Restoring a Hustler 16' Victor

[DanUmbarger]

I'm Dan Umbarger, son of Hustler Boats owner/designer and builder of the Hustler Sport boats. We've had an older Victor on our service and storage lot for quite a few years and this year I finally made the decision to completely restore this boat as it has always been my favorite model mainly because it was the first model my dad designed,built and raced, having won the high points championship in UU and was voted into the Gulf Hall of Fame in 1967. I actually had a Victor in the late 60's in the 5 or so years I was racing some of our models along with my dad. I actually started my restoration about 3 months ago and have taken tons of pics till now and will post them as I go along this journey. Any critiques and advise is always welcome. Being that this boat was sitting for many years, before we acquired it, on the ground, full of water...every piece of wood in this boat was ROTTEN! This has been one of those labor of love boats as I'll have way more in this boat than it will be worth. Well...heres some pics from the start till where I'm at now.362832362833362834362835362836362837362838362839362840362841362842362843

[FMP]

Fantasic

[DanUmbarger]

At one point in this boats life it appears someone already replaced the floor and added lumber to the sides of the keel and stringers. They also primed and painted the deck and hull with purple metal flake on the deck and sky blue metal flake on the hull. Actually the hull doesn't look too bad but the deck is peeling horribly so I'm now in the process of sanding down the whole boat and will figure out what to do with it in the spring. I'm leaning towards gelcoating it in flake ....knowing the labor involved I have to think it thru for sure ;) One of the main reasons for this restore is that my dad is 83 now and I would like to take him for a ride in a Victor while he's still around. I think he would get a lot of enjoyment and the memories would flood in I'm sure. I have a 140 Suzuki and a Johnson 135 I could use so that will be another decision down the road.362859362860362861362862

[FMP]

I would put nothing but a worked CHRYSLER on it. Later plowerflow 115 or 140, but I'm crazy like that.http://www.hurrikain.com/marine_images/1979-OB/ob-79-2.jpghttp://www.hurrikain.com/marine_images/1980-OB/ob-80-3.jpgthumbs up for the restoration

[DanUmbarger]

That would be a blast if I could find a couple of 105 race motors....that's what my dad raced in the late 60's. I think that would completely BLOW his mind :)362864362865

[Hippie459MN]

Cant wait to see how this turnes out. Hustlers being my first taste at a performance boat growing up, I have a soft spot for them. I would love to find a Wildcat someday again.

[Capt.Insane-o]

Wish I could find one of those shorty 85 mids and lowers. I have a complete 120 sport jet powerhead to play with and an chizzler cowl set in great shape.

This is still for sale up north it seems

http://nmi.craigslist.org/boa/5890459839.html

https://images.craigslist.org/00S0S_5SC0khAFuOq_1200x900.jpg
https://images.craigslist.org/01212_ktJ5iF9Slm0_1200x900.jpg
https://images.craigslist.org/00M0M_le0u2UOuqBV_1200x900.jpg

[FMP]

That short mid is a tough one to find.
Dan, a couple 140s could be found. YOU would need to find a couple early mid seventies cowls to make it right.

[DanUmbarger]

This is the exact version of the Victor that I'm restoring right now. We made three different versions and I just bought the first version a few days ago that happened to be right here in my town. Has a Johnson 135 on it and is in sad shape. I paid $600 for it ....bought it for the windshield and the motor basically. Possibly someday restore it. I'll keep and eye open for a 15' Wildcat for ya.362872

[FMP]

Could use a little air in that tire, I know of a couple 140s.

[Michael J Giesler]

Dan check with dick at dicks marine he had a old racing Chrysler motor a year ago and dan when your done would you like to restore my dad's old 15' competition hustler wildcat v bottom race boat just a thought lol

[Hippie459MN]

Dan check with dick at dicks marine he had a old racing Chrysler motor a year ago and dan when your done would you like to restore my dad's old 15' competition hustler wildcat v bottom race boat just a thought lol

Man, I would love to have that wildcat. My dad had a 15' wildcat comp with an old 850 merc that I grew up in and of course its long gone and they are not the easiest boats to find. Someday I will add one to my collection though.

