My Resto Project
 

I'm well into a complete resto of an 86 Chris Cat race boat .
The hull is very sound structurally . I am going to replace some of the existing reinforcements , stringers and possilbly the transom with foam/carbon/epoxy .
The boat was originally foam cored and one of the last ones built .
I'm also considering a four place reinforced cockpit .
Yesterday I picked up motors from the P1 Raven race team ( good guys ) I intend to refresh and use .
I'm trying to figure out how to post photos of the progress . Any help out there ?

On posting photos-

You have one of two options. First, when you are starting or replying to a thread, simply select "Go Advanced" It will open another window that will give you attachment options. Keep in mind you'll probably have to resize digital camera pics- both because of bit-size and physical size. The site will display JPEGS, not bitmaps (BMP).

Your other option is to 3rd party host your pics. I use a site called Photobucket. http://s38.photobucket.com/ You can host just about any file and then it displays automatically in your thread via "tagging". After you upload your file, it gives you options on display. All you do is copy the "embed" link and paste it into your post

Example-

The code I copied is-
IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e123/CTS1489/AjacHawkMercruiserAd.jpg[/IMG]

I deleted the first bracket to show the code. If I add it in, this automatically happens-

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...rcruiserAd.jpg

you should have a button labled "Manage Attachments" when typing out responces.....not the quick reply box thats on this page at the bottom but if you hit "Go Advanced" then you will see it towards the bottom.....then you can attach images.......if that doesnt work for ya then you can email me the pics and i'd be happy to post them up for ya "bigblockwally @ hotmail.com"

Jim, just tried you at your office... Try you again later (dang west coast guys! :D).

Is Raven the old Ocean Spray Fountain? Or similar looking?

Congrats on the new power. Can't wait to see photos!

Thanks men , I'll attempt to post photos tomorrow . You make it seem easy .
Dude I don't know what if anything Raven was , they could be the first owners . My brother picked up the motors and said they had a great setup and were straight shooters . I dealt with Allen , he was accomodating and efficient .
He told me the Fountain went 142 and with his new power would be in the 150s . I wish them well .

Team Raven
 

Team Raven is the old Ocean Spray Fountain...this will be the 2nd year for them with the boat,however new engines. Bud

I swear she's not as rough as the photos would lead you to believe .

And some more .
Guys thanks for the help , that was straight forward , now my 8 track is dragging any suggestions ?

Good luck with the restore and hopefully youll be able to update with photos along the way. Looks great thus far should be a fun build!!!

Wedge a match book in the opening.

Jammin' it worked ! Here's my story .
The hull's almost stripped out .
Next the boat goes to Itchiban in Bristol , RI . They are subcontracters for Eric Goetz and just moved into their new facility directly across the street from Outerlimits .
My hull is foam cored and like all Chris Cats has a sloppy heavy laminate . Chris Craft used balsa bulkheads and gridwork , the stringers and transom are also wood . I intend to replace all the wood with various density foams attached with a fiberglass , carbon , epoxy laminate . A reinforced 4 man F - 16 canopied cockpit is also in the works . At their facility the hull will then be primed in Awl Grip 545 and off to rigging .
I want this boat to be as clean a Barrett Jackson BB Vette .
My brother said by the time I'm done I could have had a fourty foot Skater . My reply " hey how am I going to tow a fourty foot Skater with my Vette ? "
Seriously , I believe the old Shadows , Chris Cats , and a few others may be COPOS of the boating industry and deserve to be preserved .

AEX was this an old race boat? Which One? What ever happened to th "RODEO" molds?

Ryan , Yes she's an old race boat that was never popped if you get my drift . The Rodeo molds are all over the place . I still have the 31 mold though it's beat after 15 years of weather .
Do you remember my 31' Rock & Roll Rodeo ?
That boat was fast ! Too bad we built it dangerously light and busted her up in Virginia that was 1992 or 93 I believe .
Back then money was tight coming out of the RI bank crisis and all , that loss hurt .
We had 500 inch Big Chiefs in that baby , D Class rules allowed a single carb , cast exhaust and no blowers , otherwise anything was game . I put titanium valves in the suckers , huge cams and spun my then secret bore , stroke , rod combo 7800 - 8200 rpm .
That boat ran , and I'd put it up against any comparable boat of today , even the Chris for that matter although they suffer a weight penalty , that's why mine is on a diet !

