Future Cat project.

[Lovey80]

Hi guys and gals, In the next 12 months I'm looking to start a project where I can rebuild a larger cat in the 20-24ft range. The purpose would be to bring a older or damaged boat back to new. I have looked at a lot of boats that would be in the final price range once finished but there's always something I don't like and would like to change(hard tops non existant or cabins too big) Call me fussy but I have a style in my head of what I want in a finished product and figure I it would be more economical to do this as part of the rebuild. At this stage im thinking that power isnt an issue as the last stage of the project will be new donks..... say 150hp+/-. So the first stage would be to start looking around for a suitible hull on a trailer and go from there. A freind of mine picked up a 24ft(i think) Devil cat that had 2 bad donks for low teens that needed some work and ended up repowering.

Do you guys think this was a freaky one off deal or do deals like this come along fairly regularly. Are there sites that are good for finding a boat that needs some TLC?????

The reason I said around the 6m range is I don't want to by a V8 to pull it down the highway. Maybe something that a 3.0L turbo Patrol or similar could pull at the speed limit? Am I kidding myself here would I need a 4,2 cruiser to pull a boat of this size?

A lot of questions and with the wealth of knowlege on here I am sure Ill get some good advice..........Wadeo/GM and co?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cheers Chris

[hungry6]

If you want one that will tow easy, then a powercat or Kevlacat would be the go, stay away from noosa/sharkcat, as they will require the extra grunt to tow them.
I can tow a 2400series kevlacat no probs, but struggle to do the same with a 2300 noosacat in a 4litre hilux,,,, yes before anyone say it's illegal, I live 100 metre from the ramp and I got a 400 metre of sandy driveway.

[julian1]

you will need at least a Landcruiser to tow a 23ft Noosa/Sharkcat. no doubt a 3.0 Prado would pull it - but not down the highway. I have a 660 Noosacat and use a Landcruiser and would not want anything less to tow it with. a 2400 Kevalcat woudl be approx the same weight. It depends on far you need to pull it each time you use it.

[Lovey80]

Say for a once a year trip from Maroochydore to Maryborough.

Cheers Chris

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Chris,

I have a 23 and an 18 in the front yard that you can practice on ;D

Keep your eyes and ears open for a cheap cat hull ... if the question gets asked, there is always someone who will know where there is one sitting and not being used ... like the one at Chelmer :-X

Chances are it will be a Sharkcat that you end up with, mainly because there are so many of them around.
Finding a cheap 6.2 Kevlacat would be a good option for you, but hard to come by.

Weights are always a big thing with a cat.

Here are the weighbridge weights from my recent cats.

5.0m Sharkcat Sportsman 1.94 t
5.6m Sharkcat Sportsman 2.30 t
7.0m Sharkcat Hardtop / Cabin 3.68 t - no fuel, no gear, no sterndrive leg.

Waedos 7m cuddy is apparantly a lot lighter.

Towing a boat of the 3+ tonne mark is a big job and I guarantee that you will get sick of it pretty quickly.
So, to get the cat you want, you would be well advised to price a capable tow vehicle into the equation ... or source something like I have - stored on trailer at the marina hardstand ... or like Hungry, live near the ramp.

Cheers

Pete

[freddofrog]

Hi Chris

Thinking about it, those types of boat renovation/handyman's dream type of boats do come around reasonably often when you look out for them. I called a few boat yards and let them know what I was after and soon after was getting emails on potential boats, some before they'd even hit the general market.

If you go down this part just make sure you do your research properly and use a marine surveyor is you think it's justified. I checked out quite a few and took heaps of photos of all the dodgy bits (dents, dry rot, delamination etc etc) and emailed them to repairers to get their views (and cost) to repair.

Eventually I decided I didn't have the time (or expertise) so just boat a "normal" boat (5.2m KC).

As another option try looking at the US boat market http://www.boattraderonline.com Lots of good cheap boats there

cya
ff

[Noelm]

there is a thousand "old" Cats about of you want a "doer upper" BUT when you want something a bit special/different, then the options thin out a lot, I have been looking for an 18' Centre Console Sharkcat for a long time now and have only found two, one I missed out on and the other the guy won't sell it even though it has not moved for about 8 years, so best of luck and keep on looking!

