Back from the Dead; '81 Scarab 38 Resto

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03-12-2018, 05:31 PM

#421

phughes69

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How are you going to make it look like a vice boat? Are you going with the same colors, or just the same paint pattern?

03-12-2018, 09:31 PM

#422

hblair

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I plan on the same paint job as the early tv boats with the stripe fade on the side curving down into the water. My boat will have the aluminum rub rail and the cabin hatches further rearward like the tv boats. The early tv boats were actually 377’s similar to mine. I think the main difference exterior wise between mine and the early tv boats is mine has hull mounted navigation lights, whereas they have deck mounted units. I might change mine?, haven’t decided yet.

There was a guy on the Facebook Miami vice scarab page who was gonna make some fairing wind deflectors, I put in for one but they haven’t made them yet.

As far as the radar arch, I’m looking forward to that challenge. They are made of aluminum tubing with sheet aluminum welded to them as the outer skin. I was told they are full of body filler from a guy that worked at the factory in the eighties. We Have had tig, spool gun, etc, for years but we now have what is basically an aluminum mig welder. Makes it much easier to weld aluminum. I might give the arch a little more rake than original.

I plan on on attaching the engine hatches together and have them open from the front, hinged in the rear. I did like the clamshell version but have decided against it.

Of course this boat will have Arnesons which will be different from the originals.

I’m not sure about the cockpit upholstery as far as making it look original or not.

Basically I want the boat to look like the one that’s in Miami now That I think was the “Ohio vice” boat

i know you didn’t ask about all that but just wanted to air it out. I have no one here to talk boats to so I air it out on here lol.

03-12-2018, 09:58 PM

#423

endeavour32

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The deck is coming along great, nice work. I was originally planning on giving my boat the MV, wide stripe graphic as well, but I decided against it. I would definitely copy the boat in the picture. Personally I don't like the Wellcraft paint job at all, with the thin side stripe, the TV version looks so much better. As to your hatches, here is one huge plus to the side opening race style. You can work on your engines so easily, no hatch in your way. You can even pull your engines with out removing them. The typical style hatch you just can't do that.

As to the arch, there are two styles, actually three. There is the short one with the most rake, that is the one in your picture. Then there is the taller one, with less rake. The shorter one, while it looks better in my opinion, is an inch or two, too short. I'm 5'11" and it's about an inch lower than my head. The tall one is about 6" taller, but IMO just looks off because of the different rake and it being too tall. If you could make our own, I would model it after the short one, but make it 3" taller. I'd even keep the rake the same. I have the short arch, if you need any measurements let me know.

03-13-2018, 12:41 PM

#424

CDShack

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Heath, just some input on the hatch idea. My ski boat has the single engine hatch hinged at the rear/open from front. My Scarab has the split-hatch setup. If I have the hatch up on the ski boat working on it, I either have to go in and out on a ladder or open and close the hatch to get in and out of the boat at the back. Major PIA.

On the Scarab, you can access one engine at a time, be looking inside and still walk from the rear deck to the cockpit, Lay on the closed side and tinker with the open side engine, etc. Way more convenient! I thought about doing the same to mine, and realized if you're in the cockpit with the single hatch up, you're stuck!!! Ski boat has an open bow, so I can (ungracefully) crawl out of the nose onto the trailer. Crawling over windshield of the Scarab and scampering down the deck to shimmy off the front is just something you can't unsee!!! haha!