Forums
NautiqueParts.comNautiqueSkins.com - Correct Craft Upholstery and Part
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - 1999 Longhorn Nautique Restoration Thread
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

1999 Longhorn Nautique Restoration Thread

 Post Reply Post Reply Page   123 15>
Author
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: 1999 Longhorn Nautique Restoration Thread
    Posted: November-11-2019 at 10:46am
Hey PN,

A couple months ago I posted in the new member section about a boat that was recently passed down to me. The official Nautique model is a 1999 Sport Nautique but we call it the "Longhorn Nautique" or "Ol' Horney". The reason being, in 99, my dad special ordered this boat from correct craft with a burnt orange color scheme and logos authorized by The University of Texas. Since taking delivery, my family has put over 4000 hours on this boat. As a result, the boat needs a lot of love. Now that the she is mine and after months of research and planning, I have officially begun restoring her. The goal is rebuild the boat better than when it left the factory while improving its performance and technology. Most importantly, the boat needs to remain tasteful. Here's a list of items we will be tackling this winter.

-The GT40 351 is the original numbers matching block (the engine has been overhauled twice in its lifetime but the block is the original). Engine will be rebuilt. Goal is 500 hp, 500 ft lbs, and maybe 60 mph with a 3-blade prop.

-The deck of the boat will be removed, all fiberglass will be properly fixed (lots of small repairs over the years, not all of them done right).

-New gelcoat over the entire deck, hull, and interior walls and floor will be sprayed.

-Complete Seakdek flooring will be installed. Floors, gunnel steps, interior walls, etc.

-Dash pod will be modified (after I make a mold of the original for future re-manufacturing ). It will be wrapped in a tan vinyl or marine leather of some sort with stitching.
    
-New gauges, switch, and radio panels with push button start built by New Wire Marine.
    
-New upholstery and new panels for every piece.

-Tower will be refurbished. There are some cracks and lots of holes from different speakers and lights throughout the years. Although, I have considered ordering a new tower from New Dimensions. We will see.
    
-Interior will be brought back to oem patterns but I will be adding some small details that should make it stand out when you look close. I'll also be incorporating an observer seat with flip down backrest for a Ski Nautique 206 so I can have more seating next to the driver. Lastly, I will be using a jump seat from a Ski Nautique 200 to add an additional seat behind the driver.
    
-Windshield, vents, and all metal parts throughout the boat including the engine support plates will be powder-coated black.
    
-All chrome will be restored.
    
-Ski pylon will be re-anodized.
    
-Complete JL Audio System with bow speakers.
    
-Full LED lighting.
    
-Perfect pass added (would love to go Zero Off but I dont want to mess with making a drive by wire throttle compatible with the Holley multi port fuel injection that will used on the engine).

Goal is to have this all done by May 2020 (I hope).

Here a couple photos of Ol' Horney in pre-restoration state:



1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 10:49am
This morning the boat will be taken down to McQueeney, Texas to have the engine pulled and start addressing all of the glass work that needs to be done. I spent the weekend taking the boat down to a bare hull and deck. All wiring and harnesses have been removed along with virtually every other part within the boat. Once, all of the glass, gelcoat, and seadek is done, it will go to San Antonio for upholstery and then back to my garage for final assembly and wiring. It's gonna be brand new when we are done!!!








1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 10:51am
Throughout the next couple months, I will be putting a couple items up for sale:

-Complete GT40 fuel injection system with complete harness, ECU, fuel system, injectors, new FCC high and low pressure components, etc. The whole package.
- 1.23: 1 40 series transmission
-Complete exhaust system from the manifolds back. Hull hugger muffler and down pipes are in great shape.
-Possibly an FCT2 tower
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
M3Fan View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: October-22-2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 3185
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote M3Fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 11:04am
Wow, awesome project. I love the color. Hopefully it goes back to being a "sport" Nautique graphically though the extent of the Longhorn fandom is truly impressive.

New trailer too? Nice.

