Comp Vector thread

[JoshP1]

Ok, so I need to get back to the boat. We had a huge mishap in the house where my central air unit froze, flooded some walls, ceilings, and floors. Then we had to replace all of the messed up stuff. New flooring installed, sheetrock repaired, new baseboards, and soon to be painting. It has also been ridiculously hot down here for months! There was no way I was getting into a Tyvek suit when it's over 95* F with 95% humidity under my carport. I picked up a couple rolls of fiberglass (chop strand and woven) from a guy who only used about 6 feet off each roll. He paid $1200 for both new and sold both for $600, so I definitely could not pass that up. I ordered my epoxy a couple days ago and it should be here within the week. I also picked up a '95(?) 150 XRI 2.5 minus the powerhead for $800 with the intent to build/rebuild it as well. The deck of the boat is just about off the hull, I have about 2' left to cut on the starboard side near the front corner of the cockpit. I'm already thinking of mods to do to the deck. I found some pics on Google where someone modified their deck to have the "bubble" like the newer Venoms. My boat never had a windshield installed So I'm probably going to go that route. I'm also leaning towards installing a floor and full interior so the whole family can ride in it. (Yes, this means adding core to the bottom as well.) I'll probably pop a mold from the seat I already have to make another bucket, then cut the mold in half to make a bench for the back with the same basic profile. None of the seatbacks will extend above the deck for a sleeker look. I plan to put in a floor between the two outer stringers so I can use space between the stringers and outer wall for storing lights, paddle, jackets, etc... I hope all is well with everyone and it's time for me to get itchy!!!

[JoshP1]

So this is my boat without the deck. There is a front "stringer" in the bow area which was tied into the hull and the deck rested on for "added stability". This was definitely not factory and looks to be regular marine plywood without being incased in any type of glass. I have been thinking about doing the same thing with coosa, but most of the way back to the dash in case I need to lay across the deck in a docking or trailering situation. I still have to finish cutting and grinding out the remainder of the factory stringers before I get to sanding the entire interior so I can start laying fiberglass. I also have a couple holes in the rear corners where I assume the trailer side guides had been rubbing when traveling. I still have a long way to go, but I have the bug again and not trying to lose it. I may need to put that little feller in a jar to keep him around for a while. I still have two other boats to play with on the water, so that won't be a problem. I'll be back at it tomorrow.

[FlowMaxx]

That front stringer is absolutely factory on the comp. Mine has it. I had a long conversation with Howard on this. There's a great story behind it.

[JoshP1]

Maxx, do you know if they were supposed to be fully glassed in? Mine was only bedded in with (maybe) resin on the sides and edges. That's what made me think it wasn't factory. Like I said before, I am planning on putting in one to the front of where the foot rest would be on a non-competition hull would be for added structural support for the deck.

[FlowMaxx]

I believe its glassed all the way up on the hull side. Would be pretty hard to glass in the deck. There should be a reasonably large surface area all the way in the front. Its main purpose is probably not something you would expect it to be.

[JoshP1]

I believe its glassed all the way up on the hull side. Would be pretty hard to glass in the deck. There should be a reasonably large surface area all the way in the front. Its main purpose is probably not something you would expect it to be.

It most definitely was not glassed to the deck! It was glassed around the perimeter of the junction at the hull but with no more glass or resin anywhere on the board. I was able to pull it out by hand with no tools needed. The layers used to glass it to the hull had delaminated and only held together with about 2 inches at the outermost edges at the hull. Not sure if that makes sense. I started working on it again this morning, but had to stop. Getting old is for the birds after 20 years in the military and a LOT of broken bones from years of neglecting my body! LOL! Think I'll take the rest of the weekend off and get back at it on Wednesday when I'm off again. I did get the majority of the seat box cut out, but like I said, I'm hurting really bad! DO NOT break your back under any circumstances!!!

[LakeFever]

I believe its glassed all the way up on the hull side. Would be pretty hard to glass in the deck. There should be a reasonably large surface area all the way in the front. Its main purpose is probably not something you would expect it to be.

curious to read about the story. Got a link or can you explain?

[JoshP1]

I believe its glassed all the way up on the hull side. Would be pretty hard to glass in the deck. There should be a reasonably large surface area all the way in the front. Its main purpose is probably not something you would expect it to be.

I'm curious about the story too! Please enlighten us.

[FlowMaxx]

Not a short story, but I will try to create the setting and then give explanation:

Years ago, we had a boating group with a bunch of local friends that had Hydrostreams and would get together at mostly local lakes and have fun. That expanded and more and more boats joined. Then we got the opportunity of a lifetime to meet Howard Pipkorn and found that he actually wanted to join us! We waited in eager anticipation and really did not know what to expect, as our knowledge of him was limited.

