1978 Viking rebuild

[tnelsmn]

Car wash soap, rubbing compound, wax, and time. He finished it off with a spray wax, and some sort of vinyl treatment for the decals. He did it by hand without a machine buffer.

[tnelsmn]

Still plugging away on blueprinting this thing. Seems to be never ending. It was FAR from straight when I started. The pad was relatively straight and flat other than where it was sitting on a roller for the last decade. The rest had a whole bunch of hook. I added CSM on the first chine to remove most the hook, almost 3/16" in spots. I've been using Adtech P-14 for filler for the rest. Hope to have it wrapped up in the next few days and move onto primer.

[Hippie459MN]

Did you get that Adtech filler locally?

[tnelsmn]

Yes, Express Composites in North East has it, I've bought all my supplies from them so far. Great guys.

[Hippie459MN]

Awesome! :)

[rjdubiel]

Yes, Express Composites in North East has it, I've bought all my supplies from them so far. Great guys.

AND they are essential business and will continue to be open over our next few weeks of "work on your boat time" the governor gave most everyone in MN. I have to work unfortunately.

[tnelsmn]

AND they are essential business and will continue to be open over our next few weeks of "work on your boat time" the governor gave most everyone in MN. I have to work unfortunately.

I've been curious about that. Good to know. I think I have enough supplies to get me through gel coating. I'm also working my normal schedule.

[rjdubiel]

I am super excited to see this thing when your done Tony. Weekends on the Mississippi in the morning! Let me know if you need anything specific in a pinch, we are very close to one another.

[Hippie459MN]

I'll be going back to work next week myself after a very unplanned unwanted vacation thanks to this whole mess. Im essential. :D

[tnelsmn]

Blueprinting is finished and its in primer!

I removed any hook that was in the pad as well at the first chine. I left the hook in the second chine and wings. I just made sure those were straight bow to stern and sharpened. All the trailing edges were sharpened as well.

I added a layer of CSM to the underside of the hull deck seam to smooth out all the repairs to the lip on the hull.

I rolled the primer on following the advise of my supplier. He suggested it would fill the little pin holes on the fiberglass better than spraying. Seemed to work well.

[TwzteD]

Blueprinting is finished and its in primer!

I removed any hook that was in the pad as well at the first chine. I left the hook in the second chine and wings. I just made sure those were straight bow to stern and sharpened. All the trailing edges were sharpened as well.

I rolled the primer on following the advise of my supplier. He suggested it would fill the little pin holes on the fiberglass better than spraying. Seemed to work well.

Nice, I know all about the pin holes.., making progress keep it up, you will be so happy when it's done. It's a relief.

[tnelsmn]

TwzteD, I'll see how well it worked once I start block sanding the primer. But none of them re appeared while it was curing.

[XstreamVking]

looking good...

[TwzteD]

TwzteD, I'll see how well it worked once I start block sanding the primer. But none of them re appeared while it was curing.

I rolled my splashwell, it definitely hid pinholes better than spray but was more sanding.

[rjdubiel]

Tony, what primer did you use?

[tnelsmn]

Tony, what primer did you use?

Dura tech vinylester. As recommended by Mark at Express.

[rjdubiel]

let us know how it sands!

[tnelsmn]

let us know how it sands!

Happy to say this has been the easiest product to sand since starting the restoration. I've been using 80g and done it all by hand, it goes pretty quick.

Now I'm just debating if I need a second coat since I sanded off so much of the primer exposing the glass blow. Or just move right to spraying the gel?

Also, popped a head off the engine today since I wasn't ready to start sanding yet. Pretty happy with how it looks inside considering its 40 years old and has been sitting for the last 15 or so years. Cylinder walls still had a good coat of oil on them.

[rjdubiel]

Looks great! I wish I could help you with another coat of primer but I have no clue. I would think you want full coverage of the primer for the gel to key into and to help hide the repairs. But I do not know. I know on my Viper that was done in all white gel is showing repairs that I could not see 5 years ago and I have not done anything to the gel, no wet sanding or anything like that. The repairs are faint, but you can see them.

That motor should run well, make sure to clean the fuel system and carbs! I have one as well that is super clean if needed, but i think you said you're going bigger on a future powerplant, Promax or something.?.?.?

Looks great and if you ever want a side gig you can do the bottom of my vking!!!

[tnelsmn]

I wish I knew more about this stuff. Haha

I plan to run new fuel lines, bleed lines, rebuild the carbs, fuel pump, and check the electrical system before even trying to make it run.

Looking at a ProMax or 225x in the next year or two. Just need this one to run for a few more seasons, then keep it for a back up.

[LakeFever]

There should be specs on finish and base requirements available for the products your using to refinish the boat. I dont have any experience with gel but in the auto refinishing world theres a ton of different specs that are made for each specific paint and primer. You'll want the grits to be spot on and coverage depth to also meet needs. That said I had some work done on mine last year and using black gel no primer the refinisher was able to cover things very well using only gel. Learning a ton here, keep it up!

[XstreamVking]

I would hit it with enough gell to get a pre finish base surface. Then w/d sand with 320 grit leaving no break thru's. Then lay on the finish gell coat carefully, 3 good coats with wax in last coat. Guide coat and sand with 1000 then 1200 and buff.

[tnelsmn]

First of the gel coat went down.

This is my first time spraying gel so it took a while to get everything figured out. I figured out that I didn't have the pressure set nearly high enough on my cheap-o Amazon gun. Started at 12psi and figured out that 40psi worked much better. The first few pints were really slow going and didn't lay down very well. Those spots are going to take some extra sanding. But once I got the settings figured out it went well. Looking forward to doing the rest, can't wait to see the flake go down!

I started at the rear and worked my way forward as you can see by the results.

For reference I am using a $27 Amazon HVLP gun, 2.5 tip. Fluid setting wide open, fan pattern almost completely closed, 40psi, full thickness gel catalyzed at 2%.

[LakeFever]

Wow is that how gel is or is there ways to improve flow? My painters eye says too dry add more reducer and let flash between coats longer but I cant say if that applies to gel or not? Want to help and learn at the same time if possible

[tnelsmn]

I think this might just be how gel coat is. The guys at the supply house said it's going to be a lot of orange peel on the finished product. I think I got the flow figured out towards the bow, it was certainly coming out of the gun better and laying down better. They told me not to reduce it at all, to work about a 3x3 area and spray it until I reached 18-26 mils. I probably made 4-6 passes to reach that thickness. Then move onto the next area maintaining a wet edge.

The pad looks pretty bad, I tried to sand it out but ended up breaking through before I got it smooth. I'll respray that when I do the other side of the bottom.

[oldschoolltv]

I have used acetone or styrene to thin it and it will lay flat, but I am sure some of the people that do this for a living will chime in.

[tnelsmn]

All the gel coat is on the bottom! The white on the running surface was mixed with wax when it went down. I ran a hard tape line on all edges. Once it was cured I wet sanded the edges with 80 grit to feather the tape line down, then scrubbed the whole thing with a Scotch brite pad and hot soapy(Dawn) water to remove any wax. I ended up spraying the pad three different times after sanding it off trying to get it smooth. But I finally got it, third time is a charm. Glad I started learning on the bottom!

The running surface was taped off and covered with paper. I staggered three tape lines about 1/2" apart so the transition from flake to white wouldn't be such a large edge with three layers of gel. This way I could pull the first layer of tape after spraying the black, then pull the next layer after spraying the flake, and pull the final tape after the clear. This wasn't for looks, you'll never see it anyway.

All gel was sprayed full thickness and catalyzed at 2% I've got my technique down so that I can achieve a mill thickness of 18-26 with 3 wet passes, 50% overlap, holding the gun about 18" from the surface. I then fan out the pattern and hold the gun about 24" back and do a quick fog pass. Picked this trick up from an automotive painter and it seems to reduce the orange peel. We catalyzed one Quart of gel at a time, this would give two fills of the gun. The gun was cleaned with Acetone after each quart was sprayed.

Everything was sprayed with black as a base for the flake, not waxed. This was allowed to cure and cool down before the next step.

Next was the flake! It was mixed about 4oz by weight (which works out to about 1/3 Cup by volume) to one Quart of clear gel, not waxed. This was sprayed using the same procedure as the rest. The blue fade was sprayed once the silver went down, I tried to stop the silver a bit short of the edge and let the blue fill in to avoid doubling the amount of gel. The blue was sprayed on the silver before it cured so the fade would cure properly. This had to be done in sections.

After the flake layer cured and cooled down straight clear was sprayed, this was waxed. Sprayed the same as above except I did a second fog pass. I think it looks great over all and the orange peel isn't as bad as I was expecting. Worst case scenario once it is all wet sanded with 400 a second layer of clear may be added. But I don't think that will be necessary.

So there she is! What an incredible amount of work to reach this point. It was about a nine hour process for my brother and me to do just the spray work. He was doing all my mixing while I pulled and trigger and cleaned the gun.

Edit: 5 Quarts of black gel, 6 Quarts silver flake/gel, 3 Quarts of blue flake/gel, 6.5 Quarts of clear.

[mrichartz]

That's better than those tiny pics can't enlarge on Instagram w/o holding.. But both are good!
Looks really good!!!

[tnelsmn]

That's better than those tiny pics can't enlarge on Instagram w/o holding.. But both are good!
Looks really good!!!
For sure! It is quicker to get them on IG so they ended up there first. I knew I'd have some time into writing the whole post here. I did this while uploading all the videos taken during the process.

[mrichartz]

Yea it is a bit of a pain in the a to post pics on here..
And damn seems like Everytime I go to post pics it's a pita
And when I finally think i get them uploaded... I get logged out....

[LakeFever]

Looks amazing congrats! Why did you decide to keep the running surface white and not flake/clear the whole thing?

[tnelsmn]

Looks amazing congrats! Why did you decide to keep the running surface white and not flake/clear the whole thing?
Simply to save time and material, and you'll never see it. Thank you!

[JDChase]

Simply to save time and material, and you'll never see it. Thank you!

You did an amazing job! I have been spraying gel, urethane, lacquer and any other finish surface for 40 years and i could not have done it much better! You should be very proud of your work. If you want to make that last without fading you should spray 3 coats of high quality automotive clear on a sanded finish, this will make obtaining a super gloss way easier and give it some UV protection. Some of the nicest work I have ever seen has been done by amature's who's hearts were really in it like yours! congratulations! you are now about to become expert buffing and compounding guys too!

[LakeFever]

I asked because I thought you had some performance trick figured lol. Makes sense though you wont see it. It sure does look amazing this thread has been so much fun to follow

[mrichartz]

Because the white is faster... And it'll be so fast that it will wear off the flake and spark...? ... :eek::leaving:

[tnelsmn]

You did an amazing job! I have been spraying gel, urethane, lacquer and any other finish surface for 40 years and i could not have done it much better! You should be very proud of your work. If you want to make that last without fading you should spray 3 coats of high quality automotive clear on a sanded finish, this will make obtaining a super gloss way easier and give it some UV protection. Some of the nicest work I have ever seen has been done by amature's who's hearts were really in it like yours! congratulations! you are now about to become expert buffing and compounding guys too!

Thank you so much! I had been stressing about the gel for quite some time. I'm glad it went so well. Now working on the wet sanding process. The white is finished with 400 so far, now working on the flake. Sure is a slow process.


I asked because I thought you had some performance trick figured lol. Makes sense though you wont see it. It sure does look amazing this thread has been so much fun to follow

I know no speed secrets haha. Seriously, you'll see once its running and I start trying to dial it in. Thanks, its been fun to build too!

[NWolf]

I'm doing a complete rebuild on my 73 glastron carlson. I'm ordering glass and epoxy and need an estimate on how much I'll need. I only have one stringer and the floor is 30"×10'. Wouldnt mind ordering more than I need but shipping is RIDICULOUS! I figure you probably have a good idea what it took to do each part of yours.

