1978 Viking rebuild

[Hippie459MN]

Well it finally did it! 70.7 according to the Garmin in the boat

What model Garmin is that?

[tnelsmn]

What model Garmin is that?

EchoMap Plus 43cv

It's a great little unit. I have it with Lake-vu so it has all the maps preloaded. Running a glue down through hull transducer.

[tnelsmn]

I've been talking about it for a while, but it's finally happening. Hanging the ProMax on it! Rigging is about 75% completed at this point.

All thats left is to run the harness and splice it into the old control box, and hook up a few things on the engine, temp and trim senders, etc.

Just have a few loose hoses and an empty barb that I'm not sure what to do with. I believe it has to do with the oil injection delete but I'm not sure. All my research has been on carb motors for the last year.

The fitting in the block has the hose I'm pointing at looks like it would've gone to the open barb up by the starter. This hose is plugged. The hose going off the top of the barb goes to the top of the oil tank. The other hose off the barb looks like it would reach to the other side of the block, this is plugged as well.

Should I leave all these as they are? What were they for?

Tony.

[rjdubiel]

looks like a 15 inch mid without the lower! OR is it???

[tnelsmn]

looks like a 15 inch mid without the lower! OR is it???

It's a 20" it looks a lot shorter having the cowl skirt on, and not having the lower on.

[LakeFever]

:cheers:

There is no drool face smiley here but im drooling, that mota is clean! How much setback on the jackplate there? Looks like maybe less than 4"?

[tnelsmn]

:cheers:

There is no drool face smiley here but im drooling, that mota is clean! How much setback on the jackplate there? Looks like maybe less than 4"?

Thanks, Lake! This thing is super clean, I need to borrow RJ's DDT scanner so I can pull the hours. I bough it from the original owner and he guessed 200hrs or less.

The Atlas plate is a 4" set back.

[rjdubiel]

No problem. Swing by anytime or I will be out Sunday morning if your in town

[tnelsmn]

Rigging is complete for the ProMax!

Went out last night and ran it with a 19p prop we've always ran for skiing. Haven't tried one of my big props yet. That will happen this week and I'll report back. But man, this has some power out of the hole!

This thing was pretty much completely stock except the oil injection was disabled. The pump and tank was still there. The oil tank and pump as well as the idle stabilizer box were removed. The trim relays and harness was also removed since the trim and jack plate relays all set up inside the hull.

Edit: I said earlier that I spliced the new harness into the old control box, that was a bit misleading. I pretty much just had to swap out the key switch assembly and tie in the trim buttons and neutral safety. I wired the original overheat buzzer into the new harness in place of the new buzzer. Kinda going crazy over mixing old and new. The "trailer" and "choke" buttons are no longer functioning. I was planning to use the choke button for the enrichment circuit in the ECU, but I found this ECU doesn't have an enrichment.

I had to open the hole a touch as the new key switch is just ever so slightly larger than the original. Even went so far as to tie the old school key float to the new key.

[mrichartz]

Ok ill be there friday night! Lets go!!

[tnelsmn]

Ok ill be there friday night! Lets go!!
I'll be at the lake all weekend, come on over! :D :cheers:

[mrichartz]

No problem just need to leave early Friday like 1am and let the truck really stretch its legs and be there late fri.. lol
Actually would be a really fun ride if i could..
Good luck what kind of #s think you'll hit?
What size props do you have?

[LakeFever]

I’m guessing 85 with that small ear chopper

[mrichartz]

Got to get the big boy props out...

[mrichartz]

He said 86! So far
W a 26 chopper

[tnelsmn]

The current prop selection is: 19p, 24 trophy, 26 big ear chopper, 28 small ear chopper, 28 mazco RE, 30 cleaver, a borrowed 30 chopper, and a 28 lighting ET that I'm repairing, but I'll go run it after the repair before giving it back:p

Ran today with the 26 chopper since that was the best on the old motor. Got to 86 on the limiter, not sure what a stock PM limiter is.

This thing is absolutely insane. Another whole new learning curve to handle at speed.

[LakeFever]

Dude thats awesome! IIRC the stock ProMax limiter is 6750 so that chopper is hooking up! Funny my last V-king loved a 26 big ear chopper too. I'm very curious to see how the cleaver and the ET run. Tell us you have some vids!