That's a great analogy. Every time I see a '69 Z28 sell at BJ for $200k+ I shake my head. Not that they aren't great cars, but heck they made 20,000 of them and if you got a Year One catalog you could build a new one... Even the ZL1 Camaros, there were 69 of them. Heck it's not like Scaglietti hand formed every '71 Hemi 'Cuda! (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE muscle cars, but the prices are absurd).

I've asked Pepe about the number of 28 Panteras built. He said around 300 would be his best guess. I asked Martin Sanborn how many '35 Canopy Fountains... 2. How many Apache 41s? 47s? Cougar Cats?

CUV V-hulls, 12 - 14 boats (Marco, I know I still owe you an email!). And in my mind these boats are the Ferrari GTO of offshore race boats.

This old heavy metal is RARE stuff and it's great to see people taking an interest in preserving these boats before they are all cut up, sunk, scrapped and made into Center Consoles.

It's clearly not like that with boats and I wonder why. Perhaps they are just less accessible. In general, you can't have one in you garage for the occasional Sunday drive. Insurance doesn't make sense either. Cheap agreed value classic car insurance with annual inflation adjustment is easy for cars. Classic muscle boats? Forget it.

If you are planing on adding a canopy contact Rich Luhrs (T2X) or George Linder (GHL) here on the board. They have done extensive work on using the F-16 canopy and have developed a set of guidelines for safety. I got a copy last year and they are very useful, alot has gone into the development.

Keep the pics coming

That's a great idea I'll contact him , thanks for the suggestion .
George designed the running surfaces and tunnel for our 62' M2 Cat .
The engines are enroute and arriving tomorrow am .
I'll post some photos of these soon . Also I'm having second thoughts about selling my 540 EFI's , they are original to this boat and one of those could have a temporary home in my 67 Camaro pro tour . I'll just need to shorten up the bells for hood clearance .
I'd rather give up a little torque than advertise .

Here they are .
Anyone with any history or tech info on this engine model please forward it .
They are Merc / Eickert 510 Big Chief , dry sumps with EFI Tech Boxes .

Nice project!


I look forward to seeing it as it unfolds.
Please post the project pictures.


Good to have some older cats up here:cool-smiley-011:

There really are not that many cats period here.
Fall river poker run had only two.
Skater and a Motion.



Gerry

Ah u doin' Knot right ? Your Skater is awesome .
I'm from Cranston .
Today I got good news , the hull & bulkheads are all dry and solid the bad news the engine beds were bad ( I knew this ) and the transom is wet and partially delaminated ( suspected but now confirmed ) .
No big deal I guess , We're going to replace them with foam / carbon / epoxy . This will take some weight off the rear of the hull . I'm going to have to shorten the driveshafts to maintain CG .
We know this hull came from Chris with #4 drives and Y pipes because the rear is all original , unplugged and uncut . The Merc tags on the 540's match up .
Notice today I cancelled the engine classified ad . My brother thinks I should use the 540 EFIs instead of the Big Chief EFI motors I just bought .
Any thoughts on this out there , speak up ! Now I'm suddenly undecided . I like the fact the newer engines are super exotic , performance wise there's probably little if any difference and either way I'm running #5 drives with crash boxes . Do you think the crash boxes will hold up ?

My GF works in Cranston!

I just got rid of my big chief PSI blower motors.
Chiefs love to REV and make high rpm power.
The problem with the Chiefs is ya get no longivity with the
valve train. More maintenence then Britney Spairs!
Depending on spring pressure and lobe angle it could
be as low as 25 hours.
What are the specs on the 540,s????

Dont forget to post some pictures on the work Itchiban is getting into.

I will never forget that day the govenor closed the credit unions.