[julian1]

G'day Chris,

I have a 23 and an 18 in the front yard that you can practice on ;D

Keep your eyes and ears open for a cheap cat hull ... if the question gets asked, there is always someone who will know where there is one sitting and not being used ... like the one at Chelmer :-X

Chances are it will be a Sharkcat that you end up with, mainly because there are so many of them around.
Finding a cheap 6.2 Kevlacat would be a good option for you, but hard to come by.

Weights are always a big thing with a cat.

Here are the weighbridge weights from my recent cats.

5.0m Sharkcat Sportsman 1.94 t
5.6m Sharkcat Sportsman 2.30 t
7.0m Sharkcat Hardtop / Cabin 3.68 t - no fuel, no gear, no sterndrive leg.

Waedos 7m cuddy is apparantly a lot lighter.

Towing a boat of the 3+ tonne mark is a big job and I guarantee that you will get sick of it pretty quickly.
So, to get the cat you want, you would be well advised to price a capable tow vehicle into the equation ... or source something like I have - stored on trailer at the marina hardstand ... or like Hungry, live near the ramp.

Cheers

Pete

whats the one at Chelmer ? is it a 23 ?:-X

cheer's

Julian

[Grand_Marlin]

Yep, 23 Full cabin like mine, but with outboards.

[mirage]

Chris, I doubt a 3.0L Patrol would do anything but struggle to sit on the speed limit with that sort of boat. I have towed my 2400KC to Mackay in a new V8 Cruiser and wouldn't do it again in anything less.
Cheers, Scotty.

[wadeo]

gday lovey80 A tow vehicle will be an issue i tow mine 1.5km to ramp with a nissan navara 4by4 ute. As grand marlin said mine is lighter than his coming in at 3-3.2t loaded. A mate has one similar to pete's and tows it up and down the highway at the speed limit with a 80 series petrol cruiser. He's towing it to the fraser classic this year too which will be interesting. Mine was a project boat which was purchased for only 5 grand on a trailer. sourced mine off ebay.
regards wadeo

[snelly1971]

How far would you be willing to travel Chris...for the right boat at the right price...

Mick

[Fatenhappy]

hey Lovey80 ...

I have had some really close experience with this.

Hate to put a dampener on this but it also comes down to the legality of all this.

It alright for people to perhaps say that the vehicle "can tow this or that" but don't forget that its the gross weight all up of the boat and trailer loaded, thats the GVM.

With very few exceptions the upper limit is 3 1/2 ton for a large 4 WD. We used to have a Landcruiser troop carrier turbo and found that inadequate to comfortably tow 3.2 ton down the highway when a semi went past. With some good luck we changed to an F250 and guess what, without modification, 3 1/2 ton was its limit too.

Big problem is, everythings OK until there's an accident and then you don't have any insurance at all

Cheers
Greg

[julian1]

How far would you be willing to travel Chris...for the right boat at the right price...

Mick

do you know of one Mick ?

cheer's

Julian

[Lovey80]

How far would you be willing to travel Chris...for the right boat at the right price...

Mick

Haven't really weighed that up yet Snelly, I flew from Sydney to Cairns last year handed over the cheque put the boat/Camper on a truck and shipped it back to the Sunny Coast. I would have to weigh up if the right price included getting it to SEQLD.

As for the cabin style that is one of the things I would like to customise as I want a short cabin but with a hard top running back from that. All seem to be either cuddy or a full cab like Liquid Remedy.

Wadeo mate what you have done is pretty much what i am after. Not too sure about stripping the whole boat back bare like you but if the hull is structurally sound, re gelcoating to bring it back to pristine and putting a custom cabin on from there. Am I making sense here?

Cheers Boys keep up the good work!

[Lovey80]

GM any chance you could post a few photo's of yours??

What era is the 6.2 KC are they still making those? What would optimum HP be on a 6.2 KC assuming O/B's

Cheers Chris

[snelly1971]

do you know of one Mick ?

cheer's

Julian

They often pop up down here...

I will keep my eyes peeled

Mick

[Dean1]

there is a thousand "old" Cats about of you want a "doer upper" BUT when you want something a bit special/different, then the options thin out a lot, I have been looking for an 18' Centre Console Sharkcat for a long time now and have only found two, one I missed out on and the other the guy won't sell it even though it has not moved for about 8 years, so best of luck and keep on looking! Noelm i know wheres theres an 18 sharkcat centre consle for sale in a front yard. Let me know if ur stillkeen. Deano.

[Grand_Marlin]

The 6.2 I am talking about isnt made anymore.

From memory the replacement is the 2400, which is a hundred grand.

