76 vector restore

[micro48]

No for some reson i'm haveing a hard time registeing to S&F.Where do you run your boat,Potomac?

[kytekeith]

No for some reson i'm haveing a hard time registeing to S&F.Where do you run your boat,Potomac?

I live on the Rappahannock river so this is where I prefer to use it because i grew up here and know the river from Fredricksburg to the Chesapeake. My job keeps me away from home alot so I pull it along up and down the east coast getting it wet anywhere i can . It has seen three different lakes in the same week but sometimes it may go a thousand miles staying on the trailer waiting for a chance to get in the water.

[Hippie459MN]

What do you do that you get to take your boat with you for work? I want that job.

[kytekeith]

What do you do that you get to take your boat with you for work? I want that job.

I install kitchen equipment and refrigeration mostly for mcdonalds. My territory is mostly Southeast U.S. I have joined the million mile club driving a 40' diesel pusher rv pulling a 20' enclosed trailer, I am about 5' shorter than a long nose with sleeper pulling a 53' trailer. My girlfriend pulles my toys with my dodge dualy following close behind.

[Hippie459MN]

I install kitchen equipment and refrigeration mostly for mcdonalds. My territory is mostly Southeast U.S. I have joined the million mile club driving a 40' diesel pusher rv pulling a 20' enclosed trailer, I am about 5' shorter than a long nose with sleeper pulling a 53' trailer. My girlfriend pulles my toys with my dodge dualy following close behind.

I wish I could find someone to follow me around in my semi with my truck and my boat (Once its running of course). That would be sweet!

[kytekeith]

Well guys realy no progress to report because I am out of state trying to make a dollar . It pisses me off that while I had time to work on the vector it was to cold ,now it is hitting the 60's and am away. I have my laptop and can still do research though.

I came across some 70's merc. brochures and guess what boats were featured, HYDROSTREAM's. I thought that was pretty cool.

[74vector]

I have that Merc brochure. It also has all the XS models featured, cool pictures.
So I have jsut completed my 74 Vector recore and went through the same core material selection stress that you are going through. Just for background the boat had the low floor, foam filled seatbox for back to back seats and the not to tall 2 stringers on the pad outer edges.
The boat was pretty much a garage queen but still had extensive core problems, so it all came out, the rotted stuff is easy to remove the non rotted stuff was difficult, I scribe cut it with a circular saw making a 1x1 checkerboard pattern about halfway down into the balsa. I then used a Sawzall with a long blade to cut these squares flush to the bottom of the boat, the blad conformed very well to the bottom and did not punch through in any way. I have lots of pics. I then did the final grind to smooth and remove residual balsa.
For new construction and I have to say upfront, weight was not the primary concern, it was longevity and future stresscrack prevention, I did this boat more with an eye towards originality rather than out and out speed.
So I used Balsa core with 4 stringers,( solid 7/8 mahogany) and Okume Marine Plywood for floor and frames.
Here is my thought process: In taking the boat apart it was pretty obvious why the core got soaked, the area under the floor is shallow, did not drain well, and there was no ventilation. There is a limit as to how careful the factory could be in gap free glass work and polyester resin chop glass is permiable and will wick water if it is left long enough. This underfloor area was always exposed to water and moisture which once allowed the balsa to get wet, water wicked out to areas not under the floor and in my case even the lower corners of the transom.

