hydrostream virages-who has them?? post your pics

**virage105** · 06-14-2009, 08:35 PM

It's been so many years but good to see you guys on here (been submersed in projects).

With Greg climbing under the bow to plane off, spinning a 15x32P Mazco cleaver I think against it's 6800rpm limit, the V8 broke 95mph (with a passenger) with 5minutes of dial in time (with a fresh Bob's nose cone). That lower unit was so long it planned off in the high 80's! It had to go though. Between not being able to plane off without a passenger climbing under the bow, bucking hard over chop, and not daring enough to cut the wheel at speed, the V6 was more appropriate. Honestly felt like a dingy with a jet engine on it. Once on plane the acceleration was ridiculous (even with the 15x32 cleaver). With a 28chopper and 4 people I remember blowing the hub apart while planning off on lake Keuka, New York (4th of July in '98). Think my friend's girl **** herself when we pointed straight up before that hub blew.

Attached are photos with the V8 and then photos of the twin Virages when Helmut and I ran them on Long Island. Also attached one of my Stoker (was only looking for one since '97). Put a rod thru the side of the '93 260 while egging on helicopters at Patrick Air Force Base.

The best I saw in the Virage was 105mph at around 83/8400rpms with Ron Pratt's 14.5x30P lab cleaver and the Project Laser powerhead. 98mph with a passenger with the '97 260 powerhead spinning my 32 lab cleaver (only time out before popping a cylinder in that one). 99.8mph with the promax SS powerhead against the rev limiter (6950rpms) with same 32 lab cleaver.

I still think the Virage is one of the best <20' boats out there. It's got captain chairs and a dash board for God's sake. Certainly Hydrostream's best and most original by far. Let's face it, their HST was a knockoff of the Stoker (no offense, just being honest). The V-King is up their too for that hot-rod white knuckle sensation.

Enjoy it! There's not a thing that boat cannot do! I'll vouch for sleeping in the front of it at a rest stop on the way to Firewater in '99 or 2000??

After all that boat rigging/swapping, Ron Pratt wound up with a good 'ole Viper! Cool. I should have settle on a hobie cat in lieu of the Stoker knowing that the only powerhead I won't blow, is that Promax SS!

The attached pics of the Virage w/V8 were taken from Branchport, New York while up there for an Environmental Restoration project. Bob Garone and I finished re-rigging her that Sunday morning and we all went out for a spin before I hitched her up with all my stuff packed and dissappeared to upstate NY for a 2-month project. I recall doing 95mph past the local on-water restaurant and watching all 30-40 heads turning at the same time over the best steaks ever. 45mph speed limit but I made good with the local authorities. Although once I blew that hub, I couldn't even use it without a friend visiting since no one up there was nuts enough to climb into the nose just to plan off that 32P Mazco cleaver and then hang on for a 95mph pass! Like a crack addict, I left the back and passenger's seats on the dock, climbed under the bow only to yank on the hot-foot by hand while trying to hold the wheel straight. Couldn't get up far enough but did I sure try.

That was fun. Then I got a 2.5L and learned how to replace many pistons, one at a time.

**Maple Leaf** · 06-14-2009, 08:48 PM

Pics don't work?

**samari** · 06-14-2009, 09:01 PM

They worked for me.
Nice pictures, the twins look cool.

**virage105** · 06-14-2009, 09:37 PM

Attached are some with the V8/Virage in water.
Bob Garone took these.

Boy do I have hundreds of great shots of 100++mph boats from a decade ago. I haven't seen them in years (Firewater 2000, Great South Bay shots, New England drags including that Mirage that tripped up). Someday, I'll have someone scan them all for online availability (even have the negatives too - no digital back then-Nikon with a 300 zoom lenz

**mrcrsr** · 06-15-2009, 05:58 AM

did you have the boat stored on a lift yrs ago when it had the v8? i think that is the boat i own now! i run 110 w/ a hopped up 260

**mrcrsr** · 06-15-2009, 05:59 AM

**virage105** · 06-15-2009, 08:07 AM

Yes it is the same boat.
The original owner had it stored on a boat lift years ago next to two other boats (this Virage has very few hours on it).

I bought it in '98 or '99 from the original owner.

In 2003 I sold it to a guy on Long Island. He sold it shortly after to a guy in NJ and it wound up in upstate NY. I don't believe it got much use (there's an hourmeter hidden under the dash - that's since the re-rig in '98/'99).

Ronnie Imron'd the black "windshield" in 2001 or so.

I knew your 260 wasn't stock! 110mph is nice. I love how that boat just tucks its nose down, ass up and just missles forward perfectly balanced. Almost wierd at low speeds with a cleaver (feels like it will drive its nose into the water before the air packs under).

Your boat is also the "Project Laser" boat. The first build project of Scream & Fly back in 1999.

**stvhelm** · 06-15-2009, 08:20 AM

whats up mark!

**twogees** · 06-15-2009, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by virage105

Yes it is the same boat.
The original owner had it stored on a boat lift years ago next to two other boats (this Virage has very few hours on it).

I bought it in '98 or '99 from the original owner.

In 2003 I sold it to a guy on Long Island. He sold it shortly after to a guy in NJ and it wound up in upstate NY. I don't believe it got much use (there's an hourmeter hidden under the dash - that's since the re-rig in '98/'99).

Ronnie Imron'd the black "windshield" in 2001 or so.

I knew your 260 wasn't stock! 110mph is nice. I love how that boat just tucks its nose down, ass up and just missles forward perfectly balanced. Almost wierd at low speeds with a cleaver (feels like it will drive its nose into the water before the air packs under).

