Hurricane Project (newbie)

[palar]

Moved this from another forum upon suggestion, apologies for the double post.

Hi guys, I just got my hands on an old Hurricane 640 (ex coast guard boat). The inboard is gone, the tubes are okay (need to replace a valve) and sitting on an awesome trailer. I picked this up for next to nothing and plan on making it my project boat over the spring / summer. I saw a few other people posting on here about doing similar projects and I'm looking for advice / suggestions on how to go about fitting an outboard on this thing and anything else I should do. I'm an experienced boater (I'm a sailing coach) and can't wait to get this thing rolling, but admittedly know very little about doing a project like this, so any help / guidance would be GREATLY appreciated.

Right now the boat has no inboard (trim tabs still there, as well as power steering... not sure if that can be reused), still a hole in the stern where it was, needs the usual nip and tuck on the seats / etc. I'm thinking a single outboard (for cost reasons more then anything).

So, any tips? Be gentle ;-)

[9D280]

Repost!

Welcome!

I don't know much about those particular hulls, but ref your engine comment, if you are buying secondhand, you may find the price difference is not as much as you think - the bigger problem with seconhand twins may be finding a matched pair!

I guess at approx 6.5m you will be looking at twin 70s or 90s Both quite popular sizes, so maybe easier to source?

[palar]

Originally Posted by 9D280

Repost!

Welcome!

I don't know much about those particular hulls, but ref your engine comment, if you are buying secondhand, you may find the price difference is not as much as you think - the bigger problem with seconhand twins may be finding a matched pair!

I guess at approx 6.5m you will be looking at twin 70s or 90s Both quite popular sizes, so maybe easier to source?

Referring to the price difference, I assume you mean two smaller vs one bigger (which is what I meant). I had thought of that, but what about "added complexity" of having two engines (i.e not sure how the steering systems work, brackets, etc). Again I know nothing about this stuff, just a "user". I had thought about two 70s or 90s, besides it looking sweet, the redundancy is kind of nice feature (remember, I'm a sailor first, so having more then one way to move a boat in the water is built into my thinking ;-)

Thanks for the thoughts, I'll keep it in mind when looking around for used engines. The general though with the project is to do things on a budget to get it floating and moving, then upgrade over time.

[OceanEco]

For a hurricane 640 if you decide to run a twin application you will need a little more power than twin 70's... More like twin 115's. I run twin 140's on my 640 they are heavy boats. For a single application I would run a 200h.p.

You will need to fiberglass the hole in the transom and have an outboard bracket fabricated. The 640's have a bit of a round hull so the bracket will need to follow the round shape. Hurricane does make the outboard bracket but they are quite expensive, cheaper to have a welder fabricate one.

Good luck!!

[palar]

Originally Posted by OceanEco

For a hurricane 640 if you decide to run a twin application you will need a little more power than twin 70's... More like twin 115's. I run twin 140's on my 640 they are heavy boats. For a single application I would run a 200h.p.

You will need to fiberglass the hole in the transom and have an outboard bracket fabricated. The 640's have a bit of a round hull so the bracket will need to follow the round shape. Hurricane does make the outboard bracket but they are quite expensive, cheaper to have a welder fabricate one.

Good luck!!

Twins 140s, wow, didn't think she would need that much power. Saw lots of pics around here of people with single 140 / 150 range. Since I thought 200 was kind of the max I should put on, then yeah, that makes sense. Must fly with twin 140s! Eventually I would love to put twin 115 yamahas on it, but that is a bit out of my price range at the moment ;-)

[pathalla]

Originally Posted by palar

Referring to the price difference, I assume you mean two smaller vs one bigger (which is what I meant). I had thought of that, but what about "added complexity" of having two engines (i.e not sure how the steering systems work, brackets, etc). Again I know nothing about this stuff, just a "user". I had thought about two 70s or 90s, besides it looking sweet, the redundancy is kind of nice feature (remember, I'm a sailor first, so having more then one way to move a boat in the water is built into my thinking ;-)

Thanks for the thoughts, I'll keep it in mind when looking around for used engines. The general though with the project is to do things on a budget to get it floating and moving, then upgrade over time.