[DanUmbarger]

I can't imagine how much he would want for something like that...lol...he doesn't give ANYTHING away ;) I hope I don't burn myself out BEFORE I get done with my Victor. I haven't even attempted to figure out the number of hours I have in it till now. The Wildcat would be another fun one to do. If I could ever find my old tunnel I would jump on that in a heartbeat.

[Ron V]

Hey Danny, glad to see you're working on the Victor. I know you were thinking about it the last time we talked. There was another Victor that used to sit back in the bushes on the back road heading up into Twin Lakes off of 173, with an old inline six on it. No cover, shot to hell. Don't know if it's still there. Not sure what happened to my uncle's old gold/green 19' Wildcat with the 85 Johnson. It was sold to a neighbor when he went in the nursing home. They sold it after a few years and I saw it on Bangs once after that. Bought my new Trailmaster from your brother at the McHenry store in 2012, hope you guys are doing well.

[DanUmbarger]

Hey Ron, Yea....I bit the bullet and decided to restore it. It's been a lot of work but will be awesome when it's done. I've decided to go the whole route and gelcoat/metal flake the deck and hull....want to bring it back to original. My whole reason for this restore is to take my dad for a ride in the boat that started Hustler. I'll have it running this summer but will probably finish the gelcoating next winter. I found another Victor with a 135 Johnson right here in McHenry that has the original windshield so that helped me out tremendously. Hope all is well with you....as I get farther along on this restore I'll post more to this thread....later....Dan



Hey Danny, glad to see you're working on the Victor. I know you were thinking about it the last time we talked. There was another Victor that used to sit back in the bushes on the back road heading up into Twin Lakes off of 173, with an old inline six on it. No cover, shot to hell. Don't know if it's still there. Not sure what happened to my uncle's old gold/green 19' Wildcat with the 85 Johnson. It was sold to a neighbor when he went in the nursing home. They sold it after a few years and I saw it on Bangs once after that. Bought my new Trailmaster from your brother at the McHenry store in 2012, hope you guys are doing well.

[outasite]

I see you have a motor.But a day or so ago, a Chrysler 130 very low hour,looks new under the cowl popped up here.Don't think it is to far from you,and priced very fairly.

[FMP]

Agreed, it looks real good and clean with the right TC1A carbs. 96 c.i. needs only some basics, shaved head and some port clean up. Upper and lower cowl as well as clamps and complete power head can be bolted up to later style 77+ leg and one piece powerflow lower. This one has the earlier version of the two , two piece style lowers.

[DanUmbarger]

Thanks for the heads up....at the moment I have a couple of options...a Suzuki 140 2 stroker and this Johnson 135. Not knowing how much this restore is going to cost I'm just going to hold off on any more motors. Does that Chrysler have the standard g/case? Not real familiar with the Chryslers other than my dad raced them in the 60's. We were an Evinrude dealer from the early 70's till about 83...took on Suszuki in 79 and currently are still Suzuki. Also took on Yamaha and Mariner for short periods. I still have to check out a dealer closeby ....he supposedly has an older Chrylser race motor...that is intriguing! Thanks again....Dan





I see you have a motor.But a day or so ago, a Chrysler 130 very low hour,looks new under the cowl popped up here.Don't think it is to far from you,and priced very fairly.

[FMP]

Yuck ugh, suki, kidding. That early two piece is the reg case. Most likely 1.73:1. You planning on a twin ? The race I assume you mean stacker with race lower. At first glance of the boat don't know the weight but the stackers tall gear and props might not do the best on that hull. Twins would. That 130 bolted to the later 1.73 one piece powerflow 20" leg with proper set up even without stacks would run better as a single I think because of the weight? Motor weight is about 260lbs dressed.