I have often thought of this........Why are the old race boats not more valuable........My old man once said and i quote......"HEY DUMMIE EVRYBODY HAS A CAR NOT EVERYBODY HAS A BOAT"
He has always been brass and to the point.......

I really love what you are doing with that cat......I wish i could afford one of those old school motors, i would love to stuff it in my mag and have it vinyl wrapped like its glory days.........

Keep the pics coming winter sucks.....

Hey KR what powers your Skater now ?

The 540 EFIs are rated by Merc 850+ HP @ 6500 rpm . These are the motors guys ran in superboat class in the mid through late 80s .
They are Bowtie Blocks , modified Brodix heads , 4.25 stroke 4.5 bore , Carillo rods , full roller , basically the best of everything . Merc builds good stuff .
The Class 1 , 980s I bought last week are 2000 vintage , newer tech ,titanium , dry sump , more exotic , you know the drill , saw them , they were a steal , had to have 'em , wrote the check . Merc rates these 980 HP @ 7200 rpm . These have a shorter stroke and are 510 CI .
I just added more confusion to my life .
Here are side by side shots , the 540 first . There are other shots of the 980s earlier in this post .

How true , my brother said I could have a 40 ft Skater for the investment I'm making , however I loved my Chris , won a lot of races with her and will continue her resurrection , after all I can't tow a 40 Skater with my Vette !
Remember , every guy on this forum is eccentric in his own way and basically " Knot - Right "
If we were normal we'd be at the yacht club ironing our sails . ( God forbid )
Thanks for the words of encouragement Nocig .

My next question should be how do you plan on running the boat?

From a pratical approach I would run the 540,s.
They will last longer. The idea they were original to the boat
is cool also. However you know the deal you will want the xtra ponies .
If it was me I would say **** pratical go for the big guns!:D

I,m running Helicopter Turbines. I took the pratical and through it freakin overboard:D

Never the less ya got some really cool choices to make.
I look forward to the progress!

Good morning Skater Brother ,
I thought those were turbines in your avatar photo , I can't believe we have a cat on Narragansett Bay with turbines , you put us on the map !
I've always been one to say screw to practical , my wife asked if the Chris had any cabin or a potty for the kids . She doesn't want me racing again , we were dating in those days and she knows the time commitment and expenses involved are great .
I'm pretty familiar with motors and do believe there will be little if any speed difference between the motors , the 540s will make up any horsepower difference with better torque , also the roller cams Merc used in 1986 I'm sure are obsolete and a 20 year newer cam profile will probably garner some sort of gain . The only hurdle with running the Big Chiefs , since the heads are wider and the exhaust ports raised are changes to the exhaust exit point which will at least require new Y pipes . I had Big Chiefs in my Rock & Roll Rodeo 31 , but rules mandated Gils and they were literally against the inside of the boat .
I'll get it figured out , and again one of the leftovers is going into my 67 Camaro pro tour . I had a 427 in it I sold a while ago so they won't go to waste .
Here are a couple of photos from when I raced .
We set an avg. course speed record in 1990 of 117.8 mph and smoked the film chopper in the process . The chopper jocks were amazed and came looking for us after the race . Those guys got big nuts , flying 10 ft over the water at 110 mph . The pilot was a Vietnam vet , I'm sure the risk was minimal in comparison to his military service .
I'm also going to post some photos of the 62 cat we just finished and will be sea trialing soon .

Here is a link and some photos of the 62' cat we just finished . Our company is M2 , I call her Andromeda . I know this doesn't belong here , it's just an fyi .
http://www.m2motoryachts.com/m208/home.htm

Jimmy
Let me know when you are going to Sea Trial that thing...I'd love to go for the ride.

