Hello,
Well as of last week I am the owner of a 1991 Vasserette and I am ballistically stoked! Boat is in really good shape with all original interior (no tears) and it seems to be in excellent condition for a 24 year old boat. Have been scouring the forums for information on the boat and Hydrostream.org. I feel totally fortunate to have such great resources as the websites and am really excited to get into what I consider a pretty unique and special boat. Definitely a step up from the current rig and am really excited to get the Hydro dialed in for the long term. Grew up on Lake Pend O'reille and Priest Lake in northern Idaho and remember stripping all the seats out of the family Bayliner Capri bowrider to get as much speed as possible (watching Miami Vice on Fridays with Dad probably didn't help). Geez what a 15 year old wouldn't do to have fun!!!!
So thirty years later here I am with the Hydro bowrider. Definitely not a thirty six foot Scarab or Cigarette, but hey, still plenty of performance while still good for tubing, skiing and a heck of lot easier on gas and old guys can still dream right!
Here she is......
The business end of the operation
Wondering how to post images or maybe change your avatar or maybe something else?
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You can find that and a lot of other useful tips for using the forums in the HydrostreamForums Knowledge Base.
To visit the HydrostreamForums Knowledge Base CLICK HERE
New 1991 Vasserette Owner in Oregon
Re: New 1991 Vasserette Owner in Oregon
OK...... Now the bad (so far)........... and please see the questions in red.....
Spent some time on my back under the boat yesterday afternoon with the trusty sander feathering out chips along the strakes. I should expect some gelcoat chips and the hydro has its share. Looked like there had been some other chip repairs in the past. Sanded and feathered these out as well till I have good black glass. I have had great luck in the past with Marine Tex, the stuff seems to be tough as iron and since this is all below the water line I am not that concerned about appearance. I tend to sand things out a little farther than I should, but seems I have had better luck that way.
Here are some photos of the starboard strake showing some of the sanded out chips and some that have been unsanded.
Close up of some of the feathered sanding and some dings.
Finger for scale (kind of surprised how thin the gelcoat is on these. Started wit 100 grit and quickly went to 150. Waiting for it to warm up today then it is back under the boat to Marine Tex and smooth with the wet finger..... (with a glove of course....).
Question.... I normally don't paint over the Marine Tex repairs but may try it here. Thoughts, and what product have you had luck with in the past? Will be on my back (and don't have experience or own professional tools) so will need to be a brush on or aerosol product. Appreciate advice.
Question.... Does someone make "ears" for a lower unit like this? I have a set that work with the garden hose intake (round ears) on the lower unit of my 85 horse Evinrude that is on my old rig. Need to be able to fire the big Merc up in the yard.
Speaking of which, here is the old ride, a 1981 Fiberform Waikiki. This has been a great little boat and actually has a decent wave for wakeboarding. Bought this boat a few years back for $1300 and that was the start of the adventure. Ended up taking out the transom (from the inside and removed transom cap) and put in a new floor. Did not split the boat but wonder if it would have been easier. Used NidaCore pour in transom that worked really well but was a real adventure getting everything set up. Used Marine Tex to fix some dings and covered up some bow rash that has been bombproof and is the basis for my approach on the dings on the stream. Was considering repowering with something newer than the old 79' rude (which has always run great) but started looking around at used prices for a Merc 110 - 125. This made me rethink putting the money into the Fiberform vs. getting into something more special and hopefully increased pride of ownership. So this path lead me to the Stream (and a big plus for the bowrider).
Have read plenty on the "pleasure" of core and transom replacement on the Streams and after the work on the Fiberform it is not something I am looking forward to but understand it will be a reality at some point (maybe this winter). Have had the experience of digging out wet foam on the Fiberform and would be shocked if the Stream sponsons don't have the same issue.
Question... Not sure if anyone has used Nidacore pourable or Seacast for transoms in their Streams but would be interested to hear experiences.
Parting shot....... Question......... Seems there are a lot of posts on the 86 - 88 (?) Valeros and that this period had QA/QC issues. Did this improve in the 90 - 91 Vasserette's or do they also suffer from some of the earlier issues.
Stoked to be an owner, member and thanks in advance for advice and recommendations!!!!
Spent some time on my back under the boat yesterday afternoon with the trusty sander feathering out chips along the strakes. I should expect some gelcoat chips and the hydro has its share. Looked like there had been some other chip repairs in the past. Sanded and feathered these out as well till I have good black glass. I have had great luck in the past with Marine Tex, the stuff seems to be tough as iron and since this is all below the water line I am not that concerned about appearance. I tend to sand things out a little farther than I should, but seems I have had better luck that way.
Here are some photos of the starboard strake showing some of the sanded out chips and some that have been unsanded.
Close up of some of the feathered sanding and some dings.
Finger for scale (kind of surprised how thin the gelcoat is on these. Started wit 100 grit and quickly went to 150. Waiting for it to warm up today then it is back under the boat to Marine Tex and smooth with the wet finger..... (with a glove of course....).
Question.... I normally don't paint over the Marine Tex repairs but may try it here. Thoughts, and what product have you had luck with in the past? Will be on my back (and don't have experience or own professional tools) so will need to be a brush on or aerosol product. Appreciate advice.
Question.... Does someone make "ears" for a lower unit like this? I have a set that work with the garden hose intake (round ears) on the lower unit of my 85 horse Evinrude that is on my old rig. Need to be able to fire the big Merc up in the yard.
Speaking of which, here is the old ride, a 1981 Fiberform Waikiki. This has been a great little boat and actually has a decent wave for wakeboarding. Bought this boat a few years back for $1300 and that was the start of the adventure. Ended up taking out the transom (from the inside and removed transom cap) and put in a new floor. Did not split the boat but wonder if it would have been easier. Used NidaCore pour in transom that worked really well but was a real adventure getting everything set up. Used Marine Tex to fix some dings and covered up some bow rash that has been bombproof and is the basis for my approach on the dings on the stream. Was considering repowering with something newer than the old 79' rude (which has always run great) but started looking around at used prices for a Merc 110 - 125. This made me rethink putting the money into the Fiberform vs. getting into something more special and hopefully increased pride of ownership. So this path lead me to the Stream (and a big plus for the bowrider).
Have read plenty on the "pleasure" of core and transom replacement on the Streams and after the work on the Fiberform it is not something I am looking forward to but understand it will be a reality at some point (maybe this winter). Have had the experience of digging out wet foam on the Fiberform and would be shocked if the Stream sponsons don't have the same issue.
Question... Not sure if anyone has used Nidacore pourable or Seacast for transoms in their Streams but would be interested to hear experiences.
Parting shot....... Question......... Seems there are a lot of posts on the 86 - 88 (?) Valeros and that this period had QA/QC issues. Did this improve in the 90 - 91 Vasserette's or do they also suffer from some of the earlier issues.
Stoked to be an owner, member and thanks in advance for advice and recommendations!!!!
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Re: New 1991 Vasserette Owner in Oregon
Spent yesterday afternoon mixing and placing marine tex. Time to get back to sanding! Image below shows the placed marine tex across the dings in the photo above. Sure is easy stuff to work with and a smooths well with water after it starts to stiffen.
Last edited by Treebeard on Aug 17, 2015 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New 1991 Vasserette Owner in Oregon
Welcome to the site. Sounds like your asking the right questions. I haven't found one yet with dry core. Take a real close look and be prepared to re-do it completely. Enjoy but be careful until then. Nice looking rig. Good motor also.
Bill
Bill
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Re: New 1991 Vasserette Owner in Oregon
Welcome, Like Bill said, you're asking the right questions.
I think that the flush rig you are looking for is available at Bob's Machine Shop (online).
As far as the quality issues in certain years, I've heard that too. The real question is...What shape is your core in? They are all susceptible to failure.
Hey, that Fiberform has nice lines. I'd never heard of that brand. I think that it will always be a better wakeboard boat, but your Stream will be better at hitting 85 mph.
I think that the flush rig you are looking for is available at Bob's Machine Shop (online).
As far as the quality issues in certain years, I've heard that too. The real question is...What shape is your core in? They are all susceptible to failure.
Hey, that Fiberform has nice lines. I'd never heard of that brand. I think that it will always be a better wakeboard boat, but your Stream will be better at hitting 85 mph.
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