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  1. #1
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    Restoring a Hustler 15' Wildcat family tunnel

    Well...I started my second restore job a couple of weeks ago. It's a 15' Wildcat family tunnel we made for a few years. It was a deepened cockpit using the standard 15' Wildcat deck and the later style racing tunnel hull. In reality it was an ugly transformation in my eyes...never liked the original like the one I have. We did change the styling some in the last years of it's life. This boat has been sitting outside for many years and like all boats of it's age everything is rotten. It will be a complete restore just like my old 16' Victor. I'm going to do this one a little different...it's going to be a center steer, 2 seat (centered front and back) and cut down like Dukeofchippewa's Hustler tunnel. I have a couple of pics of 2 different boats with the cut down sides. I have the deck off and the sides cut off at the moment....will set the deck back down to check fitment then remove and completely glass new wood in the hull, redo the deck glass and wood then reassemble. My plans for now are to just do the glassing to bring back the main structure then mount a motor and seats just to see how it runs before I tackle the cosmetics. Here's a couple of pics of the before restore and a couple of what it will look like afterward.Click image for larger version. 

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    Hustler 15' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Picklefork (Experimental) / Merc 80
    Hustler 16' Victor / Evinrude 85
    Hustler 15' Tunnel / Evinrude X115
    Hustler 17' Lark / Suzuki 140
    Ranger 17' Aztec / Merc 115
    Hustler 16' Victor
    Hustler 16' Victor / JohnRude 135 (current and restored)
    Hustler 15' Family Tunnel / Johnson GT115 (current project)
    Hustler 16' Victor

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  3. #2
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    PLEASE.....DON"T cut history.... leave it as is.......Neat boat......Hemi car.... just don't cut the rear fendaaaa to gt the L60ssss in

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  5. #3
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    Boy...what weather can do to an uncovered boat. Have made a little more progress on the tunnel. Have the floor cut out and now finally have all the old stringer and wood out of it. Unfortunately someone has been under the floor and did some fiberglassing. Removed all that glass work and am now going to wait till spring to do all the grinding. After my last restore job on the Victor I got smarter and will wait till I can grind outside so I don't have to clean all that dust out of the shop...I'm still finding and cleaning dust and overspray out of my shop from 2 years ago Click image for larger version. 

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    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 20190111_171931.jpg  
    Hustler 15' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Picklefork (Experimental) / Merc 80
    Hustler 16' Victor / Evinrude 85
    Hustler 15' Tunnel / Evinrude X115
    Hustler 17' Lark / Suzuki 140
    Ranger 17' Aztec / Merc 115
    Hustler 16' Victor
    Hustler 16' Victor / JohnRude 135 (current and restored)
    Hustler 15' Family Tunnel / Johnson GT115 (current project)
    Hustler 16' Victor

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  7. #4
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    Cant wait to see how this one turns out! As im sure you remember from your other build, I grew up in a 15' factory comp v-bottom wildcat with a 850 Merc on the back and I would LOVE to find another one. Doesnt even need to be a comp boat. My dad bought it in the early 70s from a guy that raced it for a few years then sold it to my cousin in the very late 80s and in the late 90's it met its demise and wound up at the bottom of a river, or so my cousin says.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    -Kevin
    Project Vulture | Project Vector | Project Vamp | Project CobraJet
    1977 Hydrostream Vulture - Worlds longest ongoing project.
    1982 Hydrostream Vector
    1982 Hydrostream Vamp
    1973 Hydrostream Vixen
    1976 CobraJet Jet Boat - Outboard conversion project
    199? Glastron - aka Boat Anchor
    1976 Pontoon - aka The Family Truckster

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  9. #5
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    After an almost 2 year hiatus because of shoulder problems I have started back up on this tunnel. I recently purchased another old Hustler but this one has a 1967 Johnson GT115 hanging on the back of it. My last race boat was a Hustler 15' tunnel with an Evinrude X115 so this one is gonna be a heart tugger. Started cleaning up some of the edges so I can start grinding this thing down. Want to do the grinding outside so I'm waiting for some nicer weather to bring it outside. Since this is a short shaft motor I have a lot of measuring and figuring out how I want it to come out. Heres a couple of pics to kind of show what it will look like when put back together.Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by DanUmbarger; 12-18-2020 at 01:16 AM.
    Hustler 15' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Picklefork (Experimental) / Merc 80
    Hustler 16' Victor / Evinrude 85
    Hustler 15' Tunnel / Evinrude X115
    Hustler 17' Lark / Suzuki 140
    Ranger 17' Aztec / Merc 115
    Hustler 16' Victor
    Hustler 16' Victor / JohnRude 135 (current and restored)
    Hustler 15' Family Tunnel / Johnson GT115 (current project)
    Hustler 16' Victor

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  11. #6
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    That's lot of work but will be very cool when done. Good running 115 will scream on that 15'.