[Merc 2.5]

My checkmate has 1 stringer , I think i ended up gettin 15 yard oz and half csm, and 10 yard of 1708 , and 10 gal of resin. That's what I bought mite be able to get away with less resin I'll end up with left over tho

[tnelsmn]

I'm doing a complete rebuild on my 73 glastron carlson. I'm ordering glass and epoxy and need an estimate on how much I'll need. I only have one stringer and the floor is 30"×10'. Wouldnt mind ordering more than I need but shipping is RIDICULOUS! I figure you probably have a good idea what it took to do each part of yours.

Merc 2.5 made a great recommendation. The only thing I would do different is order 5gal of resin to start. Resin has a shelf life and no need to let 5gal sit at your house while you use the first 5gal. When you get close to the bottom of the pail just order more.

[tnelsmn]

The wet sanding sure is a slow process! I started with 400 on a block and completed the white section. It was somewhat smooth after spraying. I moved onto the flake and 400 just wasn't doing it. The orange peel was much worse over the flake. I then tried 400 on a DA, also very slow. Went to 320 on a DA next, which was better but still very slow. I ended up with 240 on a block and hand sanded until about 50% of the orange peel was knocked down. Then went back to the 320 on a DA and continued from there.

I now have the entire hull done with 320 and moving onto 800 now. I plan to complete 800, 1000, and 1500. Then buff it from there. It's cool to see the flake come alive, for lack of a better term, each time I move to a finer paper. I will be leaving the pad as is sanded with 400. That seems to be the thing to do from what I've read around here.

Pictures don't do it justice. It looks incredible with it wet and the sun shining in the garage. Can't wait to see it buffed!

[DanUmbarger]

I know your pain...I went thru the same process with my flake...ended up with 240 then all the way up to 1500. I would tell you to go with 400 before the 800 because the 800 will not take out the 320 scratches very well...that was my experience anyway. Looks great though.


The wet sanding sure is a slow process! I started with 400 on a block and completed the white section. It was somewhat smooth after spraying. I moved onto the flake and 400 just wasn't doing it. The orange peel was much worse over the flake. I then tried 400 on a DA, also very slow. Went to 320 on a DA next, which was better but still very slow. I ended up with 240 on a block and hand sanded until about 50% of the orange peel was knocked down. Then went back to the 320 on a DA and continued from there.

I now have the entire hull done with 320 and moving onto 800 now. I plan to complete 800, 1000, and 1500. Then buff it from there. It's cool to see the flake come alive, for lack of a better term, each time I move to a finer paper. I will be leaving the pad as is sanded with 400. That seems to be the thing to do from what I've read around here.

I removed all the flake from the rear of the running surface to avoid having a .090" lip at the rear of the hull that could affect how it preforms.

Pictures don't do it justice. It looks incredible with it wet and the sun shining in the garage. Can't wait to see it buffed!

[XstreamVking]

Add a few drops of dawn etc when wet sanding. Does wonders....Floats the debris out of the sanding scratches.

[tnelsmn]

Bottom of the hull is finished!

I wasn't happy with how the aft end of the running surface had flake wrapped onto the bottom. It was a .090" ledge that I thought could affect how it rides. It was ground off and resprayed with more white. Now the blueprinting will be more effective I hope.

Everything was wet sanded to 800, the pad was taken to 400 and left with a cross hatch pattern. The plan was originally to take it all to 1500, but the buffer and compound was able to take out the 800 scratches, so thats all the farther sanding went. The entire bottom, excluding the pad, was then buffed in three stages using 3M Perfect-It Gelcoat compounds; heavy, medium+wax, and light+wax. It was then finished with Race Glaze by hand. I was planning to treat the bottom with a ceramic coating once it was buffed but decided to leave it with the wax that was in the last two stages of compound for this season. I will do the ceramic over next winter.

Before flipping the hull over the underside of the splash well was tabbed into the transom with 2" CSM and 4" 1708, this way gravity was on my side. Also had to crawl up into the bow and bolt in the bow eye, bit of a tight squeeze, good thing I have long arms.

The boat was was flipped agin and is supported by a plate bolted in the transom with the bow sitting on some lumbar on saw horses. I will be getting the trailer fit and finished tomorrow. Then she will be back on the trailer for good.

Overall the gel isn't perfect, there's some imperfections in spots. It was my first time spraying it so that is to be expected. But considering its the bottom of a boat it looks great.

[DanUmbarger]

Looks great....don't beat yourself up with the imperfections. I have them on mine too...you have too look at it in different angles to even see the spots. Mine was caused from not wanting to sand thru the clear into the flake...I stopped too early but better safe than sorry I thought. Next one I'll spray even more clear on the deck. You've done excellent work on it.

[tnelsmn]

Looks great....don't beat yourself up with the imperfections. I have them on mine too...you have too look at it in different angles to even see the spots. Mine was caused from not wanting to sand thru the clear into the flake...I stopped too early but better safe than sorry I thought. Next one I'll spray even more clear on the deck. You've done excellent work on it.

That is the exact reason for some of the spots on mine. Didn't want to break through to the flake. Also need to know when to stop sanding considering its the underside of a boat. I'm a perfectionist so I see them, but it will never be noticeable outside in the sun/water.

[Merc 2.5]

That is the exact reason for some of the spots on mine. Didn't want to break through to the flake. Also need to know when to stop sanding considering its the underside of a boat. I'm a perfectionist so I see them, but it will never be noticeable outside in the sun/water.

Perfectionists is to say the least. For a 1st time build man u knocked it out of the park. Very detailed , just all round great thread ,build etc. Somethin to be very proud of for sure. So u think this summer or next?

[tnelsmn]

Thank you!

I think I can pull it off before winter. Any hope of new interior, carpet, and such is gone before getting it wet. That stuff will all be on hold until next winter. I have the original seats that are in great shape and will be fine for this season. I hope to have the deck finished in 4-6 weeks, then its just rigging. Honestly might reach the point where I leave the wires extra long and just get it in the water this year, then make it all nice next winter. We'll see how the next few weeks go.

[Merc 2.5]

Thank you!

I think I can pull it off before winter. Any hope of new interior, carpet, and such is gone before getting it wet. That stuff will all be on hold until next winter. I have the original seats that are in great shape and will be fine for this season. I hope to have the deck finished in 4-6 weeks, then its just rigging. Honestly might reach the point where I leave the wires extra long and just get it in the water this year, then make it all nice next winter. We'll see how the next few weeks go.

That sounds like great plan , cant wait to see her float

[LakeFever]

Thank you!

I think I can pull it off before winter. Any hope of new interior, carpet, and such is gone before getting it wet. That stuff will all be on hold until next winter. 1.I have the original seats that are in great shape and will be fine for this season. I hope to have the deck finished in 4-6 weeks, then its just rigging. Honestly might reach the point where I leave the wires extra long and just get it in the water this year, then make it all nice next winter. We'll see how the next few weeks go.


We do a lot of wiring and its every bit as quick to do it right once so this is not a spot I would advise rushing, or thinking your rushing. Run some PVC conduit down the side tucked up while your rigging the cap and a pull string ( fish wire ) and each time you pull wire through pull another pull wire through and leave it until needed. You could even put a bend at the rear and position this carefully to get the wires all closer to their final destination. I just cringe at the thought of you rushing anything now being such a mint build so far, take it mint all the way one and done imo. Seats or whatever ya sure throw em in five mins to change em out but wiring and rigging? Better to do it right once

[NWolf]

How wide is the pad on that thing? I have to add a pad to mine and would like to match a proven design.

[tnelsmn]

Lake, I doubt it will reach that point since there's much less work to be done on the deck before gel.

The boat is back on its trailer!

This is not the original trailer the boat came with so it took a bit more work than just backing the trailer under and setting it down. This was bought years ago with an old Baker Custom Boats 18' outboard sitting on it. I forget the brand of the trailer, but it was originally a California style float on. When it was first bought I added a winch and bow stop to the front, transom strap hook points, jack mount, had it sandblasted, painted, added new lights, wire, and bunks. Friend of mine worked for a large industrial paint shop at the time so a case of beer paid for the blast and paint work. :D

Fast forward about eight years and I finally switched the trailers around, so I cut everything off this one and set new bunks for the Hydrostream. I set a 2x6 on the V and a 2x6 on the far outside edge of the wings. Fast forward to yesterday and now knowing where the structure is in the boat, I cut everything off agin. A 10' 2x6 was set on the V(core), I was rushed when I switched the trailers and didn't get these perfect, and a 6' 2x4 was set on the first chine(floor).

Theres still a few minor odds and ends to finish with the trailer but those will wait until the boat is finished.

Apologies for old terrible quality cell phone pictures.

[tnelsmn]

How wide is the pad on that thing? I have to add a pad to mine and would like to match a proven design.

8" and is dead flat for about the last 36".

[NWolf]

Thank you.

[LakeFever]

Turbine wheels, cool :cool:

[tnelsmn]

Turbine wheels, cool :cool:
They are cool wheels. But since the old trailer had slot mags and thats all I remember as a kid I'm on the hunt for a set of slots.
466833

[LakeFever]

I’m pretty sure I have a set of four 13” 4 bolt slotted mags somewhere.

[Merc 2.5]

Well u got plenty of trailer for the boat !

[tnelsmn]

The deck is in primer.

All the old gel was sanded with 36g until it started to remove the factory flake. I figured that was deep enough into the original gel. It was a nightmare grinding all the gel off the bottom of the hull and there wasn't any major damage to the deck to be repaired, so most the gel was left. There were a few stress cracks in the original gel that thankfully didn't go any deeper. I was able to just sand it off and the cracks disappeared.

A layer of filler was added over all the patches from the old rigging holes and across the dash. Drain holes were drilled in the transom knees where they extend into the splash well.

Duratech vinylester primer was rolled onto everything. Seems like rolling the product fills the pin holes in exposed glass better. I will block sand all of this and spray successive coats.

[tnelsmn]

Blocked out the first coat of primer and sprayed the second coat. I'll block this out agin, then its time for metal flake! :D

[LakeFever]

Looks like you sprayed it a lot smoother this time, did you change your process uo? I can hardly wait to see the flake!

[tnelsmn]

Looks like you sprayed it a lot smoother this time, did you change your process uo? I can hardly wait to see the flake!

I rolled on the first coat of primer. I was told rolling it on helps fill any little pin holes in exposed fiberglass vs. spraying it. Which I can see a few pin holes that didn't fill when it was sprayed. I still wish I would've sprayed everything for the deck, there was very little exposed glass, just the patches. It went down so much better! It will probably sand out in half the time. I have a few weeks off of work right now so I hope to have it sprayed, and wet sanded before going back.

[LakeFever]

Did you glass the inside deck seam to the hull or is it just the 5200?

[tnelsmn]

Did you glass the inside deck seam to the hull or is it just the 5200?
Yes, post #224 the first picture is the glass that was put on the seam inside. 2" CSM followed by 4" 1708. I was able to get it nearly all the way to the nose, stopped short maybe 24".

[tnelsmn]

The deck is gel coated! It looks good agin. Whooo!!

Everything was sprayed the same way as the hull. Post #277(page 19) documents the spray process I used. The only change I made for the deck was to make one extra pass with the finial clear coat. Just a little extra insurance for wet sanding/buffing.

A little giant ladder worked great for climbing in and out of the boat to spray the interior surfaces. A few bicycle hooks were stuck in the ceiling to hang the airline from and not drag it over any fresh gel. All the interior surfaces were covered with poly and a piece of plywood was laid over the poly on the floor so the sticky crap on the bottom of my shoes wouldn't rip the poly off.

The only issue we had was the clear was setting up much faster than the last time I used it. Had it cure in the gun a few times. Seems the extra 5 degrees in the garage was a big enough change. It was hot and muggy outside, but the temp in the garage was holding at 70 with the AC. The material supplier advised .5% less catalyst(1.5% total) and that solved the issue.

Onto more wet sanding agin...

[rjdubiel]

that really looks good! dang!

[LakeFever]

Awesome! How long do you think the wet sanding and polishing will take?

