Eliminator 250 Eagle XP build has started
 

I finally got a few days of good weather to get started. I have been collecting parts for this boat all winter. This was my first go fast boat originally powered by a side mount whipplecharged 502. I blew the drive & replaced it with a Teague platinum xr -2 inch shorty with a labbed 30p bravo 1. My kind heart cost me the engine by allowing someone else to winterize it & cracked the block. After losing interest in it for a few yrs, running a repair shop that drove me insane I just about gave up. Last fall I found some issues with my Kachina that required pulling the engines, with that I decided to repower by almost double the horse power. That project gave me back what I got into boat repair in the first place. A sense of accomplishing something without anyone complaining about costing too much. I knew what I was getting into and did what I wanted. Now back to the Eliminator, I plan to keep the original gel coat colors cause I like the design. I would like to brighten up the stripes, accentuate what is there already. With the boat partially gutted already I pulled up the green carpet & started cleaning the floor. I found the fuel tank moving around in it's cubbyhole. OK how to remove the tank with minimal destruction. Got lucky that I can cut a straight line. I thought things were going well but not so, even though the floor is a honeycomb fiberglass panel I found a soft spot under the spot where the batteries were, SHIZBIT. Now it looks like I will be pulling the whole floor. Enough with the yakking & on with the pictures. As always please chime in I can use all of the help I can get. Randy

More pics
 

Work done yesterday

Some more
 

Work done today

Interior pieces
 

Side panels & rear seat

Stuff I have collected
 

Some of the stereo, the windscreen & high back bucket seats

More
 

Trim tabs, not shown yet is full hydraulic steering, heads up indicator, battery boxes, sea strainer & other bling parts. Randy

Man thats a big project! Did you find any delamination of the glass over the floor panel? The floor in my boat is soft at the front of the gas tank / entrance to the cuddy. When you push down on it you can hear what sounds like adhesive pulling away from the floor structure. It doesnt deflect much but is irittating. What material do you plan to infill the floor with? Plywood or fiberglass panel?

Thanks for posting progress photo's and keep up the good work.

Hi Dave, no I didn't find any delamination but the spot where the batteries were mounted some water oozed up through the holes when stepped on. The seats were screwed into the fiberglass sandwiched floor material & not into the stringers. There doesn't seem to be any cross bracing on the out side of the stringers & with the panel cut out you can see the floor flexing slightly when you walk on it. The floor is not damaged from water or anything so far as I can tell & you wouldn't feel anything with seats in there cause there isn't much room to walk around anyway. I just want to make sure everything is solid for the power I am putting in it. I could use some feedback on what to use for the floor, if I can get the rest up without cutting into small pieces I could re use the honeycomb stuff but plywood will probably be easier to work with. Randy

I'm assuming theres glass / resin over the top of the honeycomb floor panel? The spot thats soft in my floor is between the front seats. It's not a large area but it bugs me. I know this stuff cant rot but it seems fragile at best. I see how this could happen on my boat. Some one crawled over the dash from the open bow side and jumped on to the floor. It deflected and broke the bond of the panel to glass. Probably broke the panel also, i'm assuming the top of the gas tank is really close to the underside of the floor panel?

Are the panels made of fiberglass or polycarbonate? See link for poly panels - http://www.polygal-northamerica.com/...files-1110.pdf

If I replace the floor on mine I was leaning towards plywood. Atleast it can be screwed to the top of the stringers ( mechanical bond) and will provide a much better attachment point for the seats. Hell, you could glass the plywood and shoot it with gel then snap the carpet over it. The only attachment the floor panels have to structure currently is the lamination at the sides of the hull.

The floor panel is glassed in around the edges & a few screws (10 I think) holding it down to the stringers. The screws were glassed over. I will take some better pics of the panel I cut out not sure what the difference between the two materials by looking at it. the fuel tank has 1/4 inch rubber on sides, front, back, & bottom. No straps to hold it or anything, just set in the hole & covered by the floor panel. There is approx. an inch to inch & half clearance between tank & floor. As far as glassing plywood & gelling over it that is what I am thinking so I can hose it out if needed. I have some textured floor paint I was thinking of using because I have no idea how to shoot gelcoat, but I am now a little further away from that point. LOL If you need pics of anything while I'm in here let me know. Randy

Yes, looks like this will occupy some of your time! But it will be worth it when your done...Keep up the good work Randy!

Thanks Chris, it is starting out just a little more than I figured on but at least I'm not finding anything rotted. It is probably for the best that I am going into the floor like this because with 8-900 hp I definitely want things solid and to stay put! I will also get to learn a new skill if I go with gelcoating the floor, that really does seem like the right way to go. Cleaning will be so much easier that way. Randy

Looks good!!

Craig, I would have to say yours looks better because it is on the water, LOL but I will get there. When my garage project gets done I won't be at the mercy of Nebraska weather & should be able to get more done. Randy

I understand that. Since I don't have my 10,000 sqft shop anymore I had to do mine in the driveway and cover it with a tarp. It was no fun. Every time it rained I was outside in the storm using a bucket to get the water off the tarp so it wouldn't leak on my new bilges paint.

