Next project is a CAT
 

Bought me a new project today, 1998 Ocean express 35' cat and the trailer. This started off as a 33' but the guy that built it wanted to race it and it had to be 35' as per race rules so it was professionally extended to meet the requirements. It has been reenforced every 5' through the hull and hell for stout. New transom not even a hole cut in it yet and new paint and a steel trailer. Here we go again! VV

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/i...513A3B17E6.jpg
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/i...3FBB7ADF19.jpghttp://i265.photobucket.com/albums/i...FB65364BC0.jpg
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Nice!!!!!!

Happy New Year VV, guess we all know what you'll be doing in 2010. Game on!

Just a matter of time before you got a Cat. What do you plan for engines and drives. I got an email from a guy who had a 38' Express cat with #3 drives no engines a am thinking of getting. Those boats are fukcing huge!! Good luck you sick fukcer!!:lolhit:

:food-smiley-007:

VV good deal man, He was posting that boat everywhere glad you picked it up. I know your doing to do something nucking futs with it. I await.......
-Mike

Happy new year to all you guys!
Here's my plan, I sold the xr's and boxes off the Velocity and pulled the super cat engines. Bought bravo one drives new gimbals and rebuilding the 465HP Merc engines I bought for the Velocity to sell it. and bought a pair of #6 wet sump drives and Bam 1500 transmissions for the cat.

Don't think I'm going to take it to someone and open my check book like I did on the V. If the 32 sells It will be quicker but this will be one slow project untill then.

That looks like a fun project! Good luck with it.

If anyone wants a nice 320 let me know. I'm looking at the 58K range.

Your keeping your motors right KC?

Seems like a fair price even in this market . Spring will be here soon and she sure shows well . Hope you will have some thing for us to go for a ride in Aug , when I'm passing through . It is always interesting watching your projects as they progress . Looking forward to following along on this one !!!

Wow big project. Is that basically a bare hull then?

Yep not a wire in it. I like big bites

LOL better you than me! At least you'll have what you want and know its done right.

Having a survey done on it Wed. before I go get it, long ass drive if it ain't what he said it is...

DV your welcome to come help on it.

:coolcowboy: Thanks for the offer but I think I'll pass. Maybe if you were closer. Looks like its going to be a fun boat! Why don't you just use the motors from your velocity and put some stockers in their place??

I got the survey on the Cat today. Everything was good. String straight in and out sponsons and no moisture on the meter so I'm wiring money tomorrow.

I am installing merc, 502's 465 hp carb engines back in the velocity. Merc made these engines a couple years before the 500HP's.

Also installing a set of new gimbals and new bravo ones on the Velocity.

I found a older newly rebuilt set of #6 wet sump drives with gimbals for the CAT. Come to find out these drives were going on this same cat but never got that far. So that was kinda weird to find them and some history on the boat from the old owner.

That sounds a good plan KC! Now no more changing your mind!!:D:D.......unless you want to buy my cat too!

Thanks Dan, I know sometimes I feel like a damn wider woman making my mind up.

A little history on the cat, I was built in 1995 and was a race boat for 2 years with 850hp engines the name of the boat was "American Express" she simi stuffed with some light damage to the front in 1997.

The owner wanted to race in the unlimited open class anyway so he took the boat had it lengthened to 35' and the reinforcement took place and a new transom added cause he wanted to run arnesons.

The dealer where it was fixed after it got fixed, then regestered her as a 35' 1998 modle and it was never rerigged or in the water after the work so basicly it is a new 1998 hull.

Andy where's the 38 close to you? The OE are huge in the 39. version this 35 has a 9'6"beam I think the 39 is like 10'6" The one I got or getting is definately a sit down, saw a pic of the guy standing in the cockpit and his knees were at the edge of the side of the boat. I'm gona have to get hatches built the guy was quite the sales person. I asked what he thought it would cost, told me a couple hunderd bucks probabley. I told him get them made and I'll pay him.:bsflag:

And 2011 and 2012 oh my!

Is it as cold up there as it is here Joe?, my brass monkey's balls are blue

Get your a$$ donwn here and help out....:coolcowboy:

This is going to be a loooooooooooooog thread! :lolhit:

Tooooooooo Funnyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII wasssssssssssssss thinkingggggggggggggggggg theeeeeeeeeeeeeee sameeeeee thinggggggg!!!:eek:

Yo i got 6 months of down time 2 good legs and 1 good hand if i can help im 5 minutes away from a plane!
-Mike

30's now going to be in the 20's starting 2moro..... makes me okay with the fact the boats down.... but not okay that I'm not in Florida

I just can't believe whats happening. I start buying Engines, drives to rerig the Velocity and get two calls today on the Velocity from Boat trader.com where I have it listed for 89K and they are asking whats wrong with it why is it so cheap....