Kevlacat isn't my strong point, so these are estimates.
The 6.2's were made from mid 80's to mid 90's

There was a predecessor to the 6.2 which was a 5.9 ... made to avoid extra survey costs over the 6m mark.
Both good boats, cuddy cab with heaps of deck space, motors on pods.
I think the best for these would be twin 130's, but some people ay this is overkill.
If I were repowering one, I would consider twin 4 stroke 115's or 140's
The hull itself is easily driven - a lot easier than the same size sharkcat.
Less power, less weight and planes easier than a sharkcat.
The sharkcat is a better rough sea boat though - by a long way.

Cheers

Pete

[steve99]

Hey Guys,
Its been interesting reading all your posts ,but something caught my eye.
Re - Gelcoating is a phrase I often here,but to be honest I dont think its possible to re-gelcoat a boat hull .
Gelcoat needs to be applied in a mould. Its physical properties dont allow it to be used any other way.
In most instances,two-pack paint is used to restore boat hulls. The results of doing this are mixed . To be honest,its always best to restore the original gelcoat,because ultimately it gives the best finish.

Cheers Steve99.

[Dean1]

The 6.2 I am talking about isnt made anymore.

From memory the replacement is the 2400, which is a hundred grand.

Kevlacat isn't my strong point, so these are estimates.
The 6.2's were made from mid 80's to mid 90's

There was a predecessor to the 6.2 which was a 5.9 ... made to avoid extra survey costs over the 6m mark.
Both good boats, cuddy cab with heaps of deck space, motors on pods.
I think the best for these would be twin 130's, but some people ay this is overkill.
If I were repowering one, I would consider twin 4 stroke 115's or 140's
The hull itself is easily driven - a lot easier than the same size sharkcat.
Less power, less weight and planes easier than a sharkcat.
The sharkcat is a better rough sea boat though - by a long way.

Cheers

Pete Hey Pete isnt your boat meant to be gold and not yellow ;D ;D ;D

[Lovey80]

Thanks for the info Steve. My reference to regelcoating was more directed at patching/Restoring holes and Cracks and chips from the original hull. I don't think re-fiberglassing a whole hull would be a fun experience. So on boats where large chips have been taken out (where you can see the fibreglass matting underneath) Is it easy to fill these areas and have it come back like new or will there always be an area where you can tell its been repaired?

Cheers Chris

[Fatenhappy]

Hey Lovey80, food for thought perhaps ...

Everyone to their own .... I found the whole cab area on LR to be too boxed in. Any time you were at the helm and wanted to get to the deck it was like an obstacle crossing.

Easy minor changes so far or planned ....As a starting point, the runners on the glass divider door were RS so all that has been ripped out. The existing seat area will be changed as once again I find it to cramped and boxed in. There is an area under the standard seats that's boxed and raised about 6" or so. Some pull all that out and reclaim it as flooring, but I am pretty sure I will cut a couple of large access holes and use that as storeage, particularly for safety gear and the like.

And so she evolves ....

Its obviously what ever suits you best ... good luck with the purchase/reno and I look forward to seeing what you come up with

Cheers
Greg

[Grand_Marlin]

Hey Guys,
Its been interesting reading all your posts ,but something caught my eye.
Re - Gelcoating is a phrase I often here,but to be honest I dont think its possible to re-gelcoat a boat hull .
Gelcoat needs to be applied in a mould. Its physical properties dont allow it to be used any other way.
In most instances,two-pack paint is used to restore boat hulls. The results of doing this are mixed . To be honest,its always best to restore the original gelcoat,because ultimately it gives the best finish.

Cheers Steve99.


G'day Steve,

Re - gelcoating is definitely possible.

The hull is rubbed back and the gelcoat (with wax in styrene) is sprayed thickly onto the hull.
It is then sanded back with the "wizzer" with various grades, and buffed / polished at the end.
Many boats that have had antifoull removed have this done to them.
Also, some transom replacements use this technique as well.
Working in the industry, I was suprised that you hadn't heard of this being done?
Do you work more with other products, rather than boats?

It is a very labour intensive and precise job - not something that is recommended to try at home.

2 Pac is commonly used as it is heaps easier and cheaper.
The type of paint used makes all the diference to the longevity of the job.
We use Dupont with excellent results.

Cheers

Pete

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Chris,

Chips / Scratches as you describe can be filled and matched into the existing gelcoat.
There is usually a slight colour miss match at first, until the UV "yellows" the gelcoat repair to match the existing. This usually takes a couple of months.

