1990 Century Ultra III
 

Ok, so I have done some fiberglass repair on my old POS since I pulled the engines.
My goal with the boat is to run it for a couple of years until a decent hull comes along (something 30' to 35' that can handle Lake Huron) then put my drive train in it.
Last year I did the stringers on the stb side, the bulkhead at the engine compartment and some extra support for the hull under the engines. I thought I was done for a couple of years, or at least until I find a shell that I like better.
This spring, I noticed the floor in the cabin had de laminated from the substrate, no problem, or so I thought. Just pull up the floor and replace it right?
Once the floor was out I saw that the tabbing at the stringer (which was only on one side of the stringer, by the way) was moving, so I figured, no problem I'll do the stringers too!
I cut the loose glass, pulled it out and surprise!
All that was underneath was compost!
Gotta love balsa
So after some colorful language possibly a thrown item or two, a vision of running the chainsaw through it reminiscent of an old Boston Whaler advertisement!
I decided to try and make it safe at least
Now the rot is out, new balsa in and glassed, I would have had the stringer and bulkhead in this weekend, but ran out of resin yesterday.
Pretty happy with it, but the layer of 1708 I rolled out for under the stringer and bulkhead has more bubbles than I would have been happy with, but the resin gelled on me before I had it all rolled out.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c39bffb6b0.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...3fcce13a87.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...dd7e95b021.jpg

So while waiting for more resin, I figured I'd check some more off the list
last night was finish the prep for the installation of the water pickups for the inter coolers
Last summer I first tried just free hand a hole saw, what a mess that was
Then I made the hole oversize then filled it with reinforced epoxy, and had to sleep on it to think of a way to solve this problem.
Due to the angle of the tube and the close proximity of the fasteners I made a jig and boring bar to cut it out

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...1b5ad70a8b.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...d74db80bd3.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...20b817a648.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...b98becf676.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...eff56ea8e1.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...9784e02443.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...b926267845.jpg

Last night I freshened up the trim cylinders on one side, the old "O" rings were hard and brittle. Should be good now!

Transom gelled, ready for pickups, primary strainers and inter cooler strainers mocked up and the rotten core is pulled out of the cabin on the port side

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...1730cc479f.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...5b8954ff9f.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...4a6cccd4f8.jpg

Transom looks great in pics.did you end up spraying the gelcoat or rolling.ill be doing my transom,hopefully soon.

Thank you!
I sprayed it, my first time using gel. It was actually way easier than I was expecting. Just used one of my HVLP primer guns with the biggest tip I had. The only pain was cleaning the gun thoroughly between coats. 4 wet coats of gel, last one with air dry, next evening sand progressively to 1000 wet and quick polish
It was just a small area I sprayed, batches were 100 grams, I just used white even though my transom is red because I expect to be re-doing the transom in a few years (the wood is damp)
Next time I will buy an actual gel gun with disposable cup

Thanks resurrected. I’ve been reading and watching videos ,which kinda scared me onto rolling 😂

So an update on the progress
Engines are close to being ready to drop in, I have assembled them so they are completely modular, just plug in harness and water and good to go. Lots of little fabrication work to do, I was powder coating all the fabricated parts for the engines because they will be 100% no matter what I do with the hull in the future, but my oven died. I just want to get out this summer, so raw aluminum parts and rattle can paint will have to do!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...d919e1ae73.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a6e62e0e58.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...45fff33bd8.jpg

Glass work in the cabin is progressing slowly, one side is almost done, need to tidy it up and add one more layer of glass. I added a rib, not sure if its a good move to stiffen it up or not. Guess I'll find out

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...607f1eacf1.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a2704fe126.jpg

Exhaust and plumbing is complete, water and fuel. It's not pretty but this is just temporary. A couple of years at best
New fittings. lines and air pump for the mufflers.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...520e2d5fc6.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c8b88622d3.jpg

Gauges are assembled in the new panels I made out of some scrap carbon/kevlar hybrid. I need to clear them, but not this year

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...7ba44061ee.jpg

Its going to be ugly, but it will be in the water in a couple of weeks for testing. Then I will know if its worth restoring or waiting for a donor hull

Coming along great. May she earn the right to be restored. Such a unique and cool looking boat. I look forward to the splash!

Lars, I hope I love it when it hits the water!
So a little more progress, I lost some shop time because we moved our office to a new location. We had a really nice cherry desk that had some water damage on the top, so I did a little bodywork to it and painted it with a little house of kolor that I had laying around

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...826450d671.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a61f598f38.jpg

The cabin is glassed
Drives are black but ugly as sin
the engine hatch is ready to bolt on, 3M microballons are awesome! I had a little Duratch high build left from the transom so gave it a blast so it's at least one colour
I think I'm going to have to call the boat Ugly but Functional!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...0ae2c6ec7f.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...7a685a8b7f.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...7cfce35361.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...e00296b970.jpg

Looks great! When do we go for a rip!? (I have yet to go out at all this year.)