[tnelsmn]

Awesome! How long do you think the wet sanding and polishing will take?
I think it can be wrapped up in the next week or two. Thats what I hope at least.

[tnelsmn]

The finish sanding is pretty much finished other than a few touch ups here and there that I'm finding as the buffing is happening. After some guidance from an experienced body man, I started dry sanding the gel. That worked really well and went much faster using a DA. I started with 220 then 400, and had to switch to wet sanding with 800.

Started buffing it out and I still can't believe how cool this stuff is. Metal flake is so sweet! Still a ways to go with buffing. But so far it's looking good.

[Jmr1974]

Looks pretty damn sweet to me!

[Jmr1974]

Did you glass the underside of your plywood floor before setting in on your stringers? I assume you did and was wondering what to use for cloth thickness...1708?

[tnelsmn]

Did you glass the underside of your plywood floor before setting in on your stringers? I assume you did and was wondering what to use for cloth thickness...1708?

I did a layer of 1.5oz CSM on the bottom of the of the floor.

[Jmr1974]

I did a layer of 1.5oz CSM on the bottom of the of the floor.
Thanks, I’m guessing you did it mainly for moisture protection not for rigidity...

[tnelsmn]

Thanks, I’m guessing you did it mainly for moisture protection not for rigidity...
My only intent was sealing the wood. Any rigidity is a by product of that for me.

[Jmr1974]

I also noticed in one of your pages a while back you painted the pad area before putting your floor plywood down, I guessing you did it where you anticipated any water could sit when your out boating. Did you use gel or paint? How did you apply it and what grit sanding did you use to accept the gel or paint to the glass?

[tnelsmn]

I also noticed in one of your pages a while back you painted the pad area before putting your floor plywood down, I guessing you did it where you anticipated any water could sit when your out boating. Did you use gel or paint? How did you apply it and what grit sanding did you use to accept the gel or paint to the glass?
Everything below the floor was gel coated. Applied with a brush. Well, mostly dumped in and spread out with a brush. I sanded everything with 36 before applying gel. Mostly because 36 works so well to knock the sheen of cured resin and prep it for the next layers. Theres a video of this process on my youtube channel.

[Jmr1974]

Everything below the floor was gel coated. Applied with a brush. Well, mostly dumped in and spread out with a brush. I sanded everything with 36 before applying gel. Mostly because 36 works so well to knock the sheen of cured resin and prep it for the next layers. Theres a video of this process on my youtube channel.
I’ll have to check out your video

[tnelsmn]

Well, I can say that the fiberglass and gel work is finished on the build!

I ended up starting over sanding the gel on the deck. I found a lot of sanding scratches and a few spots I wasn't happy with so I started over with 240 on a hand block. I just made a few passes and quickly moved up to 400 and so on. Followed that with a three stage buff using 3M Perfect-it gelcoat.

I pulled it out of the garage for the first time in almost two years. It was great to see it in the sunlight agin! I had to set the windshield on it for a few pictures. I'll straighten out the frame before it gets mounted for good.

The interior needs a good cleaning and the rigging can begin. It's going to be hard to start drilling holes in it.

Sitting a 875 total hours.

[JDChase]

What a beautiful job!!! you are now a pro! You should be very proud of that job!

[LakeFever]

Looks so good, really so soo good you did a great job laying this thing up and an even better job with entertaining us all in this thread with pics and vids. I learned a ton and bought my next project mostly because of this thread which i will be referencing a ton when i get to mine. Congrats on level 11

Can hardly wait to see some vids of it flying :cheers:

[Jmr1974]

Wow that thing looks great, hell of a job! The finish line is near for you.

[tnelsmn]

Thanks a lot guys! I'm far from a pro but I could sure save time and do a better job on the next one.

The first parts have officially been bolted on for good. Just the original emblems, but gotta start somewhere.

[LakeFever]

I bet it was very difficult to drill that first hole :eek: but your right you just gotta start somewhere. Do you have a cross line laser? I’ve been using mine for tons of layout work. Thinking if you used one for laying out the engine mount holes you could get it 100% on center and square to the pad

[mrichartz]

Thanks a lot guys! I'm far from a pro but I could sure save time and do a better job on the next one.

The first parts have officially been bolted on for good. Just the original emblems, but gotta start somewhere.

It's the little things the make the boat ok or awesome.
There's no just anything..lol.
Definitely time well spent part of the learning curve(saving time next time). And not like you learned doing a half as job..Done enough of them to know there's always a learning curve somewhere.
Obviously not going to slack off now so awesome it will be. Can't wait to see it floating

[tnelsmn]

Bare hull weighed in at 745lbs.

[Merc 2.5]

Bare hull weighed in at 745lbs.

Sweet. she gonna b fast

[tnelsmn]

Took a little bit of a break from working on the hull and took apart the engine. Haven't disassembled the power head, it looked good inside when I pulled a head out of curiosity.

Everything else is apart and been degreased/cleaned.

Whats planned now is doing a cone on the lower unit, new seals, fluid, and a water pump.

Adding solid mounts, switching everything over to a newer 3 ram trim with the big tiller, and painting the mid.

Rebuild the carbs, fuel pump, and replace all fuel/bleed lines.

Cross fingers and hope it runs...

[mrichartz]

How's that harbour freight stand work
Iffy or?

[tnelsmn]

How's that harbour freight stand work
Iffy or?

Ehhh it does the job. It's been holding the thing for two years. But it's not very stable. I always kept a strap around the mid so it wouldn't turn. It would want to turn one way or another then the whole thing would tip that way cause the pin to rotate the stand was so sloppy. It never fell but I always worried about it. Going forward it will be assembled on the transom.

[Merc 2.5]

Ehhh it does the job. It's been holding the thing for two years. But it's not very stable. I always kept a strap around the mid so it wouldn't turn. It would want to turn one way or another then the whole thing would tip that way cause the pin to rotate the stand was so sloppy. It never fell but I always worried about it. Going forward it will be assembled on the transom.

I got one them to and pin they use for the top to rotate it just plum sucks , pin small hole huge

[rjdubiel]

Ehhh it does the job. It's been holding the thing for two years. But it's not very stable. I always kept a strap around the mid so it wouldn't turn. It would want to turn one way or another then the whole thing would tip that way cause the pin to rotate the stand was so sloppy. It never fell but I always worried about it. Going forward it will be assembled on the transom.

bolt 3 pieces of plywood right to the plate and drill the top motor mount holes (instead of using the included mounts of the stand) and weld the pin and they work just fine. My opinion. Let me know where you find carb floats if you need to replace yours. I have the same exact motor and I think I need floats for it. Have not looked for them but I heard they are hard to find. AND, outasite here on S&F loves that two ram clamp. Put a bigger tiller arm in it and he said it is faster than a single ram or 3 ram and lighter. He has one on his orange Vking

[tnelsmn]

RJ, a few welds on this engine stand would be a huge help, but I don't own it so I had to make do.

Just picked up a carb seal kit and a bunch of other parts at Supreme Marine and they said the same about the floats. I think I'm going to try and run it before I tear it all apart.

I've been hesitant about the two ram trim mainly because the clamp is older so it doesn't have the BIA bolt pattern. I know I can just re drill the jack plate, still thinking about it. Also, I built my fuel tank so big I don't have much room for the remote pump, I checked last night and it won't fit between the transom knees, might be able to get it on the outside edge of the port stringer. I didn't know I could swap out the tiller arm on the older mid. That 2 ram is considerably lighter than the 3 ram just by moving the two around.

I just figured it would be a lot easier for rigging going with the 3 ram. Now I have more stuff to think about...

[rjdubiel]

I am running a 3 ram as well. Saves room and I didnt want to pull my 1978 merc apart. I am going to roll my 1978 out of the garage soon to fire it up, has not ran since 2008!

[XstreamVking]

In the boat pumps and hoses over the trans for trim are a PIA.

[rjdubiel]

In the boat pumps and hoses over the trans for trim are a PIA.

Remember, these old 1978 motors stock had the through hull lines running through the bottom motor mount transom bolts. Have to make a hose from there to the jack plate but that wouldn't be that bad. Or it would be hell! one of the two.....

[XstreamVking]

Oh, I know of the holey bolts for trim supply. Still a pump in the boat, and hoses to buy. I went 3 ram and never looked back. Don't miss old style at all.

[LakeFever]

Interesting re the clamp and trim. Regarding installation I scoured a ton of threads and this seems like the best way to mount the clamp


Do as follows, it will never leak.

After the holes are drilled, go 2 sizes up and drill again. Chamfer the edges on the inside and outside of holes.

Get the transom warm, 80, 90, 100 degrees if possible. Use heat lamps overnight, or whatever to make it happen. This opens the pores of the wood. Use standard, unthickened, and unthinned west system epoxy. Use the slow hardener in a 5:1 ratio as this will allow more wet time for the epoxy to soak in. Use q tips, pipe cleaner, paint brushes or whatever that does not leave residue in the holes and start wetting out the holes,.... And keep wetting. The wood will stop drinking up the epoxy, but then go back in 5 minutes, and the gloss will be gone, and this means the wood has sucked up the epoxy. Apply more. (keep the epoxy away from the heat lamp and keep it shallow or it will kick off quickly. The epoxy will be somewhat syrupy as you apply but once it gets onto the warm wood, it will thin out almost like water. Once the wood has done all the drinking it is going to do, wait for it to tack up a bit, then thicken the epoxy in your pan with some colloidal silica (or cabosil, same stuff) to a mayonnaise-peanut butter consistency, somewhere in between. Fill the holes with the stuff as best as you can. Let it harden. Using your template, redrill the holes and use unthickened epoxy to wet out the holes once again. Once you are satisfied, insert carnauba waxed bolts in to the holes (let wax dry on them and dont buff it off) and let it harden. Once hardened, tap with mallet to loosen bolts. Clean up holes with acetone to remove any wax. Mount motor but still use 5200 in holes. Pipe cleaner or brush is easiest to make sure everything is touched upon.

Couple things i forgot to mention;

1)put packaging tape and hefty bags over every area that might get epoxy near it to mask things off. Do this on the inside and outside of boat as to do this the best way possible, you will have to get inside of boat a few times in the process.

2)might seem like a lot of work to do the above, but it is a lot less work that replacing a transom.

Member
Ronny Jetmore (https://www.screamandfly.com/member.php?2190-Ronny-Jetmore)



Posted that in this thread here;

https://www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?210510-Through-Transom-Holes-the-Right-Way


Hopefully some help for you

[XstreamVking]

Use 5200 and skip the rest......

[tnelsmn]

Well its reassuring to hear many others going with a 3 ram. This thing is already heavy so a bit extra on the clamp isn't going to hurt considering how much easier it will make life for rigging, I didn't build a race boat.

I did have some 6' braided stainless lines made for the trim when I had this engine on another boat with a jack plate. I really didn't want to have to deal with that. Not much room under the splash well for all the rigging.

Lake, I have that thread bookmarked :cheers:

[LakeFever]

I like my three ram. Plenty fast enough for me, ive run two now both good and smooth and faster than my OMC stuff

[tnelsmn]

Still slowly checking things off the list. Project it a little overwhelming at this point because there are so many things that need to be done and not a clear next step like there was throughout rebuilding the hull. I'm kinda jumping between small projects at this point.

Drilled all transom holes, bilge drain, and bilge pump exit. I did end up going over sized and filled them back in with thickened resin. I should've listed to you Xstream, that process was a pain in the ass and made a mess. But I already had them drilled before I saw your comment. If my math adds up correctly the center hole on the clamp will put the prop shaft centerline even to the pad with the jack plate all the way up. So I have 1.5" either direction with the holes in the clamp. I probably should've set it lower thinking back now, I doubt I'll ever need to be 1.5" above the pad.

I did run into an issue looking at the engine mount holes. When I laid them out on the transom I set them dead center on the transom. When I stepped back and looked at them they look off center compared to the support knees. I couldn't see that until they were drilled. Using my laser level set off the center of the pad they ended up 1/4" off to one side! Is that going to be a major problem for handling? Or should I just spend a little more time and get them set perfect?