[tnelsmn]

Dude thats awesome! IIRC the stock ProMax limiter is 6750 so that chopper is hooking up! Funny my last V-king loved a 26 big ear chopper too. I'm very curious to see how the cleaver and the ET run. Tell us you have some vids!

I'm looking forward to the cleaver as well. I'll get out with it this week hopefully.

Yes, lots of video of these first few runs. Uploading everything off the cameras now. I plan to get a video of the engine swap and first few runs edited this week.

[rjdubiel]

about 6800 like LakeFever said on the stock limiter. 86 is nice, but something is up as that would be like 4% slip and I doubt it is that low. Maybe your running more RPM than 6800? At 6800 I would guess your more around 7-9% slip with the 26 chipper and should be 81-83 mph. But all good stuff! I love it.

[XstreamVking]

You may have more pitch on that 26 that it is stamped. Acts more like a 28p Either way, cool you got it flying. DO NOT be tempted to get heavy on the trim looking for speed.

[tnelsmn]

I suppose the 26 chopper I have could be worked. It does seem to have a lot of cup in it.

[tnelsmn]

Short clip, working on putting together the whole video today. Never mind the seat bottoms flying around haha.


https://youtu.be/hnomNOmuWUo

[LakeFever]

Oh yeah!!! Man you can hear the beasty'ness of the Promax. Sounds meaner than my 200 thats for sure. Awesome

[XstreamVking]

Put a lightning et on it and let er eat....90+ and no chine walk. Best on my king for top end. Lifts the WHOLE boat.

[tnelsmn]

I was able to run a lightning ET 28 yesterday and the boat loved it! Ran up to 91 on the limiter and super stable. Need to find one of my own! Then just 24 hours later we took the family skiing with it. Different prop haha. This is working out exactly as I hoped it would.

[XstreamVking]

Might push a 30p, but may not go any faster. Those Promax'es have to be in the sweet spot rpm wise to really howl.

[LakeFever]

Wow a stock promax over 90 within a couple of weeks. Im so impressed and happy for you because you made the sacrifice of time and money to make all this happen. Stayed dedicated for two years and here it is, flying 90+

:cheers:

[tnelsmn]

Xstream, I have a 30 chopper on loan that I can try next. So I can see if the promax will turn a 30. I certainly like the ET better than any prop I've ran. So I'll probably drop the cash on a new one, just need to decide what pitch.

Lake, thanks man! I really happy how it's all come together.
Great to see you back on the hull build. I get excited every time I get the email update on your thread. So cool seeing it come together, thats going to be a strong boat when its done.

[LakeFever]

Thanks man we are trying, we got a ways to go yet but we are focused on it this month.

[XstreamVking]

Both you guys have done an outstanding job on your boats......Tnels, just be cautious of the up button. I know i'm a broken record on this.....Especially with the big chopper. Just want you safe.

[tnelsmn]

I appreciate that X.

[tnelsmn]

Got a little damage to the edge of the pad. I didn't tie off well enough and she swung away from the dock and bumped the concrete boat ramp. I've done the same thing many times, just left a bit too much line the other day. It wasn't a big chip, not even down to the fiberglass. So I mixed up some Adtech P-14 and filled it in. I sanded everything down with 400 and called it good. P-14 is polyester based so I think I'm ok without adding more gel.

Haven't been over 90 agin since I gave the 28 ET back to its owner. Ran a borrowed 30 chopper the other day and had to back out at about 85. It was wanting to lean the boat pretty hard to the starboard side. I think I need to work on the balance more now, its just strange cause the ET ran the hull so flat even at 90. Thinking of sending my cracked 26 chopper out to be cut to an ET. Just have to find where to go.

Also some random pictures from the last few weeks.

[LakeFever]

I’ve been tempted to cut one of my choppers too. Time will tell. What did you use to seal the drain tube into the hull with? Did you use the swage tool and resin or just 5200?

[tnelsmn]

I’ve been tempted to cut one of my choppers too. Time will tell. What did you use to seal the drain tube into the hull with? Did you use the swage tool and resin or just 5200?