[outasite]

:thumbsup:My thought was that the Chrysler is a perfect period correct,for your boat.The OMC is a more saleable,"bass boat motor" you could pick up the Chrysler,sell the OMC and be even or maybe ahead of the game. JMO--Going to be an eye catcher for sure

[FMP]

YUp, we should get over there and build it for him before something happens LOL

[RIVERRUMMER 70]

No worries guys ......i think i'll have dan talked into building the 2002 2.5 200 merc in our showroom into a good powerplant.
Still less power than the ole man had with them stackers....!
Easy to find parts and plenty of speed to try and take a shot at our pro sport class in the N.I.D.B.A.;)
hint hint .......dan!;) YOUR GETTING TO "YOUNG" TO GOLF ON THURS NITE!:reddevil:
c.b.

[FMP]

Blasphemy lol

[DanUmbarger]

A little update on my restore job. Deck and hull back together,decks all sanded,boat is flipped and the hull is all sanded and the first coats of backround color is sprayed. Will block sand, fill pin holes and repair some missed dings. Depending on how that turns out will either respray a single coat of light blue and/or start spraying the flake. Man...it's been a LOT of sanding and MUCH more to come ;)367498367503367500367501367502

[GIL_CV21]

Looks good Dan , the good thing with gel its forgiving at this stage to fix blemishes .

[DanUmbarger]

Got the initial coat of back round color sanded/repaired and resprayed along with the sides and transom flaked. Came out very nice ... as long as everything cures correctly :) ...368988368989368990 The only issue is I have flake EVERYWHERE in my shop...lol...prolly take years to go away! Tomorrow I'll spray the clear and next week will spray the white then start SANDING!!!!

[Hippie459MN]

Very nice. Love the color. What are you using for paint? Im looking to flake my boat but not going to use gel just cause I dont have the funds for that undertaking so figured I will toss some big old flakes on the paint and hope for the best.

[DanUmbarger]

Hi Kevin, I'm using gelcoat...want to bring it back to original...lot of work but will be worth it in the end! This is the exact original color and from the same manufacturer we bought it from back in the sixties ( Meadowbrook). Am getting all the other materials from US Composites...Steve has been awesome answering all my questions. I found that it's actually cheaper to gelcoat it but is a lot more work than just painting.


Very nice. Love the color. What are you using for paint? Im looking to flake my boat but not going to use gel just cause I dont have the funds for that undertaking so figured I will toss some big old flakes on the paint and hope for the best.

[Da Bull]

I love that color flake. It takes talent to metalflake a boat that is not in a mold. Do you use a roller to make the flakes lay down?

DB

[home made tunnel]

Looks great !!!!

[DanUmbarger]

No roller...I sprayed it with a dump gun and a HVLP w/2.5 tip. I'll find out this morning how everything cured when I get in to my shop. I've had a lot of help from GIL_CV21 ,Steve from US Composites and many others from this forum and watched quite a few Youtube videos to get to where I'm at now. So far so good...time will tell.




I love that color flake. It takes talent to metalflake a boat that is not in a mold. Do you use a roller to make the flakes lay down?

DB

[FMP]

Sharp, paint the Merc white !http://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=362864&d=1475377713http://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=368989&d=1489033430

[phillnjack]

Looks like your turning thta into a realy nice boat. nice colour.

[GIL_CV21]

Looks good Dan , did you get it covered in one shot ? Keep the pictures coming !

[DanUmbarger]

Yes Gil, I shot 1 coat of the light blue backround then followed with around 3 medium coats of flake which seemed to cover it well. Then this afternoon I shot 3 ish coats of 10% gel/duratec followed by another 3 ish coats of 40% gel/duratec with 1 oz of wax per qt. It took 120 oz of clear and approx 6 oz flake in each 20 oz 369083369084 and 96 oz of clear w/ 32 oz of duratec to do the clear coat. I mixed the gel/flake 2 qt at a time in a 2 1/2 qt container and the same for the clear coats...worked out slick. It's still chilly here so cure times were a little slower. Shot the flake with the dump gun and the clear coat with the HVLP 2.5 tip....there is definitely a lot of orange peel that hopefully will sand out before hitting the flake.

containers
Looks good Dan , did you get it covered in one shot ? Keep the pictures coming !