[nitro_rat]

Yes definitely use both the center line of the pad to center the motor mount holes and a line parallel to the bottom of the pad to set the level. If you try to use the transom itself you will end up with a motor that's not square to the running surface and the boat will handle funny!

[LakeFever]

Maybe you can re-position ( weld/drill ) the jackplate holes for the engine. Quarter inch should be pretty easy. Maybe drilling larger holes and some offset bushings will do the trick? Think old school cloyes timing chain adv/retard holes if you know what Im talking about.

[tnelsmn]

Yes definitely use both the center line of the pad to center the motor mount holes and a line parallel to the bottom of the pad to set the level. If you try to use the transom itself you will end up with a motor that's not square to the running surface and the boat will handle funny!

Deep down I knew this was the answer. Just didn't want to admit it to myself. I did good getting them level with the bottom of the pad, that 1/2" aluminum plate is held against the bottom with a floor jack, so its true to the bottom. For some reason center slipped my mind. :nonod:

[rjdubiel]

is it off center to the port? your a side steer on the starboard? Not sure if this a huge problem as 1/4 is not much and I have seen worse...

[tnelsmn]

is it off center to the port? your a side steer on the starboard? Not sure if this a huge problem as 1/4 is not much and I have seen worse...
Its offset to starboard.

I'm running side steer on starboard. I have to drill them agin anyway due to going big and plugging with thickened resin. I guess I'll just nail it dead on when I re drill them. You wot be able to see the mistake under the jack plate or big fender washers in the splash well. Just going to be a bit more work.

[nitro_rat]

don't feel bad, i had to learn this one the hard way too! the silver lining is that it's the kind of mistake you only make once!

[Merc 2.5]

Thats 1 thing I have thought alot about (remounting) jackplate and being straight after new transom. Take more pics as u figure how to remeasure. Prob like nitro said?

[XstreamVking]

New laser levels make the job easy and accurate.

[tnelsmn]

The 1/2" aluminum plate I know to be flat, was held against the bottom of the pad with a floor jack as before. I measured up from the plate to set my height and level left/right. I then set my laser level as far back on the plate as possible. I lined up the laser with the center mark on the pad. I held a square against the back of the pad with the rule along the laser beam to insure the laser was squared up to the boat and throwing a true line up the transom. Re marked and drilled holes with my template. As you can see they were off, but not a ton, probably wouldn't have noticed. But an extra hour or two at this point in the build is nothing to make it perfect. I coated the newly exposed wood with a few coats of thinned out resin, and will use a liberal amount of 4200 when mounting the jack plate.

Also installed brass drain tubes and transom tie downs(I was happy to find the same style as original) with 5200 for good.

[nitro_rat]

looking good!

[FUJIMO]

...i actually have some new, old stock, mercury lower mounting bolts, for the 1976 thru 1979 V-6's. mercury called them fittings. they were expensive before they became no longer available(NLA) many years ago.

[tnelsmn]

I think I still have the original engine bolts/hydraulic fittings, I'd have to look, but I'm keeping the three ram trim, so they will just gather dust on the shelf.

The new rub rail is on! I couldn't bring myself to put a black rubber rail on with this color combo. So this was all fabricated from 14ga aluminum sheet metal. It was formed into the basic shape with a press break. Then an Eastwood shrinker/stretcher was used to form it to the shape of hull. I did have to anneal the portion around the nose to get it to bend that tightly. I had to have to bottom edge formed 1/2" wider than the factory rail for it to function properly in the jaws of the shrinker. Once it was to the shape of the hull that was cut off.

Everything was then TIG welded into one continuous piece and all the welds ground and metal finished. Finally a part of the project I'm experienced with!

A bead of 4200 was used to secure it to the hull.

Deck supports got bolted to the outer stringers. So the hull work is completely finished at this point and I can truly begin rigging.

[LakeFever]

Wow. Tight work

[Hippie459MN]

Looks awesome! Great work. I still need to bring that fuel tank to ya. lol

[tnelsmn]

Fuel tank is mostly finished, just need to add filler neck and drill the mounts. The tank was formed from 1/8" 5052 aluminum and 100% TIG welded.

Drilled the dash and couldn't help but set the gauges in. I'm going to coat the exposed wood with some gel coat before I mount everything for good.

The SeaStar Pro/Tournament system is in, and most all the wiring is in. Things are starting to move quickly now.

[rjdubiel]

now that is a fuel tank!

[tnelsmn]

now that is a fuel tank!
Welding/metal fab is my trade and what I did for a living for the last decade. So this was part of the build where I actually knew what I was doing. :D

[LakeFever]

Speedglas! Winning lid there. You use the adflo stuff too?

[sonicss33]

Any thought of using angled bezels for gauges to help you see them easier?:rolleyes:

[tnelsmn]

Lake Fever, been wearing a Speedglas helmet my entire career. adflo? Not familiar with that...

Sonic, the thought did cross my mind more for a looks aspect. The boat is so small I don't think I'll have trouble seeing the gauges. The bottom right is already blocked by the steering wheel. That is something that could easily be added later if need be.

[LakeFever]

Speedglas have the adflo attachments for papr clean air supply. They work great! Works a bit like air conditioning in the heat too.

anyways not to sidetrack here your rig is looking fantastic. We are inching very close to starting ours. Can hardly wait

[tnelsmn]

Speedglas have the adflo attachments for papr clean air supply. They work great! Works a bit like air conditioning in the heat too.

anyways not to sidetrack here your rig is looking fantastic. We are inching very close to starting ours. Can hardly wait

Oh I see. Nope never used one of those. I did 90% TIG at my last job and the shop had AC. So never really needed it.

[nitro_rat]

Speedglas! Winning lid there. You use the adflo stuff too?

Those auto dark hoods (yes, even speedglas and other high end ones) bother my eyes no matter how I adjust them. I'm a "nodder" anyway, old habits die hard...

[Da Bull]

I love this thread. Very informative and lots of pictures. Being the same color as my old 1981 Viking don`t hurt either.

[LakeFever]

tnelsmn can you tell me the outside to outside spacing of your trailer bunks? Sooner the better Im in the middle of trying to configure bunks with no boat to measure. Thanks a TON, i hope your near the boat today lol

[tnelsmn]

tnelsmn can you tell me the outside to outside spacing of your trailer bunks? Sooner the better Im in the middle of trying to configure bunks with no boat to measure. Thanks a TON, i hope your near the boat today lol

Sorry, Lake, I’m at the lake today. I can get measurements tomorrow morning.

[LakeFever]

It was a hopeful long shot. I guessed and went 32” outside to outside and it’s a bit wide. No rush now but I will still be thankful to know. Enjoy the lake I’m on dryland all weekend. Boo lol

[tnelsmn]

Plugging away at rigging, slowly but surly. Seems like every time I turn around I'm ordering some type of hardware I forgot about. I'm sure the UPS man is getting sick of dragging box after box from McMaster-Carr to my house. I should say that I've conceded any chance at putting it in the water before it freezes this year. Splash date will have to be in the spring.

It's almost painful to be cutting so many holes in this thing. But I've been diligent about coating any exposed wood with gel coat and adding 4200 to any screws that are threading into wood.

Blue LED strip lights were installed about as high as they could be in the deck. They glow well on the interior and make for a neat look. The self adhesive backing lasted a whole day and fell off. If the surface was cleaned better prior to install they might've held. I ended up using a dab of 4200 every few inches and that seems to hold.

The bow lights are also LED strip style and mounted to the underside of the rub rail gives a really clean look. They are super bright and easy to see even mounted the way they are.

Helm and steering hoses are installed for good. For some reason I ordered 18' hoses, thats why they come so far forward before turning back to the helm. Having the T nuts installed in the wood supports for the deck worked really well for mounting the hose clamps.

Gauges are installed and wiring had begun on those. Since the newer style gauges use a harness instead of studs for wiring there's a few extra wires behind the dash. I added three buss bars to gang all the gauges together, I think this is cleaner than splicing all the wires into one. I have to send the switch panel out to be anodized and milled before installing the switches and really getting the wiring done.

Since the wiring is a bit of a stand still I started working on finishing the work on the trailer. Adding a swing tongue and transom strap hooks. I need the room from the swing tongue before I can get the engine bolted to the jack plate.

[XstreamVking]

Be a nice ride when your done.

[Merc 2.5]

I like the lights up under the cap. Much better look and easier on the eyes at night gonna b one nice rig

[mrichartz]

You are going to straighten up that wiring before you finish right?..lol
Looking good?

[tnelsmn]

Thanks guys!

Waiting on my switch panel to get back from being anodized and machined before I can complete the wiring. I told the shop no rush to hopefully save a few bucks.

The trailer work is finished and the new winch and jack are on. Fulton makes some really nice pieces. I added some laser cut stainless steel emblems to the trailer for a little extra finishing touch.

I started in on the cone job on the lower. This is the original 2:1 preload case, we'll see how long it lasts.

I 100% TIG welded the cone to the case. I fabbed a water passage from 1/8" sheet metal, I just never really liked the look of the hose. A trim tab was also cut from sheet metal and welded to the skeg. I followed the article posted on Wave to Wave and filled the farthest starboard water inlet and also slightly blunted the point of the nose.

The filler and paint work are left to be done, I plan to paint the lower and mid with Imron once finished.

[Hippie459MN]

Rumor has it you might do my next cone job... HaHa Looks awesome bud!

[mercnfly]

Tony what happened to your Instagram?

craig Harrison

[tnelsmn]

First layer of epoxy putty is on the lower unit. I'm surprised at how thin this stuff is. I don't see how you could use the epoxy alone to hold the cone on as the instructions from Bob's would suggest. Anyway I can already see there's a few low spots and will need at least another coat after sanding the high spots of this down.

I set the cone aside since more of my wiring supplies arrived. I want to continue with the wire until it's nearly finished, then get back to the engine.

I added a 6 place fuse block behind the dash to power up the majority of the accessories, this also has a 6 place negative buss bar built in. I added the main 12 place buss bars under the splash well near the battery.

3 of the 4 speakers are mounted. The last one will have to wait as control cables and the engine harness will need to route behind it and it will be in the way.

I ordered all my wiring supplies from Pro Wire USA. It's their "Tefzel" wire, which is tinned wire and some impressive insulation thats also nice and thin.

Yes I'm crazy and all the wires are labeled where they terminate, and every screw that goes into wood has a liberal amount of 4200 on it. The wires look a bit sloppy now but will be tidied up once they're all in and I can snug up the zip ties.

[Merc 2.5]

Well I deleted all my social media for a while so you might see me on here a bit more.

First layer of epoxy putty is on the lower unit. I'm surprised at how thin this stuff is. I don't see how you could use the epoxy alone to hold the cone on as the instructions from Bob's would suggest. Anyway I can already see there's a few low spots and will need at least another coat after sanding the high spots of this down.

I set the cone aside since more of my wiring supplies arrived. I want to continue with the wire until it's nearly finished, then get back to the engine.

I added a 6 place fuse block behind the dash to power up the majority of the accessories, this also has a 6 place negative buss bar built in. I added the main 12 place buss bars under the splash well near the battery.

3 of the 4 speakers are mounted. The last one will have to wait as control cables and the engine harness will need to route behind it and it will be in the way.

I ordered all my wiring supplies from Pro Wire USA. It's their "Tefzel" wire, which is tinned wire and some impressive insulation thats also nice and thin.

Yes I'm crazy and all the wires are labeled where they terminate, and every screw that goes into wood has a liberal amount of 4200 on it. The wires look a bit sloppy now but will be tidied up once they're all in and I can snug up the zip ties.

