Fletch's Hydra Sport 2100 CC

[Fletch170]

[Fletch170]

The culprit is the half moon cutouts that allow water to drain to the blige, which were NOT glassed on the bottom. YAYYYYYYYY!

I will say, thank GOD I did that little 17, as this project seems a lot less daunting now.

[gran398]

Always something, right?

The good news is that hull is worth the effort.

[Fletch170]

It is always something. But, it's to be expected. With these rebuilds, engines included, you are always behind the eightball. Instead of prevenative maint, you are going through a laundry list of that is flat out busted.

Anyhow, yes, the hull is worth it. However, all the research turns up one alarming fact: these things are very hard to do repairs on. EVERYTHING is glassed to EVERYTHING. Not just heavy duty adhesive, thickended resin and mat. The cap is classed to the transom/ stringer system. on top of that, like the AS's, there is foam in every cavity that might make an echo. Seriously, the hull sides and liner were both given a shooting of foam before being mated. Don't get me wrong, this is why most of these things are still around.

Anyhow, I dont know if the cost is really worth it for this boat in regards to the coosa.......thoughts? The next time the transom will need to repaired will be when I'm 65.

[Fletch170]

This link will give everyone what a mess I'm about to have on my hands.

http://forums.bateau2.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=24157&start=10

[gran398]

Christian, what I was figuring on a potential repair is just as observed....all of those parts became fairly monolithic.

It will be a BEAR to tear that boat out compared to a 70's Aquasport. The deck won't lift off the stringers as the injected foam is also a very strong adhesive, and there is a chitload of it. The parts will have to be mechanically separated.

You may consider drying her out as best possible, then patch the stringer glass and run her.

[Fletch170]

Yea, they did a good job of creating a very strong boat.

I was planning on doing what you suggested, but Scott, it's BAD. Way worse than I expected, and there is no way in hell i'm taking that thing off shore with stringers having the consistancy of chewing tobacco.

I'd rather move the spash date out a month, and move my life expectancy out past this summer:) I've been taking my time to do everything correctly, so there is no sense in putting a bandaid on an axe wound.

Anyways, I hate the stupid splashwell that was designed to accomodate that lay down wood divider thinger......I want to extend a level deck all the way to the transom, so I can fish right to the back of the boat without tripping and falling overboard.

[Fletch170]

I just re-read what you wrote, and if I had to redo the entire boat......I wouldn't. What little I can find about these boats online, seems to end in a stalled or unfinished project. The ones who did finish, were professional shops. And as you pointed, the boat needs to carefully cut apart. Most boat companies will use a caulk when screwing the liner and hull together, and use a strong bonding agent on the deck and stringers. Nope, but Hydrasport, they used a thickended resin to bond everything. It's like they had something to prove?

(Insert southern accent) "them saltwater sombitches aint gonna take us sparkley bass boat types seriously, we done better fix to make this thing indeerrrstructerable JEBIDIAH, MORE KEV-LAYER!"

[gran398]

Hey, gotcha. If its that bad, let's do it right. I've run that boat, and as I said in the beginning,  foot per foot it is  the softest riding ocean hull I've ever been on. And that includes my buddy's 39 Contender.

And better to do it now than later.

You're going to have to figure out how far forward that stringer mush runs and attack accordingly ;)

[seabob4]

Christian, in reality, boat builders, when they deck a boat, do so in a manner where they DON'T want the thing to come apart.  I have done/participated in/watched more boats being undecked than you'd want to know...talk about tearing up some caps!!  So what you are seeing with your H-S is nothing unusual, just taken a little further than some other companies.

Scotty...you have an avatar!! :icon_cheers:

[Fletch170]

Gottcha Bob! Its definatey above and beyond what most production boat companies will do, especially ones in 1980.

I think some of the older 3 piece custom boats actually used to bond the hullsides to the liner. I believe they actually put a negative vaccum pulling the 2 pieces together tightly while the bonding kicked off.

However, I think most builders dont go that crazy anymore. A lot of the 90's semi custom boats vaccum bagged the entire hull. Saves weight, but you honestly end up with a seriously noisy hull. I believe most companies core the hullsides to keep the weight downa nd the echo to a minimum.

Anyhow, point being, the best way to take those things apart would be an RPG,

[Fletch170]

Making the most of 20 degree weather.

[dburr]

OoooHHHH preettyy and SO shiny!!

[Fletch170]

it's so sad man.....5 degrees this morning.

Sent my console out to get it painted so I can at least get all the electronics/ gauges rigged in my garage when it's done. APPARENTLY, my wife get's all pissy when the entire house smells like toxic fumes, so I cant paint in the garage anymore.

The nice days will be spent outside with the boat, cutting out the old transom/ stringer core....getting it ready for warm weather when I can hop to it and start glassing. I want this thing in the water June 1st.

[gran398]

Know this is probably wishful thinking, but any chance you could rent a little heated warehouse space? A empty bay somewhere?