[FMP]

Dan I reposted your pics zoomed , you mind?

[DanUmbarger]

I have no problem with it.


Dan I reposted your pics zoomed , you mind?

[DanUmbarger]

Hey FMP....427man has his Frankenmerc...I have my Frankenrude!!! I think for the time being I'm going to use the Johnson 135. I was given a trim and tilt assy/swivel hsg./clamp brkts. along with the cover from a 1988 Evinrude 90. I like the color of the Evinrude better...think it will match the Hustler restore better. I fitted the assy to this motor and will paint it when I find the right color.I know your a Chrysler guy but what do ya think of my idea?


369213
Dan I reposted your pics zoomed , you mind?

[DanUmbarger]

It will be a SMOKIN 90HP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Michael J Giesler]

Looks good when are you going to be ready for my dad's hustler lol

[DanUmbarger]

After the hours of work on this boat...it will be awhile before I do another...unless he wants to sell it to me! :D



Looks good when are you going to be ready for my dad's hustler lol

[FMP]

Hey FMP....427man has his Frankenmerc...I have my Frankenrude!!! I think for the time being I'm going to use the Johnson 135. I was given a trim and tilt assy/swivel hsg./clamp brkts. along with the cover from a 1988 Evinrude 90. I like the color of the Evinrude better...think it will match the Hustler restore better. I fitted the assy to this motor and will paint it when I find the right color.I know your a Chrysler guy but what do ya think of my idea?


369213

http://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=369213&d=1489165047
Paint it white, think it will look good with the cowl. Maybe top of cowl white ?

[FMP]

Nice and simplehttp://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=369219&d=1489177513

[FMP]

I have no problem with it.


http://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=369083&d=1489102859http://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=369084&d=1489102927

[Michael J Giesler]

How about the twin to my dad's the competition wildcat tunnel

[DanUmbarger]

Is that boat close? At some point I'll prolly restore a family tunnel I have on our property which I would cut down the sides on to make it like the one in your pic. I would love to borrow the fairing from that boat to pop a mold off of
!! Do you know the guy that owns it?



How about the twin to my dad's the competition wildcat tunnel

[RIVERRUMMER 70]

after the hours of work on this boat...it will be awhile before i do another...unless he wants to sell it to me! :d
we could use some work Dan......SOME OF US ARE NOT WORKING!:icon_bs:
IM SURE MR GIESLER GOT SOME CASH.:thumbsup:

[RIVERRUMMER 70]

looks good when are you going to be ready for my dad's hustler lol
bring it over mikey! WE NEED THE WORK!

[DanUmbarger]

Even charging $1.00 an hour plus materials it would take more than the boat is worth....ask me how I know :D


we could use some work Dan......SOME OF US ARE NOT WORKING!:icon_bs:
IM SURE MR GIESLER GOT SOME CASH.:thumbsup:

[Michael J Giesler]

My dad said to ask your dad if it's still covered under warranty he laughed and says he is the original owner lol

[DanUmbarger]

No more warranty but Craig sounds like he'd love to work on it for you ;)

[RIVERRUMMER 70]

no more warranty but craig sounds like he'd love to work on it for you ;)
for sure.....AND I WONT DECIDE FOR YOU HOW MUCH YOUR FAMILY HIERLOOM IS WORTH!;)
YOU SEE DAN ......SOME THINGS HAVE A VALUE BEYOND THE "BLUE BOOK"
LIKE THE ONE YOUR DOING NOW, YOU PUT MORE TIME/CASH INTO IT THAN YOU CAN SELL IT FOR ......WHY?:confused:
BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO ....AND YOU HAVE THE CASH/TIME.
IM SURE WE CAN STREAMLINE THE PROCESS AND CUT A FEW HOURS OFF OF YOUR TOTAL IN THE VICTOR ....MIKEYS DADS BOAT IS A LITTLE 15' COMP........NO FLOOR NO SEATS NO PROBLEM.;)
SHOP IS ALL MESSY NOW, TOOLS ARE OUT, NO WORK TO DO OTHERWISE?:rolleyes:

