New project VAMP, need input

[PigSticker]

I recently traded for an '85 Vamp that at the time I thought only needed a couple soft spots in floor fixed and a motor and seats. As usual I was wrong, transom was completely shot and floor was way worse than anticipated. Someone had done a hack job on it before, both the floor and transom. I'm still in the process of cutting the transom out, the floor is out. It is not too bad other than that (HAHA).

My problem is that I don't really know what to do with the boat. I got it because I always wanted a Hydrostream and this one came up to where it basically was free for me. I'm doing all of the work myself when I get a few extra bucks and some time. I picked up a 1985 Tower of Power 115 at an estate sale for $50 that ran when it was taken off of the Aquasport it was originally on (I knew the owner). My dilemma is that I have dreams of screaming down the river, but reality is, it will be a ski / dinner boat for the family 99% of the time. Will the Mercury survive that kind of use? or will it likely die a quick death? Also, should I make this a beauty queen and do a true restore with new paint and fancy appointments. Or do what I think would be cool and make it a rat rod with the old motor, some junk yard seats, cheap stereo and call it a day for less than $500. A true restoration for me would take upwards of a year, and as much as I think it would be cool, my true feeling is that boats are made to be RUN, not looked at. Another thing, is there anything that I NEED to address while the floor and transom are out?

Any input is appreciated

[Hippie459MN]

Just so you know, under that floor is the core. Dont forget about that. That is WAY more important then the floor. The core is balsa wood and its only about 1/2 inch thick and on the hull and covered by fiberglass. The issue with these old Hydrostreams is the core eventually rots and the boat can literally delam and come apart on you and if your lucky, you will walk away from it. The core is the main structural point of the whole hull on these. Take a look at some of the restoration, WIP topics and you will see what I'm talking about. I would really hate to see you put a new floor in and not replace the core only to have the boat delam or worse, come apart on you. Plus, once you rebuild it right, it will drive WAY better and easily last another 30+ years.

Oh yeah, welcome to the forums and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask, someone will be more than happy to help.

[PigSticker]

Thanks, yeah trust me, i've been reading a ton of rebuilds and getting all sorts of ideas. This site has been invaluable. Just trying to get a direction. The core seems solid, but I will take another good look. I would hate to eventually put a real motor on the back and have it come apart at speed, that could hurt a little.

[PigSticker]

Curious if anyone may have an idea of speed I can expect out of a 115 tower on a jack plate. Keeping budget in check is the goal so this will be the setup I start with and just wondering what to expect. I'm hoping for 60ish. Is this reasonable?

[alaskastreamin]

I don't see that speed being a problem IF the core is sound and the bottom is not warped. Good compression is a must as well.

Once you start jacking up, you will need solid mounts, upgraded steering, a low water pick up, a surfacing prop, and a water pressure gauge.

[AdamDK]

The core seems solid, but I will take another good look.

Don't shortcut on this. Guys will tell you to take a hammer and tap the underside of the hull and listen for sound changes of wet core / dry core. If you don't know exactly what to listen for, then this method is no good.

Get some pics posted up...especially of the hull with the floor out. Dry balsa core is a nice light gold colour. Brown core is rotten. Black core isn't even core anymore, it's soil.
Grab a 2" hole saw, or a Dremel, and cut out a flap of the glass in the pad area a few inches forward of your drain hole. Not too deep - you only need to cut 1/6-1/8th inch into the skin. If the balsa underneath is wet, you have a core job in your future if you wanna save the boat.

Look at pages 3 & 4 of my rebuild thread and you'll see exactly how my core was.

[alaskastreamin]

A neat trick is to cut a hole in an old board. I used a 12” long piece of 1”x6”.
Then pull the centering bit out of the hole saw.
Hold the board against the inner hull and start drilling. You will know when you get thru the first skin. The denseness of the fiberglass will soften and it will feel like you are cutting thru a piece of bread.

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[PigSticker]

So, after reading more threads on this sight and S&F, I think I want to actually do it right. Plus, the transom is being such a B!$<H to get out, I feel like if I half a$$ it at this point, my effort there will be wasted. Once I finally get the transom out, on to the core I will be going. Probably going to sell the tower of power too, and look for something much more substantial. BUDGET just went Bye Bye. If I stuck with the tower I would be in the boat on the water for about 1000$ in a couple months. But with the new plans, next year and a LOT more $. Oh well, in the words of Ricky Bobby, "I wanna go fast"

[AdamDK]

Good call. Do it right and the boat will be good for another 20+ years.
And should you ever decide to sell it, you'll have a much better chance doing so with new core, stringers, and transom.

Looking forward to seeing your rebuild worklog here.

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[Hippie459MN]

And the best thing about the vamp, believe it or not, it's one of the faster hulls. With the right set up, they will haul some serious you know what. LoL

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