Since this is an open checkbook restoration why not just sell the whole GT40 and put a modern marine bobtail in there like a PCM 6.0? All the trouble to rebuild a Ford that they stopped making nearly 20 years ago into something totally bespoke to troubleshoot down the road. Plus you get ZO capability right off the bat which is worth it 10x over, maybe less so for boarding sports than slalom but it's still really really nice.
2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel
2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI
https://forum.fifteenoff.com




Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 11:22am
Originally posted by M3Fan M3Fan wrote:

Wow, awesome project. I love the color. Hopefully it goes back to being a "sport" Nautique graphically though the extent of the Longhorn fandom is truly impressive.

New trailer too? Nice.

Since this is an open checkbook restoration why not just sell the whole GT40 and put a modern marine bobtail in there like a PCM 6.0? All the trouble to rebuild a Ford that they stopped making nearly 20 years ago into something totally bespoke to troubleshoot down the road. Plus you get ZO capability right off the bat which is worth it 10x over, maybe less so for boarding sports than slalom but it's still really really nice.


Graphically, the boat will stay Longhorn Nautique because that is how it was shipped from Correct Craft.

I had gone back and forth on engine choices for months, believe me. I looked at ZR409, ZR450, new 427 with dart block, etc. First thing I looked at was price vs performance. With a new 80 series transmission and either of the ZR engines, I was about 7k higher than if I were to stick with my current engine or have a new 427 built. The second thing that I kept in mind is that this boat is priceless to the family and I wanted it be restoration original as close as possible while improving the boat. I realized that the engine in this boat is still the original block and I thought, "how cool would it be to turn this original numbers matching engine into to something amazing". Since this boat already has a long story and a lot of memories behind it, I decided to stick with having the gt40 rebuilt into something special that way the "original" engine is still with the boat. Best of all, the gt40 intake manifold will be reused so it will appear stock.

From a reliability stand point, I completely agree with you. This was a big concern of mine when weighing my options. After speaking with Prestige Motorsports, they were convinced they could build me something that would be able to have the crap beaten out of it and still run 1000+ hours with no issues. Part of that reliability comes from forged internals and roller components. From a air/fuel perspective, the 427 will have multi port fuel injection to keep everything consistent and smooth and will be dynoed and tuned prior to arriving in Texas. The cam that will go in the engine will be very mild and to prevent reversion. It shouldn't idle any different than a normal GT40.

Last thing I considered was zero off. This boat was the first boat I learned how to slalom, trick, and jump behind. Hell, I landed my first "plop" behind this boat. From boys 1 to collegiate, I had the opportunity to use perfect pass, stargazer, and zero off. While I really wanted the newest tech (zero off) I realized that I skied just fine with perfect pass when I was growing up. Now that perfectpass is GPS based, I imagine its gotten even better. Yes, it's not Zero Off accurate but this boat isnt going to be pulling any world records lol. Perfectpass was what came in the boat so that is what I am going back to.

Thanks for your reply!
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
JoeinNY View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: October-19-2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 5693
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JoeinNY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 1:16pm
Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:

Originally posted by M3Fan M3Fan wrote:

Wow, awesome project. I love the color. Hopefully it goes back to being a "sport" Nautique graphically though the extent of the Longhorn fandom is truly impressive.

New trailer too? Nice.

Since this is an open checkbook restoration why not just sell the whole GT40 and put a modern marine bobtail in there like a PCM 6.0? All the trouble to rebuild a Ford that they stopped making nearly 20 years ago into something totally bespoke to troubleshoot down the road. Plus you get ZO capability right off the bat which is worth it 10x over, maybe less so for boarding sports than slalom but it's still really really nice.


Graphically, the boat will stay Longhorn Nautique because that is how it was shipped from Correct Craft.

I had gone back and forth on engine choices for months, believe me. I looked at ZR409, ZR450, new 427 with dart block, etc. First thing I looked at was price vs performance. With a new 80 series transmission and either of the ZR engines, I was about 7k higher than if I were to stick with my current engine or have a new 427 built. The second thing that I kept in mind is that this boat is priceless to the family and I wanted it be restoration original as close as possible while improving the boat. I realized that the engine in this boat is still the original block and I thought, "how cool would it be to turn this original numbers matching engine into to something amazing". Since this boat already has a long story and a lot of memories behind it, I decided to stick with having the gt40 rebuilt into something special that way the "original" engine is still with the boat. Best of all, the gt40 intake manifold will be reused so it will appear stock.