Well, he showed up with a boat and a van full of goodies to give to us. This was certainly unexpected, but it was so cool that it is hard to describe. He brought Dick Kojtetin with him whom he referred to as his right hand and marketing guy. They had worked together a very long time at Hydrostream. They brought out boxes of old brochures and, after we went boating on the Mississippi for the day, spent the evening telling stories and sharing memories with all of us. They seemed to be as thrilled with us as we were to have their presence. This developed into a long relationship and Howard came to several more gatherings in subsequent years. He later brought his wife, Susan along and we would go to the beach and BBQ and have a great day together. He would tell stories, sign memorabilia and autographed many of our boats on the dash. After his passing a few years ago, Susan shared that he really enjoyed being with us and never really realized the significance of his work and the lasting impact it had on so many people. We explained to him that Hydrostreams are similar to a classic car. Hydrostreams are the quintessential Muscle Boat. It is certainly hard to disagree with that one.

Now back to the point of this story. I just needed proper context. Howard loved to tell stories. He was full of interesting facts and loved to tell a good story. He explained that there was a guy down in Alabama somewhere that had a Comp Vector and he was pretty much destroying everyone in all of the drag races. So, another guy wanted in on the action and told Howard to build him an extremely light Comp Vector so that he could be the new king of that racing circuit. So, Howard built him a very light Vector and the guy proceeded to rig and race it, but he was getting beat handily and was upset that he wasn't getting the results he wanted. He called to Howard and complained about the boat and expressed his disappointment with the hull. Howard thought about it and calmly asked the guy to attach 5 or 10 pounds of weight to the bow eye. The guy thought he was crazy. How could adding weight possibly help? Anyways, after some convincing, the guy followed Pip's directive and, to his surprise, the boat began to launch perfectly straight and dominate. Now, he was now he was the guy to beat. He shared his results with Howard and subsequent boats were built with that piece of plywood at the foremost part of the center keel. Guys were then able to affix weights to the frontmost part of the boat. Howard referred to this as "the moment of inertia." It's a phrase burned into my memory. He explained that the moment you hit the gas, the boat has a certain trajectory. You want that to be forward and not up. Light v-bottom boats have a tendency to be weight centered very far back. That 5-10 pounds in front is multiplied exponentially if it is brought back further and then becomes counterproductive because it is more weight. So simple, but yet so genius, such was the mind of Howard Pipkorn.

I share this story with the utmost respect of Howard and Susan Pipkorn. Given his generosity with us and his love for a great story, I can only assume he would be ok with me sharing this one in honor of his legacy and a great memory I have of him. May God rest his beautiful Soul. I look forward to seeing him again someday and to hear more great stories that have had such an impact on the lives of many of us.

[LakeFever]

Great story Flowmaxx, you write it well. Wish i could have met the man

[JoshP1]

That's an amazing story Maxx! Like LakeFever stated, I would have loved to have met Mr. Pipkorn! I believe I would have been a little too young to appreciate his stories at the time. Nowadays, I'm all about hotrods, hotboats, and hotbikes. I will definitely be putting that little piece of structure back in my boat even though I don't plan to really race at this point. Again, thanks for posting your story!

[JoshP1]

I'm back at it. The temp is in the 60s here so I'm cutting now and will be grinding/sanding later on. I have 2 more days off then work Wednesday and Thursday with a 3 day weekend next weekend too. Gotta make the most of it before false fall goes away. LOL!

[JoshP1]

Any advise for a half paper transom that the other half is rotten and wet/still holding on? This transom removal is really working me to the bones! The paper part is no big deal at all and is just about out. It's the other half that's giving me fits. I'm working at it with an oscillating saw and a prybar/nail puller combo tool. I cut a section of wood to be dismantled then chip it out before going through to the next layer. my hands are shaking and busted up pretty bad. I have already embraced the suck, just looking for a better way to attempt to make it a little easier.

[Deznuts3570]

Just ran across this thread. Great so far. Just to speed you up on a few things. First, theres ton of local knowledge down there in the Morgan City, Houma, DesAllemands area. Alot of those guys have or had some fast streams and some still do. In Harahan there was a place next to Cummins. I dont know if its still there or not. I bought sheets of Coosa from there years ago. Far as getting the transom out. I scored my Viper with a skilsaw and chipped it out. Set the depth and just went nuts. Never did finish my viper, still in the backyard. You want to get some knowledge on streams. Go to the Thanksgiving ride in Morgan City the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Also, I've been around this site for a few years, some very very knowledgeable guys have already commented, listen well! There's tons of ways to redo these boats, you're on the right track. Keep pushing, looking forward to seeing the updates!

[Deznuts3570]

One last thing, I cannot stress this enough. Start reading on the rebuilds on here and when your done, read more! Still to this day, i spend time reading on here and a couple of other sites. They have tons and hours upon hrs of great info on here! Chances are, if you need an asnwer its more than likely been asked