprinting the bottom? Is it just bondo or....?

[BeefKid]

Beef I was told not to take pictures of the teardown of the core because there are so many pix on other threads! I wish it was that easy, to just rip out the core and replace in one weekend! My core has some very strong spots that are extremely hard to get out and then there are some that I can just use my wet/dry vac. and suck it out. Don't worry about the transome, as soo as I get my chainfall going again the motor will be off so I can start ripping that out.

What do you guys use to fill when blueprinting the bottom? Is it just bondo or....?

i hear that mine took a while... and was the same way some would come up with my fingers and some i had to grind out... i am gonna use cabisil (microfiber fiberglass that you mix with resin and it makes it like bondo or peanut butter like consistency) and i been useing that alot

[jpeelout]

Beef, sounds like a plan.

Has anyone used regular marine plywood for a core? Not that I want to cut corners but I haven't really found a place nearby that sells marine grade anything in any kind of volume. Like glass for instance, the largest amount was at ace hardware and wasn't marine spec. I haven't used it on my boat because I wanted to get larger quantity and different types. Right now all I have is a little bit of mat anr some woven stuff. it's only about 10 yds at the most all together.

[wanagofass]

You deff. dont want to use ply as a core just b/c it would be heavy as shiz, if you don't have a local marine supply I would order from Merton's or another online source.

[BeefKid]

Beef, sounds like a plan.

Has anyone used regular marine plywood for a core? Not that I want to cut corners but I haven't really found a place nearby that sells marine grade anything in any kind of volume. Like glass for instance, the largest amount was at ace hardware and wasn't marine spec. I haven't used it on my boat because I wanted to get larger quantity and different types. Right now all I have is a little bit of mat anr some woven stuff. it's only about 10 yds at the most all together.

Would definitely not use ply for core... and it would be hard to get it to bend to the boat... balsa is the lightest cheapest way out for me got all my stuff at fiberglass coatings here in FL they have a website and are very reasonable with price.. fgci.com

[jpeelout]

Yeah actually I am. My bad must have missed your post. So no ply!!! Got it.

[jpeelout]

Boy am I dumb! I thought you (wannagofass) were asking if I am deaf! LOL! Anyway, I've got it, no ply in the core. Now, what about just laying in a couple or 4 layers of glass instead of core? My thinking is that it would be more like a conventional hull and would last for ever. I usually ride on an open shallow lake that can get stupid ruff within 30 minutes or so. It's only about 6-8 feet deep in most areas where waves can get pretty choppy, white caps at about 7-10 mph.

[samari]

The extra weight of the amount of glass needed to equal the strength of a balsa core isn't worth it. If you take you rime and seal it well the balsa will last a lifetime. Remember when these boats were built it was at a factory where time is money so they didn't spend the amount of time one does when rebuilding them.

[Riverman]

Now, what about just laying in a couple or 4 layers of glass instead of core? My thinking is that it would be more like a conventional hull and would last for ever.It would be heavier and nowhere near as strong.

[chargerk1d 2]

when i did mine i used heavy wetsand paper so it would come out even the grinder could cause grooves in boat

[chargerk1d 2]

amd also you need the core to give it the actual strenght the boat needdes i used 1/2 inch balsa in mine with 2 layers of 2 oz mat and it is rock solid

[jpeelout]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm really just trying to explore my options as I haven't done any glass work of this magnitude before. The closest thing I built was a storage box for some tools a couple years back. It was made mostly out of mat with a ply structure.

Also I noticed when I was grinding, I have more than one hole in the bottom. I made one on the left, and found three more on the right. The right ones look like someone put some screws through the hull, then backed them out and filled with regular white window caulk. I geuss they didn't think anyone would see it as the whole boat was painted white.

[Alan Power]

Now, what about just laying in a couple or 4 layers of glass instead of core?

The comp streams had no core and they were light weight, not sure if I'd go 4 layers of glass (depending on the weight of glass used) but it will need some extra glass and a stringer system.
These boats didnt have a floor and were mainly race boats. Not ideal to be walking around on the thin skin and tripping over stringers.

You would be well ahead to recore with balsa or similar.

[mickeyjr]

The comp streams had no core

Where did you hear that?

[BeefKid]

The comp streams had no core and they were light weight

mine does... and it is alot lighter than the reg layup i got too

[Alan Power]

Where did you hear that?

Honestly! I cant remember but as far as I'm aware true.
Now you have me doubting myself.

[mickeyjr]

If some were built without core I've never seen one, and we owned a bunch of them.

[Alan Power]

Cool, not doubting you, I just have that stuck in my head somehow! Did they have a floor?

Man I must dig the Vking out this year, I miss driving that boat sooo much. Nothing ive ever driven handles like it!!

[BeefKid]

no floor open stringers and a seat box

[mickeyjr]

Hey Sean. How did you do the area where the seatbox was? It was an awkward design unless you were under 5' tall.