From a reliability stand point, I completely agree with you. This was a big concern of mine when weighing my options. After speaking with Prestige Motorsports, they were convinced they could build me something that would be able to have the crap beaten out of it and still run 1000+ hours with no issues. Part of that reliability comes from forged internals and roller components. From a air/fuel perspective, the 427 will have multi port fuel injection to keep everything consistent and smooth and will be dynoed and tuned prior to arriving in Texas. The cam that will go in the engine will be very mild and to prevent reversion. It shouldn't idle any different than a normal GT40.

Last thing I considered was zero off. This boat was the first boat I learned how to slalom, trick, and jump behind. Hell, I landed my first "plop" behind this boat. From boys 1 to collegiate, I had the opportunity to use perfect pass, stargazer, and zero off. While I really wanted the newest tech (zero off) I realized that I skied just fine with perfect pass when I was growing up. Now that perfectpass is GPS based, I imagine its gotten even better. Yes, it's not Zero Off accurate but this boat isnt going to be pulling any world records lol. Perfectpass was what came in the boat so that is what I am going back to.

Thanks for your reply!


Good for you, hopefully the engine supplier has the skills and experience to get the application and tune correct for you. My only advice is to be sure that they use good cylinder heads... everything else they throw into that engine is likely to be wasted if they don't make the right choice on the cylinder heads.
1983 Ski Nautique 2001
1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy"
Holeshot Video
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 1:30pm
The cylinder heads are made by Prestige. Check our their YouTube channel Prestige Motorsports. They do some pretty amazing work!
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
JoeinNY View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: October-19-2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 5693
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote JoeinNY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 1:53pm
Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:

The cylinder heads are made by Prestige. Check our their YouTube channel Prestige Motorsports. They do some pretty amazing work!


I hope the cylinder heads are in fact not made by Prestige. I just checked out their specs on crate engines - the 500 hp 427 is using a Dart head and they talk about it being fairly lopey idle as it requires an aggressive cam to reach 500 hp with that setup.   The 520 hp version uses an AFR head and a milder cam for a better idle and more hp across the board.   IMHO - That is the head/cam you are going to want not for the 20 hp but for just reliable well mannered boat use.   Worth the 10% premium over the dart headed engine as long was we are spending your money.   I would drop down to a 408 with AFR heads over a 427 with the Dart heads.   Actual installed hp with wet manifolds and some intake restriction might not reach 520 or even 500 but definitely a monster. Get the strongest prop shaft you can - and for my money avoid the ARE shafts for this application.

1983 Ski Nautique 2001
1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy"
Holeshot Video
Back to Top
Treybizttu View Drop Down
Gold Member
Gold Member


Joined: October-02-2014
Location: Grapevine, TX
Status: Offline
Points: 534
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Treybizttu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 3:21pm
I like it. The new trailer looks nice as well.

I would listen to Joe as well.
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-11-2019 at 9:50pm
Originally posted by JoeinNY JoeinNY wrote:

Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:

The cylinder heads are made by Prestige. Check our their YouTube channel Prestige Motorsports. They do some pretty amazing work!


I hope the cylinder heads are in fact not made by Prestige. I just checked out their specs on crate engines - the 500 hp 427 is using a Dart head and they talk about it being fairly lopey idle as it requires an aggressive cam to reach 500 hp with that setup.   The 520 hp version uses an AFR head and a milder cam for a better idle and more hp across the board.   IMHO - That is the head/cam you are going to want not for the 20 hp but for just reliable well mannered boat use.   Worth the 10% premium over the dart headed engine as long was we are spending your money.   I would drop down to a 408 with AFR heads over a 427 with the Dart heads.   Actual installed hp with wet manifolds and some intake restriction might not reach 520 or even 500 but definitely a monster. Get the strongest prop shaft you can - and for my money avoid the ARE shafts for this application.



Thanks for your insight. I didn't even think about that. Looks like they are using ARP heads and a milder cam. Here is the complete build sheet.