Thanks Mitch, I'm taking the afternoon off and hopefully getting it wrapped up (assembled and running but still cosmetic work to do). If things go well, I'll be testing tonight or tomorrow. Drag yours out to the beach!

Launched late Sunday night and just idled to my dock. I have been doing some tuning with the Sniper. I am waiting until my brother is available to be a chase boat for the first trip out in the lake, just in case I need a tow back in.
So far so good, the Sniper is awesome love the tuning options right on the display.

Any pics of it sitting pretty in the water. I don’t know if you posted any pics of boat together in another thread

I don't have any current pics, my girlfriend got some on Sunday but I haven't copied them yet. With the cabin lighter (no wet balsa, no interior) its 2" to 3" higher in the nose than before.
From a distance sitting pretty works, but up close it's ugly as sin!
I'm behind with pics on assembly

Monday nights job was to raise the dock. 2 hours to build the crane to lift it, 30 min to do the work and an hour to clean up

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...40cfcbb844.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...40028af5b9.jpg

Got out for a shake down last night, really works well. I didn't run above 4000rpm, was getting some strange AFR readings on stb engine, need to look at the data and see whats going on

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...edc247e483.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...b52f0a6634.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...1f99a42a2d.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8483459a61.jpg

Have been out a few times, the miss was one of the MSD distributors was wired backwards, so was cross firing above 4000RPM.
That was frustrating to find!
I even pulled rocker covers off thinking valve train.
Got out Saturday for a blast, the calmest day in a long time, about a 12" swell with 6" to 8" chop
cruises effortlessly at 50+MPH around 3700RPM
Did a short full throttle run 82MPH at 5G's just started trimming, until I melted a hole in a exhaust boot.
I knew it would happen eventually because when I made the spacer for the O2 on that side I didn't angle it and the exhaust tubes were misaligned bad.
Tonight's job is machine the spacer!

I’d love to go for a ride in an 80+ mph boat . I’ve been on a jet ski doing 70 on glass but I’m sure doesn’t compare to a boat crushing waves at that speed

I think a ski at 70 would feel way faster than in a boat.
Cruising at 50 feels slower than 35 in the aluminum fishing boat.
I took a friend out Saturday that had never been over 50 in a boat before, he said that he now understands why guys want 38'++ offshore boats for the rough stuff.
I'm sure someone near you with a go fast, would be happy to show off a little!

Ya problem is bigger and heavier they get the more power they take to get there. Mine can hit around 60 but better hold the f&@k on if it gets choppy lol

It's mornings like this that I want to skip work and wake up the neighbors!
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...2befab3d31.jpg

This is what I got home to last night, makes me glad that I didn't spend any time on cosmetic work!
Does not appear to be any real damage.
With the help of my brother and father, had the worst of it cut and dragged off in an hour. I haven't had an excuse to get the chain saw out in a couple of years. I love the smell of two stroke in the evening!
So much for getting any work done on the boat this Saturday!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c3c960b040.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...87c5a1f05b.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ceabbdce00.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...94ef966dbc.jpg

So no real damage, from the tree. Just some cracked gel coat.
I have had a chance to run it a few times, this time of year Lake Huron is pretty sloppy so no real top end runs.
Typically I've been out in less than 1' chop with 2' rollers and the odd 3 footer, not spaced very far apart. At 40mph it's a really rough ride, at 50 it smooths out a bunch but very busy on the throttles.
Last night with the swells out of the North/West, I could hug the shore near the inlet and ran in just the 1' chop, opened it up and started trimming, 81mph at about 4900 (I wasn't watching the tach closely because I thought I was collecting data on the Sniper, which didn't work for some reason but thats another issue), was still pulling before I had to back down.
The interesting part was it was a little loose in the stern when trimmed, this is new for me and a little unsettling at first.
I'm going to keep digging, but probably look for a different hull to rig in the winter of 21/22

Broke a prop shaft last weekend, also decided not to complete the restoration. It's a really rough ride in the conditions I typically run in. We get a few weeks early in the season that it would be fine, but my old Formula 233 was a way better ride in the slop. If I end up with a project hull (currently looking at an '84 Formula 302) I'll run the Century for another summer and do the swap over of my drive train the following winter.

Bummer on the propshaft. I'm looking forward to what you find for your next project. Let me know if you ever need a second set of hands... Or a tow boat.

Thanks for the offer to help, I will probably take you up on that some time, hopefully for the hands not the tow!

My brother did some drone footage last summer, just getting around to doing something with it now. This is a screen capture from the video.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...d8f9b63cdf.jpg

If you ever want to sell your Ultra 3 let me know been looking for one many years.