By the way, have you got your eye on any particular hull yet?

Cheers

Pete

[Noelm]

Dean1 I have sent a PM, does anyone know of the 18' Centre Console he mentioned?? and I do not want to hijack this post, sorry!

[steve99]

Hi Grand Marlin,

Re-Gelcoating is certainly good for patch-up work or small repairs,but respraying a complete boat hull is fraught with danger.
Firstly, the addition of wax in styrene into gelcoat increases the yellowing effect when the gelcoat is exposed to ultra-voilet light.
Secondly, to cure effectively gelcoat needs to be applied relatively thick 0.6-0.8mm - which creates more problems like orange-peel and running. To stop that happening the gelcoat needs to be layered ,but thats impossible because of the addition of wax. It cannot be layered when partially cured because of the probability of tripe/wrinkling.
However, if an even satisfactory gelcoat repray is obtained,it needs to be sanded back for smooth finish. In most cases,unsightly porosity will blemish the finish.
For small jobs like a transom ,or touch-up,the finish probably is`nt that important.
For major work like a complete hull respray.I would definately go for the 2 pack polyurethane finish.
Re-Gelcoating a complete boat hull with gelcoat is a nightmarish scenario only attempted by the bravest fibreglass worker.

Cheers Steve99

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Steve,

Mate, I am not going to turn this into an argument, so please stop telling me it can't be done.

The last one we did was a 2150 Mustang Walkaround with no problems at all.
Stripped the antifoul and resprayed the gelcoat.
The finish was like new.
A client isn't going to part with big $$$ for a second rate job.

I was going to do my 23ft Sharkcat the same, but decided to respray in a fancy colour and keep the antifoul on the bottom, even though it lives on a trailer.

Cheers

Pete

[julian1]

why are you keeping the anit foul on if its living on a trailer ?

[Grand_Marlin]

why are you keeping the anit foul on if its living on a trailer ?


G'day Julian,

2 reasons:

1) it is already anti fouled

2) t will be spending up to a week or more in the water at certain times ... especially if we were to travel up to say 1770 and we got blown out ... the boat can stay on a mooring and not have to worry about it.

Cheers

Pete

[steve99]

Hey Grand Marlin,

I dont remember saying it could not be done. I did point out the difficulties in undertaking such a task.
The problems I mentioned are widely known in the fibreglass industry.
It sounds like you have been lucky in not encountering them

Cheers Steve99

[Grand_Marlin]

Hey Guys,
Re - Gelcoating is a phrase I often here,but to be honest I dont think its possible to re-gelcoat a boat hull .
Gelcoat needs to be applied in a mould. Its physical properties dont allow it to be used any other way.

Cheers Steve99.

Really ..... bad memory maybe?

So, we go from cant be done, to can be done with difficulty, to me being lucky that I haven't f##ked a job up.

Maybe, just maybe, I know what I am doing?

If you want to pull my chain, make sure of your facts first.

Cheers

Pete

[steve99]

Hey Grand Marlin,

If you think Im yanking your chain thats your business. Im just stating the facts as they are known in the industry.
Thats what forums are for is`nt it? People having different opinions .
Just because I dont agree with what you say,you assum your right and Im wrong.
Believe it or not I did check the facts before my last post. I would not have made it otherwise,.
Put simply, current generation gelcoats are not meant to be used in the way you described.
If you have had satisfactory results using gelcoat that way - good for you.

Cheers Steve99

[Lovey80]

Dean1 I have sent a PM, does anyone know of the 18' Centre Console he mentioned?? and I do not want to hijack this post, sorry!

Go for it mate fill ya boots. We're all here to help each other out.

Cheers Chris

[Lovey80]

G'day Chris,

Chips / Scratches as you describe can be filled and matched into the existing gelcoat.
There is usually a slight colour miss match at first, until the UV "yellows" the gelcoat repair to match the existing. This usually takes a couple of months.

By the way, have you got your eye on any particular hull yet?

Cheers

Pete

Thanks for the info GM, I plan on doing some tire kicking on set up boats very soon to get an Idea of the space I want. I have fished in and around Mooloolaba a fair bit and seen pleanty of KC's but never fished in one but if I won the lotto today tomorrow there would be a deposit for a KC 2400 Offshore they've had me drooling for a while now. Obviously a 2400 KC isn't going to be in the "doer upper" category for many more years. Your info on the differences between the KC's and the Shark cats had me leaning towards the KC's on weight and HP requirements.