[DanUmbarger]

Hey Mike, Craig and I have talked and there is a possibility that we might entertain the thought of doing your dads boat...but it would have to be during the winter and I am going to need some recoup time before I do another. I still hope I don't burn myself out with this one. We'll talk....Dan




Looks good when are you going to be ready for my dad's hustler lol

[DanUmbarger]

Well...the hull is all gelcoated, flake, 369607369608clear and white. Will start SANDING later in the week. Hope to have it sanded and buffed in a couple of weeks so I can get the thing flipped back over and on a trailer :smiletest:

[DanUmbarger]

As it ends up I'm going to have to spray a few more coats of clear on the flake. Started sanding the transom and everything looked good so I moved to the sides. It was taking FOREVER to sand the boat with 320 so I went to 220 and that still took forever so I dropped to 120 and that was better. Took it slow and by the time I got down to just a few shinny spots on the surface I believe I started seeing a very little patch of silver flakes so I must have started to go thru. I stopped there and will spray more clear with Duratec in it and start the process over with I'm sure much less orange peel. Luckily I did the hull first so it won't be as noticeable as it would have on the deck. As a side note I think the surface is harder than normal because I put wax in the final coats of clear. Not sure if I will do that on the next few coats. I will spray several more coats on the deck when I get to it so I don't have to respray that too. All in all I'm still having a good time doing this restore job.

[DanUmbarger]

Have finally got the hull sanded,buffed and flipped back over...turned out pretty good if I don't say so myself. Was very careful to not sand thru the clear and the white gelcoat again. There's still a little orange peel in a couple of spots but overall looks very good. Will spray more flake and clear on the deck to get hopefully a flawless finish. Got to put this restore on hold for a while because I'm getting very busy with storage boats and service jobs.372737372738

[Hippie459MN]

Love that color blue. Cant wait to see it with color on the deck. :)

[DanUmbarger]

Hey Ron....I had never seen the Victor by Twin Lakes but I actually bought it from a guy that got it from the family of the original owner! He just happened to come into the shop wondering if I was interested in purchasing it. They seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately :) Now I have three Victors with trailers and a 1969 Merc 125 inline with no T&T and a 1975 John/rude 135 with a current T&T. Now I have to figure out which motor to put on each boat....also have an old family tunnel I'm going to restore at some point. If you ever get up in my neck of the woods stop by and I'll show ya my GOLD...LOL


Hey Danny, glad to see you're working on the Victor. I know you were thinking about it the last time we talked. There was another Victor that used to sit back in the bushes on the back road heading up into Twin Lakes off of 173, with an old inline six on it. No cover, shot to hell. Don't know if it's still there. Not sure what happened to my uncle's old gold/green 19' Wildcat with the 85 Johnson. It was sold to a neighbor when he went in the nursing home. They sold it after a few years and I saw it on Bangs once after that. Bought my new Trailmaster from your brother at the McHenry store in 2012, hope you guys are doing well.

[B rad]

I've got the same boat... working on it now. 6-7-17. b rad.

[DanUmbarger]

Great...any pics?



I've got the same boat... working on it now. 6-7-17. b rad.

[B rad]

Cut out floor, dug out 3000# of wet foam, put in dehumidifier, sealed up w/visqueen, took 10 days to quit dripping (6 gals. of water), vinyl ester resin & marine ply, working on transom now, then foam, mat, put motor on (Merc 1150), seats & run it. It will be a rat rod this summer but it's summer, I'll make it pretty this coming winter, I'm in Northern Michigan, gotta get it when you can. I'm new to blogging(?) on a website (first time), may need guidance. I'll get to the pics.