I over drilled the hole and did the solid resin plug, then drilled that and used 5200 and the flare tool thing. I left some excess 5200 to cover the resin cause it looked crappy with the dark resin next to the gel.

[XstreamVking]

If you can find a big tempest 29p to try, do it. You might spin it 7k but you will be over 90. Don't rule out thru hub props! The ET lifts the whole boat, that's why it is such a "happy" prop. Chopper has no stern lift, just bow lift. Think about where the weight is placed in your boat..The back....Bow will fly anyway, need to lift the stern.
On my King a 28p chopper is my "scary" prop.

[rjdubiel]

Tony, I just got a 28 yamaha for ya to try! Since I blew the 280 I put the 2.4 200 on and I am so missing that 280! Anyway, text me if you wanted to try it out. Also, that 30P small ear chopper ya got does lean but once ya get some more speed the hull stands back up. Really an odd feeling but I have never had it do anything crazy. But if you feel off do not run it as you know what the boat wants, just need to get it!

[XstreamVking]

Wonder why that chopper does that? I have a 28 big blade chop that's been tuned and even with neg trim it fly's the nose. Never had it go over on it's side though. Must be scary ride!

[rjdubiel]

Wonder why that chopper does that? I have a 28 big blade chop that's been tuned and even with neg trim it fly's the nose. Never had it go over on it's side though. Must be scary ride!

Its a small ear 30p chopper, not sure why it does it. But you can just feel the boat lean to the right and then stand back up after but by vking is side steer as well as Tony's. It doesn't happen with an ET style prop (28p yamaha, 28P hill, 28p ET). It did not do that on my viper that is center steer and I ran that to 93 or 94 I think it was with my OMC on it. Also at 90+ running the 30P small ear copper you need to drive the boat a lot more. The ET style props do not at 90+, very little wheel input needed.

[tnelsmn]

I need to try some bigger through hubs still. I ran a 24 trophy a few times wasn't really a fan of it. But it was a 24 so not really a true test.

More testing this week. Ran a 30 Hoss and a 29 SRX. They both handled well and flew very level left to right. I couldn't get the Hoss to hook up, had slip in the 20% range, with a best of 82mph. It wanted to run 1.5" below the pad. The SRX ran very well and saw a best of 90 with it. It was most happy 1/2" above the pad, which is maxed out with my current setup.

Here's a short clip with the SRX.

https://youtu.be/yyKxFY6qGec

[LakeFever]

So what’s the next move Tony?

[tnelsmn]

Lake, just been running it and enjoying it lately. Sadly waterski season is pretty much over for me, I don't own a wet suit yet, and water temps are in the 60's around here. I've tried a few other props, seen in the pictures below. They both ran very well. The modified cleaver was interesting to run. Still had a ton of stern lift like a cleaver would, but not as extreme as my cleaver. I'm not really a fan of a cleaver on this hull. It runs so much flatter any bit of wave has much more impact on the hull, if that makes sense. I think I saw 88-89 with this one, it's a 28p.

The other prop is a hydromotive in a 29p. This thing pulled like no other prop I've ran. The ProMax struggled to get on plane with it. It bogged out of the hole, but once it broke free it was a freight train. I haven't had a prop pull that hard between 50-80. I couldn't spin it all the way to the limiter, not enough horsepower. Boat ran fairly well with it. I think if it had some vent holes in the barrel it would be great on this boat. Saw high 80's with it.

I'm going to order a Lighting ET in a 30p, and just wait for it on back order. I think that will be the best set up for me. For now my best prop I own is a Mazco 28 RE. I bought it used and it had a ****ty repair on the leading edge that wasn't disclosed, and I keep fighting with that. Weld it, polish it, run it, crack it, repeat.

I did cut my 26 chopper into an ET and it runs like sh*t haha. It looks right but won't run. I think I'll try hammering more cup into it and trying agin.

Luckily my brother found the original cover that was made for it years ago sitting in his basement. Its in great shape and will save my from having to have a new one made right away. This still has a few years left in it. The only problem is it won't fit the alien cowl on the PM.

Looking forward to bringing it to the Fynbar run here in Minnesota/Wisconsin.

