1999 Longhorn Nautique Restoration Thread |
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tryathlete
Platinum Member Joined: April-19-2013 Location: Lake Villa, IL Status: Offline Points: 1797 |
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I’m in Houston regularly. I’ll figure something out.
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Today was exciting! First, Wakemakers finished the rendering of the oem ballast replacement. I sent them the dimensions of the oem hard tanks and they were able recreate them in bag form down to the curvature and taper. Rear ballast with be increased from the OEM 400 lbs to 960 lbs and I will still be able to utilize the rear storage locker. An aluminum cage will be built around the bags so a beauty panel can sit on top of the cage to stow gear and life vests. Haven't measured out the belly ballast yet but will probably get to that over the weekend.
Next, Bob (engine builder" said the internals of the original 351 looked perfect. The block is a perfect candidate to become a 408 stroker. Here are some pics: Lastly, and the most exciting part, the first dash was pulled out of the dash mold. It's a little rough right now as we just wanted to get it produced and placed in the boat to make sure everything fits properly. Final production will be dialed in, all holes and other imperfections will be corrected. There are also a couple oem lines that aren't quite perfect from the factory so those tightened up. Every indentation in the mold where the gauges, radio, and switch panel will also be filled and sanded smooth. The outline for the overlays will be retained just like oem and I will leave centering holes for placement of the oem gauges along with overlay studs holes in case anyone else needs one of these made in the future. Hope to have the second revision done by late next week. Once everything looks good, I will make a final production dash and begin molding the Holley Pro Dash and custom PerfectPass display. Special thanks to Aaron at PP for making this possible. It's gonna be really cool! I'll post some pics over the weekend of the dash in the boat. |
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Small update, I spent the last week trying to figure out how I was going to blend the Holley Pro Dash into oem dash. The conclusion I came to was, no matter how I blended the screen in, it just wasn't going to look right in the boat. It's cool but doesn't fit the style of the boat. I am going back to gauges which I think is the right move. I have a pretty good idea of how I will be placing the new gauges, PerfectPass, radio, and 3.5" Holley Interface.
I have to thank Aaron at PerfectPass. I wanted to be able to flush mount the PP display into one of the panels on the dash. I also wanted to use my own button for On/Off, Menu, Up, and Down. Aaron went out of his way to build me a custom harness to accomplish this. I think the dash is gonna look pretty cool when done! Lastly, I received my 2001 Ski Nautique shift console. I will be blending this console into the 1999 dash. Since the decks didn't change much from 1998-2002, this should fit with little to no modification. Will just need to remove the radio console portion and then wrap the entire thing is vinyl to match the dash. This console will house the front right speaker, depth finder, hour meter, ballast switches, and fire extinguisher. It's amazing how much time and effort I've spent just on the driver area but I think it will pay off. I guess it's a focal point of the boat. Gelcoat should be in this week. The deck will be pulled over the weekend. Castaway Customs will be coming by next week to measure for Seadek. The engine is coming along nicely. All components, pistons, rods, cam, crank, and heads are in. Block is currently at the machine shop. Upholstery materials have been picked out. The primary white and tan vinyl will be Spradling Fresco Cool Touch. It feels super nice and doesn't get hot! Slowly but surely things are coming together but man are there a ton of moving pieces. |
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67 ski nat
Platinum Member Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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Beyond impressive. Mclonghorn
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Thank you 67! |
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Jonny Quest
Grand Poobah Joined: August-20-2013 Location: Utah--via Texas Status: Offline Points: 2957 |
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I’m afraid to see the final invoice...
(I realize that this is a labor of love, but damn...) JQ |
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Current
2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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I look at it this way, everything I am doing is exponentially cheaper than going out and buying a new boat today. Being that this boat was gifted to me, the money I would have spent buying a new boat is how I justify it. Even when it's all said and done, I will only be in this thing for a quarter or less of what I would pay for ANY 2020 Nautique. I consider this boat a family heirloom so I will be passing it down to my kids and I hope they do the same for their kids. The coolest part is that this boat look, drive, and perform just as good as any new boat on the market. It is a Nautique after-all, best ski boats ever built. |
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79SNbrady
Senior Member Joined: June-26-2008 Location: athens, Tn Status: Offline Points: 229 |
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Digging this restoration! Going to be subscribing to keep up to date on this rebuild!
I hope that you are also upgrading the boat cover design, and not going back to snaps in the glass. Thats my biggest pet peeve! Snaps take away the clean look of a boat. When i was shopping for a newer boat, it took me months to find a 236 that didnt have snaps in the glass. |
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"It's just water... not concrete or dirt... so just throw it"
-Parks Bonifay 1979 Ski Nautique - (stringer job completed summer 2012) 2007 236 Team - All White! |
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Oh yes, all snaps are being removed throughout the entire boat! I am totally with ya on that! |
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Didn't expect to see this today but the final mold is complete. I test fit the first dash (couple posts back) onto the boat last weekend. It fit perfectly but it still had those indentations from where the original gauge holes were. Now that I knew it fit, I brought the dash back to the glass shop. They took this first production fiberglass dash, filled in and sanded flat all of the holes and inconsistent edges. Once that was done, they made a brand new mold that is the final production mold. The dash in the below pictures is the first part out of the final production mold. If somebody wanted, I could make this dash with their boats matching gel coat (blue, red, zephyr, green, maroon, etc) and not even wrap it in vinyl. It looks and feels that nice. It really did turn out incredible.