[FMP]

What's blogging, swamps with logs?

[DanUmbarger]

What year is the Victor? I know we had to start putting foam in the boats to satisfy the Coast Guard but don't remember putting it under the floors, just under the front gas tank panel and in the deck if I remember correctly. I'm not putting any foam in my restore...just more places for water to soak in. I too dug out a lot of heavy water soaked foam. I want to get the deck sprayed with metal flake and clear then might put the steering in the boat and the motor on and get it in the water. I too can do the sanding during the winter.



Cut out floor, dug out 3000# of wet foam, put in dehumidifier, sealed up w/visqueen, took 10 days to quit dripping (6 gals. of water), vinyl ester resin & marine ply, working on transom now, then foam, mat, put motor on (Merc 1150), seats & run it. It will be a rat rod this summer but it's summer, I'll make it pretty this coming winter, I'm in Northern Michigan, gotta get it when you can. I'm new to blogging(?) on a website (first time), may need guidance. I'll get to the pics.

[sharpeye Mike]

I worked for a small time boat builder back in the days, a customer came in and asked us to remove the floor and foam, added extra stingers and fill the floor cavity with empty oil containers before replacing the floor. This was his way of putting in floatation.

[DanUmbarger]

A little update...got half the flake done...didn't want any runs so I'm doing it in 2 batches....so 2 more coats of flake then about 7 coats of clear. Then the sanding begins AGAIN!!! A couple of pics...one shows the thin spots and the other shows what it will look like in all directions( I hope).379825379826

[Hippie459MN]

Wow! That thing is going to look amazing! Cant wait to see it with some clear on it. Great job.

[DanUmbarger]

Have the deck all sprayed with clear and have started sanding it. LOTS of orange peel....gonna be a lot of sanding!!!381282381283

[FMP]

Looking good! I see a couple of nice project boats in the background.

[DanUmbarger]

Not too many nice boats up there on the fence line...but that's where this one resided for about 8 yrs before I decided to restore it. Most of the boats up there are boats that have been left here with too much in repair costs and they were just basically dumped here...no titles and no response to repeated letters...cost too much to get titles so they just sit there.


Looking good! I see a couple of nice project boats in the background.

[FMP]

That's how it goes, what's that big tri hull just getting up on plane and the white with blue? I'm a sucker for those old br.
In perfect world a full resto mod with all the goodies would put those cool lines back on the water.

[DanUmbarger]

More progress!!!! Now have it all sanded and buffed...tomorrow I'm gonna apply machine polish and wax it. Now it's all DOWNHILL!!!! I'm going to wait on the carpet till winter so I'm going to apply black gelcoat to the floor and the whole interior area , install the gunwale molding, steering,motor and seats,tach and get this thing on the water! Man it feels good to be this far.383968383969383970

[Hippie459MN]

Looking great! I cant wait to see it rigged.

[DanUmbarger]

Hopefully in the next week or two.


Looking great! I cant wait to see it rigged.

[John Dorn]

Looks Great!

[DanUmbarger]

Well, Almost ready to get it wet. A couple of things to tie up and will go for a ride on Wednesday evening! Am going to wait till winter to install the windshield,carpet and build a rear seat. Am also going to paint the gunwale molding white I think. Will take some pics of it in the water and post later in the week. This has been a long process but enjoyable.385108385109

[Hippie459MN]

I cant like this enough. Its turning out amazing! I love that flake. :)

[GIL_CV21]

Amazing job Dan !

[DanUmbarger]

Thanks Gil...I owe a lot to you....thanks for all your help!!! Also a big thanks to everyone that has been following my restore...you all have kept me going strong through all these many months! Am very happy with how it turned out as a whole....some flaws when you look very closely at it but it really did turn out pretty awesome. Am all done with the exception of putting gas in the tank...will put it in the water Wednesday evening after work. Hope to get some pics and videos.