    83 V-King, 96 Mariner, 200 hp ff block 2.5 w/a 28p choppa
    We gotta clean this liberal mess up, VOTE TRUMP TO MAGA!
    Rebuild thread:
    http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...-it&highlight=
    http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...cs.&highlight=
    Videos

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  13. #7
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    Dan, if you ever come across a 15' V Bottom Wildcat let me know.

    I cant wait to see the progress. It looks SOOOO much better cut down. I like it.
    Last edited by Hippie459MN; 12-18-2020 at 11:04 AM.
    -Kevin
    Project Vulture | Project Vector | Project Vamp | Project CobraJet
    1977 Hydrostream Vulture - Worlds longest ongoing project.
    1982 Hydrostream Vector
    1982 Hydrostream Vamp
    1973 Hydrostream Vixen
    1976 CobraJet Jet Boat - Outboard conversion project
    199? Glastron - aka Boat Anchor
    1976 Pontoon - aka The Family Truckster

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  15. #8
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    Dan, here is my mom and dad back in 76 (I was 2 1/2 then and prob in the boat) pulling 3 skiers with ease with that old 850 on that 15' Wildcat we had.

    Figured I would post it here. Hope you dont mind. My mom just found the pictures and gave them to me so em scanned it quick. So many great memories in that thing.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    -Kevin
    Project Vulture | Project Vector | Project Vamp | Project CobraJet
    1977 Hydrostream Vulture - Worlds longest ongoing project.
    1982 Hydrostream Vector
    1982 Hydrostream Vamp
    1973 Hydrostream Vixen
    1976 CobraJet Jet Boat - Outboard conversion project
    199? Glastron - aka Boat Anchor
    1976 Pontoon - aka The Family Truckster

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  17. #9
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    Without trying to start any chit, but that motor sure looks kinda tall for a 85 horse, looks like a inline 6???? Cool anyway.
    Sorry, just looked closer at the pics and that's an older motor, so maybe 85 horse six cylinder??
    Last edited by 1954bmw; 12-19-2020 at 08:06 AM.

  18. #10
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    Cool project Dan.

    Rock
    Team Junk

    No sparkling wiggles in here, only dump truck grinches.

    "Screamin Heathen"

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  20. #11
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    Yea BMW...the original 850 was the inline six...my dad raced an inline six in the G class in the early 60's.Click image for larger version. 

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1954bmw View Post
    Without trying to start any chit, but that motor sure looks kinda tall for a 85 horse, looks like a inline 6???? Cool anyway.
    Sorry, just looked closer at the pics and that's an older motor, so maybe 85 horse six cylinder??
    Hustler 15' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Wildcat / Merc 80
    Hustler 13' Picklefork (Experimental) / Merc 80
    Hustler 16' Victor / Evinrude 85
    Hustler 15' Tunnel / Evinrude X115
    Hustler 17' Lark / Suzuki 140
    Ranger 17' Aztec / Merc 115
    Hustler 16' Victor
    Hustler 16' Victor / JohnRude 135 (current and restored)
    Hustler 15' Family Tunnel / Johnson GT115 (current project)
    Hustler 16' Victor

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  22. #12
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    BMW, as Dan said, the 850s were inline 6's back then. The motor on my dads old boat, so I was told from someone here, was a late 60's model. I know that picture was from 76 and my dad had that boat when I was born in March of 74. He bought in in 73 I think it was from a guy that raced it for a year or two. The boat was a 71 or 72 if I remember right.
    -Kevin
    Project Vulture | Project Vector | Project Vamp | Project CobraJet
    1977 Hydrostream Vulture - Worlds longest ongoing project.
    1982 Hydrostream Vector
    1982 Hydrostream Vamp
    1973 Hydrostream Vixen
    1976 CobraJet Jet Boat - Outboard conversion project
    199? Glastron - aka Boat Anchor
    1976 Pontoon - aka The Family Truckster

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