Only social media I do is scream and fly. I have no other anythings , I like it like that. But back to your rig. I was talkin to a buddy yesterday (member here) and we was talkin bout spraying gel and he said man thats gotta b hard , I then started telling him bout your build and being your 1st one and seems like you been doin it 30yrs , then I told him u said really wasn't all that hard. You have really went the extra 100 miles on this. Patience pays off i guess. Thats where I struggle, always wanna b n a hurry. Gotta make myself slow down

[tnelsmn]

Thanks for the kind words, Merc. As far as spraying the gel. It is a lot of work, but I wouldn't call it difficult. Not to take away from guys who are good at it, but the stuff is so thick and comes out of the gun so slow its very forgiving compared to say automotive paint. I don't think gun technique is nearly as important with gel. It is very labor intensive with sanding and buffing, but agin more labor than skill. Then agin I've only sprayed my boat and could just as easily eat my words on the next project haha.

I've been blessed with a lot of patience. I find very tedious work almost relaxing.

[Hippie459MN]

Well I deleted all my social media for a while so you might see me on here a bit more.

I was wondering where you went or what happened. I have not been on the old social media much myself as of late. If it wasnt for the groups and pages I have, I would get rid of it as well.

[tnelsmn]

November 16th marked two years since it was pulled in the garage. I can't believe it's been that long!

Still plugging away with the wiring. I've been busy with lots of other stuff the last few weeks so progress has been kinda slow. But a few more things are done.

Bilge pump is mounted, plumbed, and wired in. I changed the wiring a bit so that instead of running the auto feature directly to the battery it will pull power from the hot side of the master switch on the dash. That way when I throw the main battery switch in the rear, everything is off. The plumbing had to get a little crazy to get out from the bilge and around the knees and fuel tank. There isn't much extra space around the tank. The black on the hose is actually heat shrink hose clamps. Saw them in Hot Rod magazine years ago.

The radio and all speakers are finished. I did buy a 12 pin Deutsch plug for the radio so it can be removed easier in the future if needed. The antenna is mounted below the bow to keep it hidden. It gets good reception inside my garage even on iffy local stations. I'm surprised at how well this set up sounds and the fact that the entire thing is completely hidden is cool. The head unit has an app to control every feature from a phone so you don't need to see it. But there's very few buttons and it's easy to control by feel.

The original horn and USB charge port are mounted and wired, everything forward of the dash is now finished.

[InjectorService]

All I can say is WOW! I just finished reading this thread front to back, I kept waiting for the part where you might skimp out on a detail, or something, but you didn't! It seems like you have thought about every detail, from trailer to motor, to boat and everything in between. The labor hours involved are unreal too! WOW GREAT JOB!

EDIT: And documenting every detail in the process too, that in itself is difficult at the best of times, and takes a huge amount of time.

Blake

[tnelsmn]

Thanks, Blake! I'm lucky to have down time at work where I'm able to write to forums posts and do the editing on the videos. Otherwise it probably wouldn't be nearly as detailed.

[tnelsmn]

More wiring. I may have got a bit overboard with all of it, but can't think of circuits I would want to go without. The passenger side is wrapped in loom and finalized. The relays for the trim, jack plate, and future fuel pump are in and mostly wired. Just have to get the wires out to the trim and plate and I will tie all that off. Trim and jack plate paddle switches are wired in. That plate holding them in is temporary, I will get one laser cut soon.

I ran the wires for the paddles through the dash just below the helm. I cut a piece of 3/8" stainless steel tube and flared it in with some 5200 just like a brass drain tube. I figured thats the cleanest way I get the wires behind the dash.

The switch panel was finally drawn in solid works so I can have the machining done once I get it back from being anodized. Since I had a computer drawing a friend laser cut me a temp one from plywood so I'm able to finish the wiring before having the permeate plate. This turned out to be a good thing because I needed to change the hole spacing to fit the hole in the dash.

I bought the blue wheel on sale from Livorsi but don't plant to run it since it has hydraulic steering. I will be using the wood wheel I found from Grant. It looks almost the same as the original wheel but is a 13" instead of 15". I'm going to cut the spokes out and weld them in so they are evenly spaced.

Threw in a picture of it at work with me. The snow has been holding off in my area so I was able to bring it in on a Sunday and work on wiring all day between calls.

I should start looking into interiors soon...

[DanUmbarger]

You've done a great job on your boat...I forgot to ask you a while back...what size flake did you use and what tip did you use to spray the flake? I tried to look back in your thread but maybe I just missed it. I used .025 flake and sprayed it with a dump gun...LOTS of orange peel. I'm restoring a Hustler tunnel boat for my newly purchased Johnson GT115 and was contemplating spraying it with a different gun for less orange peel.

[tnelsmn]

Dan, the silver is .025, .015, and .008. I used a HVLP gun with a 2.5mm tip. It was sprayed full thickness, no thinner. I had a ton of orange peel as well. There was a lot of sanding after spraying.

[DanUmbarger]

Do you have any idea how many pounds of flake you used? Trying to get a handle on the possible difference between you using a HVLP and me using the dump gun. I used about 5 lbs of .025 flake. I might just try the HVLP on my current one.

[tnelsmn]

Do you have any idea how many pounds of flake you used? Trying to get a handle on the possible difference between you using a HVLP and me using the dump gun. I used about 5 lbs of .025 flake. I might just try the HVLP on my current one.
I would guess we used 2lbs max. I ordered 5lbs after reading a few guys saying it takes that much and I have a LOT left over. If you get close to surface you can see through the flakes to the black base in a few spots. I would've liked to get a bit more down to be honest. We were mixing about 4oz to 1 quart of gel. When we started on the deck we tried 6oz flake to a quart but were having issues with air temps and the gel curing in the gun. We assumed it was the extra flake causing the issue so we dropped back to 4oz. Turned out dropping the catalyst .5% solved it for us. We should've stuck with 6oz and I think we would've ended up with a better end product.

I've never used a dump gun so I can't speak to that.

[tnelsmn]

Harness is about 95% completed. I need to mount the controls to finish it with the natural safety override, throttle handle trim, tether kill, etc.

The fuse panel is completely finished, I just can't seem to find where I put the little label stickers for the cover. Not that those are really needed.

The switch panel is wired up other than the LED indicators for when circuits are on. Those would be too much work to install and remove and reinstall when the permeant switch panel is completed.

At this point everything in the boat works and powers up from the battery through the harness. No more dragging my jump pack around connecting leads to each item making sure things work.

Pretty cool to throw a switch and have lights come on, this boat never even had lights.

I had to use a few diodes to get the three position switches to work as I wanted. They were listed as SPDT switches as Off/On/Both, so the anchor light could be on without the bow lights, etc. But they are actually On/Off/On so I got creative.

Switch panel and functions are as follows;
Main battery switch, in the rear near the battery, kills everything. That powers the large buss bar in the rear. From that buss bar a wire runs to the "Master" switch at the panel. On the hot side of the Master the trim/jack plate switches pull power so those work when ever the battery is turned on, as well as the "Auto Bilge".

Master: sends power to the fuse panel.
(Everything following pulls power from the fuse panel)
Acc: powers the gauge functions, and will power the GPS once that is installed.
Fuel: closes the relay in the rear that will be used for a boat mounted fuel pump when I repower to EFI.
Anchor/Nav: Anchor side only powers the stern light, Nav side lights the bow lights, gauge light, and stern light(through diode).
Radio/Interior: Radio side powers the radio and USB charge port, Interior side powers the blue LED strip lights in the gunnels and through a diode the radio and USB.
Auto Bilge/Bilge: (DPDT switch) Auto side(Pole one) powers the auto feature of the bilge pump, Bilge side(Pole two) powers manual bilge operation.
Horn: self explanatory hahaha.

[XstreamVking]

One thing I do different. I run a seperate power wire from the batt to the dash for the bilge and radio standby power. That way, when the batt sw is off, the power sw to the bilge on / auto still works and the radio keeps the time and presets. I also have the bilge float sw. power run right to the batt with a seperate fuse if the boat lives in the water. You can tap into the one at the dash for an indicator light for pump running.

[tnelsmn]

I really debated how to wire up the bilge in relation to the auto function. This one doesn't have a float switch, but instead it runs the pump for about half a second every 2:30 and if it senses an amp draw it runs it until there is no more draw. The book said to run that function directly to the battery around the battery switch, but I gotta believe that would drain the battery in no time when its sitting on the trailer. This boat won't live in the water. Thats why I ended up running the auto switch off the power in side of the master on the dash.

My thought process was whenever the boat is in the water the battery switch is on and the bilge to auto. Nothing else has power until the master at the dash is turned on.

Luckily the radio I have doesn't need a constant power to save the time or presets.

[XstreamVking]

That computer pump will wait 2 mins till it tries to pump. A LOT can happen in 2 mins. I use the computer pumps as a maint pump. It pumps water and I have a problem. My real pump is a sure bail float sw and 1100 pump wired direct to the batt. But, if you are with the boat it's ok. Just trying to cover all the bases. I'm a little cray-cray about bilge pumps and such.

[tnelsmn]

I'd be a little crazy about pumps too if I went though your experience on the 42' Viking.

[tnelsmn]

With the wiring 95% completed and as far as I can take it without more parts I turned attention back to the lower.

The putty work was finished with a few more coats of the Bobs putty that came with the kit. The skeg was straightened out, about .090" was removed from the leading edge at the widest point to get it back to a straight line, and .125" was taken off the bottom to true it to the prop shaft and remove the radius.

The mid was also sanded down to be repainted. It wasn't bad but had a lot of small chips. I figured if I was spraying the lower doing the mid wouldn't be much more work.

I went with PPG's Omni line of paints. I used an epoxy primer followed by acrylic enamel single stage paint. I noticed right away that I left way too deep of sanding scratches on the lower so I sprayed on some high build primer and sanded it out agin. Theres still a lot of sanding scratches that can be seen. But I'm leaving it for now. Paint is far less forgiving to spray than gelcoat haha. The mid has some serious orange peel, but that can be wet sanded and buffed later if it really bugs me. I picked up a "paint booth" from Amazon, more like a 3 sided tent. It did a decent job of containing most the overspray.

With the parts painted work on the interior began.

I picked up some 1/2" Cloosa to rebuild the factory style back to back seats. These are direct replicas of the original seats, with the only change being making the base 1" shorter. 3/8" PVC board was used for the side panels on the gunnels, and the rear panel. I hope to get all this dropped off with the upholstery lady in the next few weeks. The interior will resemble the original style and shape with a few changes.

I can really start to see the light at the end of the tunnel now!

[Baker343]

Nice job on the lower. 2 to 1 or 1.87. I would test with the orange peel/slight scratches. Some slight aeration can help acceleration Lu and bottom. It can always be sanded it out for looks

[rjdubiel]

2.1 on that vintage 175. I think if he does not get too heavy, I bet 80 mph or very very close with that 2.0 power. I have a 1.87 he can try this summer if he wants.

[tnelsmn]

This one is a 2:1. I'll run it as is for now, if I do decide to buff it out I was planning to leave the bottom half sanded with 400grit paper the same as I did with the pad.

[tnelsmn]

Mid, 2 piece adapter plate, powerhead, and SeaStar tournament series steering ram are installed. Solid motor mounts were installed at this time as well. I'm waiting for some 45* fittings from SeaStar for the hoses to connect to the ram, the 90* just isn't going to work for how I have the hoses ran. I stuck the lower in with a single bolt just to get an idea of how everything sits. Turns out my math was a bit off and I'm sitting about an inch lower than what I planned on. But I still have 2 holes on the clamp bracket I can move up if needed.

The picture shown with it trimmed is about as high as it will go with the plate down before crushing the steering ram against the transom. It's a bit beyond the second stage of trim before it gets there, I'll just have to be mindful of that. Or I could try and get really fancy with some limit switches, but that seems like more work than I want to do.

It's getting pretty exciting now!

[tnelsmn]

Almost all focus has been on the engine since the last post. Can't really do anything on the hull until I get more parts back.

To be safe I replaced the reed valves with a new set from Cris Carson. The originals looked fine but they were changed anyway. While I had them out I lapped the reed cages with some wet 400 on a sheet of glass. They were also in decent shape.