Amazing job Dan !

[specboatops]

Dan,
What was the model that had the race fairing's on the back? There is a nice one running around the Rock river for the past couple of season's, orange/ apricot in color - love those boats !!!

[DanUmbarger]

We put the fairing on the 15' Wildcat tunnel and some purchased them and put them on the 15' Wildcat Vee bottom. I saw this pic on one the S&F posts. Is this the boat running on the Rock? Funny...I was out on the Rock last weekend...camping at Sugar Shores...we kayaked the river. I would love to get a hold of one of those fairings to pop a mold off of it. All the old molds are GONE!!!Don't even have any of the old seat molds.


385197
Dan,
What was the model that had the race fairing's on the back? There is a nice one running around the Rock river for the past couple of season's, orange/ apricot in color - love those boats !!!

[specboatops]

Yes sir that's the one - I believe he lives on the river, up north a bit between Loves park and Machesney Park area, Though I would not, I believe the owner keeps it in the river most of the summer, I see it when I'm out running the river during the week and cringe thinking about it just sitting in the water. Betting he would let you pop a mold of that fairing....

[DanUmbarger]

If you ever see the boat on one of your rides would you leave a note on the boat asking him to contact me? Dan Umbarger/Hustler Sport Center/815-675-2733.... would love to talk to him. Thanks



Yes sir that's the one - I believe he lives on the river, up north a bit between Loves park and Machesney Park area, Though I would not, I believe the owner keeps it in the river most of the summer, I see it when I'm out running the river during the week and cringe thinking about it just sitting in the water. Betting he would let you pop a mold of that fairing....

[specboatops]

If you ever see the boat on one of your rides would you leave a note on the boat asking him to contact me? Dan Umbarger/Hustler Sport Center/815-675-2733.... would love to talk to him. Thanks

Would be my Pleasure sir !!

[DanUmbarger]

Well... Got it in the water the other night and the boat is amazing...motor ran good...all my dads friends were awestruck that he actually designed and built this boat. It's not as fast as I want it to be yet...ran 46 MPH @6000 RPM with the regular OMC stainless 17 and ran 49MPH @ 5500 with a Viper 19" stainless. The only problem I'm having right now is it porpoises terribly unless I have it trimmed in almost all the way. A couple of times I was able to trim it out quite a bit with a light person next to me and it did start to feel like the nose wanted to float some. Am going to raise the engine some and try again (center of propshaft is 4 1/2 " down from the bottom with the cav plate about 1" above the bottom)I'll be happy if I can get mid to high 50's and no porpoising.385595385596

[89LASER]

Looks great, I would put a 6" setback/jackplate on it, get the prop into cleaner water and raise it. Worked for my sons Glastron/Carlson.

[XstreamVking]

Cool old boat, looks new again...

[DanUmbarger]

No more pics yet but I got it in the water a few more times trying some different props and setups. Originally I thought I measured the motor at 4 1/2 inches below the bottom (propshaft center) and cav plate 1" above but it ended up being 6 1/2 inches below and cav plate 1" above. I put a pair of 4 inch set back brackets on the transom and set the engine cav plate 3 1/4 above the bottom and the propshaft 4 ish inches below. With the Viper 19 it wound up to 6200 @ 51 MPH, with a Suzuki 20" stainless it was 5500@50.5 MPH and a friend let me try a 23" SRX and it was 5600 @ 53 MPH. Headed in the right direction but it still porpoises quite a bit unless I really trim it up. Next thing to try is emptying the fuel from the built in tank in the front and run a 6 gal tank in the back. Does anyone have any other suggestions? More setback? I did buy a 22" Raker that is on the way...not sure what it will do for me.

[DanUmbarger]

I just got an email from Jared Powell @ Wavetowave and he did an amazing article about my restored Hustler Victor. If anybody is interested in the read here is the link.

https://www.wavetowave.com/home/2017/9/18/family-first-a-hustler-victor-sparkles-again

[blacktruck]

Looks like you're almost there. Interesting to see how the Raker does.