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Another big day. Deck is now separated from the hull. Now the grinding, sanding, and gel coat work begin! The audio system also came in today. Boat has got to sound as good as it looks. I will be completing a stealth install so nothing will look aftermarket to the naked eye.
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Faceplant
Senior Member Joined: July-27-2013 Location: Otter Lake , Mi Status: Offline Points: 416 |
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Damn , Look at that stereo.. And to think that I ripped my stereo out the day that I bought my boat because I love the sound of dual exhaust.
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Feels like I am hanging 10 but in reality - probably hanging 6.
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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I'm with you on that! |
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Morfoot
Grand Poobah Joined: February-06-2004 Location: South Lanier Status: Offline Points: 5320 |
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Very VERY Impressive. Dem' Texans don't fiddle fart around. Nice work. Keep the pics and updates coming. Cool thread to watch!
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"Morfoot; He can ski. He can wakeboard.He can cook chicken.He can create his own self-named beverage, & can also apparently fly. A man of many talents."72 Mustang "Kermit",88 SN Miss Scarlett, 99 SN "Sherman"
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Trailer is making progress. Thanks to Magnum Trailers built in Austin, Texas. This trailer will have electric over hydraulic disc brakes and a removable tongue.
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Boat has been transported to Austin to position the trailer bunks, build the prop cage, set the bow stop, and build the rear steps. Next week the boat will go to Aus-Tex Media Blasting to have the entire hull, inside and out, blasted to remove all grease, carpet glue, and silicone. While the gelcoat will be sanded down and re-sprayed entirely, we need to get any lose or cracked pieces off and ensure that the surface is free from all contaminants, lime, calcium, etc picked up on the hull after years of use. After Christmas, the boat will be brought back to McQueeney to begin sanding, filling, and blocking the floor and interior walls. Then Correct Craft neutral white gel-coat will be sprayed, sanded, and polished to prepare for SeaDek.
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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rosconole
Gold Member Joined: May-10-2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 759 |
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This thing is way over budget that I can see!
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1989 ski nautique ,1991 barefoot nautique, 1993 Mustang Cobra 1998 5.0 Magazine shootout invitee
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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It's seems like I have done a lot but I really haven't spent much on this. I am doing all the disassembly, assembly, wiring, etc myself. The only things I am paying for is upholstery, fiberglass, and the engine. I'm also not considering the trailer part of this restoration. The trailer was already in the plans before the restoration. |
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67 ski nat
Platinum Member Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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Budget? I do not remember hearing about a budget.
I love spending other people’s money, so keep going |
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75 Tique
Grand Poobah Joined: August-12-2004 Location: Seven Lakes, NC Status: Offline Points: 6121 |
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Yours, or his? |
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_____________
“So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
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desertskier
Platinum Member Joined: December-19-2006 Location: Az Status: Offline Points: 1115 |
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You mentioned buying a new Phoenix trailer and it looks like one of your pics shows the boat on it. It looked pretty nice. What happened?
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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From afar, the trailer looked nice aside from the fact that it was painted the wrong color. As you got closer, it wasn't what I had ordered. Got my money back and went with someone else. |
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gt40KS
Gold Member Joined: August-05-2017 Location: Wichita Kansas Status: Offline Points: 946 |
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Wow! Just checking in after several months of being away and silent from the forum. You sure have come a long way since I last looked through your posts. It's all looking and sounding very good! And that AUDIO setup ... Double wow! That is really going to sound awesome!
I've got to poke a little at Pete here though ... really surprised he hasn't had a thing or two to say about that |
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JCCI
1995 Ski Nautique GT40 |
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Gary S
Grand Poobah Joined: November-30-2006 Location: Illinois Status: Offline Points: 14096 |
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Pete's eyes glaze over on anything newer than 1979,anything with no wood does not even exist
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Woah woah woah...my boat has 2 1/2 feet of teak stuck to the back of it. Where ya at Pete? |
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DHMcFadin
Senior Member Joined: May-27-2019 Location: Austin, Texas Status: Offline Points: 312 |
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Thanks GT40KS! Merry Christmas to everyone! |
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brantb
Groupie Joined: May-15-2019 Location: Colorado Status: Offline Points: 94 |
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I thought i was undertaking a big project but this is amazing. I will be watching this and taking any ideas that i can use on my project.
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stepper459
Senior Member Joined: June-17-2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 349 |
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This looks amazing. I know you're not the first, but it's still hard for me to wrap my head around restoration threads of boats this "new" but here we are.
Also, I want that tongue jack. I am not a fan of just about any swinging tongue jack I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of 'em. Tell me more. |
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