Hydrostream Vandal Restoration (Maple Leaf edition)

[oldskier]

To add to the stuff Bernie wrote above, buy 5 gallons of acetone. You will use most of it. I did, except for the amount my wife used for nail polish remover.

I bought mine in quart cans....every other week....for a year.$$$$$$
When you are out of acetone, you are out of business.

[oldskier]

If you're pulling the deck off I'd be very hesitant to do it on the trailer. I was pretty careful building the jig, which is indexed to the flat garage floor, and I'm pretty sure the hull has warped like a potato chip. Since the running surface is supported by the jig directly, I think the core will go in OK, but I'm worried about getting the deck back on straight. Each part has over an inch of play in the width direction when they are not attached to each-other.

Yeah, I had WAYYY over an inch of play on mine, more like 4 inches on the hull. Thats why I did this. If the Viper deck expanded any, I didn't notice it. Ventura may be different.





Got within 1/4 inch of matching the deck width when I put it back on. I added one more brace in the bow before coring, after this pic was taken.


Bernie

[Matt Gent]

The batens like above keep the width ok, but don't help against a twist, which is what I think I have. I need to take some careful measurements. I put fat silicone beads between my jig and the hull to get the shape replicated just right, but I think I may have had a slight twist in the jig on the hull upside down, and the flat floor took that out. Not really sure. My jig wasn't stiff in torsion either.

The core and floor work is so narrow I don't think the width matters as much as the straightness / flatness of the pad and first few inches of running surface. The twist in my hull is more pronounced towards the front and I hope it will come back as the deck is put in place.

[oldskier]

The batens like above keep the width ok, but don't help against a twist, which is what I think I have. I need to take some careful measurements. I put fat silicone beads between my jig and the hull to get the shape replicated just right, but I think I may have had a slight twist in the jig on the hull upside down, and the flat floor took that out. Not really sure. My jig wasn't stiff in torsion either.

The core and floor work is so narrow I don't think the width matters as much as the straightness / flatness of the pad and first few inches of running surface. The twist in my hull is more pronounced towards the front and I hope it will come back as the deck is put in place.

Matt, You're right. You can see the twist in my hull in the above picture. I saw it too, before the core went in. What I did was cut a stick of 2X4 that reached from the trailer frame to a strake on the starboard front (that was the low area) then shimmed and sighted from the transom to the bow. (The bow eye was pulled tight into the V block with the winch so the bow didn't lift off the trailer.) As I shimmed it higher, I could watch the warp come out a little at a time. You can see it pretty accurately as you sight across the top of the transom to the flange of the hull.
I duct taped the stick to the trailer and the hull once it was eyeball straight.

This worked with my trailer cause it has rails under the outside edge of the bow. If it was a normal sized trailer, I would have made the 2X4 long enough to reach the ground.

It wasn't rocket science, but it worked. Once my eye told me the twist was gone, I put the core in. I left the 2X4 taped on until the deck was glued back on.

If you don't have a wide cored area, you might be able to do this before you reinstall the deck by fastening the bow eye to the jig and shimming the 2X4 from the shop floor.

If there's no strake with a flat spot that you can get a 2X4 to stay under, you could drill a small hole in the hull to fasten the wood to. Thats what I thought I would have to do until I put the wood under it, and it lined up pretty nice under the strake, so I just taped it on to keep from bumping it out from under the hull.

I know it's not scientific, but the boat is pretty straight.

[Capt.Insane-o]

Having done enough of these boats I highly advise not to pull the deck unless absolutley neccesary.

[Riverman]

[Maple Leaf]

Having done enough of these boats I highly advise not to pull the deck unless absolutley neccesary.

Well the only reason I was going to pull the deck off was because it was damaged and I thought it would be easier to work in it. Well if it warps that easly then I'll keep it on

[oldskier]

Theres no question about the hull staying straighter with the deck on. I made my decision based on a rotten transom and a small enclosed work area under the deck. The damage you showed a pic of on the deck can easily be fixed with the deck on.

Be advised, grinding core under the deck and spreading resin is a miserable job. The tyvek suit and a respirator would make it better.

Each to his own, either way will work.

[Maple Leaf]

[Streamin101]

Get those emblems off and inside!

[Maple Leaf]

Get those emblems off and inside!

That was the first thing I did when I got the boat home

[FlowMaxx]

The Vandal is my all time favorite Hydrostream. You will not regret making it mint. It may not be the fastest boat out there, but they sure are alot of fun. My father bought my boat brand new in 1978 and I still have it. The floor has been replaced twice and the core is still original. This boat has been USED - every summer since 1978 logging thousands of hours. I know you like mercs, but I must say my crossflow V4 has been bullet proof. It does 60 with a stock 85 and would be well into the 70's with a 140. It is a very stable and forgiviing hull for it's size. One bit of advice I would give is to beef up the area on the back side of the dash where the guages and steering mount. This area flexes and is subject to cracking. The best thing to do then is to mount the guages in the well in front of the steering wheel. Good luck with the project and try not to separate the deck

[Streamin101]

If ya cant get the boat inside for the winter dont let that stop you, just build a tent over/around it so you can continue the restoration. It will be a bit chilly but if you really like the boat you should be able to hack it. As for pulling the deck you have to weigh your options, if it needs a transom it would be easier to replace it with the deck removed but it can be done other ways (no need to cut the rear skin). The hull will be weak and flimsy but you can leave the boat on the trailer IF it has bunks AND you add extra support to the hull and your very very careful but for a first resto i would not recommend it. The stress cracks on the deck can be fixed from outside but if the hull to deck lip is broken it is better to repair from the under side with the deck off and turned over, and you will save a LOT of back breaking work by not having to work under the deck.
But if the deck repairs and if needed transom can be repaired with the deck on then leave it.

p.s Is the original rubrail under that one?

p.s Your going to need a job.

[oldskier]

Fieldzy, If I were doing the boat, I wouldn't be afraid to pull the deck off. It's your call, but I think you will find like I did, that as long as you make sure you brace the gunnels and make sure it's straight before you core and reinstall the deck it'll be fine. I re-fit the deck after bracing and before coring to make sure it fit and you've seen the pics.

You're first job is cheap, build an engine stand and get the boat un-rigged. I'll give you 100 to 1 that the transom is worm food. If you don't take off the deck, you'll have to cut the splashwell out. If I had it to do again, I'd have put a rear deck in place of the well, there's just no room back there with a well and transom knees, which you will need if you are going V-6. I wouldn't rebuild a 'Stream without 'em, just too easy to do and good insurance.

Doesn't look as if you can save the gel, be aware, prepping for paint is more work than coring.

[RONNIE]

rob king The Long Island Viper killer???