pounding since repaint

They ground off the hook that was glassed into the bottom of the boat.

Painted or gelled with polyester?

I believe you guys are correct. We have no template as to the Hook. The bottom appears very flat at the very back of the transom, no apparent hook.. How or who can tell us how to re profile the bottom, Losing 7 mph of speed and the viscous pound that develops is not acceptable in this old girl especially since it used to be perfect. We're not really chasing speed, just want it's old self(handling) back.

Nah, gel is gel, regardless of how/when it's applied. Much more durable than paint either way so you'll get a big thumbs up on the restoration in that regard.

Hook is tough to see by eye. Get yourself a good 4' straight edge and put it along the last 4' of the hull. Check various places side to side. I am not sure how much hook was put in the cudas (someone here can check), but I would expect to see at least 1/8" gap (possibly as much as 3/8") on a stock hull. If your straight edge lies flat then it was all removed, and it certainly had *some* from the factory. Someone here with a comparable boat should be able to provide some measurements to compare to.

If I understand you correctly, the boat is slower now- I am assuming that is because you feel you cannot hold it at WOT because you find the bounce disconcerting. Is that correct? In reality, the boat should be faster without the hook, if you have the stomach to hold the throttle down. If not, then you may have engine tuning issues contributing to (or causing) the problem.

Got any pics of the boat to share?

The engine and drive are running very well and I do not believe they are part of this issue. The engine and driveshaft were not moved or fooled with during the hull restore and this showed up immediately upon relaunching the boat after the hull work.

4 foot,   Don't know exactly where the hook is on a correct craft, but heres an exagerated sketch of a hook.



And one of a Rocker

Better representation of a hook on a CC.

Hoping I didn't grind away my hook!

Here is what it looked like on a 67 Ski Nautique. Very slight.

Totally different hull than the 1st gen Sn. The Cuda likely has more hook (or it should), the 1gen had almost none. Hook is built into the hull (glass).

Last year for the Cuda was '70 I believe, and all 67+ cudas were 17'.

I think from this photo that you can see that the tech did not cut into the glass at the back, there of wisps of blue that would not be there if he had, therefor it is reasonable to expect the the entire profile that has caused our problem is in the gel and how thick it is applied in certain places?

Like Tim cautioned, I would try to get measurements from someone who has the same hull as yours.

Gel is usually what....30mils? I sure wouldn't think you could cause a noticeable change in behavior just from that.

I will say it looks like they did an awesome job (cosmetically). The boat looks fantastic.

Link to pictures of repair

Hmmmm. Was a good theory that the hook was ground out, what else could cause the change in performance.. But in those pics, it sure doesn't look like the hook was ground out. Still see the gel in places, suggesting they didn't grind any glass out.

Nice restoration!

tagalong wrote: I see that the prop shaft strut is off, which means they added gel underneath it before bolting it back on, this could change the thrust line a wee bit, could this be a factor?

Proper strut installation would've corrected for that. The procedure is to place the strut co-axial to the shaft log on the hull (which wouldn't have moved). If the gel was a little thicker, it would force you to install the strut a little farther aft on the boat, and if the gel was thinner than before, a little more forward.

Gil,
Was the engine R&R'd? I as wondering if the engine position fore to aft was changed.

I had a 70 Cuda with the H/M which was slightly faster than the 318. It did porpoise at I'd say anything over 40. If hook has not been removed, there is a good chance that the porpoising is normal.

baitkiller wrote: I do know that my second gen ski is super sensitive to weight. If anybody sits in the back I cant go over 35 without it bouncing me out of the boat.

Excellent point. My Tique will not handle anyone in the back at higher speeds. It will however porpoise with a driver and spotter. The Cuda was the same. The more weight aft, the porpoising got worse.

Gil,
Does he have people in the aft seat when the Cuda supposedly handles not to his liking?

Ask Tim Bob. Reid,Tim and I were in one at the last GL. I blanked out everything after seeing Quinners tool box.