Your boat is also the "Project Laser" boat. The first build project of Scream & Fly back in 1999.

thats awesome!!! pretty cool info.

**twogees** · 06-15-2009, 11:38 AM

I found this searching, but none of the links work... can anyone pull up those articles again??????

so we can see the build that would be really cool.

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forum...=project+laser

**virage105** · 06-15-2009, 08:47 PM

Hey Helmut! Man it's been a while. Haven't touched the Stoker in over a year now. Still dealing with life.

Besides, what fun is boating when you're not running alongside friends. Even if they're off to your right side, catching up cause they're spooling up a cleaver prop only to block a right hand turn? After all, without moments like that I would never be able to say I've blasted along at 85mph over water that birds with very little legs were standing in making a sweeping right hander in da flats! Good prop/skeg tunup though.

How about those jetskier's reaction to the twin Virages thru the 1' deep S-turns they thought was they're territory. It's when I watched you bunny hop that little mud peninsula I truly thought you were off a bit while opting to steer around it.

Or wheelie standing the 'ole Vegas XT till its nose was pointing straight up to the sky at 85mph. Helmut's famous words "I've watched you nose up slightly wondering if it will never go over as you let off so I tried, and it doesn't go over - rides the perfect wheelie stand in fact".

The best was Firewater 2000 when we hosed down that railroad bridge as we usually do to Long Island causeways. Except we had no clue dirty water would drip all over the jet boat behind us. I thought that guy was a prick for trying to hose us down with his jet afterwards but he probably thought the same of us too (except he was screwing around at 80+mph pushing me into land/docks to avoid his wall of water).

The fight I almost got into in New Jersey by that jetskier who snapped his hull the day prior copying the way we trailered up your boat (while he was running his mouth no less). I wanted to fight him on that beach just because he was so stupid he needed some sense knocked into him but then I thought "wait, he's running his mouth in front of 4-guys so I'll give him the chance to think twice if I'm worth the shot". The classic line: "Wait, what are you doing out here, don't you have a snapped hull to fix after running your mouth yesterday?"

Ron Pratt sending photos of that bikini contest chick at Famous Freddies in Illinois to your house no less leaving me explaining to your wife that when a man has his fist clenched while taking a photo with a girl, that means nothing's going on. Crazy Ronnie paying for all those girl's G-strings that week! The bartender telling the two girls to leave if they take it any farther (now those are classic moments).

Taking PA Matt from Zacks Bay over the causeway to the "Nude Beach" only to find out it became the "Gay Beach"! I'm glad you were walking first into the dunes when you came upon some action there and we had to change course.

Doing over 100mph between the Robert Moses Causeways in your Virage as I'm waving to cars (better not have been your non-steerable STV). Doing 107mph in your STV when Donny skoots up to have conversation cause it was so comfortable (before you started crab walking the boat around the wetlands).

You always wondering why I can sail over the rough water (getting ready for an impact that never came). Always claiming my Virage was lighter than yours.

Watching you take out two ducks in two months with your Virage feeling sorry for the birds flying vertically as you ducked for your life.

See, if you were around, we'd be using the St. Johns River thru aligator territory as a road course for our boats. I can't do that alone. I think we would have made it to the Bahamas and back on our Virages. Can't do that stuff in an STV and a Stoker between NY and FL.

But soon, I'll know if all the projects I've developed over the past 3-5years come to light. And then I'll have a little more of a life (that means boat 2-3 times a year at least). Hopefully make a CT River Run once again (I have photos from the first one on that lake - RIP to the man in that STV that hooked with a broken skeg).

We gotta start a hi-speed boater's exchange network as to ride passenger in other places. Or a performance charter boat service based on "donations". Just for an excuse to get out and cover the expenses/pistons.

I think I'm going to pick up someone's blown 245 powerhead (actually an old 260 with carbs). If I get it I'm sending it out to Ruck for a hog job and mounting my EFI injection on. Maybe steel sleeves and cast pistons for a "Project Dependable EFI". 260's and/or forged pistons and me are like oil and water... Ain't nothing wrong with 7000rpms and knowing you'll get there and back, even 150 or 250 or 300 hours later. I'd rather put money into a 32lab ET than pistons, rings and nic jobs any day.

**mrcrsr** · 06-16-2009, 06:05 AM

that's cool!! i bought it from a guy out of jacksonville fl, said it didn't fit in his garage, he had just bought it from a guy in upstate ny(i think seneca lake), i love the way the boat runs, excellent family boat! we'll be up in long island towards the end of july for 10 days w/ it, hope to do some good boating up there!!

**bski** · 06-16-2009, 07:09 AM

no one wants to buy mine???

**Team Stream** · 06-16-2009, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by virage105

Yes it is the same boat.
The original owner had it stored on a boat lift years ago next to two other boats (this Virage has very few hours on it).

I bought it in '98 or '99 from the original owner.

In 2003 I sold it to a guy on Long Island. He sold it shortly after to a guy in NJ and it wound up in upstate NY. I don't believe it got much use (there's an hourmeter hidden under the dash - that's since the re-rig in '98/'99).

Ronnie Imron'd the black "windshield" in 2001 or so.

I knew your 260 wasn't stock! 110mph is nice. I love how that boat just tucks its nose down, ass up and just missles forward perfectly balanced. Almost wierd at low speeds with a cleaver (feels like it will drive its nose into the water before the air packs under).

Your boat is also the "Project Laser" boat. The first build project of Scream & Fly back in 1999.

Do you know where in upstate NY?