Carbs were rebuilt will all new seals. The gaskets in them were very dry and brittle so I'm sure it would've leaked. I was nervous about screwing up carb settings and chasing drivability issues, so I was happy to find these carbs use fixed jets and I couldn't screw something up. The center and bottom carb were absolutely spotless, there was just a very small amount of goo in the top carb that I'm convinced would've cleaned right out with fresh gas running through it.

Fuel pump was rebuilt and new fuel lines ran to each carb. New bleed lines were ran. I discovered the wires to the stator are corroded beyond repair so the flywheel is off and the stator and trigger will be replaced.

I built an adapter to be able to mount rigging hoses with the clamshell cowls. Which was just a matter of welding some tubing to the lower mount.

For anyone wondering the clamshells clear the big tiller arm and SeaStar steering fine with no modifications necessary.

[tnelsmn]

Wiring on the engine is 95% completed. The blue wires in the picture will go to a temp sending unit that still needs to be drilled into water jacket in the head. Everything else is hooked up. New stator and trigger are in and I had to replace the flywheel with another used one as the original had a broken screw on one of the magnets.

I really hate to cut into the original cowl but a cowl mounted trim switch is so nice to have. I added one and have a simple plug in line so its easy to unhook and remove that cowl.

Trim and jack plate relays are all wired up in the boat and wired to each unit through the rigging hose. I was able to drill a hole in the adapter plate near the shifter and run the wires through that since I'm running clamshells and not a bottom pan. I do have a plug mounted here to make removing the engine less work. Then I realized I will still need to get the jack plate wires out if I pull the engine. So I'll have to pull two pins out of the plug. Its the thought that counts haha.

Stainless steel sheet metal was laser cut to mount the paddle switches for trim/jack operations.

I'm very near the end and mostly waiting on others to get me parts to finish; upholstery, switch plate, hydraulic fittings, etc. Spring fever is really getting me.

[tnelsmn]

Not much new since the last post. But I did finally get the new fittings for the steering lines. So the hoses are on for good. Still need to fill and bleed the system.

Also cleaned up the harness from the control box and wired in the trim controls from the throttle handle. I set the "trailer" button on the control box to up trim. I will eventually set up a safety in the up trim circuit that will stop in when it reaches the second stage. Much beyond that will crash the steering ram into the transom unless the jack plate is up. This way I can still up trim if needed for maintenance etc.

I brought it into work to get more done on a weekend. So I stopped and grabbed some pictures outside.

P.S. I made a deal on a 98 225 ProMax that I'm picking up this weekend. I plan to run the current 175 for this season and switch them out next winter.

[LakeFever]

Congrats on the motor! Whats the plan with the windshield?

[tnelsmn]

Congrats on the motor! Whats the plan with the windshield?

Thanks! The windshield is sitting in my basement patiently waiting to go on. It will be one of the last things installed. I want to wait until I get the interior in before putting the windshield on just to avoid any possible damage lifting large items in and out. I do still need to remake the lower trim, but that will only be a few hour project.

The frame needs just a bit of straightening probably from me using it as a grab handle as a child. But the plastic looks brand new after my dad buffed it out.

[tnelsmn]

Still waiting on parts to continue work on the boat.

But, this came home with me over the weekend. At this point I'm going to wait to rig it until I can handle the boat well at speed. So I'll swap them out over next winter, or maybe later this season. I'm going to need to do some research on how to set this up to work with the original control box.

All original one owner 1998 225ProMax. Oil injection removed in '99 and nose cone installed by Tooter? Nothing else ever done to it.
484488

[XstreamVking]

Slap that puppy on it!

[tnelsmn]

Slap that puppy on it!

I've got too much into the 2.0 to not give it a fair shake. Plus I need to hear it run for the childhood nostalgia. I'm sure the ProMax will end up on it by July haha.

[LakeFever]

I’d run the 2.0L first as well. My thinking is you get to enjoy more by going in stages. Run the 2.0L until that becomes boring and then slap the ProMax on there and it’s fresh thrills all over again. Something to scale up to type thing. Lots of fun to be had with both and your resto is so factory period correct it’s cool as heck to have the matching vintage motor on there. Like that moss boss vector that sold here a while back with the inline and no Jack plate. Looked so cool

have you thought of trying to wrap the clam on the promax?

[tnelsmn]

I’d run the 2.0L first as well. My thinking is you get to enjoy more by going in stages. Run the 2.0L until that becomes boring and then slap the ProMax on there and it’s fresh thrills all over again. Something to scale up to type thing. Lots of fun to be had with both and your resto is so factory period correct it’s cool as heck to have the matching vintage motor on there. Like that moss boss vector that sold here a while back with the inline and no Jack plate. Looked so cool

have you thought of trying to wrap the clam on the promax?

I kinda see the 2.0 as a training engine to really learn how to handle the hull before going seriously fast.

I've really been trying to keep the factory feel. I know the rigging hoses and gauges aren't period correct, but they look much better than the alternate.

That Boss Moss was a cool boat. I was also a big fan of the blue Vector Scott Reiserson bought. It was on the front page here a few years ago. All original time capsule with a 150 tower bolted to the transom.

I 100% plan to put the clamshells on the ProMax! If I end up swapping them mid season I'll run the alien till winter and do that work over winter. These are my favorite alien cowl graphics after all.

[XstreamVking]

You should get 70 with the lil engine and a 26p prop

[tnelsmn]

A bit of a deep dive for something as simple as a steering wheel.

I do still have the original wheel from the boat in very good condition, but from the reading I've done it sounds like a 15" wheel is a bit excessive with hydraulic steering. So I tracked down a 13" wheel from Grant that looks very close to the stock wheel. The issue I had with the new wheel is the spokes aren't evenly spaced, which would drive me crazy with the wheel not returning to center with hydraulic.

I wanted to keep the original look, so the original hub was reused. To make that work on the round tapered shaft I welded the old square tapered hole shut and machined the new round taper and keyway into it.

The rivets were drilled out to remove the wood and the spokes were cut free from the hoop and the center. A new center was laser cut to match the bolt pattern from the original hub. The surface finish/grain on each spoke was redone to have it run parallel to the spoke. The spokes were shortened to move the wheel closer to he hub. As it was bought the wheel was too deep to be able to reach the paddle switches. Spokes were TIG welded back on evenly spaced and weld staining was metal finished away.

The wood was sanded down to remove the less than ideal finish from Grant. Then re stained and received three coats of Minwax polyurethane semi gloss.

Hex drive button head stainless bolts were used to attached the wood back to the hoop.

The original center cap/ride guide logo is long gone so I had new one made to look like the original. Its a thick gel sticker that looks pretty close.

Like I said, lots of work into a small detail like a steering wheel. But the small details add up.

[mrichartz]

Oh T...Don't know if your looking but there are/was a couple days ago a bunch(well 5-6)of 26 choppers on ebay..just in case you were looking and missed them..some were crap but the others were in really nice shape..but damn if I can find a lh 26 have been looking since last year...to make my set.

[tnelsmn]

Oh T...Don't know if your looking but there are/was a couple days ago a bunch(well 5-6)of 26 choppers on ebay..just in case you were looking and missed them..some were crap but the others were in really nice shape..but damn if I can find a lh 26 have been looking since last year...to make my set.

I have an untouched big ear 26 I picked up about a year ago. But now I'm starting to think of others to run with the ProMax. There's a few local guys who said I could try a few of their extras to see what the boat likes. Thanks for the heads up!

[XstreamVking]

Awesome job on the steering wheel

[tnelsmn]

Windshield is mounted.

The lower trim got lost in the shuffle from when it was removed 15 years ago. So a new one was made. A leftover piece of the rub rail that was formed was used to make the lower trim. The Eastwood metal shrinker came in handy once agin.

It looks so much better with the windshield!

[mrichartz]

Looks good! So when is it getting wet?
Windshields just slow you down.. lol

[tnelsmn]

Looks good! So when is it getting wet?
Windshields just slow you down.. lol

The hold up is going to be the upholstery shop. I'm just a few days worth of work away from having everything done. But also currently buried under large amounts of side work. So I don't get much time on the boat currently other than bringing it to work with me on the weekends.

My overall goal its Memorial weekend at this point.

[Jmr1974]

The hold up is going to be the upholstery shop. I'm just a few days worth of work away from having everything done. But also currently buried under large amounts of side work. So I don't get much time on the boat currently other than bringing it to work with me on the weekends.

My overall goal its Memorial weekend at this point. how long should it take a upholstery shop to do the work? I need to get my front seats and rear seat done bye next spring. My plan was to have my boat done this summer but that won’t happen so I’m aiming for next summer. Just wanna make sure I get my seats to a shop with enough time so that can happen, like everything else these days they’re probably understaffed and way backed up.

[tnelsmn]

how long should it take a upholstery shop to do the work? I need to get my front seats and rear seat done bye next spring. My plan was to have my boat done this summer but that won’t happen so I’m aiming for next summer. Just wanna make sure I get my seats to a shop with enough time so that can happen, like everything else these days they’re probably understaffed and way backed up.

I can't really say for sure. I would think just a week or two. The shop I'm using is a single lady that does it all on her own. I'm willing to wait since she does incredible work for a fair price. I told her I wasn't in a rush. I'm still waiting to hear back for when she wants me to drop it off. I'll probably bug her agin in a week. I'm nearly done with everything else.

[tnelsmn]

Fuel tank is in!

I had to change the filler neck just slightly to clear the battery. The battery wasn't in when I mocked up the tank initially. Was able to use the original filler cap that used to be mounted on the bow for the old forward tank.

Working on bleeding the steering system at this point.

Also having a few small parts 3D printed to work with the SeaStar dual throttle adapter I picked up. The unit is made for different cables than the Gen 1 Mercury pieces. This thing is going to be temporary for now. I ordered a peddle from Sjöberg Racing that is like the old L&S units that allow for hand or foot operation. It will be much less clunky than the SeaStar unit I have now. But he is somewhere is Europe so I imagine it will take some time before it arrives. Sadly the nice new EZ Foot throttle I bought from Gary here won't be used for very long.

Tony.

[tnelsmn]

Well it turns out the SeaStar throttle adapter thing-a-ma-bob isn't going to work for me. So I ordered new cables and ran both to the engine. I guess that's not so bad, quick and easy to swap out. When the new peddle from Sjöberg Racing arrives I'll swap it all agin.

The steering seems to be bled out at this point. If I grab the engine I can move it maybe 1/4-1/2" total at the rearmost point of the cav plate. It feels solid.

A new water pump and corresponding seals was installed in the lower unit. The lower was finally installed on the engine. I couldn't help myself knowing the prop shaft seals are 40 some years old. So I attempted to remove them with out pulling the carrier. That didn't work, tools for pulling the carrier are on order and I'll do it properly. With the lower on I was able to check engine height. My math was off and I ended up about 1" lower than I planned on for the jack plate. The engine was raised to the lowest hole and this puts it 3/8" above the pad with the plate fully raised.

With the lower on we were finally able to fire the engine for the first time in 17 years. It wasn't running quite right at first due to a crack in the fuel pump housing(because I over tightened the inlet fitting). I pulled that and welded it quick and it ran great following that.

The trailer got some new wheels and tires as well. There was nothing wrong with what was there, I just really wanted a set of slot mags due to the original trailer having them my whole life. I think the polished looks better anyway.

A few random pictures when I pulled it outside in the sunlight.

Still waiting on upholstery...


https://youtu.be/lnLMkoaDgqg

https://youtu.be/bOAZ6UX8D6A

https://youtu.be/jgUFaLdjBV4

[Baker343]

Impressive restore, especially a rig thats been in your family that long. Motor sounds great too.
So is that a late 70's 2L with early 80's 2.4 175 cowlings.
Look forward to seeing how it performs when you play with setups and props.

[tnelsmn]

Impressive restore, especially a rig thats been in your family that long. Motor sounds great too.
So is that a late 70's 2L with early 80's 2.4 175 cowlings.
Look forward to seeing how it performs when you play with setups and props.