1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
Kristof View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: October-08-2007
Location: Bree, Belgium
Status: Offline
Points: 3387
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kristof Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-12-2019 at 7:18am
Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:





Did you get caught in the "Tetris Challenge"-hype there…?

Awesome work!


- Gun control means: using BOTH hands!
- Money doesn't make one happy, but when it rains cats and dogs, it's still better to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle...

Back to Top
JoeinNY View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: October-19-2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 5693
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JoeinNY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-12-2019 at 11:56am
Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:



Thanks for your insight. I didn't even think about that. Looks like they are using ARP heads and a milder cam. Here is the complete build sheet.


I think that build sheet does not say what you think it says… ARP is the brand of cylinder head bolts they are planning to use ARP doesn't make cylinder heads, AFR makes great ford heads, so does Trick Flow, in this case they list using their own house brand of cylinder heads on the build sheet.   Which is a bit odd as they don't show any packages on the website that use their own brand of heads, I didn't look long and hard but you would certainly want to know more about those heads before you went with them.   I am not against using budget heads for a budget based upgrade but the cylinder heads are the heart and soul of the engine to upgrade everything else and then cheap out on the heads is false economy at best.   Assuming they don't engage in Dyno trickery you should still get your 500ish hp to the crankshaft with either heads but the better designed heads excel across the board and amount of time you will actually be running wide open and lightly loaded is very small – idle and the mid range is where you will live.
1983 Ski Nautique 2001
1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy"
Holeshot Video
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-12-2019 at 12:11pm
Upon further clarification with Prestige, these are the heads that will be used:

AFR Cylinder Heads, Competition Porting, Aluminum, Assembled, 58cc Chamber, 195cc Intake, Ford, Small Block, Pair

Not sure why I wrote ARP.
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-12-2019 at 10:10pm
Dash has been disassembled and is now at the mold shop. Couldn't believe how bad mine was once I pulled the vinyl and trim panels off. Should have myself a mold and a new dash in about two weeks. If anyone needs a 90's style Nautique dash in the future, let me know. I will have a mold!




1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-13-2019 at 3:44pm
Originally posted by JoeinNY JoeinNY wrote:

Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:

The cylinder heads are made by Prestige. Check our their YouTube channel Prestige Motorsports. They do some pretty amazing work!


I hope the cylinder heads are in fact not made by Prestige. I just checked out their specs on crate engines - the 500 hp 427 is using a Dart head and they talk about it being fairly lopey idle as it requires an aggressive cam to reach 500 hp with that setup.   The 520 hp version uses an AFR head and a milder cam for a better idle and more hp across the board.   IMHO - That is the head/cam you are going to want not for the 20 hp but for just reliable well mannered boat use.   Worth the 10% premium over the dart headed engine as long was we are spending your money.   I would drop down to a 408 with AFR heads over a 427 with the Dart heads.   Actual installed hp with wet manifolds and some intake restriction might not reach 520 or even 500 but definitely a monster. Get the strongest prop shaft you can - and for my money avoid the ARE shafts for this application.



What shaft company would you recommend outside of ARE? I thought they were one of the best?
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
JoeinNY View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: October-19-2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 5693
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JoeinNY Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-13-2019 at 4:37pm
Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:

[QUOTE=JoeinNY]
What shaft company would you recommend outside of ARE? I thought they were one of the best?


Some previous discussion is here...

1983 Ski Nautique 2001
1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy"
Holeshot Video
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-14-2019 at 12:05am
Windshield is disassembled and ready for powder coating!


This tool made completing this a breeze.
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 1:09am
Another step forward. The engine has been pulled and dropped off at the builder. I initially was going to ship this engine up to Prestige but I decided to do more research in the local Austin area. I found a well known retired engine builder who is known in the cigarette boat racing community. I dropped the engine off at his shop this evening. When I pulled up to his garage, I was speechless. Couldn't think of a more perfect place to have a Ford 351 rebuilt consider the two incredible self built Shelby kit cars parked there. After speaking in detail with Bob about how to build a potent and extremely reliable marine engine, we decided not to build 427. We are going to build a 393 or a 408. Meeting people like this really make this restoration and the story of this boat that more special.