[LakeFever]

I think your spot on re the cuppping of the ET cut chopper. I've been eyeballing ET's for a while as well and your cut looks perfect but they definitely have a tight ( short radius ) cup on the trailing edge that wraps around the tip. Look at the shadow of the cup on this one which is a Yamaha drag but gives you the idea of what needs to be done. Doing this without making it rippled though, will take some care. I have an anvil and a large lead block as well as some brass hammers which ive been experimenting with on some through hub props Ive bought that were branged up pretty bad just to practice. I need more practice before I touch a hipo prop or attempt to cut one of my choppers down but hopefully there is some info in this post to help you out.

https://www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?359681-Yamaha-Drag-24-Pitch-worked-By-Ronnie-Gilbert-and-Just-Checked-by-Billy-Eaves

[Baker343]

Your rig is looking and running good.
What size Promax did you try

[tnelsmn]

Your rig is looking and running good.
What size Promax did you try

Thank you, now just need to get the upholstery wrapped up this winter to tie it all together.

It's a 1998 225 ProMax, still bone stock. Oil injection and idle stabilizer box removed.

[Baker343]

Sorry, I thought you tried a Promax prop. I reread your post. I want to try a 26p Promax for this years Enduro with my 225 Promax copy

[tnelsmn]

Haven't tried a ProMax prop yet. I would like to though. I just don't know anyone who owns one personally. I did get a chance to run a 29 Hydromotive though, which looks to be a cousin of sorts to a PM. That ran pretty well.

[Baker343]

What were you able to spin the 29 Hydro to and did it have decent lift

[tnelsmn]

Yeah it had a lot of lift in my opinion.


The other prop is a hydromotive in a 29p. This thing pulled like no other prop I've ran. The ProMax struggled to get on plane with it. It bogged out of the hole, but once it broke free it was a freight train. I haven't had a prop pull that hard between 50-80. I couldn't spin it all the way to the limiter, not enough horsepower. Boat ran fairly well with it. I think if it had some vent holes in the barrel it would be great on this boat. Saw high 80's with it.

[tnelsmn]

Quick update on the cut chopper I'm working on. Keep in mind I'm still testing so it ugly at this point, but I heated the trailing edge and hammered some cup into it. Night and day difference on how it ran. I'm a bit concerned on balance so I only made one pass with it to see if it would work or not. Going to spend a bit more time on it getting a bit more cup and getting it nice and even. I ordered a wheel balancer so I balance it. Then I'll work on polishing it out.

[Baker343]

I should have asked what RPM's were you able to pull with the 29p Hydro

[LakeFever]

Nice on the et cup! What balancer did you order?

[tnelsmn]

Baker, I don't remember exactly but I don't think I was able to get much over 6,500.

Lake, I bought the cheapest motorcycle wheel balancer I could find on Amazon. It was $50. Looks like I should be able to get a prop to work on it.

[oldschoolltv]

Is it ok to heat the prop up to cup it, I have never seen or heard of anyone using heat?

[tnelsmn]

Is it ok to heat the prop up to cup it, I have never seen or heard of anyone using heat?

I honestly have no idea, this is all new to me. I'm just experimenting. I used a cut off wheel to cut it. I heated it to hammer the cup into it. I couldn't move it trying to work it cold.

[oldschoolltv]

Maybe some prop guys will pop in, I just worry it might make it brittle and possibly sling a blade or crack. Now I'm curious.

[LakeFever]

Those big ear choppers are hard as hell. I bought one with a slight fold on one blade and I had to beat the living hell out of it to move that metal. The small ears are easy to work comparatively. Tempest props too whatever they are made of tough as heck

[mrichartz]

I honestly have no idea, this is all new to me. I'm just experimenting. I used a cut off wheel to cut it. I heated it to hammer the cup into it. I couldn't move it trying to work it cold.

