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Velocity 22 Resurrection
The level of quality people accept nowadays is appalling. Does anybody have any gratitude for craftsmanship anymore?
This poor boat was abused. But ill fix it right! Preface: My first boat, a Bayliner 1950 Capri that I had restored and built a 355 SBC with TBI and other goodies, was rear ended on the trailer July 5th 2013 on the way to the lake. I had fallen in love with the early Velocity 22 boats but could not afford or access one here in the mid west. After the death of the bayliner I began searching for boats and found what dreams are made of... sort of. After discussing terms with the seller, we made a road trip from Kansas to Washington D.C.. 2351 miles, lots of coffee, and driving shifts with my wife, I'm now the proud owner of a 1987 Velocity 22. The Plan: I'll be restoring the boat entirely and changing the rigging and power plant. Currently I have from my old boat, a 355 SBC with vortec heads, flat top pistons, cam and TBI with 2" bores. The Alpha One will be replaced with a Bravo One X or XR. After I recoup from the expenses, I may build a supercharged fuel injected 383 and add hydraulic steering. The Boat: 1987 Velocity 22, 350 SBC, Alpha One Gen 1, Trim tabs, three rear bucket seats, two front bucket seats. Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_037t.png |
The Condition: The boat had a terrible stance on the trailer. It bounced and slammed so much it was slightly scary. The interior was well used, but not horrible, the bottoms of the seats were cracked and waterlogged. There were also many poorly maintained bits of the mechanical items.
Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_001t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_002t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_003t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_004t.png Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_015t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_016t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_017t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_018t.png |
I love the design of the interior. Nothing like a good project!! If your staying under 400 hp (which should make that boat fly) Its a small light boat. I think an alpha would live. Sure a bravo is stronger, but the alpha will be faster. Take the money for the bravo transom and drive and use it for steering.
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Currently I have the floor and stringers exposed, they're toast. More on that coming...
When I get to rebuilding the engine (383 sc fi hopefully, although I'm entertaining a 6.2 ls) I'm targeting 650hp +/-. Id like to have a stout drive in any case just for peace of mind. Towing The bunks were the first items to be replaced. I then re-positioned the boat for better weight distribution and adjusted the wench so the eyelet locked under the roller. Id like to add additional bunks and move existing ones to sit under the stringers better as the bottom was deformed from the way it sat. While I was at it, I replaced all the wiring and lighting for the trailer. All submersible LED lights and the wiring was soldered and heatshrink/RTV silicone sealed. The whimpy noodle chains were also replaced with large gauge high vis chains and linkage. Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_009t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_010t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_011t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_038t.png Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_005t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_006t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_007t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_008t.png |
Intermission...
I bought myself a sweet new ride. With the boat as a catalyst, we bought our first house in December and renovated a couple rooms, putting the Velocity on hold. But it now has its own shop where I no longer have to work out in the elements. The boat fits with the drive up and a couple inches to spare. Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_036t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_039t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_040t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_041t.png |
Super cool old boat!
Glad you are saving a great old boat and there is nothing like knowing every minute detail of a boat from a "nut and bolt" type rebuild. |
Thanks! It's nice to have a place to call our own, even though it adds to my plate of things to work on...
I agree, it's an awesome boat. I love the look and lines not to mention the history of the design. In my opinion its the best out there. Interior Removal Sigh.. where to start? At first I was upset, but after getting it all out there and seeing the guts of the vessel I'm now excited to know it will all be totally rebuilt to the best of my ability. The wood on the interior was crumbling. And the hack jobs the previous owner(s) did was horrendous. The floor had a second plywood overlay, not even coated in resin. And the original floor, that was droopy, had patches of its own. Underneath it all was as bad as it gets... Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_044t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_045t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_042t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_043t.png Click... http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_046t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_048t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_047t.png http://www.aethergames.com/images/velocity/vel_049t.png |
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