Charlie , how are you ? Any progress on your projects ? I'm going full steam ahead .
Today I talked to Tommy A. who is getting ready to restore Betty Cook's Kaama cat , found out there was a turbine Skater on Narragansett Bay , had a conversation with Keith Eickert and got all my work done .
The Kaama project seems very interesting , I don't think many of those early cats survived , especially any with that provenance .
We ran the 62' in January and after some adjustments got 46kts . She weighs almost 50,000 lbs and only has 800 Mans . The next one will be much lighter and have twin 1200s . We are targeting 75 kts in a safe , comfortable , reliable , fuel efficient package .
Charlie when we resume testing I'll give you a shout . She's presently sitting in East Greenwich . We were going to send her south , but decided to wait till spring and conclude our testing here . Our first production boat is about 16 months away and should be a ringer .

If any of you resto guys need gauges, let me know, maybe I can have Livorsi make some "old school" looking without logos or with something else on the gauge to try and match the era.

Kirk

I spoke with someone at M2 not to long ago about being a dealer/distributor, but so far all they have to sell is 21` cats.
Still interested.

7X , Please call me , JIM @ 401-942-2400 we need dealers .
I'd like to update you on our present position directly .
Thanks for your interest .

Lets see more pictures please!

Dont make me drive to Bristol:D

Can I hitch a ride on that 62 also???
75 knots. 50,000lbs...............Thats what I,m talking about!

KR

KR , Where you been ? You will always be welcome . I'll keep you informed when we head out .
The Chris is still in Cranston , the stringers are out , the transom is next , even though it passed final inspection . A foam/epoxy/carbon one will lose the wood and potential for future rot . I'm spending a substantial sum on this baby and want it 100% .
The 62' is sitting at Brewer's on Greenwich Bay ( Chelo's ) . We are presently planning the first production hull . ( the present one is a fitted out test mule )
It's looking like 1200 Mans , two speed trans and Trimax drives will be propulsion .
My partner is too into gadgets , my opinion is make it comfortable , reliable , fuel efficient and FAST ! Look at the pics in previous post of the 62' . Does this vessel really need two HVAC systems ? Four plasma tv's ? Two full baths ?
I'd never cook on my boat , that's what restaurants are for .
My thoughts are two staterooms a generous salon , open cockpit as in rendering and fitted out as a high end muscle boat without going overboard .
We could get this hull to run some impressive speeds at the right weight , and , with the right diesel power turnkey always .
Any thoughts on this subject would be valued .
I'll post pics of the cut up Chris tomorrow . Promise .

Looks more like mulch ! I'm replacing the transom and now I'm considering the rest of the bulkheads .
In for a penny in for a pound I guess .
I really need to get going here , last week I screwed off to much , I gotta stay on these guys .

Transom is out , finally . The Itchiban crew in Bristol has me scheduled for early June to install the new reinforcements .
What a mess , but worth the effort .

Are you sure she ran 46 KNOTS?.....or MPH?

What is the prop pitch and RPM?

Who will do the actual layups?

Are there Trimax drives on the boat now?

Will you run Rolla props?........ Herings?.....

T2x

youch - reminds me of my cockpit's floor. Keep up the good work!

I had specd Tri Max w/ power trim , instead the architect , a New Zealender , lobbied for Q Speeds . I got out voted , however hull #2 will have Tri Max drives with power trim . The Q speeds were less money and are ok but on the fast version definitely Tri Max .
The present wheels are 40 pitch 29 Dia . They came from S&S in Long Island . We ran them once , then S&S added some cup and we are presently at 2200 rpm .
The speed was knots on gps w 40 degree temp at 80 degrees we'll probably lose 2 knts .
Our prototype was built in South Africa but from now on they will be built in Bristol , RI U.S.A..
I've spoken to the Itchiban boys regarding construction . They will probably team up with Billy from A.C.C. . ( still working out details )
We're having some renderings made of the performance version .
The next hull will be a 65' with some minor profile changes to sleeken it out , a bow change and only 6'4" cabin head room . ( it's presently 7'2" )
I'll post these renderings as soon as they are done and will also list it in the OSO classifieds .
Look forward to your input .

Your resto project...
 

Good luck with your restoration... keep the pictures coming!
Should you need any assistance with this project, its right up our alley. check us out when you have a chance!

www.legacycustommarine.com

thanks,
Steve