Come on, just need that bigger hammer... Thor comes to mind... Mjollnir should do the trick

[wicheckmate]

if you can work them cold that is the best. If you do need to apply heat then then only go as "hot" as you need to as i'm not talking CHERRY RED lol. Ideally depending on the prop company and the metal you then Cyro it or heat treat it after. May i ask what you are using to make sure your cup is accurate and the same on all 3 blades as that is just as crucial as static balancing

[tnelsmn]

if you can work them cold that is the best. If you do need to apply heat then then only go as "hot" as you need to as i'm not talking CHERRY RED lol. Ideally depending on the prop company and the metal you then Cyro it or heat treat it after. May i ask what you are using to make sure your cup is accurate and the same on all 3 blades as that is just as crucial as static balancing

Using a radius gauge to get it even. To be clear, this isn't a prop I plan to run long term. It doesn't have enough pitch for me. Worked great with my old set up, but too small for the new motor. Plus two of the blades had cracks in the leading edge that I've welded previously. It's more of an experiment for me to see if I can make it work.

[tnelsmn]

Got a chance to get out and run the new 30 ET that I bought. The first day out was pretty rough and busy so I wasn't able to push it very hard. Saw a best of 90 at about 6,200. I was pretty disappointed as I was thinking it would turn it to the limiter since it had no problem turning a 28ET to the limiter. It felt out of power.

Just got back in from the river tonight on a much calmer day, almost no traffic, and a lighter fuel load. Was able to run up to 94.1, at about 6,600. Couldn't get much more out of it where I am, I need more room to let it wind out. I also need to work on balance a bit more as its leaning a bit to the driver side when way up on the pad. The ET sure feels to fly the boat higher out of the water than any other prop I've run. But it sure is stable and handles well.

Jack plate is max up so prop shaft CL is about 1/2" above the pad.

Here's the best pass so far, GoPro GPS reading a little slower.

https://youtu.be/xeKE4Gnbpfc

[rjdubiel]

looking good Tony!

[Hippie459MN]

Looks awesome!

Is your GoPro's GPS reading slow? When we took the kids boat out we got it up to 53.2 on my phone but the GoPro Hero 9 was only saying 52.

[tnelsmn]

Kevin, yes the GoPro seems to read 1-2MPH slower than my Garmin. It also seems to depend on the camera as well. I have 2 Hero5 Blacks and one is pretty spot on while the other trends low.

Here is another run I made this morning. The river was a perfect sheet of glass when I first got on the water, what a beautiful morning. I put a 50lb dumbbell in the port wing for balance and it made a world of difference over 90. Set a new personal best of 94.7MPH. Still 1/2" above the pad. Leaning towards going up a few holes on the motor so I can get higher and see if that will help. I'm in the center hole of the clamp at the moment.

Also, discovered the limit of how far UP to trim where it becomes more airplane than boat haha. With a blip of the throttle and down trim it settled right back down with no trouble at all.


https://youtu.be/UWqyaRmRjpY

[Progression24XL]

Im new to this site, can I post an Ad on a Thread to sell my boat? Looking for some advice I would like to post my 86 Progression 24XL for sale, its a classic beauty but Im trying to figure out how I put an AD up on here. Any advise would help. Thank you

[tnelsmn]

Im new to this site, can I post an Ad on a Thread to sell my boat? Looking for some advice I would like to post my 86 Progression 24XL for sale, its a classic beauty but Im trying to figure out how I put an AD up on here. Any advise would help. Thank you

There's a buy and sell marketplace if you scroll further down the main page. Post your for sale ad in there.

[Progression24XL]

Thank you! I finally figured it out! Good luck on your sale. Thanks for replying

[LakeFever]

Tony whats going on with your boat man? You been running it? Any new improvements?

[tnelsmn]

Tony whats going on with your boat man? You been running it? Any new improvements?
Lake, well I went and picked up the original interior from the first shop who was supposed to do it, who never did it after 18 months. I now have an appointment with another shop for early august to get that done. I put the seats back in for now so I can run the boat until then.

I just got the injectors back from being flow tested for peace of mind. In the process of pulling the injection system I fried the engine side harness not knowing the VST fuel pump has a constant hot running to it. Mother Merc decided to switch the negative apparently. I was able to splice and save the harness thankfully. Thats back together and the engine runs fine. You can see melted wires on the lower right side of the harness.

I've been fighting a leaky thermostat housing so I broke down and put some RTV on it, thats sealed and good.

And lastly I had to fix the relay wiring on my jack plate, I had ran two 10ga wires to a single terminal in each relay. That was a little too big and worked itself loose. So I spliced the two into a single wire to hook into the plug which is perfect.

