Hi Dennis and son.
Welcome to the chaos!!
There are no dumb questions here. This site has newbies up to drag racers with decades of Hydrostream experience and knowledge.
Don't hesitate to ask any and all questions here. We're all glad to pitch in and help.

The boat you pictured is my little 15' HydroStream Viper I restored. The full write-up of the restoration is on the link I sent in the private message. Hydrostream.org

The shifter you're referring to is currently mounted on the side combing as it should. I just had it laying on the floor in the pictures while installing the interior.
Get ready for the "core" question to come up. The core is the heart of the hull and is important to check thoroughly before getting in the water.

thank you for the info.sorry i am new to this game, had may boats but not for racing. may sound stupid but what does the control box on the floor do! is it for the tilt? if so where is the shifter on the boat pictured? by the way if anyone knows who put the red boat together that we are talking about, please tell them my son and i think they are awesome. we are on a budget but this forum and all the cool members make it worth the fun we have ...many thanks to all of you for the help and knowledge you have given us....

That boat pictured had the stock control box sitting on the floor just out of view.

That blinker style switch(es) that you see behind the steering wheel is for tilt and trim controls.

If you want a nicer shifter without the huge box, Rex Marine (Page 39 and Page 39) carries some or you can get a Nyhdal shifter from Wintech.

Hope that helps some.

hi i am restoring a 1986 vector and ran across a finished one that didnt have a shift lever on the right side where most outboard shifters go.i zoomed in as close as poss but no good. i thought i saw a set of turn signal style handles behind steering wheel to left and right. i installed a hot foot throttle pedal and was looking to get rid of the old stock ugly shift control. i was wondering if the left handle was for tilt and right handle was for shift behind steering wheel. if so can anyone send me a link on where i might purchace one? thank you all...happy boating