Let's see some pics.

[BeefKid]

Hey Sean. How did you do the area where the seatbox was? It was an awkward design unless you were under 5' tall.

Let's see some pics.

gettin to that this weekend im gonna put a small floor in mine that will act as outside stringers and my seat will be either on the floor or a very small seat box so i will be sittin LOW in the boat which is what i want... splashwell is done just need to do the floor and go over the bottom and we should be rigging:thumbsup:

[jpeelout]

Finally!!! I started a new job yesterday so I won't have as much time to work on it but I will have a lot more money to put into it. Considering I didn't have any money to put into it, it's not saying a whole lot. Hope all y'all projects are going great. going to get back to mine tomorrow morning. Still have some core to take out and finish taking out the air tank in the front.

So what size/type of balsa should I use? What is the easiest way to make another air tank? Should I make a mold or should I make a "shelf" out of say 1/4" ply and glass it in completely?

[oldskier]

Finally!!! I started a new job yesterday so I won't have as much time to work on it but I will have a lot more money to put into it. Considering I didn't have any money to put into it, it's not saying a whole lot. Hope all y'all projects are going great. going to get back to mine tomorrow morning. Still have some core to take out and finish taking out the air tank in the front.

So what size/type of balsa should I use? What is the easiest way to make another air tank? Should I make a mold or should I make a "shelf" out of say 1/4" ply and glass it in completely?

Congrats on the new job!

The balsa is 1/2 inch. It is made in 1 X 2 inch blocks attached to a 'scrim' cloth that allows it to conform to the shape of the bottom. Each sheet is 2 ft. by 4 ft. It is really easy to cut since it is end grain. (Think of pieces of a 1X2 cut off 1/2 inch thick and glued to a piece of cloth with the grain standing on end.)

The air tank was made of really thin stuff on mine, I would use the thinnest ply I could get, 1/4 would work fine, and lay in a couple layers of 1 1/2 oz. mat or a layer of stitchmat. Make sure it is completely saturated in resin. I'd get a good fan to blow some air under the deck to keep you from choking on the fumes while you work under there....

[Riverman]

That's interesting Bernie, my air tank was 3/8" plywood and had 3/4" of chop on it. Ugh!

[jpeelout]

Oldskier, thanks I'm happy to have a new job. My airbox was solid resin about 3/16" thick but was pretty strong. I am thinking about using paneling for a blank to make a mold and just pop a new airbox completely of fiberglass. Maybe 1/8" but using mat and woven roving instead of resin alone.

I think I understand what y'all mean with the core as far as the make up of it. I will go with 1/2". How hard is it to keep it down to bond it to the hull in contures?

[jpeelout]

Going with a buddy to pick up a vking this afternoon. Guess I'll have two streams at the house for a while since he can't have it at his. He lives in a restricted area and I'm way out in the country wher nobody cares.

[BeefKid]

hows the viper coming?

[oldskier]

That's interesting Bernie, my air tank was 3/8" plywood and had 3/4" of chop on it. Ugh!

No wonder you decided to eliminate yours...mine was just like jpeelout is making his, just a couple layers of mat, no wood at all. I wonder why the lack of consistency in the old 'Streams?

Yeah,...what Beef said!?

[jpeelout]

The viper is hanging out in the yard far a little while longer, no real time to do what I need to do to it :(.

[Sonik]

Heres an old shot into my bow during my recore that I think is a good representation of how the builds differ. Notice on the right side how thin the air box is. All glass.....no wood.

EDIT: Notice how rotten the entire bow was too......pretty sad eh??

http://i43.tinypic.com/6ye7th.jpg

[Capt.Insane-o]

Ugh!!!! *twitch twitch*


All the air box lids are just glass, they don't need to be more than that. I don't put them back in on the boats I do (did). Just a couple bulk heads.

[oldskier]

Ugh!!!! *twitch twitch*

Easy Cap, easy...it's all over now, nothing to worry about....:D

[jpeelout]

Jeff, mine looks like your's also. including the entire bow area! What year is your's? Mine's a '78. I "thought" with the time change I would have more time to work on it but it's jusnt not going as planned.
Capt, chill out and don't worry about these boats, leave the headaches and itching to us (ID10Ts/dumb@$$es) or what ever we should be called. We"ll get thought for you!

[jpeelout]

Looks like my buddy is going to take the easy road out and buy something turn-key:(. Oh well, guess I will have to go it alone till I finish it. Why does missery love company so much?

[Riverman]

All the air box lids are just glass, they don't need to be more than that.

I have a section of my air tank lid at work that I use as a demonstration item to show my students how a chopper gun can get away from you. It's ugly.

[jpeelout]

I hate to say it but this project may end up with a new owner. I have some serious a.d.d. and it's hard to stay focussed on more than one thing, maybe I should get that checked or something!