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Im slowly getting into the Vandal while reading and researching how to do it. Ive bought a few parts from board memebers on here.

Its in the garage, fully de-rigged, and im about to hang it, so i can set up the trailer bunks to support it properly. The bunks are terrible the way they are currently setup. Im thinking about setting the pad down on a steel beam while doing the core and stringers. From what i read this boat has NO hook, so the pad should be dead straight. I can tell by looking its got "trailer hook"




I took the floor out that was an repair. It was 3/4 inch ply glassed in with chop mat and what looks like bondo hair. None of it stuck well. Ive just been prying and chipping so far. They layed glass over the stringers with yellow rope?! Not sure what that thought is. The core is mush in the few spots i chipped threw. I believe it will all be mush, and an easy strip out.







I have been scrapping off the clear coat thats over the gel. I really like the metal flake and would like to keep some of it exposed and wrap/stripe/cover the parts that are really bad. Most of the clear coat pops off with a razor, but some is still stuck to good, and risks goudging the gel under. Is there a technique other then wet sanding to tackle to hard spots? A good chemical stripper to use? How do the pros do it?

Looks like a typical Stream restoration and ya, the core comes out real easy.
These weren't designed to last 40+ years, they were "cheap and cheerful" construction according to people who worked there back in the day.
Think you'll find yourself all-in rather than try to save your original finish. How do I know that? I've tried to strip clear without success with blades and chemicals...sand, prime, paint... exactly where I am at the moment on a Ventura II build.

I didn't do the re-core on mine, had someone else do it but if I "were" to do it myself I'd consider epoxy over polyester resin just to avoid the smell, doesn't hurt that epoxy is stronger structurally.

Good luck with the build. Certainly looks like you have the right space.
Keep us posted.

Awesome to see another Vandal still kicking around! Mines in way worse shape at the moment, im in the process as you are but its taken the back burner to the Valero.

The core in yours looks like it was never stuck down to the hull LOL. Mines very similar but ive found some spots where they did get the core to bond pretty well. Were/Are there long rectangular foam boxs on each side of the cockpit? Mines still got them, i think im going to do stringers in place of them.

What motor are you thinking about for yours when its finished?

The Ventura had the seat box as well. Only place original core stuck was under passenger side of box, all else came out stem to stern.
Didn't do stringers although I thought about it. Pad is pretty wide and glass was very thick so we just extended up from there to original floor level after re-coring pad with 3/4".
Not exactly a light layup hull, lots of strength there already.

Thanks for the comments. Im trully an amature at this boat stuff, but love learning new shyt.

The sides of the boat are cleaned of the clear coat. Its just the areas of the dash, and anywhere there was logos, or mounts protecting the clear that are stuck good. I was gonna try one of the chem stippers, but maybe not after what has been said. Ill probably just stick to the original plan of wrapping it with white vinyl. Or, maybe sport the "rat" look.

Someone has been at this boat already. The only floatation is the box at the drivers feet thats V shaped, and foam under the bow. It looks like they pulled the floor, and decided new stringers and core were not gonna happen. I think the rope was used to drape wetted cloth over to make crappy compsite stringers. Parts of gye original wood stringers are still in the back area that they kinda tried to bond to. Just tearing this stuff out i get a good idea of how to do it properly. They also just layed a layer of chopped matt over the core. I have found any inspection holes of the past yet.

I have done a few small glass projects in the past, and im definatly on the side of epoxy just for the ease of mixing and smells. The rest is a bonus except the price. I have more questions about the types of cloth to use in certin places, the thickening additives, and pigments. But, i will ask when i get there.

I plan on setting it up with center steer, dual cable rottory helm. I will run the 1978 Johnson 70 it came with at first to get a feel for the boat. I think I will put the shortest jackplate i can find on it from the beginning, so changing motors and tuning is easy. I want to put a v4 or v6 on it eventually. If i found a 15" 2.0 merc v6 that was built to rev i think that would be good motor for it. Like the old f1 motors. A short mid may not need any jack plate. Id love to keep it as lite as possible in the ass.

Knowing me I will probably have a V4 then a V6. The v4 stuff seems dirt cheap to play with. And, my sane thoughts say 70 mph would be enough. But yas all know how it goes.

Im gonna build the boat to handle it, and be as safe as i can, so if i push it it can take it.

If you get a chance check out Endura Paints. My Viper had peeling clear coat as well. Just sand the crap out of the gellcoat ,wipe it down with thinners. Mix the 2 parts and ad thinner as recomended in the directions. Spray with an automotive spray gun and it will shine like new. You can also tint the clear coat with colors if you want. My boat was sprayed this way over 15 years ago and i just re-did it last summer because it was peeling again and it looks like new. Have you found any good links to do a re-core job? I want to do mine as i'm sure it needs it

Mercrazy

If i re-clear it ill look up endura paints. Thanks for the first person info on how it held up. Ive got the clear coat 90% stripped off the deck. If i put water on it, it glitters and looks great to me. But.....some areas the gel is sun cracked and some are discoloured. Its pretty much shot if your wanting close to perfect. Im undecided on what way ill go with it yet, but theres no harm in trying to save it. Its the inside contours i cant scrape with a blade that i need abrasion, or a chem stipper for. The other small places I could sand off easy enough.

Im gonna move forward with the project, and the deck finnish is minor but important. Looks are important for a lake boat for sure.

On your re-core link question. I must of read atleast 50 different recore threads for hydrostreams on the internet. Theres tons of em. They are all slightly different, and some are not detailed at all. But, if you read enough of them id think you can piece together a plan. Without doing one myself, im confident from reading so much. Im a mechanical type dude, and understand the details make or break this kind of project. Its basically, tear it out and grind some hair to the surface. Then layout your balsa core and glass dry. Make a plan. Then mix up some resin and go to town. Theres alot of little details, but it aint that hard. Im positive i can do a much better job then whats been in my boat from 1978.

Did you use the Endura clear below the waterline too?

I chose Endura top coat (white) for the top deck of my restoration. Been in use for almost 2 years now and it has held up well to knocks and dust/sand abrasion. Bumped the bottom seam/edge of a metal fuel tank in to it and it was fine.

Nice to know their clear is a good option over metal flake.

I've used the Endura before as well on my Allison rebuild - great stuff, nice and hard and flows out nicely. Only problem is the way the paint is set up - the gloss rises to the surface as it cures. Therefore you can't wet sand afterwards because you get rid of all the shine. I've had to do it in a few small spaces but it definitely takes a lot more time with compound and polish to get the colour to shine back up.

For the below the water line I used a product by interlux call the VC performance epoxy. Same idea as the endura - still a 2 part paint - nice and hard and held up really well. I've put a link to it here.
http://www.yachtpaint.com/can/diy/produ ... epoxy.aspx

I did use Endura on the transom and i sprayed some extra that was left over along the side of the hull from the transom forward. This area is partially under water, and in my case no prep sanding was done to the sides other than cleaning. The transom has held up well being under water.... I kind of expected some clouding from water absorption but nothing happened. Even the area along the sides that wasn't sanded stuck and no clouding there either. I have had good results with Endura. My brother in law has used this product tinted as a white paint on a deck of a boat and it has had fuel spilled on it people stepping on the side to get in and out and it shows no wear!!