Unique vintage boat rat rod project / drivetrain

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by hotrodin57, May 10, 2015.

  1. yofish

    yofish Previous Member

    Gonzo has given you good advice. I could not pass this up myself! Good luck! I do believe that that bitchin' cabin is a 46-48 Chevy 2-door sedan, Stylemaster! What a cool piece of someone's history, now yours.
     

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  2. hotrodin57
    Joined: May 2015
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    hotrodin57 Junior Member

    Thanks yofish. Yeah I'm pumped about it and cant wait to get it back on the water. It's definitely going to turn some heads
     
  3. 58Crestliner
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    58Crestliner Junior Member

    displacement hull

    Basically you have two types of hulls. A displacement hull just plows thru the water as opposed to a planing hull like newer ski boats, bass boats etc. A planing hull as the name suggests is designed to allow air under the boat reducing friction and increasing speed. Gonzo is correct. Throwing tons of horsepower into it will not help. Even a V8 marine engine with an aggressive prop will not lift a displacement hull out of the water enough to gain any appreciable speed, and worst case would make the hull dangerously unstable. As Gonzo mentioned, your best bet would probably be a cool Atomic 4 motor which are fairly common in sailboats and still available. The motor doesn't have to be uncovered, but you will need to set it up with a bilge blower to evacuate any accumulated gasoline fumes same as any inboard boat. Run the bilge blower for at least 3 minutes before any ignition in the motor compartment.
    Keeping the cost down is generally impossible on a project like that lol. For one thing your state may require a marine survey just to get your registration numbers so you can put it in water. Unfortunately, that's after all your work is finished and you feel like it's seaworthy. Your parks and rec office should be able to provide you with a list of required items ie: horn, fire extinguisher, lights etc and where they must be located. Some states will require a title on boat AND motor separately plus a bill of sale and marine survey to register.
    On the positive end, since its pre 1972 there are no horsepower or passenger loading restrictions and your annual taxes will be really low!
    As for your motor I would need to see better pics of the area. A V-drive for a tiny motor will be tough to find and likely SUPER expensive. It might be possible to use something like an old 4cyl Simca motor and trans and find a gearbox to mate it to that would drive the propshaft. Any auto motor would have to be converted with a good water pump and freshwater pickup however, since you'll have to ditch the radiator cooling system.
    I wouldn't recommend an aircooled motor like a VW as you will not be making enough speed to keep it adequately cool. Just a couple of observations. . Hope some of this helps.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2015
  4. 58Crestliner
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    58Crestliner Junior Member

    Also, if you decide to sell it as is, I would be interested. Always looking for a cool marine restoration. My side business and passion: Wyandotte Vintage Marine. (Kansas City)
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2015
  5. hotrodin57
    Joined: May 2015
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    hotrodin57 Junior Member

    Thanks so much for the input 58Crestliner. Like I mentioned boats are a new thing for me so I got a lot of learning to do. I really appreciate all the good information you provided. It has given me a better insight as to what I might do with my project. I'll be sure to post pics as I begin the project
     
  6. 58Crestliner
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    58Crestliner Junior Member

    displacement hull

    No worries. I'm definitely more of a restorer than a builder. I've seen some neat antique motors on ebay just recently actually and thought of your project. Found your pictures in a Google search and followed them to this site.
    Always glad to chat about vintage boats. Feel free to contact me anytime. I'll send you a pm with my email addy.
    mike
     
  7. philSweet
    Joined: May 2008
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    philSweet Senior Member

    Just noticed this thread. I'm guessing late 30's Desoto for the cab.
     

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  8. 58Crestliner
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    58Crestliner Junior Member

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