On top of all of that I've been completely buried in work and got a new camper in a lakeside campground I've been working on setting up. Busy spring to say the least.

So after a bunch of stupid little headache stuff I'm ready for the water this season. Should be in this Thursday.

[Blacknsilvr]

T, what’s your thoughts on a VST delete? I’ve been thinking about it on mine, but really don’t want to do it. I’ve been watching your thread to see if you mention it or not ��

[tnelsmn]

I’ve been thinking of doing one. But at this point I have a completely stock motor so I don’t see the need for it. Then I would have to add an electric fuel pump in the boat. And I’d probably set it up for a return style fuel system. If I move to a slide intake I’ll have to set one up, but probably won’t happen this year.

[tnelsmn]

Update from the lake.

Got the boat back in the water and everything has worked flawlessly so far. Went out on a slow morning and made a few passes at 92mph with a full tank of fuel. I’m very happy with it. Going to order a 32ET and see if I can turn it before doing stuff to the motor.

On another note I have a deal to go pick up another one this week. No guaranty that I will do a rebuild but for the price I couldn’t say no. Boat, motor, trailer for $700.

[LakeFever]

Congrats on the hull thats a must buy deal especially being a complete package. Im sure the imagination is firing and the layup is easy to visualize compared to the first one especially. I really hope you build it and post for us to watch. Best entertainment, i enjoyed your first build immensely

Go Tony!

[rgsauger]

This is an awesome build! Love your Flickr pics

[tnelsmn]

Lake, sorry I spaced a reply. Yeah, couldn't say no for the price. I'll end up building the Vector, might even start next fall. Just have to decide how I want to go; all composite center steer potato chip, or more traditional side steer with balsa and coosa. Since its a Vector I'll have to decide what to do with the pad; run it stock, fill it in, remove the wedge. So many decisions haha.

Rgsauger, thanks! It was a fun build! Flickr seemed like the easiest way to dump all the build pictures along the way for friends/family to check in on the build.

I found a 32ET for my Viking I'm looking forward to running next spring! I'll get the last 6mph out of this thing one way or another!

[tnelsmn]

I received an update from the new upholstery shop I'm using and couldn't be happier! I wanted a modern pattern while keeping the original shape of the seats etc. I will be picking these parts up this week and will hopefully get them in the boat in the next week or two. I'm having the rear panel embroidered and have to drop that material off at another shop. Lots of running around but it will be worth it!

This has been a long time coming and can't wait to have it in the boat.

[LakeFever]

Those look great! My wife said “oh wow” so you have two nods of approval. Im taking the same road, using the old original for now, will recover later.

[tnelsmn]

Those look great! My wife said “oh wow” so you have two nods of approval. Im taking the same road, using the old original for now, will recover later.

Thanks, Lake! My originals from 78 lasted two full seasons of use. Although the bases were new, and the original wooden frame on the passenger side probably wouldn't have made it through another season.

[tnelsmn]

Well here it is. The interior is finally finished!

After two years of excuses and BS from the first lady I brought the seats to I found a new shop who got it done!

For a refresher I built the frames as an exact replica of the originals with the exception that the base is about 1" shorter. Everything was built from 1/2" coosa board.

The side panels and rear panel are made from 1/4" PVC board. The side panels have 1/4" t nuts behind the padding and are bolted in through the gunnel.

I had the upholstery guy make some straps that I used with some snaps to hold the seat bottoms in. They always liked to fly out over some big waves or over 70.

The carpets are snap in so they can be easily pulled and cleaned/dried. I cut them to size and found a local shop to bind the edges. I didn't plan to carpet the little forward floor beyond the foot well but I had leftover material so I figured why not.

I would call the project complete at this point but I still want to switch the cowls back to the clamshells. Once thats complete I will call it finished.

[LakeFever]

Looks great mam big congratulations! Hows that feel to be signing off on this calling it officially complete?

[XstreamVking]

Looks real nice and easy to clean.

[tnelsmn]

Lake, it's a great feeling to be here! I still want to get the clamshells on the ProMax, but thats minor.

X, thanks! I got a lot of sap all over it this last weekend and was able to pull the carpets and lay them on the floor, grabbed the vacuum out of the house to do the job, super easy.