To the best of my knowledge it's a 78 2.0, by the serial number on the clamp and it still has actual choke plates, not enrichment valves. According to the websites selling vintage decals, these are 1980. The clamshells have been on it as long as my family has owned it. Unchanged since 1980.

[XstreamVking]

You built a great boat. Got it looking like new again.

[mrichartz]

I would say that's better than new..thing looks awesome.

[tnelsmn]

Thanks guys! Can’t wait for the upholstery to be done. That’s really going to pull it all together. Doing original style back to backs with a bit more modern color and pattern.

[25two.stroke]

Thanks guys! Can’t wait for the upholstery to be done. That’s really going to pull it all together. Doing original style back to backs with a bit more modern color and pattern.

I would be interested in what the complete seat assemblies weigh before they go in...if you have a means of weighing them. I am just starting my '84 vking rebuild...

[Baker343]

To the best of my knowledge it's a 78 2.0, by the serial number on the clamp and it still has actual choke plates, not enrichment valves. According to the websites selling vintage decals, these are 1980. The clamshells have been on it as long as my family has owned it. Unchanged since 1980.

Should be a runner with that light setup and early 2L.
I would think you could pull a 26p to mid 70's to low 80's with some testing. Definitely will put a smile on your face.
Nice work

[Jmr1974]

Very nice. I don’t know how you can stand it anymore, you gotta be itching bad to get it on the water...

[tnelsmn]

Very nice. I don’t know how you can stand it anymore, you gotta be itching bad to get it on the water...

Yeah, it might be time to call another shop at this point for the upholstery. I'm loosing my mind looking at it with practically nothing left to do.

25 Two, I'll weigh the seats once they're finished.

[tnelsmn]

Well, she's done! (kinda) There's a few loose ends to tie up before it goes in the water, but that will get taken care of this week. Planning to splash Saturday May 29.

Overall the project is not yet completed. I did check with two other upholstery shops in town and was told mid August and October. So I'm just going to stick it out with the shop I've been dealing with. Last time I stopped in the carpet had arrived. With them not being able to give me a date on when they can get to the interior I have no choice but to put the original seats back in it. The driver seat was torn apart so a new frame could be built. The old wood frame was tossed on a fire so the old vinyl went on the new coosa frame. Sure glad I hung onto the foam/vinyl! I changed the design of the base a bit(sits 1" lower) with the new seats so both sides are on the new bases, but the passenger seat back is just as it left the factory in '78. The gunnel pads and rear cover are going to be left off until the new stuff arrives.

I added a Garmin Ecomap42 4" GPS/chart-plotter/fish finder. I plan to go to lots of different lakes and rivers so I wanted a map, and a depth finder is nice to have. I used a glue in through hull transducer, so no extra holes anywhere. Its mounted low and practically under the dash so it doesn't take away from the old school feel. But is easy to see from the driver seat.

With the seats in, the base for the ski tow bar was bolted into the floor.

Also, still waiting on the machine shop to finish the CNC work on the switch panel. For now it will run with the plywood template that was cut, taped to the dash.

Added a forward bunk/walking plank to the trailer as well as a spare tire. This thing needs all the tongue weight it can get.

This is far from what I wanted it to be for a maiden voyage, but gotta play the hand you're dealt. I'm ready to drive this thing!

[rjdubiel]

Where are you going to get out? Saturday and Sunday mornings we are in Champlin at the Mississippi Point Park launch at about 9:30.

[tnelsmn]

Where are you going to get out? Saturday and Sunday mornings we are in Champlin at the Mississippi Point Park launch at about 9:30.

Heading to Rush Lake. I have family there so it will work nice to the first trip back in the water. I do plan on getting with you guys this summer.

[tnelsmn]

Got the last few little things wrapped up.

Registration numbers came in and went on.

The tow bar was installed, it is set up to be a quick disconnect. Just pull a detent pin on the base and slide it out. The rear support bars pull off with a cotter pin. My dad built this for it back when they bought the boat. It was sent out to be re polished and turned out amazing. It will probably only be in the boat when skiing for a day.

I made a bunch of new capacity plates to match the original ones. (If interested send a PM) All of the info was stamped into that and stuck on the boat as kinda a finishing touch.

Fire extinguisher was mounted below the rear passenger seat.

Repaired a chip I caused on the pad a few weeks ago. I was using a long aluminum tube held against the pad to measure prop shaft height. I bumped it and took a chip out sliding it under the boat. I used Adtech P-14 filler to make the repair. It's small but I didn't want it to grow so it got filled.

[LakeFever]

to echo earlier, the steering wheel is awesome! Hope the maiden voyage is fun and safe

[tnelsmn]

Switch panel showed up just in time! So the only thing not done is the upholstery work.

I'll up date sometime this weekend with maiden voyage pictures/videos.

[mrichartz]

Videos VIDEOS VIDEOS!!!!?

[Velocity72]

Sure brings back memories of my Vector; the seats and ski pylon. Awesome job, boat is beautiful.

[tnelsmn]

Videos VIDEOS VIDEOS!!!!?

All 5 GoPros fully charged and SD's wiped clean. They'll be video haha.



Velocity72, thank you, its been a long road!

[mrichartz]

All 5 GoPros fully charged and SD's wiped clean. They'll be video haha.

Oh I know it's been exhausting reading this as you did all the work man;):D. some nights I just had to push thru but...lol
Nice to see it's almost in the water. Cant wait to see the videos! Driving me nuts not putting mine in it's almost a year.. Actually might be interested in a coast guard plate just to hang on the wall.

[tnelsmn]

Happy to report that it floats! Gonna take some getting used to balancing on the pad, but was able to bump 70 so far. Here’s a couple quick shots posting from my phone while at the lake. I’ll write up more this week and get the video edited.

[LakeFever]

Congrats!!! What an awesome moment I hope you enjoyed it as much as I think you did. I really like the way yours floats at rest too, Its the perfect hydrostream stance, it looks incredible. Cant wait to see the vids

[XstreamVking]

Nothing looks better than a V-King floating "just right".

[tnelsmn]

First weekend with it.

The project is not yet complete as I'm still waiting on the interior and will swap on the ProMax sometime this summer.

https://youtu.be/S2BlZrgWs7I

[LakeFever]

What a journey, congrats again man I enjoyed following this build more than any other media the past couple years. I'd hand you an Oscar for build thread awesomeness if I could.

I'd really like to see some more info on that dual throttle set up you have and how you rigged it all up if your not burnt out from updating lol. If you dont and just want the summer to drive and enjoy I surely can understand that too. Anyways again congrats

[tnelsmn]

Thank you, Lake! As of now I just have two throttle cables ran to the engine. I have to swap them at the engine depending on what I want to use. The other cable just hangs in the cowl. My new peddle did arrive over the weekend which seems to be a good set up. I'll probably wait to put that in until I swap the ProMax on or put the new interior in.

[Blacknsilvr]

That’s awesome. I’ve been following this build since day one, glad to see it in the water! What prop were you running in the video?

[tnelsmn]

When topped out at 57 it was a 19 we use for skiing. When getting into the 60’s it was a 26 big ear chopper.

[Blacknsilvr]

Ahh, I didn’t notice the prop change after the 19. I knew something was up lol!

[tnelsmn]

So its been out two weekends now. The first was over Memorial Weekend, so the lake was quite busy and we had crummy weather for the most part. But I was able to get some clear water and make some passes. Checking the GPS from the GoPro the best it saw was 68, according to the Garmin in the boat it was 69.3, and would chine walk like crazy at about 66. I was able to get it flat for a few passes and thats where I saw the top speeds. This was running a 26 big ear chopper, prop shaft CL about even with the pad, hard to say exactly since the plate is hydraulic and is 3/8" above when it max up.

I was noticing a bit of a vibration on the fourth day, thought I had some weeds on the prop but saw nothing when I checked. When I got on the trailer I found the lower unit damn near falling off! The rear two studs that thread into the lower were gone completely, the forward two studs that thread into the lower were backed out as far as possible stopping when they hit the mid, keeping the lower from falling off completely. One of the rear studs hit the prop on the way out and took a put a decent nick in it. Also chipped up the bottom side of the cav plate. I welded and blended the prop already.

Picked up some new studs and lock nuts and got it all back together dripping with red loctite.

Second weekend out the lower stayed on and tight, turns out its a lot easier to drive with the lower tight! Was able to get up to 67 agin with ease and it behaved much better at speed.

Put the tow bar in and attempted waterskiing for the first time in 20 years. We were all able to get up and ski but the boat really struggled like it never did before. I need to get the hydrofoil/whale tail whatever you want to call it back on. It wants to cavitate as soon as the bow drops. But it also seems to be very down on power when coming out of the hole as well as struggling to idle in gear. I need to check the timing since I put in a new trigger and never did check timing. I was lazy and skipped it because I'll have to make a pointer and establish TDC.

Tried the 30 cleaver that I picked up and seemed to run out of power at the top end, the 26 chopper was preforming better. But its crazy to feel the difference on how those props affect the hull.

Also the steering mount loosened up toward the end of the weekend. The lock collar that holds the ram in the tilt tube worked loose. So that will be looked at as well.

Always something with a project.

[mrichartz]

Yea amazing how much a tight bottom end.......lol
Damn that really would have sucked and surprised just a slight vibration, someone got lucky..can't wait to see #s when you ShakeOut all the bugs etc

[LakeFever]

The boat is disappointed with the 175 and saying it’s time for the promax :D

[tnelsmn]

Turns out that it runs a whole lot better and has more power when the timing is set right, :eek: I didn't get an exact reading of how far off it was, but if I had to guess it was at least 10 degrees retarded. Set full throttle at 20 BTDC cranking and reset the idle timing with it strapped on the trailer in the launch and it runs like a whole new boat! Starts quick and easy, idles great in gear and doesn't stall coming back down to idle. Even hot restarts are much better.

I ran the 26 chopper this morning and was still only seeing about 68 turning right around 6k. I think that might be all this motor has in it. I did pick up a 24 trophy and will give that a try over the weekend.

I'll be pulling the ProMax out of the corner and getting that ready to go on around the end of the month. Pull injectors and send them out, water pump, etc. I plan to make it work with the old control box, so I'll have to see what thats going to take to make work. Might have to get a newer box and swap the guts.

Also, found a crack on the chopper so that's wall art now, and to be clear it wasn't where I welded on it :p

[mrichartz]

So that was all the motor had or have more in to for bigger pitch prop?
Yea amazing what some timing does huh..

Losing a prop is better than a lower.
Wall art..this is when friend got to close to shore at the romp...then asked think I can get back..told him stay went and got another prop. can't imagine how much it would have shaken above an idle..have to have at least one.
He was saying s**I thought it was sand...not by the bridge and road.he got lucky that's all the happened.
488576

[tnelsmn]

I ran it with a 30 cleaver last weekend with the timing off. The chopper was faster then. But I'll try the cleaver agin this weekend. Book says max RPM on this motor is 5300-5800 and I'm up over 6 so its not making any more power up there. It is stock after all.

[mrichartz]

How much over 6 ? ....
So yea a 30 32 pitch to bring the rpms down should be quicker but till you try...IF you have one to use but since your hanging the 2.5 I'd wait till then...BUT IF you can find a bigger prop would be cool to know????

[Jmr1974]

What year is your 175? I ask because my 1985 175 Mariner would push my Valero to 75mph with ease with a 26 pitch Yamaha drag, I think it would’ve done 80 if I had the balls to stay in it but it felt like it was gonna go into orbit at 75. My motor was bone stock with a coned case and cmc hydraulic jack plate (5” setback I think). To my understanding the Vking and Valero have the same hull and really the only thing different is the deck.

[Jmr1974]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention 75mph with 2 people in the boat averaging 200lbs a piece.

[tnelsmn]

Motor is a 1978 to the best of my knowledge. Was turning about 6,200. Valero and Viking/VKing are the same hull. I was hoping to see 75 with it. But not sure it has it in it.