Do you think a 6.2KC would have enough room to justify a removable game chair should the occaision arise. Most of my fishing will be bottom bouncing and trolling for the smaller pelagics but If I do this i'm going to do this right and have a boat I could keep for many years and who know's? May like to chase the odd marlin for some fun.

Hypothetically if someone was to bring you a 6.2KC and asked for a re-gelcoat (provided you didnt have to do any major prep work) What ball park are we talking to have this done? Maybe a comparison to a good 2 Pac job.


Thanks for all your help guys

Cheers Chris

[Grand_Marlin]

Steve, refer to my last post.
'nuff said.


G'day Chris,

If you get a 6.2 Kevlacat, you are still going to be looking in the 40 - 50 grand mark.
I have never seen a 6.2 Kevlacat that is in need of rebuild.
Not saying that they don't exist, but they are as rare as...

It is more likely that you may have a few gelcoat chips to repair, but very very unlikely that it would need a total re-gel.

Gel v's 2Pac is hard to answer because you have to take each boat on its merits, but you can be looking at up to double the cost.
Good paint job, up to 5 grand, depending on prepwork / stripping hull.
If all hull was prepped ready to paint probably 2 grand to supply and paint, again depending on type of primers / block back work etc etc etc.
What I am trying to say is, every boat is different.

The 6.2's and 5.2's came in 3 models from memory.
The standard fitment, with very little gear.
Pro Sport that had more extras.
Tournament that came standard with centre icebox, reelax game chair, outriggers and more... it basically had everything you would need on a boat.

Cheers

Pete

[Lovey80]

Thanks GM a great help. Sorry I havent replied sooner, life is a bit hectic atm, and to top it all off I got arse ended by another car pretty good today so that going to take up priority for al ittle while.

If I can pick your brain a little further. What sizes of Shark Cat are out there? Have they pretty much stayed similar all these years or have the Sharkcats chopped and changed a fair bit with heaps of diff models.

Cheers Chris.

P.S. Was that Shark cat at Chelma actually for sale or is it one of the ones you were refering to thats just sitting in the yard needing a resto on it?

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Chris,

No good to hear about your vehicle ... at least it can be fixed.
Maybe we could re-gel it ;D

The Cat at Chelmer is just one I saw looking pretty bedraggled, down the back of a yard.

Take a look at the pics of the old Sharkcat catalogue, kindly donated by Fishingrod from Ausfish.
This gives you all the last models of Sharkcat, before they went to Noosacat.

Cheers

Pete

[Lovey80]

Thanks Mate you have been a great help. I'll start another thread when I find something im intersted in.

Cheers Chris

[ColacGirl]

Re - gelcoating

It is a very labour intensive and precise job - not something that is recommended to try at home.



LOL.... hey Pete, wish you'd told us that before we re-gelcoated Play-Pen ;)

We're also on the look out for a Cat project
Prefer a Bruce Harris model hull
Size: 23' or 24' (Did Bruce do a 24'?)
Price range: Dirt cheap

--
Bev

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Bev,

I am sure you are a glutton for punishment ;D

More re - gelcoating (that cant be done) :-X

I have never measured the older cats, but they were 23ft.

The later of the sharkcats (700 series) was exactly 7m long ... this = 23 feet also.

If someone has a so called 24ft / 7.3m cat, I would love to see a tape measure ran over it to confirm.

I am not aware of an actual 24ft cat, but I could be wrong (again ;D )

Are you looking for outboard or sterndrive powered?

Cheers

Pete

[ColacGirl]

Hi Pete,



I am sure you are a glutton for punishment ;D


Me, a glutton for punishment????
<sigh>
I must be, it looks like he's talked me into another rebuild! ::)



I have never measured the older cats, but they were 23ft.
The later of the sharkcats (700 series) was exactly 7m long ... this = 23 feet also.
If someone has a so called 24ft / 7.3m cat, I would love to see a tape measure ran over it to confirm.
I am not aware of an actual 24ft cat, but I could be wrong (again ;D )


I'll trust you're not wrong regarding the lengths. You seem quite passionate about cats which is why I asked here :)

For some reason Ross thought there was a 24', but I did some research and couldn't find anything to prove him right ;)



Are you looking for outboard or sterndrive powered?


Either.... but sterndrive would be better.

--
Bev