Fletch's Hydra Sport 2100 CC

[Fletch170]

OK,

SO, the deck itself is about 1/2 inch thick, glass with what looks to be a synthetic of some type sandwiched between the glass.

Instead of just building up the liner deck, they built a subfloor (deck) that was glassed into the stringers and hullsides. Not only does the stringer system have cross members, but the sub deck ties everything in as well. Did i mentioned it is glassed on both sides? THEN filled with foam???

At this point, they bonded the liner AND the hullsides.....and my GOD did they use a TON of thickened resin to bond everything.

I'm assuming they built the boat this way to none of the structual intrgrity was passed throguh the liner?

Any other boats of the era built like this?? Ive said it before, but I just can't get over how much effort they put into glassing everythinng to freakin everthing.

NIGHTMARE TO WORK ON.

[gran398]

No worries.  Will call you tomorrow. 

[Shine]

Wow, talk about heavy !

Pretty sloppy too, but par for the course in most production boats. 

[Fletch170]

Guys,

Had a nice convo today with our resident master rebuilder (Scotty), and I think I'm going to take his advice. The stringers dont look very good, and scarfing into them at this point, isnt the right move. I'll be removing the deck all the way into the front of the coffin.

After 20 minutes on the phone, Scotty told me what I already knew. Spend an extra month in construction, or be 30 miles out wondering when the stringers are going to pop off the bottom.

Long and short. I'm removing 800 pounds of foam, and completely unnecessary amounts of plywood. Likely ditch the coffin too and just build a box for the new poly tank.

So, this will end up a later summer splash:(

[RickK]

I agree with the advice you received from Gran. It's better to be sure of what you have when you're done.

So that everyone understands, we have a Master Rebuilder group here on ClassicAquasport.com to honor people that 1) are not pros and 2) had the guts and fortitude to tackle rebuilding their boat themselves and have documented it here for our members to see and learn from, from beginning to end. Anyone that is in that group displays the badge (group name) under his/her Avatar.
While Gran did indeed watch his boat being rebuilt by professionals and learned from that I'm sure, this does not earn him a membership in the group, nor let him wear the coveted Master Rebuilder badge under his Avatar.

[CLM65]

That Scotty guy...wiser beyond his years!  Sound advice for sure!

[Capt. Bob]

That Scotty guy...wiser beyond his years! 

Just so there's no misunderstanding....he's not that young.

[CLM65]

 

[gran398]

For the record I never referred to myself as a M R, but thank you for the compliment Fletch!

Thank you too Craig and Pops!

[Fletch170]

[Boatdesigner]

I am coming into this one late as I am a new member. My father had a 1700CC from the same era and it was a great boat. I fished it well offshore out of Atlantic City and never felt unsafe, even when the swells were blocking the horizon. I have an old brochure from that time period, although there is no date on it. In the back there are a couple of pictures showing their stringer grid being installed and some copy explaining how this grillage system was used to replace the wood in a traditional stringer system. Your boat seems to have been built before this switch if it is a plywood cored system.



Both pictures do show the boxes back aft which I believe were used for flotation to possibly allow the boat to have upright, level flotation, not just basic flotation that was required by the Coast Guard. That would also explain the foam in the hull sides. Boats over 20' were not required to have upright flotation, so this was them making sure they built a superior boat.



I am curious how you are supporting your hull now that the stringers have been cut out? If you don't maintain the shape precisely, you could have a real issue once you glass the new stringers in. I have been designing boats for nearly 30 years and am always amazed when I see boats that have been cut open. Sometimes it is a good amazed, others . . . not so good!

[Fletch170]

Awesome! Do you have the pictures of the 2100 in the brochure? I've looked high and low looking for old literature on these boats.....found NOTHING. Just getting information about these boats is tough.

I'm keeping the boat on the trailer, with the outter stringers still in tact. Shes a little wobbly, but no bucktailing on the bottom.

So, you like me, grew up fishing on this model. Now, I was 7 years old, but I remember the boat dominating large chop going out the great egg Inlet (Which I'm sure you know, can get real dicey).

[Boatdesigner]

Fletch,

Check your PM for a message. We had the little brother to your boat, the 1700 CC. I only went out of Great Egg Inlet once. I had decided to take a ride all the way around Absecon Island and had run through all the back waterways on the inside and then reached the inlet, where I found really steep 4'-6' waves that were standing up with whitecaps on them. The inlet was being dredged, so all it had were some temporary buoys marking the center of the channel. Being young and stupid, I figured it would be calmer in the ocean once I got outside and I really didn't want to poke along in the backwaters again. So I picked my way out of the inlet until I thought I was in the ocean and turned north. At one point in the inlet, I went flying off the top of a wave and I heard the prop come out of the water. When I landed the outboard somehow threw water forward and drenched my back, still don't know how that happened!

The seas were just as big outside, but they were longer and smoother, so I opened her up to a high cruise. She was really good in a following sea, surfing down the face of the waves without burying her bow. I ran up to Absecon Inlet, which is the one we normally used as we lived on Brigantine Island, and cruised back in there. As usual, it was nearly flat calm. I wish my little truck could tow one of those 1700's, I passed one up for $600 when I was looking for a little boat last year. These were really great boats!

Be careful climbing around in your boat. Those outboard stringers are so far out that they offer little support for the center of the bottom panels. They must be there to support the deck outboard.

[Fletch170]

[Fletch170]

3 layers of 1708 down, building up the transom skin. Shes going to be TOUGH.