What am I in for? More pics of newly acquired '67 Dyne.

Discussion in 'Restoration Projects & Questions' started by jbarraclough, Nov 27, 2006.

  1. jbarraclough

    jbarraclough

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2006
    Messages:
    24
    Location:
    Pleasanton, CA
    Boat Model and Year:
    1967 Hydrodyne Competition Ski Classic
    So my brother sent me a few more detailed pics of my new winter project. Can anyone help me with identifying it a little better and give my an idea of the "trouble spots" that I need to investigate while its in its current condition? The hull seems to be in good shape with the exception of the fact that the old owner had about 20 switch holes drilled out near the cockpit. The floor looks similar to some of the ones I've seen on this site and very different from others. How about transom brackets and holes? Do any of them look familiar to anyone? Try to ignore the plethora of pine needles.... As much advice as possible would be awesome.

    Thanks,

    JB
     

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  2. DanielC

    DanielC Established Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    Messages:
    118
    Location:
    West Linn, Oregon
    Boat Model and Year:
    1987 Hydrodyne
    Ski Team:
    PDX Water Spectacula
    You need to see if all the wood in the boat is solid. Is the floor soft in any places? If it is, the stringers could be rotten, also. If the floor and stringers are rotten, the transom could be rotten too. Check the wood under the dash for rot, and also check the wood under the deck in the back compartment.
     
  3. markbano

    markbano Hydrodyne 18 Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2005
    Messages:
    854
    Boat Model and Year:
    1973 Hydrodyne Tournament Skiier
    JB

    Here are some thoughts I have looking at these pictures.

    It looks like a nice boat. I suspect that the floor is not original. I say this for several reasons. First, I don't believe that Hydrodynes had the "raised" floor until about 1970 or 1971. Second, I believe that I can see the overlapped fiberglass and resin where the floor was added to the boat. Third, it does not appear that there is any bilgewell at the stern - the floor seems to just go all the way to the transom and the drain hole is literally lined up with the floor. I don't believe that these floors were ever made this way by the factory - although I could be wrong on this. There should be a bilge well at the back to collect water so that the water does not come flowing back up the floor every time you slow down.

    My concern would be this. The original floor, given that this is a 1967 Hydrodyne, is probably a "cored" floor that follows the shape of the hull. If a prior owner put the raised floor over a soft cored floor, there could be problems lurking under there, particularly if the stringers were screwed or nailed to the original floor, as this would allow water to get into the core. Look carefully under the hull - particularly where it sits on the trailer, and near the fin if it has one. Look for any areas where the fiiberlgass is bowed out or is spongy or flexible. This indicates that the balsa core is rotted and the fiberglass is delaminating. This was a typical problem in the older Hydrodynes with the balsa core floor, because seats, etc. that were screwed to the floor allowed water to directly access the core. Water often got in around the fin on the bottom of the boat, as well. This is one of the reasons that the raised floor was used in later models. If there is no delaminating or weak spots on the bottom of the boat, and the "raised" floor is solid, then I'd just leave it as it is. I do wonder whether there is any flotation under that floor and, if so, whether it is waterlogged. You can figure this out by removing a small area of the floor near the back. Also, if the boat sits suspiciously low in the water, is slow to come up on plane, or is slow on acceleration and top end, you may have soaked flotation foam under the floor. If you suspect wet foam or rotted flooring, you need to pull that floor and see what you've got. My restoration section, once it is up, will guide you through that process.

    Your pictures do not show the most important angle on the transom. Does it bow out? I have never seen such a massive reinforcement structure on a transom on one of these boats, so I am a bit suspicious that the transom might not be very solid. Pound on the inside of the transom with a hammer in different spots. Solid transom areas will result in a sharp knocking noise while soft transom areas will make a dull thud noise. The transoms often rot first near the top, on either side of the motor. Does the sound change when you pound up near the top, on either side of the splash well? My personal view is that a weak transom is a weak transom, no matter what sort of superstructure one sticks on the back of the boat. I've seen all sorts of quick fixes, including plywood, steel, and aluminum. This will often do the trick if you are running a lighter, older, and less powerful engine. If you are running something heavy and powerful, or you are twin rigging, then the transom bracing is not going to work. The proper thing to do would be to replace it if it is not solid. I would probably remove that steel or aluminum strucure and thoroughly inspect the transom for bowing or rot. Again, my resotration section covers transom replacement. There is an easier way to replace the transom that involves cutting and removing only the rear portion of the deck to gain access to the transom. DO NOT cut out and patch-in the hull on the back of the boat to replace the transom unless you plan to power your boat with about a 10 HP engine (in other words, don't do it at all). There are "self-help" websites that show you how to do it this way but if you do this on a high performance boat like a Hydrodyne 18 the boat will be good only for the landfill in my opinion.