Lets just all gather up and have a Cat rigging party down in Florida...Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. I'm buying Y-pipes, so we can stab a bilge blower in one end, fill one end with weed and bong out....

What date was that VV, I'll leave now!!!!!! :bong:

When and where,22 degrees and starting to snow.

Tonight Clear. Lows around 7. North winds around 15 mph.
OK is a bith in the winter and a bich in the summer and a bich in between.

Theres my little buddy. It's crazy I have to start another project to get everyone going in here. :drink:

Wheres Dkerns at I need my steering rams back...

[A little history on the cat, I was built in 1995 and was a race boat for 2 years with 850hp engines the name of the boat was "American Express" she simi stuffed with some light damage to the front in 1997.
The owner wanted to race in the unlimited open class anyway so he took the boat had it lengthened to 35' and the reinforcement took place and a new transom added cause he wanted to run arnesons.]

And here is a little more history. Back in 1986 our race team [M-17 Magic] took delivery of a new 33' Image [EXPRESS] cat to race in the APBA modified class. With our in house built 550hp 372cu chevy eng & merc speed III's she would run 110mph. Her sister cat the Baja Bandit with merc power [about 510hp] & speed IV's ran about 108mph. These were great hulls. When Bob Kehrig retired from racing he sold her and may have raced as Bad To The Bone, after that we lost track of her. That was until the 1991 Key West Worlds, when she became the 35' [now with the add on beaks] open class Ray Ban Sunglass cat. With big block Merc power she was one of the fastest in open class. Sadly she flipped or stuffed in the first race never to race again. I believe there was one more built like this to race by the name of KAT that raced open class that may have become this one Screaming Eagle. As I said these hulls were fast and never needed much if any trim tabs. My only suggestion would be to add a brace [about 15" up from the bottom] in the sides of the gunnel in the engine compartment, we blew our rear side out in 1986 and then added them. :drink:

Thanks for the photo's and info those look so cool the good old days.....VV

H20, there was also a 35 built for the late Randy Linebach back in 90/91 i remember seeing it at the shop, randy never took delivery because he wasn't happy with the build this could also be his hull. I heard that your old 33/35 sat in fla for years after the key west accident. Wonder what year the trailer is looks like this boat is the old screaming eagle. baja became KAT

Bill, I heard she was in the Key's rotting away, :eek: but that was about 5 years ago, today ???????? John Avery lives down there now but has'nt been abel to find her. Some one dropped a new blank 33' Express off at the end of my street in a vacant lot, it would make a great retro Magic. I put Rob K on to it,, you never know.. Randy also had a Warlock cat that he didnt like much ether.. Are you down in Florida now with the rest of the Michigan boy's ? Big Wave and I are ready to come back down, but I think it's has been warmer up here..:drink::drink::drink:

marc, just got back heading back in 2 weeks, check out fmo forum we did new years fun run what a blast. you and bwd got to come down and visit.

Things are coming along so far.

Pulled Supercat engines, drives gimbals and boxes and all the nice rigging I put in it, resivors, battery boxes, trim pump holders, pre oilers, sea strainners, Fuel pumps, water seperators, VHF radio, swapped 380 K-plans to 280, Piratecom intercom system and such.
Sold XR drives, gimbals and Imco boxes,
Bought two complete 502cid-465HP mercury engines.
Bought two low hr. bravo one drives and 2 newly rebuilt B1 gimbals.
Dynoed that Super Cat engine again just to check it, made 635HP ran it on up to 7,000 rpms "talk to me baby".
Cleaning bilge now for re rig.
Drives and gimbals will be in tomorrow and can throw the gimbals on. Motors arrive first of the week.
Next week, Dyno 465 HP engines to make sure they don't need anything.
Clean, paint and install 465 HP engines. Drives look good nothing needed as far as paint and gimbals have been painted already during the rebuild.
Sell the Velocity to free up some cash to rig the Cat W #6's instead of Arnesons

I know where you can get some low hour dynoed 540"/800hp natural take outs asking 30k pr . MDG built installed and maintained them so he knows their history . Used only the best parts when assenbled . Might be worth a look , 1/2 the price of new . He's built mine for 20 years now and I am very happy customer !!!

I have heard good about him, I think he trades too. I'll call him and see what he has to offer.