Material investigation revealed that from a strength impact resistance etc. Balsa is superior it's only downside is potential rot. I figured I could overcome this shortcoming in several ways. First was NOT to extend the balsa under the floor, keeping it high of the bilge area, second, be more careful with workmanship, third use epoxy resin and better glass fabric than chop. To gain back lost strength of the NON balsa area under the floor I used 4 stringers and several glass laminations to thicken the hull in this non balsa area. The two inner stringers went where the original ones went except I made them 4 inches tall, the second set went in the chines that the original edge of the floor sat in, these stringers were about 2 inches high. So overall the new floor would sit about 2 inches higher and was a little wider than original, a compromise on cosmetic originallity but only a VERY decerning Hydrostream eye could tell! I used mahgany for the stringers as they would be far less prone to wicking and rotting than plywood on edge. I used 3/8 marine Okume for the floor which is a very light but strong plywood, much lighter than he fir plywood that was used originally, it is 7 laminaton ply and is much stronger and stiffer than original despite lighter weight.
For glass work, initially, I laminated stitched biaxial cloth with a chop backing chop side up onto the newly cleaned hull, I did one half of the hull at a time, a contiuous sheet from near the bow right up the sides and all the way back to the transom and allowing about 12 inches of overlap in the middle, before this cured I laminated down the balsa to it with thickened resin. I did one side so I could work form the other , once cured I did the remaining side. once this all cured I sanded the stray epoxy hand prints and foot prints from the bare balsa top to prepare for the top layer lamination. This was the same stitched biaxial with chop back cloth used on the bottom but this time the chop down to the balsa, the chop sides faced the balsa because they make a reisn rich layer to promote bonding the the balsa. As before I did one side than the other front to back continuous, with same overlap in the middle. When done this gave me four layers of glass in the balsa free middle bilge area. I then laminated a stripe down this middle giving 5 layers of new laminate. I then glassed in the stringers using Biaxial tape.
It was quite a fiddle doing continuos laminations but I felt it would be worth the effort.
The floor was cut to fit and I put a thin layer of standard 90 degree boat cloth down on each side to stiffen it and to give water/moisture protection. The floor was then bonded into the boat along the stringers and bonded, glassed the edges. The edge of the floor just covered the edge of where the balsa ended, so there is no step on the top sides, but plenty of space for water to drain and air to circulate under. The end of the floor in the tank/battery area has cutouts to provide ventilation into the areas between the stringers. I put a deck plate into the bow under deck raised floor area so when the plate is removed there is free movement of air from bow to stern under the floor. Overkill I'm sure. I weighed everything used and compared it to what weight the stock construction would be eliminating the "extra" stuff and i figure overall the boat weighs about 30 pounds more. The extra stuff was offset a bit through the use of the lighter plywood and less balsa.
The seat boxes and tank trays where alos made using the lighter Okume so these would up lighter than stock.
I did not fill the seat box with foam, rather I made storage space by leaving it empty and having the front seat bottoms remove for access in a simialr fasion as the back seat bottoms do.
The boat is now going out for a clear coat on the deck next while I do some interior work. The tough part on th eboat is done. I still have to dig into the motor a vintage correct 74 inline 1500. I have tons of pictures if helpful.
I'm not saying this is what to do but thought it might be helpful to hear.
Good luck!
Randy

[VultureNo2]

Randy, really like everything you had to say here. Thanks for taking the time to detail it so thoroughly. I like your wood choice also. You mention some pictures. Please post the in process shots. I am just about to recore my Vulture and was considering foam. You have me rethinking it. I am concerned because I want the seats in the bus to be like the originals and weight is a consideration in the floor and seats. I don't mind going balsa, but need to make sure to not create the kind of moisture points that was part of the last design. I do also want ways to get air down there to let it dry properly in between heavy barefoot water ski sessions. I like your thinking and would love to hear more. Again, Please post some pictures. Bill

[Hippie459MN]

Tandy, really like everything you had to say here. Thanks for taking the time to detail it so thoroughly. I like your wood choice also. You mention some pictures. Please post the in process shots. I am just about to recore my Vulture and was considering foam. You have me rethinking it. I am concerned because I want the seats in the bus to be like the originals and weight is a consideration in the floor and seats. I don't mind going balsa, but need to make sure to not create the kind of moisture points that was part of the last design. I do also want ways to get air down there to let it dry properly in between heavy barefoot water ski sessions. I like your thinking and would love to hear more. Again, Please post some pictures. Bill

My plan is to go with Bulsa myself for 2 reasons, When done right it will last for many many years (Longer than me im sure) and cost. Bulsa is much cheaper than composites. At least from what I have seen anyways.

[kytekeith]

Thank you Randy for the info, sounds like a good plan not using any balsa under the floor. As far as floor hieght sometime after our boats were made the floor was raised to the next strake so i don't think anyone would notice the change. The comp. vectors had four stringers with no floor but not sure if they had core. I had thought about using four stringers and raising the floor also but had not thought about using extra glass to reinforce the hull instead or core. Not sure how thick the total thickness of glass would be needed to duplicate the streangh of balsa core or how much weight it would add.

Randy, please start a thread and don't hold back on the pics. I believe i speak for al of us here . POST PICS!!!!!