There can be quite a bit of complexity in rigging a twin engined boat especially if you are converting from inboard to outboard, having done this I think the important thing is to have a well thought out plan prior to commencing the rerigging process. If one is mechanically inclined this can be a very rewarding project. Do your homework regarding fabricating, it is very important to get the bracket height correct and proper spacing between engines, installation of the hydraulic steering etc. etc. There is a lot to the process but it is entirely within the capabilities of most people, you just need assemble the plan and the parts needed before you actually start. Good luck with your project and looking forward to pics of the same if you can post em.

As to steering Seastar hydraulic is what I would recommend, You want to buy the entire setup, (comes in a kit) you can use one or two hydraulic cylinders, if you go with one you wil need to have a tiebar between the motors.
Feel free to ask for advice, I'll help you where I can.

[pathalla]

Regarding power I think having more is better than less, you can always back off the throttles if you don't need it all. If going with twins I would think about a few different things, first how big is the fuel cell on the boat? Is it going to be acceptable for a twin application sizewise? You need to look at fuel consumption per hour versus your onboard capacity. If the boat is powered by twins you need enough beam for proper motor spacing, this shouldn't be an issue on a zodiac but I'd still take a look at that. If the boat is over 22 ft. centerline I would think you would want at least twin 115 hp motors on it but this depends on how much you haul (people, gear) and general use. A little more power is not going to add that much in fuel consumption but over time you will be much more satisfied with performance of the boat than if you decided to underpower it. Again, you can always keep your foot out of it.

If you are on a budget I would recommend a larger single installation, I think it would be cheaper and easier to install, binnacle cost, throttle cables fuel lines, fuel separators etc. etc.
On that size boat 200 to 250 hp motor. Have fun!

On a 30 ft. boat I have twin 250s, this is probably more power than I actually needed but the boat comes out of the hole easily, has a easy cruising speed and stays on plane easily, reasonable fuel consumption but will still get up and run when I need her to, no disappointments. I am happy, be happy with your new boat. Good luck.

P.S. I am also a staunch believer in the benefits of trim tabs on boats. If you have the space for trim tabs aft, I'd install a set of Lenco's or Bennett's.

[Stringer Bell]

might be cheaper and more economical to source the inboard 130-150hp diesel with outdrive?

where are you located?

good luck!

[OceanEco]

With twin 140 suzuki 4strokes my top speed is 40 knots. The suzuki 140's are more like 125h.p. With a twin application you lose about 30% of your h.p. due to the extra drag. If costs are a concern I would suggest using a single... Way less fuel consumption and faster speeds with less h.p.

I use mine commercially and need twins... With no load in the boat and having one motor trimmed out of the water I can still make 28 knots at w.o.t. When the boat is loaded with 12 passengers I can only make 10 knots w.o.t. on one motor.

Did you buy the 640 that was auctioned off back east about a month ago?

Originally Posted by palar

Twins 140s, wow, didn't think she would need that much power. Saw lots of pics around here of people with single 140 / 150 range. Since I thought 200 was kind of the max I should put on, then yeah, that makes sense. Must fly with twin 140s! Eventually I would love to put twin 115 yamahas on it, but that is a bit out of my price range at the moment ;-)

[palar]

Originally Posted by OceanEco

With twin 140 suzuki 4strokes my top speed is 40 knots. The suzuki 140's are more like 125h.p. With a twin application you lose about 30% of your h.p. due to the extra drag. If costs are a concern I would suggest using a single... Way less fuel consumption and faster speeds with less h.p.

I use mine commercially and need twins... With no load in the boat and having one motor trimmed out of the water I can still make 28 knots at w.o.t. When the boat is loaded with 12 passengers I can only make 10 knots w.o.t. on one motor.

Did you buy the 640 that was auctioned off back east about a month ago?

thanks for the info and "Real world" usage. And no, this boat came from upper middle of the US, but is being brought out to the east coast of canada.

I just inquired through a local shop (who then corresponded to Zodiac) about pods for this boat (using the serial number) and they (zodiac) replied:

The transom was not designed to accept OB's and will need to be reinforced. We do not have a bracket design for this boat.

This means that for your customer to change to OB's the transom would need to be reinforced and that a custom OB bracket would need to be designed.

Is this common? I.e would this be the case for all of the 640s or did I some how pick up a random version that requires more work then most? If this is normal (or not), anyone have any experience with having to reinforce the transom before adding a bracket?

[palar]

Originally Posted by Stringer Bell

might be cheaper and more economical to source the inboard 130-150hp diesel with outdrive?

where are you located?

good luck!

