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79 Vector rebuild

Restoring your Hydrostream or just giving it a small makeover? What better place than to show off your project. Big or small.
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canuckr
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79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20648Post canuckr »

Hello

First post. I just got home with a 79 Vector after driving way too far to get it (3800km round trip)
The floor is already cut out, along with a bunch of core. The core is so rotten its humorous. You can push the top layer of fiberglass down to the hull in places. Nothing left between the fiberglass layers at all.
The guy I bought it off cut the floor out, decided he was in over his head, claims the previous owner had a 225 strapped to it. After seeing what's left of the core I think he was running on borrowed time.
I will post pictures once I have enough posts to allow it.
I have a couple questions though.
The first being is there a secret to getting the windshield frame separated from the windshield? The shield is in great shape but the frame is a bit bent, would like to separate them and attempt to straighten the frame a bit.

The second more important question is about supporting the hull during tear down/ rebuild. How far up from the transom needs to be supported? I figured about 5-6ft?
And when you support the pad area, are people using a wedge shaped bunk to help hold the shape of the hook? Or is it a non issue?


Thanks for any help

Derek
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20649Post RussF »

welcome
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20650Post idvette »

The rail has clips in it with teeth that hold the windshield, similar to an automotive dash panel clip. If you pull hard enough, the clip will either come out of the frame, or the teeth will bend allowing the windshield to come out, or you'll just break something. My money's on breakage lol. IMO you're better off using 2 blocks of wood and some clamps, sandwiching the rail between the blocks of wood to straighten it out. Treat that windshield like it's gold, tough to get another one!

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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20651Post p man »

I would 'think' 5-6ft is more then enough for support. You may want to complete your new core before removing the transom as it will help keep the boat square.
Regardless it's never a bad idea to flip the boat and blueprint the bottom when you're all done.
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20652Post canuckr »

Thanks for the heads up on windshield removal. I think I will leave it in place and build a jig or something to straighten the frame. I do know they are worth their weight in gold, so I don't want to smash it up.

I figured 5 or 6ft would be plenty, I hadn't thought about leaving the transom in until after the core is done, makes sense.
The plan is vacuum bag the core and stuff down. Put stringers in with knees and a delete the splash well. Ideally I plan on doing this without wood and probably VE resin.

I was already planning on/ have been researching blueprinting the bottom after the core and everything else is done.
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20654Post YDOC462 »

try a spackling knife on the windshield. lay shield on table rail side down......locate the clips inside the rail..... tap spackling knife in between rail and shield on top of clips until the teeth break off or the knife wedges in between allowing you to slide the shield up and out. start at one end work to the other. might take you several passes but you can get it out.

aint easy trying to straighten those rails.

more rotten the core is ....THE BETTER. i swept my core up with a broom after taking off top layer. core that aint rotten and still bedded aint fun trying to get out.
81 vector....complete restore....1991 7 pedal 200 slightly modded
ALWAYS under construction

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canuckr
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20668Post canuckr »

Couple more questions/ boosting my post count so I can post pictures.
Seeing as its late in the season and the weather is about to get bad.
Is there any reason not to leave the boat sit all winter with no core and a bunch of the fiberglass ground out? I would think it will be fine if the hull is supported on the trailer well?
Also I assume the only really good way to get the float boxes out is to smash/dig the foam out in chunks?

Thanks
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20669Post aaron78viper »

I used the back of a hammer to dig most of the foam out, you can get closer with a putty knife when you get down thinner.. then a wire brush if you want to get more out.. if you keep the hull supported I dont see why it would be a problem leaving it through the winter. I had mine hanging freely from the bow eye, and the two bottom corners of the transom.. its a good hard spot in the boat. if the rest just hangs it should be good. Hope that helps
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20741Post canuckr »

First I will start by asking one of the admins to move this thread to the rebuild/make over section I think would be more appropriate.
Secondly my 79 Vector is actually an 82' whoops.
Thirdly it is buried in snow and just when I thought I was winning the conversation on getting my buddy to let me put it in his gargae to work on it over the winter he goes and buys a Ford Falcon to work on, eating up the shop space I was trying to hijack from him.

Here she is on the drive home. I know the trailer is pretty terrible looking and I am looking for a replacement over the winter. But it made it home just fine.

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So there are no fiberglass related posts for a little while, at least until spring time.
The boat came with a 1975 85HP rude. I was able to sell that for 250$ and then I located a 1985 Merc 150 XR2 that was close by, it had engine problems that the owner couldn't really elaborate on, I think he actually didn't know. I went and looked at it, he had already sold the lower unit, but from what I could see everything else was in great shape. 250$ and I was on my way home. I get it home and start poking around trying to see what I got myself into.

Here is the power head coming off, with the Falcon that stole my boats parking space.
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Here is its new home while it is being dismantled, old crappy kitchen table, a drill.......voila, engine stand.
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So far, although I haven't pulled the front half or anything yet this is all I can find that's wrong with it. Pretty sure it was probably just a leaky head gasket. I'm hoping that is all that's wrong with it.
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Now do I want to put horizontal reeds and do some engine work when it comes apart?? That is the dilemma.
Last edited by AdamDK on Jul 24, 2017 8:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: fixed broken Photobucket images
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canuckr
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Re: 79 Vector rebuild

Post: # 20943Post canuckr »

Well, I was finally able to start working on my Vector again. There is still 2 ft of snow on the ground all around the boat, but I couldn't wait any longer to do something with it. The weather was nice, a balmy +4 C.

I cut out the splash well and got almost all of the transom removed. It was pretty rotten, had all the water in the wood not been frozen I am sure it would have come out a bit easier.

I think I will do the transom replacement before I go onto the core.

Image[/url]

And the chunks of transom wood in the bottom of the boat, along with a bunch of other crap I threw in the boat before I covered it up for the winter.

Image[/url]

This is going to be a slow process, especially while I try to work around the crappy weather I am sure will stick around for several more weeks.
I will be looking into ordering some vinylester, glass, and deciding what material to use for the transom.
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