A unique building

Well, this is my first post so I figure I should make it count. First off, hi all, and TIA for any help. I have been restoring 80's tournament ski boats, mostly Nautiques and Supras, and it is getting boring simply restoring these boats with little financial reward. I have wanted to build my own version of a Nautique "2001" with a re-power, v-drive, sub-floor ballast, and many of the new feature accompanying today's boats. Although this would be fun to do, I have recently realized that all I would be doing is building unique but not necessarily novel.

So after a very late night of discussing and measuring with a designer friend we concluded that a worthwhile endeavor would be cutting a hull in half and adding a 3' section to the midship. We would basically be the hull in half at the widest point of the beam and carefully filling the gap with methods I won't bother explaining at the moment (although I'll take any advice). Once completed, the above-swim deck portion of the transom would be removed and through another time exhausting process we would bring the quarters to a beveled barrel back. The deck would not be cut and is left out of the equation because we think that building a full wooden deck would be about the same work and much nicer. Ah, and I forgot to mention, the entire hull will be adhered with 1/16" mahogany veneer boarding and covered in a light glass cloth so as to appear to be made of wood.

First things first, can 2 hull sections be mated properly? I am familiar with stringer systems and the various structural properties of these boats but I just don't know if a section can be added without first removing much of the existing hulls to get the proper strength and adhesion. Sorry for the post length, any input is greatly welcomed. Cheers.

SI

 

I'm no fiberglass expert... but since no one else has commented yet, here's my 2 cents.

I'm all for a good project, but why? In this economy can't you start with the length hull you want cheaper than going to this trouble? Hulls don't have much value in themselves -- you see 30' to 35' hulls with blown or no rigging going for 10k every day (not this ski hull, but I'd bet my two cents you could easily sell this hull and buy a longer one way cheaper than modifying this one if you pay yourself even $10 an hour.)

Are you sure there's a spot at the widest point where you want to splice her where the keel, chine, and hull to deck joint are parallel, or will you end up with a set of weird nonfair bumps?

I've seen big motoryachts that have had their transoms removed and extended in length so I'm sure a big enough overlap, ample epoxy layers of new glass, and new stringers would be strong enough, but boy that's a lot of labor for 3 feet and extra weight to haul around in a small boat.

 

I can't help but think of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6dCuz34LRU - don't hate me!

 

Yes, it can be done, but it will not be a straight cut at the widest point, but rather an odd set of angled cuts to the centerline. The widest point on the rails isn't the widest point on the chine, nor the bottom, so you'll be fooling around with a tape measure for the better part of a day, just finding these points.

It's a doable project, but I'd have to agree, why. I can buy a hull just like that for a grand or less. Powerboats are really little more then receptacles that hold the engine, drive and electronics. Without these, it's just a shell.

In the end, you'll have lots of time an materials into a longer, leaner hull shell, when finding a suitable hull shell in similar condition would save a fair bit of itching and effort. It seems to me at least you would be better served in time and materials to start with a hull shell much closer to your needs and save the effort for the fit out.

 

Those hulls have a 1/4" foam core. It will be very difficult to patch in a section. It can be done, but you don't have the expertise and it would cost you more than building a new one. On the other hand there are plenty of fixer uppers for little money

 

Thanks for the replies all. Let's assume for the discussion's sake that I'm not in this for the efficient use of resources (clearly). I happen to have a number of these hulls sitting around I just thought it would be something new, although likely not being Correct Craft enthusiasts it probably comes across as pointless to many.

Gonzo, theses are not foam core boats, the only foam was filled between stringers for flotation rather than a core structure in a boat like a Whaler, which I agree would be much more time consuming to deal with. There are reasons I stick with Correct Craft, primarily that I think they're engineering has been on the forefront of inboard/ski boat design for the last 30+ years.

After going over the logistics this past week I am beginning to think that I should stray away from other peoples' designs and just start from scratch. I have a friend who built molds from these hulls and is now producing them with a different deck but in the end it is still a 20+ year old design which although still great, why not just be unique and start from scratch. I'm looking at getting into one of the marine engineering schools in the New England area and hopefully will be able to get some excellent foundations before endeavoring on what will likely be a long project.

One last thing, does the concept of applying 1/16 mahogany veneer to the exterior followed by glass to give the boat a wooden appearance sound feasible or is it just a waste of time?

 

Veneer is done, it works, it is usually set in epoxy, vacuum bagged onto the hull and covered with epoxy/light glass.
Kind of thing you see on fancy "yachts" at boat shows. Go run up rattlesnake for me, haven't been up your way in quite a while! Good luck!

 

The latter, if you want my opinion. Applying veneer on a poly hull will be a lesson of a very special grade.
First you would have to remove the gelcoat (save weight and get better bond), next you would have to apply at least two layers of Epoxy to have a basic waterprotection under the veneer, then sand them down and apply the wooden strips. These have to be cut in shape to perfect fit prior to application. Unlike a cold moulded hull under your veneer, the poly / glass will not hold staples, so, you vacuum bag it. Then you sheath it with glass for abrasion resistance. And finally you apply several layers of UV protecting varnish, then buff it up. (do´nt forget sanding, many hours sanding).
But nothing is impossible!
The sense of such task seems to me of the same value as the formerly described hull extension, mad, sorry.

In simple shapes and prefabricated, yes!

Regards
Richard