Splash well help!

[bhbestcustoms]

I am restoring my 74 Vector and I am concerned about the splash well. What does everyone recommend? There is a hole about 1" in diameter allowing the water to drain out of the splash well in the back which drains towards the motor. It looks original and I think it should be there but I'm not sure if it was added by someone who owned the boat before me.
There is also another small hole about 1/8" drilled down through the splash well close to the other hole which would probably drain down to the sump box. Is it original? I guess what I'm looking for is your advice regarding what holes in the splash well should be there and how best is it to drain the splash well? I am doing a full restore and I need to know how best to drain water from the boat. My questions also deal with the two beams that I am re-fiber-glassing. Should I put the beams back in allowing water to drain from the interior of the boat or close it off assuming water should never get under the floor rather than providing a way for the water to come out in the event that it finds its way in.

Thank-you,
Bradley Harris

[VultureNo2]

Bradley,
Many boats were setup at the dealer and each done a little differently. The hole in the back of the splash well going through the transom, is a drain. Any water getting in the splash well will pour out that hole on the outside of the back of the boat. I'm not sure what the other hole would be, could have been where the throttle cables and motor connections were running through a boot (So it doesn't leak into the boat), or it could have been to the bilge. Pictures would help possibly. You really don't want anything back there to be running back into the boat, only out. Many of us, including myself, replace the splash well when re-doing the transom, and deck it over. That gives you a fresh start without any holes. I have a splash well delete thread going but I haven't had time to post a lot lately. There are several good splash well delete threads on here though. Water will need to drain through the center of the two stringers under the floor of the boat. It should have the following (bottom of the boat (gelcoat), then fiberglass cloth soaked in resin, then balsa 1/2 inch thick, then more cloth soaked in resin, making a sandwich that cannot let water in, then the floor on top of the stringers.). Some HS were designed to have the stringer on top of the balsa and others were attached to the bottom of the boat, with the balsa stopping on each sides and in the middle of the stringers. It is important that the center, in the front of the boat, has a hole to allow the water to pass through below the floor and run down the middle of the stringers in the middle all the way to the back where the bilge will be, under the floor. I hope that addresses your questions.
Bill

[bhbestcustoms]

Thank-you Bill!

That helps a lot, I will try to get a couple of pic's of the smaller hole and post them for you to see.
I will get some other pic's of our progress as well.

Thank's again!

Brad

[VultureNo2]

Brad,
Posting pictures will help. Each Hydrostream I look at, I treat as it's own archaeological find. I am always amazed at some of the things I find when I peel back the layers of time. They are true time capsules and a lot can be learned about both the boat and the previous owner(s) when doing a proper restore. I kept some notes as I went to laugh about later. Also, it makes you loose sleep thinking of how to avoid the crap that was done in the past.
Bill

[bhbestcustoms]

So below are three pictures of the two holes in the splash well. The small one look's like it was drilled with a 1/4" drill bit which allows water through the splash well and down to the bilge pump area. I don't think it was part of the original design and I'm thinking of glassing it over if you agree. The other larger diameter hole which is at least 3/4" in diameter. This hole goes through the transom and out the back of the boat. I think this hole is part of the original design and I will keep it in our design.













Thanks everyone for your help,
Regards,
Bradley

[varmint1]

Yes the 1/4" hole was drilled and not original, the other hole is the splash well drain

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[bhbestcustoms]

Yes the 1/4" hole was drilled and not original, the other hole is the splash well drain

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Thank-you, I agree.

Brad

[bhbestcustoms]

So if you look at the last picture in this post I have drawn the end of the stringers as they are right now. I have also drawn how the end board was when we tore it out (B). The hole was about 3/4" in diameter and allowed water in between the beams or stringers whatever you prefer to call them. I believe (A) would have been the original design which completely closed the beams off from the front of the boat and would not have allowed any water in. I have also drawn a couple of different designs (C) and (D). What does everyone think, should I rebuild it with the original design such as drawn in (A) below or is another design recommended?

Thanks,

Bradley

[varmint1]

I would leave a hole so any trapped water can run to the bilge area

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[transomstand]

"B" was the original design. The boats originally came with a rubber plug for that hole. Still have my plug, never made any sense to me, and never used it after the first month or two.