I'm not on the water for a week or two. I've got the blower off of mine. I'm buying a mega blower and super chiller combo for mine. I hope to be back on the water in the next week or two. Now I'm on the hunt for a 34 pitch bravo 1.

I have seen a few props out there mostly in pairs though, when you get that thing all dialed in it should be a beast!! I just talked to my builder today & things are coming along nicely. Hopefully I can get the rest of the floor out this week & strip the transom so I can get it smoothed out. I am really not liking that splotchy crap they do in the bilge. It looks like the care bears vomited all over!!! LOL. I am having a problem with storing the stuff I remove. The garage is full & my driveway looks like a boat shop!! People drive by & just gawk. Oh well things could be worse. I will post some more pics when I get more work done. Randy

I hear you on the splatter paint in the bilge. The guy who I bought my offshore fishing boat put that crap all over and I don't like it.

Lol, promised myself I was going to do something about that splatter paint in the engine compartment if I ever pull the motor. Really wish Eliminator would have just shot white gelcoat and called it good. That splatter crap fad was outdated in the mid 90's.

looking good,

Looking good randy, keep it up, with a lot of pics!

Great project!! Keep up the work! I hear you guys on the splatter paint, lol. Next time I pull my engine I will be painting over that.

I found that " Super Clean" sold at O'reillys auto parts actually softens that splatter paint when I was cleaning the grime out of both my Kachina and my Eliminator. If this weather stays dry I will be able to get back to work on this thing. Randy

More Floor Away
 

:poopoo:[ATTACH=CONFIG]502455[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502456[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502457[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502458[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502459[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502460[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502461[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502462[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]502463[/ATTACH]My new roto zippy tool made mince meat of the glass holding the floor down. Even though the floor wasn't "bad" I am glad I decided to look under it. The drain skupper things moulded into the steps were not very well thought out & are plugged up holding water. I made as it looks quite a bit more work but at least I will know what is under me. I will have to cleanup these drains & reshape the matt in the center so water will drain correctly. I am glad to see another stringer in there, I was kind of nervous about being able to tie everything back together. Randy

How's the progress coming along Randy? Everything looks good in the pictures. Now that I look again maybe you should just drop that power plant in now. Look at the weight savings! Plus it looks like you have a beer holder intact yet! Find yourself a lawn chair and you're good to go!

I have been going back & forth to the hospital lately, have an apt with a specialist so I have pain meds til then will get back to work on it soon though. I did mock some measurements for my tabs but that is all for now. Randy

Oh man...take it easy on yourself. Hope you get better soon. I couldn't keep myself out of the boating scene long come to find out. Stumbled on a guy getting completely out of his boats and all gear in Oklahoma. Made a trip to the "garage sale" and came back with a few goodies. Gas powered blender with handle bars (simply bad ass), (2) 5 blade px5 props, bunch of ropes ect, and a 2001 30' Daytona with 80ish hrs on 2 572's/xr's. Yep wife is pissed and I'm back in the dog house again

You bought a 30' Daytona at a garage sale? We all know that was the "reason" for going to the garage sale...your wifey doesn't read these boards right??

[ATTACH=CONFIG]503167[/ATTACH]LOL I couldn't help it. Randy

Dave, well I didn't want to come back empty handed!:coolcowboy: No, shes not on here but that actually not a bad idea (a helping hand is always a good thing!) :party-smiley-004:. Shes only 5 weeks away from popping out our daughter so not that she'd be any help anyway....Randy, I don't even need to make reservations for my dog house. Doors always open and fridge stocked :lolhit:

Daytona baby seat?
 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]503374[/ATTACH]Well Chris don't keep us waiting we need to see pics of your "garage sale" find. Then maybe we can help figure out where the boat seat will go for your new boater beauty. Randy

Here are some pictures Randy!

http://s1319.photobucket.com/user/Lu...?sort=3&page=1

:hijack:

Nice boat, those are the garage sales my wife won't let me go to,LOL I had a buddy that traded a 26 Daytona with graphics like that for the Eagle that I now own. It had a single 575sci. Now where to put the baby seat???? Randy

Randy, how's the restore progressing? Would really like to see the before and after pics of the windscreen.

Hey IROCDave, I have been dialing in my Kachina, getting my garage lengthened, and most recently helping my wife battle breast cancer so the Eliminator has been put on hold for a little while. I will assemble the wind screen & take a before & after photo with it setting in place so you can see what it looks like but it won't be mounted for a while yet. Randy

Wow man, thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife. No hurry on the photo's, it will be a winter project for me.

IROCDave, I will get some pics tomorrow when I have some help setting it up without scratching it. Thanks for the T&Ps they are appreciated, She is doing well but it is a long road & going to be expensive even with insurance. I don't care about the cost when it comes to her health I just hope the doc got it all so she can heal & get better. Randy

Windscreen pics
 

Here you go IROCDave I just set 1/2 of the windscreen on the boat to see how much difference there is. [ATTACH=CONFIG]505960[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]505961[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]505962[/ATTACH]

Looks great Randy, cant wait to see the finished product. It appears you have a affinity for west coast boats, not very common in the Midwest.

I'm not a common Midwesterner. Lol Randy

Windscreen will look good Randy. Prayers out to your family from a fellow uncommon midwesterner! Keep up the good work on all fronts buddy!