    I don't see a ski pole on the boat. However, look carefully under the deck/gunwales at the substructure wood that supports the rear decks, gunwales and dash. Pay particular attention to the wood structure below the rear decks that support the ski tow pole to make sure they are solid. If not, you'll likely need to remove the deck.

    Like anything, much depends on how deep you want to go in restoring the boat. You can get by with less than perfect structure if you are looking for short term utility and wish to save money and/or effort. If you plan to put big power on the back, or twin rig the boat, then obviously you need to pay more attention to structure. Also, if you are going to spend money on fiberglass work and paint, you should make sure everything else is solid first so you aren't wasting effort and money.

    Those are my thoughts. If you have any other specific questions please let me know and I'll do my best to help.

    Best,

    MarkBano
     
  4. timsprandel

    timsprandel Elite Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2006
    Messages:
    271
    Location:
    Illinois-Near Chicago
    Boat Model and Year:
    1978 Hydrodyne Tournament Skier, 1984 Hydrodyne 20
    WOW!
    This gent has done his homework on the subject.
     
  5. jbarraclough

    jbarraclough

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2006
    Messages:
    24
    Location:
    Pleasanton, CA
    Boat Model and Year:
    1967 Hydrodyne Competition Ski Classic
    MarkBano,

    Thanks for the reply. There's a lot of irony in your response. I remember posting the topic thinking that you would probably give me the best feedback. And, before I even got your response, I emailed my brother and asked him to inspect and shoot photos of the skeg and the transom more closely. Ironic, huh? I haven't got the photos yet, but he did say that visually, things look solid. But he's a wood guy and the boat is in his yard 1,000 miles away (in some of the pics you can actually see the Gar Wood in one picture and the two covered boats are old Chris Crafts). We are going to bring the boat out here around Christmas time and then I'll decide the official route to take. Your comments are encouraging however, and I will be paying particular attention to these "trouble areas". Looking forward to your restoration page on this site. Any word yet?

    JB
     
  6. markbano

    markbano Hydrodyne 18 Specialist

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2005
    Messages:
    854
    Boat Model and Year:
    1973 Hydrodyne Tournament Skiier
    JB

    Perhaps mid December for the restoration section. 2Mercs and I are working on it. There is a lot involved, with 403 pictures and descriptions.

    In the end, the thing to remember about your boat is that everything is pretty simple if you're willing to put some time in on it. And I have had fun every step of the way on my project, at least until I gave the boat to the paint guy (last April) and he decided to store it instead of working on it. Hopefully he'll get the paint done soon so I can start rigging.

    Let me know if there's anything I can do to help and good luck!

    MarkBano
     
  7. timsprandel

    timsprandel Elite Hydrodyner

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2006
    Messages:
    271
    Location:
    Illinois-Near Chicago
    Boat Model and Year:
    1978 Hydrodyne Tournament Skier, 1984 Hydrodyne 20
    Mark Bano,
    The water here in Illinois is getting harder (freezing) by the hour. You seem to be one of those superachievers who finds a way to get everything done. Throw your paint guy a bone and offer to represent him if he finds his posterior in a sling when and if he does this same delay to another customer. Think about leveraging the boat's completion and delivery against the offer of representation. On the plus side, your trailer is SPECTACULAR as a result. Massive kudos to you for involving your family on the project; they should grow to become accomplished skiers and great citizens. We as a society need more of both.
    Tim
    PS Have you been thinking about ideas for the regatta???
     

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