The deck will be coming off in the next couple days and the interior body work will begin. One item I have been brainstorming is how to incorporate a belly hard ballast tank with a sender. Cody and I went back and forth about this and then he came up with the idea of reinforcing the gunnel walls and then building integrated gunnel ballast similar to what jet boats use. This way the center ballast would be closer to the center of gravity of the boat and I would be able to have individual control of each tank. The ballast tanks will be glassed to the walls of the hull along with reinforcing the hull walls. They will be independent of the deck and gunnels. Each tank should add just under 200 lbs each. Including the factory rear tanks, this boat will have about 800 lbs of factory ballast. While not much by today’s standards, 800 lbs in this boat is a lot. I’m not a wakeboarder or surfer. I grew up skiing on a pair of cutoffs so this will be plenty for me.


1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
sport1999 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-10-2015
Location: Florida
Status: Offline
Points: 313
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sport1999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 10:00am
First of all, your rebuilt looks great. I would like to mention that I've never seen a built in ballast really work that well. It's a lot of work for marginal effect, plus you have to deal with long term issue like leaking. The floor space under the gunnels really make the boat feel more spacious. If you're really looking nimble ballast, I would recommend (1) 800 pound bag in the rear run by a reversible pump. (Look at Sumo Sac Long 800 as this fits almost perfect in the rear hatch.)
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 10:14am
Originally posted by sport1999 sport1999 wrote:

First of all, your rebuilt looks great. I would like to mention that I've never seen a built in ballast really work that well. It's a lot of work for marginal effect, plus you have to deal with long term issue like leaking. The floor space under the gunnels really make the boat feel more spacious. If you're really looking nimble ballast, I would recommend (1) 800 pound bag in the rear run by a reversible pump. (Look at Sumo Sac Long 800 as this fits almost perfect in the rear hatch.)


Thank you! The only reason I was leaning away front bags is because I wanted gauges to show my water level. I didn’t even think about the spaciousness of it all. With the boat completely empty and no engine, it suddenly feels huge. The only thing that is steering me away is not being able to use a gauge or a sender with bags. I don’t know why that is so important to me. Maybe I need to get over that idea. Maybe it’s a symmetry thing because the rear tanks would have gauges and senders and the front bag wouldn’t?
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
sport1999 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-10-2015
Location: Florida
Status: Offline
Points: 313
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sport1999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 11:07am
I won't derail your thread too much here. I owned a 99 Sport for a few years and familiar with the ballast needs for the boat. For a basic wakeboard wake I would do the following:

First, if you have the stock ballast tanks in the rear, consider removing them. They don't really hold enough weight to produce a nice wake and they take up a lot of space. Just put the sumo sac (800 long) in the rear and it opens up the whole rear locker when its not in use, Second, if you don't plan to use the ski locker, add a second bag there. Install two reversible pumps in the rear locker. If it were me, I wouldn't even use the ballast gauges. If you're making a new mold, just remove them completely. On the other hand, I know some people really want to restore things to original. To each their own.
Back to Top
67 ski nat View Drop Down
Platinum Member
Platinum Member


Joined: July-19-2018
Location: Santa rosa
Status: Offline
Points: 1178
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote 67 ski nat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 11:58am
You are right. The people old timers we meet along the way are half the fun
I met 80 year old distributor guy, older carburetor Rebiulder and various other boat folks. Makes these projects enjoyable
You are doing unbelievable job. Thanks sharing
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 4:00pm
Originally posted by sport1999 sport1999 wrote:

I won't derail your thread too much here. I owned a 99 Sport for a few years and familiar with the ballast needs for the boat. For a basic wakeboard wake I would do the following:

First, if you have the stock ballast tanks in the rear, consider removing them. They don't really hold enough weight to produce a nice wake and they take up a lot of space. Just put the sumo sac (800 long) in the rear and it opens up the whole rear locker when its not in use, Second, if you don't plan to use the ski locker, add a second bag there. Install two reversible pumps in the rear locker. If it were me, I wouldn't even use the ballast gauges. If you're making a new mold, just remove them completely. On the other hand, I know some people really want to restore things to original. To each their own.