[DanUmbarger]

Well....I've been trying different configurations of engine heights,props,gas in front tank and not, 1 person and two. I started out with the motor flat on my 21" transom and have worked my way to a 4" setback and the center of the propshaft 1 3/4" down from bottom. I installed a water pressure gauge on the motor and get 25+ lbs in all situations except the latest 1 3/4 down...it goes down as I trim it out. So I like the way it runs at 2 1/2" down with a 4 blade Renegade the best because it porpoises much less if not at all but is 1-2 MPH slower than the 22" Raker at the same height. 55 MPH @ 5800 RPM with the Raker has been the best I've seen but that configuration still Porpoises terribly unless I have it trimmed in all the way. I think I'm going to make a hydraulic jack plate out of my 4" set back brackets over the winter....not sure there would be much difference between this set and a 6" set back...what would the consensus be out there? Have also tried a 23" SRX and that was very close to the Raker but it cavitated more. Weather will start turning soon and I'm very busy at work so will prolly have to wait till next spring to play more. Not exactly sure what to do now.

[WavetoWave]

Hey Dan, 55 MPH seems pretty good. I would stick with the Renegade as it has eliminated the porpoise. You can try and raise the engine even more, and maybe get that 1 MPH you lost that way. Raising the engine moves your dynamic center of gravity forward, which helps. The Raker might be causing too much bow lift then causing the porpoise. If you really want to try the Raker again, see if you can move static weight forward, raise the motor as high as possible and limit the trim. Then see how that goes, if it still porpoises, stick with the Renegade and see if you can get it to improve 1 or 2 MPH. Hope that helps.

[DanUmbarger]

Our lakes are all closed from high water levels so I've had a chance to mostly finish my Victor. During the winter I carpeted the boat,painted the Johnrude 135 with some new simple decals,bought and turned a 6" manual jackplate into a hydraulic,made a manual jackplate position indicator,installed a GPS speedo along with changing out the other gauges to match,ordered and just installed new white bucket and rear bench seats and a few other odds and ends. Now when the chain reopens I'm ready to start finishing the propping and porpoising problems. Am still kicking around the idea of changing the motor decals to that of the Evinrude Silver Starflight...I really like the simple look of that cover...only it would have to be decals because I'll never find the original raised plates used back then.410686410687410688410689

[89LASER]

Beautiful work on the whole package.

[GIL_CV21]

Thats a pretty boat , nice job on the gel-coat !!

[DanUmbarger]

Thanks again for all your help Gil...hows yours coming along...gotten it wet yet????



Thats a pretty boat , nice job on the gel-coat !!

[XstreamVking]

Excellent work. Boat is beautiful.

[WavetoWave]

Looks great Dan. Love the finishing work you did. The Rude looks great.

[oldskier]

Dont know how I missed this rebuild until now, this thing turned out amazing! I might turn that Evinrude into a white SeaHorse if it wuz mine though....

Great work Dan!

[RIVERRUMMER 70]

no more pics yet but i got it in the water a few more times trying some different props and setups. Originally i thought i measured the motor at 4 1/2 inches below the bottom (propshaft center) and cav plate 1" above but it ended up being 6 1/2 inches below and cav plate 1" above. I put a pair of 4 inch set back brackets on the transom and set the engine cav plate 3 1/4 above the bottom and the propshaft 4 ish inches below. With the viper 19 it wound up to 6200 @ 51 mph, with a suzuki 20" stainless it was 5500@50.5 mph and a friend let me try a 23" srx and it was 5600 @ 53 mph. Headed in the right direction but it still porpoises quite a bit unless i really trim it up. Next thing to try is emptying the fuel from the built in tank in the front and run a 6 gal tank in the back. Does anyone have any other suggestions? More setback? I did buy a 22" raker that is on the way...not sure what it will do for me.

your welcome!:D