New member with some questions

[Acckkk]

Hey all - new guy here.

First, many thanks to the folks running this forum. It looks like the decision to keep the site going was recently made and for that I'm grateful. Seems like there's just too much great information that would be lost if it was shut down.

Here's the deal - I grew up in Florida around fast bass boats. My old man had a Tidecraft, his buddies had Hursts, Allisons, you get the idea. I always loved HyroStream boats but we never owned one. Fast forward all these years and I'm now that guy with the means to go back and buy the boat I always wanted when I was a kid. Problem is, now those boats are 30+ years old... how'd that happen?! I've read all about restoring these boats and while I'd love to embrace a "labor-of-love" restoration, I simply don't have the facilities or the time to do so.

So here are my questions:
1) Can anyone recommend a shop in Florida (preferably on the East coast) that can do the work a 30-year-old Stream is going to need - core, stringers, floor, paint/gelcoat, etc? What would be a ballpark number I'd be looking at spending for a full restoration?
3) Also what about that 20+ year old motor (say a 2.5 merc) that's hanging off the not-so-confidence-inspiring jack plate/transom arrangements I see on these boats? How much am I looking at spending to get a motor that's reasonably safe and hopefully reliable? I'm not 25 anymore so staying alive long enough to enjoy the money I've made is worth a few less MPH to me.

Thanks for the help guys!

[AdamDK]

Welcome to the forum.

If you're in Florida, then Scott Steffe at AFR is the guy to go to. But AFR is in Punta Gorda, north of Fort Myers, on the Gulf.
Which is still only a 2.5 hour drive from where you are.

Full restoration will probably be a couple thousand dollars, depending on how much work is needed. That's just for structural rebuilding. Paint and/or gelcoat will obviously be more as its very labour-intensive.

Most shops with experience rebuilding Hydrostreams understand that most owners are most likely over-powering their boats, so a good rebuilder will factor that in. Just lie and tell them you plan on hanging a Bridgeport on the back and they'll completely understand how strong they'll need to make the transom.

[Acckkk]

Thanks Adam!

Punta Gorda is totally do-able for me, so no sweat there. A couple grand to get a boat right is just about the amount what I was thinking... great to know. Understood on the bridgeport/transom comments.

I have my eye on a couple of boats down here in Florida right now. Would it be possible to get some opinions from the folks here on the forum about these listings without breaking any forum rules or otherwise ruffling feathers? I'm aware of what I'm unaware of with regard to evaluating these boats so having expert level feedback on these listings would be super helpful.

[AdamDK]

Posting links is fine. We're here to help.

First and foremost rule when it comes to buying a Stream. Never take the seller's word that the boat is "solid" without proof of a rebuild.
The vast majority of these boats were being pumped out of the factory as fast as they could build them. Quality wasn't a #1 priority.
Which meant that some sections of the glass layup was "dry" (meaning not enough resin used to seal the glass), and others too "wet" (too much resin. Resin itself is very brittle, which leads to cracking).

The core is NOT the floor. Quite a few times these boats have had the floor and transom replaced, but not the core itself. Core was usually 1/2" thick balsa. And due to the speedy nature these boats were built, the balsa wasn't sealed up properly. Balsa is one of the lightest woods on Earth....extremely porous. Good for soaking up resin, but also notorious for soaking up water and rotting. Look through my Viper Rebirth thread here to see what that looks like. Think of a typical ice-cream sandwich. The cookie is fiberglass....the ice-cream is the balsa. Balsa basically turns to soil when it rots completely.

The seller may tell you they did a "tap-test", or "hammer-test" on the hull to check the condition of the core. This is in no way an accurate method. Physical inspection of the core itself is the only way to verify its condition.

"Garage-kept", "hasn't been in the water in X years", etc. means nothing. Poorly sealed balsa can rot just from prolonged exposure to humidity. Seriously. That's why a lot of guys have switched over to using composite materials in their rebuilds. Doesn't rot. But balsa core when properly wetted out and sealed is just as strong, and a lot cheaper than composite stuff like Nida-Core, Nomex, Corelite, etc.

I'm at work now so I have to sign off, but please post more questions if you have any. Others may chime in with their own experiences as well.

[Acckkk]

Adam,

I just spent some time looking through your Viper rebirth thread... super impressive stuff! I'd love to take on that kind of project, but that's the labor of love I mentioned not having the time/facilities for. Here are the boats I'm looking at:
https://panamacity.craigslist.org/boa/d/telogia-hydrostream-vulture/6860533563.html
https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee/boa/d/saint-petersburg-hydrostream-vulture-20/6853929083.html
https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/boa/d/west-palm-beach-speed-boat/6883982937.html

The first two are really more to my liking, bigger boat, more room, etc.

I appreciate your opinion / feedback on these!

[tnelson77]

The last one listed states it has Sea Star steering. If it has a full seastar pro steering set up (helm, ram, hoses) that can be $1,500 by itself. Food for thought, considering all will need a core.

Adam made a great post with excellent info!

A few more things to consider.
-You can't go out and buy a new windshield. You can find new "glass" for about $450, but can't buy new top or bottom frames. The lines of the boat are ruined without a windshield, in my opinion.
-The badges are kinda hard to come by, I do believe someone was making new ones for a while but I don't know if they still are.
-Same goes for the rub rail or trim. It's no longer made and I haven't found anyone who has any new old stock. So you may want to find one that has all of these items intact.
-Finding a boat with good gel coat could save cost in the rebuild process.