I completely agree with you, again, I not sure why I am so set on using gauges to monitor my ballast but my preference is beginning to waver. You are completely right, bags would be much easier to deal with and I could take much better advantage of the space I have. I think I will probably end up going to bags at the end of this deal. Cheaper and easier.
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 4:02pm
Originally posted by 67 ski nat 67 ski nat wrote:

You are right. The people old timers we meet along the way are half the fun
I met 80 year old distributor guy, older carburetor Rebiulder and various other boat folks. Makes these projects enjoyable
You are doing unbelievable job. Thanks sharing


Thank you for the encouragement! I am only doing this because I seen other people on this forum do similar things. This community and its members have given me a tremendous amount of confidence, knowledge, and assistance to get to this point.
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-20-2019 at 4:04pm
Another piece of the puzzle has arrived. In my first post, my plan for gauges was to have Livorsi create some custom instruments with the hope the classic Nautiques logo could be incorporated on the gauge face. Unfortunately that couldn't be done due to copyright. I realized that since I am running a Holley EFI system on this new engine, I could utilize their EFI Pro Dash 12.3". It's built for rugged environments, is water resistant, completely plug and play with one cable, and has an integrated GPS speedo. It would also show everything analog and NMEA 2000 gauges would and more. It also offers a variety of different input and outputs including digital switches and potentially incorporating depth sender data into it (I hope this is the case). While I was pretty sure I wanted to stick with the classic oem dash look, I realized that this boat is not a perfect period correct restoration. It's a resto-mod. Part of that is incorporating new technologies. The Pro Dash stays with this trend. Best of all, I can incorporate as many Nautique logos as I want.

Since my new dash will be made out of fiberglass, it will be fairly straight forward to mold and flush mount this screen into the dash while maintaining the OEM shape, bezel, and matching overlays like the OEM dash. I would also make the screen frame-less so all of the gloss black surrounding the screen would be covered up. The only step from here is figure out what Perfect Pass gauge I will be using. It will most likely be the rectangular gauge face they sell. I will disassemble it and then flush mount it into the dash like the Pro Dash. I may re-solder the Perfect Pass settings buttons to a different place on the dash if it's possible. I am thinking I will flush mount it below the gauge cluster where the oem tach and ballast gauges were. Maintaining the same frame-less approach. We will see on this.

What are y'alls thoughts?




1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-25-2019 at 4:38pm
Very special thank you to Jeff Caroll at Planet Nautique and Ron Nace from Correct Craft for helping me gather a 22 page build sheet of this boat. I am truly elated to add this documentation to the restoration book I am creating. Below are a couple excerpts. 43.1 mph isn't too bad! Can't get over that 1999 pricing though.





If you want to see the full build sheet, see link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dI-HwngR_6WAdYLf3qnSNo5_xQnel7px/view?usp=sharing
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
storm34 View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
Grand Poobah
Avatar

Joined: November-03-2008
Location: Dexter Iowa
Status: Offline
Points: 4492
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote storm34 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-25-2019 at 8:20pm
Originally posted by DHMcFadin DHMcFadin wrote:


What are y'alls thoughts?


If you're going with a custom dash check out the BFM build on N3 Boatworks social media pages or ask Mark for some additional pics. They deleted the dash of their BFN all together and it looks surprisingly nice. Might be a possibility for what you're trying to accomplish.
Back to Top
tryathlete View Drop Down
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Avatar

Joined: April-19-2013
Location: Lake Villa, IL
Status: Offline
Points: 1796
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tryathlete Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-25-2019 at 8:51pm
I want a ride when this thing is done. I will bring gas. That is the answer for any aging GT40.
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-25-2019 at 9:19pm
I have definitely seen that! Thanks for the reminder! I am still brainstorming, definitely a good possibility for a super clean look.
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
DHMcFadin View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: May-27-2019
Location: Austin, Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 312
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DHMcFadin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-25-2019 at 9:20pm
Would be glad to give you a ride! Near Austin Texas? Either way, if another CC reunion roles around, I will be towing the boat there guaranteed!
1999 Longhorn Nautique
1995 Nautique Super Sport
https://www.instagram.com/longhorn_nautique/
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page   123 15>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Copyright 2024 | Bagley Productions, LLC