[mrichartz]

Yea you need a bigger pitch prop...beg, borrow borrow w/o knowledge lol..jk..
Can you get a bigger prop?

[Jmr1974]

I had one of those tork shift props for that boat also. I’m not sure what pitch that tork shift started out with when I stood on it but it would launch the boat, I raced my father in laws jet ski one day for fun with that prop and i totally blew him away on the hole shot. I could only get about 55mph with that prop then the rpms would get to high. I bring this up because you said you started out with a 19pitch prop, I would think you should feel that same kind of launch with a 19 pitch as I did with the tork shift if your motor is healthy. Honestly I had more fun with that prop than the fast prop I had, so much fun that I destroyed the prop from surfacing it.

[LakeFever]

I think I’ve read over half of the content on s&f now. I find all these great old threads and get hoovered into reading every post. The most common thing I see is set up, set up, set up. My vandal for instance has a 75hp 4cyl Merc which was a dog that did about 45 when I got it. I’ve been working the set up I’ve tried the engine at every hole and trying different props I’m now flirting with 60mph out of that 75 and it feels like a rocket now.

I’d be buying up every prop I could find and try em all. I have every pitch from 19-27 now except for 25 and I have duplicates of a few. I’m have a blast playing with props and set up. I know a dude who managed 80 with his Valero with a 150 xr2 that had shaved heads and jets. That’s it. He was running a dah labbed et.

[tnelsmn]

I'm slowly building the prop collection. I have a 30 cleaver I'll try on saturday, also just picked up a 24 trophy. I'm curious on what the cleaver will do now that the motor runs right. It ran out of steam at about 64 last weekend.

She leaves like a rocket now with the 19. That is the most fun so far:D

With the hydraulic plate I can mess with engine height on the fly. Now that I feel comfortable running on the nearby river(large dam located very close to launch) I can make adjustments and give it time to run out.

I'm enjoying the process at this point. Breaking props isn't fun, but gotta pay to play. I still want to see the old 2.0 in the 70"s before hanging the ProMax.

[XstreamVking]

Your best prop will be a 28p small blade chopper......If that won't run in the 70's nothing will.

[mrichartz]

Think I saw one on eBay yesterday.....
nope its a 26 small ear.

[rjdubiel]

Tony, if your in town sunday come to the coon rapids dam launch at about 9:30 or so. I think you would like to try my 30 small ear chopper maybe my 27 SRX.

[Blacknsilvr]

Did you ever check max timing?

I’m running a worked 28 big ear chopper, and loving it. I do know where a 30 is that’s for sale if you want to go that route.

[mrichartz]

There you go...

[tnelsmn]

RJ, I work on Sunday so I won't be able to do that.

Black&Silver I did check full throttle timing while cranking. Honestly didn't check with the motor running under load at fuel throttle.

[LakeFever]

Anyone else get giddy every time someone hits this thread? :D How about a 27 Tempest? I think the 24 trophy is a nice prop but not tall enough to hit the 70's

[tnelsmn]

I grabbed the trophy mostly cause it was local and a decent price. I figured it would be a good all around prop for a day on the lake, not necessarily top speed runs. But I got it before fixing timing. With the timing off the part throttle cruise with the chopper was terrible. So I was looking for something else. Now that its set right part throttle is great with the chopper. 3k and about 25-30 is great, motor is quiet enough to still hear the radio and boat rides fantastic at those speeds. Should be on the lake tomorrow, I'll update Sunday. :)

[Merc 2.5]

Congrats on the build. Very very nice rig. Great video also. The trophy is a great all around prop but its ALOT better if u have it worked a little, then they really run better

[tnelsmn]

I dropped in the river by my house yesterday to give the 30 cleaver a chance to run with more space. RPM's dropped a bit but just don't seem to have the power up top to keep spinning it higher. Plus it seems to keep a lot more of the hull wet, or at least it runs a lot flatter. Seems a bit more stable on the top end but I'm guessing thats because more hull is in the water.

And that same time out the pump on the Land&Sea plate went out so now I'm off the water until the new Atlas plate I ordered arrives. Not even going to try and fix it. I tore it apart to see if it was an easy fix and the gears are stripped out. No idea where to even look for gears. I knew I should've just got a new plate off the bat. Hope it shows up Friday!

[Baker343]

Glad to see you finally get it wet. I don't know your hull but they were built to perform. I do know 2L and I would stay in the 26p area. I run a 24 Mazco on a mildly ported 2L with 26cc heads 79mph at 6900rpm's in sprint racing.
I ran a 26 chopper/dunamus cut by Steve Smith in the Enduros 83mph at around 66 to 6700rpms for many hours.
Depending on your 2L health it can live at 6700.
So I would run 24's and 26's to get your rpm's up.
Test test and test. Interior and extra body weight is always a challenge.

[rjdubiel]

That stinks. Was just going to let you know we will be on the river Friday morning.

[tnelsmn]

New Atlas plate arrived in time to have it on for father's day weekend! The new plate gives some room to adjust a bit more than the L&S plate did. I have the plate in its top hole to set it as low as I can on the transom, and the engine is in the middle hole. This puts the prop shaft about 1/2" above the pad with the plate full up. I'm still trying to make this boat pull double duty as a ski boat and speed rig.

Still working to get it to break 70 at this point. I did a compression check which I'll list below. The best I've seen so far is 69 at about 6,200. Thats with a 26 big ear chopper, running about even to 1/2" above. It just seems like it runs out of power there. Going to get a spark gap tester and see if there's any weak coils. Also thinking I may add a few more degrees of timing. It's currently set at 20BTDC cranking speed at WOT, thinking of bumping that to 22, maybe 24? It still seems to be a bit weak out of the hole pulling a skier too. Adding the dole-fin made a huge help and 100lbs of weight in the bow helped more as well.

I have a 28 Mazco on the way that I just picked up as well. Prop collection is growing haha.

Compression test numbers, engine cold, throttles closed.
#1, 120
#2, 113
#3, 125
#4, 115
#5, 125
#6, 118

[XstreamVking]

Left bank has better compression. 120-125 is considered good stock. Rt side is not critical low, but is pushing the 10% margin. Max timing at 23 deg is safe if good gas is used. (91-93 octane) More timing and you need to check the actual timing of each cyl. They can vary 2-3 deg sometimes. Good to check timing variance anyway.

[LakeFever]

Maybe time for a little head shave

[tnelsmn]

Ok, I think I'll bump the timing a little bit then. I was considering taking some off the heads but don't want to go that far with this motor considering I have the ProMax about ready to go on. Just waiting on the boat side harness to arrive, which is on back order.

[LakeFever]

Funny that’s exactly why I was thinking shave the heads. If it works? Great! If not? Promax time LOL

I’ve taken sled heads off, had em shaved, and reinstalled in two hours for all. It’s a couple of gaskets and 30 mins for the machine shop if you have one you know or are friendly with this helps

[mrichartz]

Ok, I think I'll bump the timing a little bit then. I was considering taking some off the heads but don't want to go that far with this motor considering I have the ProMax about ready to go on. Just waiting on the boat side harness to arrive, which is on back order.

I would't cut the heads now keep them stock..well not like you can't find them but..
If it's weak save it to rebuild you did an awesome job on everything else..well I guess it depends on what you want to do with it in the end too?
But it's like putting a bandaid on and again look at what you did to the rest of the boat...
Just bump the timing

[Blacknsilvr]

I wouldnt say it’s weak. Hell,a decarb could bring those numbers back up. These boats take time to learn how to drive, and I’m still learning mine. Put a few degrees of timing to it, safely. It’s the cheapest and quickest option.

[mrichartz]

Yea how long has that motor been sitting till recently?
Did you put any seafoam etc in?

But if your going to do it..DO IT..cut them to where you need 104 octane and turn up the timing etc...and run it!!
Will be over 80-5 then...
JUST KIDDING..don't ruin that motor....just stop waiting throw the promax on and get going....you don't have to pushbthe throttle all the way you know..lol

[Blacknsilvr]

Yea how long has that motor been sitting till recently?
Did you put any seafoam etc in?

But if your going to do it..DO IT..cut them to where you need 104 octane and turn up the timing etc...and run it!!
Will be over 80-5 then...
JUST KIDDING..don't ruin that motor....just stop waiting throw the promax on and get going....you don't have to pushbthe throttle all the way you know..lol

lol this guy gets it!! Save the 175 for the next boat. 17-19 ft center console to cruise around on. We call them beer drinking barges down here.

[mrichartz]

It's a nice �� old clean freshwater motor right?
You never know what the next boat is and what you need motor wise...and they don't make them anymore and what they do ARENT cheap...

[rjdubiel]

That 1978 motor with the 3 ram clamp is work 1500+ easy, I am saying 2K with the lower! Leave it alone, crank up timing and go. Switch to the PM once you can.

[tnelsmn]

Boat side harness for the PM is on back order till August otherwise I'd be working on switching it over now. I'm going to call around locally and see if anyone has one on the shelf.

Yep, old freshwater motor from the north, so been stored every winter. It had been sitting about 15 years, I did pull and rebuild all the carbs before it went on the boat. I'll get the timing done this week and try agin. I ran the 28 Mazco this morning, seems like it wasn't lifting the bow. I think it needs more cup.

[rjdubiel]

I can drop off that cracked 30p small ear, zip it up and run it and see how it does. I don't think I will run it anymore on my boat anymore. Plenty of bow lift on my vking.

[scott reierson]

Mr Nelson,

I owe you a PM reply...

Before any mods. Give the old girl a chance

Have you run some Mercury power tune through it yet? If you haven't already, you might want to consider it. I've seen it work many times in situations like that. It might shake the rings and reciprocating internals loose and bump the comp.

Careful on the timing bump. If you don't want to pull & CC the heads...Might wanna stick a fat piece of solder in a plug hole and run it up to TDC to check the piston to head clearance. Maybe someone put fat head gaskets in it a or set of loose bigger CC heads in case the previous guy wanted to run 87

For skiing, Back in the day we ran the motor down and ran something like a 22 lazer or SS 3 Blade ski prop. Didn't need the Doel fin.

The 100lbs will help roll it over on plane but will slow it way down. May also create some scary handling problems. Also, If your dragging the doel fin in the water at speed that is not a good idea.

Everyone above is trying to help. These boats are lightweight fliers and take time to learn. They don't run like normal boat. You won't believe it the first time you get it right.

Power tune
Check your heads
Take out weight
Take off the dole fin training wheel
Set the prop shaft right
Bolt on a 26 or 28 Chopper and learn to fly

Check plug color after a hight RPM run. Take off the cowl first. Take a rag, gloves and your plug wrench. Take a speed run and fly it. Plan to shut it down quick and safe in a small shallow bay. Don't idle it around. Pull the plugs right there. They will be quite warm. Pull them all and note what cylinder they are from. Take a picture of all them with your cell phone. Show us how they look. Now your Streamer

I'll send ya a PM

[mrichartz]

Oh yea forget to mention that..but Scotts right take the foil off and take out the extra weight..
You will get the hang of it with seat time and probably quicker than you think..
The foil is slowing you down and the weight in front when you start flying the boat that weight in the bow can really throw you off quick..plus make it that much harder to get it flying etc...you should be able to just run the motor trimmed in if you don't feel like you have enough? Wedges maybe?

[tnelsmn]

The weight I added to the bow are dumbbells. Only there when skiing, I pull everything out when going for speed. Except the fire extinguisher and maybe a bottle of water.

[tnelsmn]

Well it finally did it! 70.7 according to the Garmin in the boat, the GoPro still only shows 69, but I'll trust the Garmin chart-plotter to have a better internal GPS. Not sure if it was the extra 1.5 degrees timing advance I put in it, the weather/conditions, or running with other go fast boats for a change haha. Running the same 26 chopper I repaired previously.

Thanks for the great video, RJ!

[mrichartz]

A little timing can do alot and can go along way.:cheers: