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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

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toolcrib
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21447Post toolcrib »

I recently purchased and brought home a 1989 Hydrostream Verado.

I think this is RussF's old boat. It is red and gray sparkle with a Land 'N' Sea Jack plate and a Nissan NS90A outboard.
Now that it is in my garage, I am anxiously waiting for the ice to melt so I can get this boat in the water and see hoe it performs. It currently has a 15 pitch prop which I expect to be way to low of a pitch, but want to test it out before buying anything.
I did find that the steering was bound up with one of the cables froze, so have some new cables on order.

My background in boating is limited to family runabouts, the most recent is an old heavy fiberglass StarCraft with a 120 mercruiser. This boat tops out around 35 mph, so I am looking forward to having a boat that performs better.

My goals with the Hydrostream I purchased are to make certain it is solid and make any necessary repairs, then look toward repowering. I plan on being conservative, because I am mainly looking for a modern engine for reliability and convenience. My current plan is to go with a 4-stroke 115.

I look forward to setting this boat up and learning more about Hydrostreams through this forum.

Andrew
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21448Post transomstand »

If it has snap fasteners all over it....it's Russ's.

And buy a 200 for it, 50 mph Hydrostreams are bad for my image. :nono:
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Original owner 1975 Ventura II SE
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toolcrib
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21494Post toolcrib »

I think 200 HP is a distant goal at this time. My first priority is getting the boat safe and functional so that I can see if I enjoy this style of boat and want to put the time and effort into it to get it ready for overpowering.

My current work has been to replace the steering cables, which was a lot of struggling due to one being frozen at about 30% extension. The new cables are in and the steering feels good. I also had to reattach the gas tank which only had a single screw and the hoses keeping it in place. The battery which was located directly in front of the aluminum gas tank was also unsecured, so that was addressed and a cover added so that if the battery does come loose it won't short out on the gas tank. I am certain that as I use the boat I will find more things to fix before I worry about top speed.

Andrew
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21495Post RussF »

you have my old boat
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21496Post RussF »

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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21497Post RussF »

probably going to need core and new transom....theres a crack/chip on top of the transom.and water been getting in there all these years........Russ
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21498Post RussF »

what the boat looks like nowor when I sold it without a motor and the guy put that 90 on it
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toolcrib
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21500Post toolcrib »

Yep that is the boat I bought. I was curious about how long the cracks in the glass at the rear corners of the motor well had been in there and how likely it is that the transom/core is wet. There is also a handful of damaged spots on the bottom of the boat where a strake edge is knocked out. Most are about 1" long and less than a 1/2" deep. There is one large chunk missing from the edge of the pad about 1.5' from the back that is around 3" long and almost the full height of the edge of the pad deep. This one appears to have been sanded smooth so there are no stray fibers sticking out, but no repair has been made.

I am hoping that the boat is solid enough for me to learn how it behaves at reasonable speeds and power levels. I would want to repair the bottom, and likely do an in depth restoration before I would attempt to overpower it.

I am currently waiting on the ice to leave lake Winnebago here in Wisconsin before I take it out.
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21501Post RussF »

well I'd say its need a core and transom.that's why I didn't buy the boat again....couldn't agree on a price with that being needed...most people look at the outside of the boat and say its fine........the stress cracks have been there from when I owned it and the chip on top of the transom too.never had any bottom damage when I owned it..it needs a core and transom which hold the boat together..I sure wouldn't take my family for a boat ride that's for sure.and wear a good life jacket when you go even by yourself..........I really wanted that boat back I'm the original owner.but like I said I thought the price was too much for what it needs
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toolcrib
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New owner of 89 Hydrostream Verado

Post: # 21510Post toolcrib »

I did a fair bit of thumping with a deadblow on the bottom of the boat looking for any difference in the sound or visually. I also put a jackstand under the back of the trailer and bounced my 190 lbs on the anti-ventilation plate looking for deflections. I could not see anything from my position on the engine, so figured it was solid enough for the 90hp it currently has on it. I will be keeping an eye on it looking for any changes in condition that indicate an internal problem. If I decide to keep this boat long term, or put a bigger engine on it I will dig into it deeper and see what is actually going on structurally.

I took the boat out on Lake Winnebago this last Friday and confirmed that the propeller has way to low of a pitch (15"). The engine went to the rev limiter at 5,900 RPM and a GPS indicated speed of 39 MPH, This works out to a prop slip of 7% so I am definitely not overloading the propeller. I will be looking to try a 19" or 21" to narrow in on the correct range for this engine/boat combo. 39 MPH is way to slow. I did wear a good life jacket, and stayed relatively close to shore, that water is cold. The boat performed fine and there was no sign of water in the bilge after my first trip.

I did learn that the winch on the trailer was failing, and it was positioned to low to pull the boat fully onto the trailer. I made an adaptor to raise the winch and move it forward, and replaced the winch with a new model so I will be able to load the boat more quickly and correctly. I want those bunks to support the transom, not just the bottom of the boat. I also need to replace the decoration only safety turnbuckle on the front of the trailer, as it fell loose with the boat moving back less than a 1/2".
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