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Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Have questions about fiberglass, gel-coat, or core repairs well as composite questions?
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bondo4days
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Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 21996Post bondo4days »

Hey everyone, glad to be new to the site. So after watching a video of some crazy tiller steer dingy racing in the ocean, a buddy and I challenged a couple other guys to a race. Winner takes the other team's boat. The rules were simple, two laps around Two Branch Island on the Mississippi River, boat must have an outboard motor and you can only spend $1500 tops. Winner takes home both boats. The race is the weekend after 4th of July. Just a week after the challange I came across a Hydrostream Viper with a 115 for 800 bux! I gave another buddy the money and some extra for fuel and he went and got it. so now my Glasspar G3 project is put on hold while I rebuild this thing. It is very complete with non pitted emblems, windshield, and the seats but it's all disassembled including having the core removed.

I have never recored a boat but I own a small bodyshop and do quite a bit of fiberglass work. I have some research do do before I start or even ask for advice but I wanted to get on here and share my story and build in hopes of reciting some pointers along the way. I have no propped DOING the work but the theory of different materials I will need help with.

So here is my plan as of now... the floor is flopping around the way it sits now so I'll build a jig for it first

Plan to leave the cap on it, rebuild the transom with plywood, one sheet of choppedat under the core and 2 layers of biax on top, one turned 45° from the other. Then 4 plywood stringers that kick up the transom. 2 maybe 3 bulk heads then a 1/2" plywood floor glassed in. Lastly I'm planning on pouring foam in under the floor cause there is a good chance it will get swamped at LOTO and it will make it even stronger, right? Like a jetski...

The way you see it in the pictures is the way I got it. The core is out and its flimsy. I don't know how thick it was that's why I am on here sharing my project asking for guidance. The boat came with some sheets of 1/2" balsa so I am going to core with that. I was just towing a plan out there hoping for a little criticism and guidance

Any chance I can do this all at once and bag it together? I hate the idea of sticking the balsa down then coming back and gassing on to of it. Or do I put the mat under the balsa and only use enough resin to penitrate half way up the balsa, then come back, soak it, glass the top and bag it?

I was trying reaserch this not just ask how to do it but in all the threads I read it's just different guys doing different things with other bickering. Can someone please just give me a quick step by step of the standard process? Like I said, I've never recored a boat so before we argue about epoxy vs polyester and what type of glass, I would really appreciate reading the process for this.

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bondo4days
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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 21997Post bondo4days »

http://www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?323683-Viper-rebuild-and-race-for-pinkslips

I looked here for a little help first but no luck. There are some pics in this thread but I can't figure out how to upload them here...

Thanks you!

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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 21998Post AdamDK »

So basically you want a river racer/ratrod. If you spent $800 of your $1500 budget, I highly doubt you'll get the rest of it done with only $700.

You can probably bag the whole core in one shot, it'll be easier if you do stringers on top of the core after. Stringers you can just weigh down without the need to vacuum bag them. I'll be doing my Viper this way. It's just easier.

(Stringers on core vs. stringers on hull is entirely a whole other debate.) Hydrostream built them in both configurations without explanation of which is better. There are pros and cons to both setups.

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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 21999Post bondo4days »

AdamDK wrote:So basically you want a river racer/ratrod. If you spent $800 of your $1500 budget, I highly doubt you'll get the rest of it done with only $700.

You can probably bag the whole core in one shot, it'll be easier if you do stringers on top of the core after. Stringers you can just weigh down without the need to vacuum bag them. I'll be doing my Viper this way. It's just easier.

(Stringers on core vs. stringers on hull is entirely a whole other debate.) Hydrostream built them in both configurations without explanation of which is better. There are pros and cons to both setups.


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I got a complete running boat for $800. Why can't I get the structure sound with the other $700?
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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 22000Post AdamDK »

I think you're underestimating the cost of materials; or just how much you'll actually need.
Unless the boat came with everything you need to redo the structure...glass, core, marine plywood, resins/catalyst etc.....or you can get it for free or deeply discounted.....


Based on prices at Express Composites / Menards / Jamestown Distributors:

A 2'x4' sheet of balsa is $25. You'll need probably a minimum of 8 sheets. $200.
Marine-grade plywood 3/4"x4'x8'...$70 a sheet, you'll need 2 sheets minimum (1 for your transom, 1 for stringers.) Unless you want a floor, thats another sheet. $140
5-gal pail of resin is around $150. 5 gallons isn't enough.

1.5oz CSM fiberglass $5 per yard in 50" width.
18oz woven roving in 38" width is $5 per yard.
1708/1808 glass is $10 per yard in 50" width.

I didn't include vacuum-bagging materials. But you'll need quite a bit of that too.
Lastly, you'll need to paint or gelcoat the interior to protect the resin and stringers. Resin itself isn't waterproof. If it was, wood would never rot.

Prices are obviously higher in Canada where I live, but I roughed out the cost to completely redo my Viper's core/stringers/transom/floor and I was at $1400. And even then I think i was lowballing it.
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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 22003Post Hippie459MN »

I have around $1700 just in materials in my vulture. I know it's a longer hull but there is no way you will buy the materials for $700. I used just over 15 gallons of resin and i know you will need at least 10 gallons to do a viper and I used 3 sheets of ply, one for the floor. Adam is pretty much right on on prices. As for vacuum bagging, not a necessity but it is an option. I did not bag my vulture.

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1977 HydroStream Vulture - Worlds longest ongoing project. :eek:
1982 Hydrostream Vector
1982 Hydrostream Vamp
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1976 CobraJet Jet Boat - Outboard conversion project
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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 22004Post bondo4days »

Just left the driver's meeting and the rules have changed to $1000 for boat and mechanical work so I can spend all I want on structure. Plus get a $200 credit for the trailer.

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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 22005Post bondo4days »

And it no longer has to be an outboard. The other team is going to be running a twin engine seadoo jet boat. Also there are 2 more teams added. One has an 18' runabout with a 4.3 and the other is unknown. 3 races. A drag race, a bouy to bouy race and rough water race

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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 22010Post transomstand »

Foam under the floor is a very bad idea. It will start to absorb water from the first use and continue to do so. The boat won't drain either, the cavity under the floor needs to be open to allow it. Also flotation low in the boat will make it roll over when it goes down and it will likely sink anyway.

Assuming you're using polyester, I don't see anyway you can get all that material in at once and bag it, the resin will kick long before it's done.
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Re: Viper rebuild and race for pinkslips

Post: # 22344Post AndrewZ »

So when is this going down? Actually herd about this from a buddy..

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