1978 18' Restore Project

Discussion in 'Restoration Projects & Questions' started by dgunn71, May 12, 2019.

  1. dgunn71

    dgunn71 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    New London NH
    Boat Model and Year:
    1971 Hydradyne I/O ; 1978 Hydrodyne I/O
    Ski Team:
    Ultra Pond Alum.
    I now have a second Hydrodyne to go with my '71 20 foot skier; a '78 18 foot. The new boat's fundamentals look like it was well cared for so the restoration part has involved light work so far. I do have a couple of parts questions: I have been unable to find the windscreen/deck seal of the proper size. Taylor's 846500 seems to be the only one readily available and it is much larger then the original. Has anyone found a suitable replacement? The second issue is a broken roller arm on the interrupt switch. After learning that the system was redesigned with the roller arm switch no longer available I finally located a use one on eBay.
    Has anyone found a source for just the arm and roller assembly?
    Thanks.
     
  2. kevinb

    kevinb Elite Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2006
    Messages:
    459
    Location:
    Brookfield, WI
    Boat Model and Year:
    1985 HD 20' I/O 350 (Yep I/O Boat #2 of maybe7?)
    Ski Team:
    NA
     
  3. kevinb

    kevinb Elite Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2006
    Messages:
    459
    Location:
    Brookfield, WI
    Boat Model and Year:
    1985 HD 20' I/O 350 (Yep I/O Boat #2 of maybe7?)
    Ski Team:
    NA
    I'm no expert (well I guess I know a little about these hulls) but I think the Hydrodynes 20 was a product of the 1980's. There are several builds on this site and the first generation had the instrument cluster as a pod that was screwed this the top deck, and the 1985 or later was included in the top deck mold. Let's see some pics of the 1971 20 Please .
     
  4. dgunn71

    dgunn71 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    New London NH
    Boat Model and Year:
    1971 Hydradyne I/O ; 1978 Hydrodyne I/O
    Ski Team:
    Ultra Pond Alum.
    Hi Kevin, the brochure with my '71 refers to it as a 20' boat.
     
  5. dgunn71

    dgunn71 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    New London NH
    Boat Model and Year:
    1971 Hydradyne I/O ; 1978 Hydrodyne I/O
    Ski Team:
    Ultra Pond Alum.
    The instruments on the '71 are individually installed on the dash area. On the '78 they are installed in a screw on panel.

    The windscreen instructions with the '78 call for the 826500 seal. The one actually on the boat is about half the cross section size and a better fit to the hull.

    I did buy and interrupt switch on eBay and transferred the arm/roller over to my switch.
     
  6. dgunn71

    dgunn71 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    New London NH
    Boat Model and Year:
    1971 Hydradyne I/O ; 1978 Hydrodyne I/O
    Ski Team:
    Ultra Pond Alum.
    '78 I/O update: The Mercruiser 898 motor was run for the first time and seems to be good. It has just 775 hrs. so I would hope that it is. I have rebuilt the two barrel carb and accidentally moved the distributor so it is idling at ~1000rpm and needs to be timed. The eBay interrupt switch came with a badly worn roller. It is installed and seems to work. I plan to swap out the good roler from my broken switch sometime in the future.
    The windscreen comes off next and a current Taylor (826500) seal is going to go on. I was unsuccessful at finding anything close to what is currently on there; and deteriorated. I hope it works as it has at least twice the bulk of the current one.
    I am also replacing the hood edge channel as the current one is rusted in spots.
    The trim system seems to work as advertised so that is good news. The Airguides respond to light pressure so perhaps they work. The fuel level is not working and I am using clear plastic hose to reach the tank and giving me an approximate level.
    I have installed a stern light. Somehow the original owners had managed 40 years in CA without it. Won't work in NH! The rest of the electricals appear good. I am actively searching for '71 style stern logos. Hopefully the member who made them up for his boat a few years ago can source me.
    As noted elsewhere I think the entire floor is solid and so I plan to cut in vent ports to dry underneath it and check the core and if ok probably add some wood block supports.
    The rebuilt original seats go back in in a few weeks and the inside transom holes from the removed stern steps get plugged at the same time. There were thru bolts on the brackets above the water line and I left them open for the past five months in case there was any moisture. (I still do not understand why anyone would willingly mess with the transom of any boat; perhaps they never accessed this site..?!)
    The Hydrodyne trailer has had its running gear and electrics rebuilt so it should be good to go.
    The plan is to have the boat shrink wrapped for the 3000+ mile tow. I am debating if the cover should be left on under the wrap...? It is a nice new one from Angola an I am wondering if it would keep some of the dust out?
    Under fyi, my '71 is a Super Bee II powered Volvo I/O [and far simpler set up]; now with ~1500 hrs on it. I did have a thermostat failure [closed!] on that boat and overheated the exhaust system. It looks like the 'blue rubber' interconnects may have survived the heat. We will know when it goes in the water in July. .....enough.....
     
  7. ScottW

    ScottW Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2008
    Messages:
    22
    Boat Model and Year:
    1976 18' w/200Johnson and 1983 20' w/235 Johnson
    Do we need a GoFundMe to get gdunn71 a camera? I want to SEE what you're talking about with a '71 20 footer, and keep up with the progress on the 78.... Best of luck with both boats!
    Scott
     
  8. dgunn71

    dgunn71 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    New London NH
    Boat Model and Year:
    1971 Hydradyne I/O ; 1978 Hydrodyne I/O
    Ski Team:
    Ultra Pond Alum.
    Hi Scott, I afraid that GFM won't help; afraid its the 21st century thing. Windows 10 trashed my ability to move photos.
    I do plan to ask my grandson for help next month. Standby...its going to be exciting!
    PS Note that the 20 footer just lost two feet to the tape measure!
     
  9. dgunn71

    dgunn71 Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Messages:
    25
    Location:
    New London NH
    Boat Model and Year:
    1971 Hydradyne I/O ; 1978 Hydrodyne I/O
    Ski Team:
    Ultra Pond Alum.
    Sorry, still no photo update; planning on getting pro help!
    We managed 3400 miles without a problem with a beautifully shrinkwrapped boat by Bartrums north of Paso Robles CA.
    The boat and the trailer made the trip well so replacing the running gear on the trailer paid off; and for not a lot of money!

    The CA boat is in the water and initially ran rather poorly; felt like uneven fuel flow. The second and third runs were better so perhaps the fuel tank was not dry...?
    I have the feeling that it may be running a bit lean at steady state; not sure thought. Plan to work that next. I hope I did not screw up the carb rebuild....
    This boat has a huge fuel filter and when I checked it initially it looked super clean; will be replacing it asap.

    The 71 is also in the water and has developed a nasty vibration in the lower unit. I am thinking a bad universal; perhaps.
    Looks like the lower unit will have to come off.
    I will be looking for the normal replacement parts as it has not been off for a couple ot decades!

    The two boats handle very differently. I think the 318 SBII/VP drive is heavier as the 898 powered boat feels lighter and more nimble.
    Perhaps that is related to the underway trim system in the Mercruiser.
    I think I am getting some cavitation at launch with this boat. Have yet to pull so we may learn more then.

    That is the quick version. Will probably shut up until photos magically appear.
     

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