Thanks to all above for all the responses. Right now I'm in the "ask and look around" info stages, trying to get a handle on what kind of work and budget I'm going to need. The budget is tight, and given what I have read and people here have suggestion I'm looking at either a single outboard or perhaps an inboard (especially given the comment from Zodiac I've written above concerning the transom). I have no experience with inboards, so even more of newbie there, but I assume that would be a "relatively" easy job (compared to reinforcing the transom as per zodiac's comments as well as adding a bracket for the outboard).

Again, thank you all for the comments and suggestions, once I get the boat in my back yard (a month or so from now, still snow on the ground here) I'll post pictures and post everything we do online.

Oh, someone asked where I was, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Keep the posts coming, great online community here!

[Stringer Bell]

you got the 640 orange/black tubes and orange hull....no motor....from Michigan

[palar]

Originally Posted by Stringer Bell

you got the 640 orange/black tubes and orange hull....no motor....from Michigan

Ces moi, well me and my sailing partner got it.

[palar]

I'm guessing I will have to do something similar to this:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boa...ion-15706.html

Or this (anyone have any info on how this was done?):
http://rib.net/forum/showpost.php?p=365081&postcount=8

This should be fun! :-)

[capntroy]

Originally Posted by palar

Or this (anyone have any info on how this was done?):
http://rib.net/forum/showpost.php?p=365081&postcount=8

Why yes, I do! :-)

When I refurb'd those two 640's, I cut the motor boxes away down to deck level and fiberglassed in 2" thick laminated plywood knees. These knees tie the stringers in to the transom and provide the transom reinforcement that I thought was sufficient.

I then installed a 1" thick marine plywood deck as well as the access hatches and the 45 degree bulkheads that you can see between the knees. The old outdrive holes also received a patch of 2" laminated wood that was fiberglassed and faired in.

Both boats got Armstrong aluminum brackets with the swim steps and ladder mounts, although the fiberglass brackets from Hermco would get my vote now.

As far as motors, having had everything from 115's to 250's on these boats, I'm quite happy with the speed from a single Honda 115 or 130. When the Honda finally dies, it'll be replaced with a single Yamaha 150, these boats are scary with any higher hp than that...

After 14 years of heavy commercial use on the the first boat, I'd say the refurb was a success...

[palar]

Originally Posted by capntroy

Why yes, I do! :-)

When I refurb'd those two 640's, I cut the motor boxes away down to deck level and fiberglassed in 2" thick laminated plywood knees. These knees tie the stringers in to the transom and provide the transom reinforcement that I thought was sufficient.

I then installed a 1" thick marine plywood deck as well as the access hatches and the 45 degree bulkheads that you can see between the knees. The old outdrive holes also received a patch of 2" laminated wood that was fiberglassed and faired in.

Both boats got Armstrong aluminum brackets with the swim steps and ladder mounts, although the fiberglass brackets from Hermco would get my vote now.

As far as motors, having had everything from 115's to 250's on these boats, I'm quite happy with the speed from a single Honda 115 or 130. When the Honda finally dies, it'll be replaced with a single Yamaha 150, these boats are scary with any higher hp than that...

After 14 years of heavy commercial use on the the first boat, I'd say the refurb was a success...

Thank you so much for the info! Right in line with what I was thinking (although I might keep the old inboard "box" for dry storage in the boat, it will be a coach boat primarily, need a place for parts and kit).

Some pics of the state of the boat right now, lots of cleaning needing to be done. Anyone have thoughts on cutting down the height of transom?

Pics: Stern, Inside motor box (needs cleaning), gas tank (will replace), inside stern, outside shot + random dog

[95gstnj]

Originally Posted by palar

Ces moi, well me and my sailing partner got it.

Nice! i saw that auction too. Glad someone that will make it great again got it.

[palar]

Originally Posted by 95gstnj

Nice! i saw that auction too. Glad someone that will make it great again got it.

First step is gutting an cleaning, she is filthy. The repair tubes (one of the valves is leaking). Then deal with what needs to be done to put an outboard on it, then buy an engine.

Timeline, as money and life allows ;-)

[95gstnj]

Absolutely, over the winter I picked up a 6 meter searider that needed ALOT of cleaning as well. Every time I thought I was done I uncovered something else that was filthy or needed attention. Alot of work, but once its done, itll look great

[capntroy]

Originally Posted by palar

Anyone have thoughts on cutting down the height of transom?

On both of my 640's, I cut the transom down to within 1 inch of the top of the curved tube notch...