Broke out the saw. 650 shorten/ lighten

[quintonvincent]

Got tired of thinking about it and just started hacking. My goal is a light reliable beach ski that I can easily transport on the hitch of my trusty Ford fiesta.

Planning on 16 inches of reduction, flat deck and shaving 3" off of the top hull. Running gear will be all the cheapo stock

The only thing I've had to mod so far is cut the brackets off the stock waterbox and shorten the hoses, I also have to make 2 new bolt holes to mount the pump.

I will be adding trim so the nozzle will stick out about 6 inches off the back.

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[quintonvincent]

Here's the pics

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[Sanoman]

Sub'd!

 

[CD155MX]

Sub'd as well. This looks like it will be fun.

 

[blasterdude]

Almost starting to look like the old stunt ski hulls.

 

[quintonvincent]

I know! All of the posts are so old the picture links are broken, so i figured I'll make a new build to document. If anyone knows of similar builds with good links I can look at let me know.

My biggest challenge right now is going to be the front end.

Im going to have to narrow it about 2 inches and rocker it a ton. I want to incorporate the rub rail to cut down on the splashes.

Does anyone have a guess at how much I should shorten my pole? I am 5' 7".

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[quintonvincent]

Did some more hacking tonight. Cut off the nose. Cut out the strips to narrow the bow. When you pull it together it looks pretty clean, next I need to work on the rocker. I'm trying to avoid foam and will probably go the stitch and glue route.

I hope to use the front rub rail if I can figure out how to incorporate it. I seem to hit stuff alot...

Im keeping the pole for now, but looking at similar builds seems like everyone goes fixed steer. I personally like having a toy that most people can't ride. Keeps them off it.


Had anyone rode a rig like this that can compare it to a fixed steer for me?


Also I'm getting concerned with the structure of this little guy and if anyone has tips or tricks please chime in. My plan is to fill in big gaps with shredded glass and epoxy and then slap a bunch of layers of 8oz glass on it. Us composites 3 to 1.

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[quintonvincent]

Cut the bow for some rocker. Leaving an inch of material on either side I was able to lift the nose about 5 inches. More than enough.

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[quintonvincent]

Tonight I put shims in the slots I cut to add rocker. I like the way it came out! I filled in the slots with glass reinforced bondo. It's crazy how much rocker that added! I was a little concerned with the bondo in the slots, but I really just need some thing to fill the space, as I'll be putting many layers of glass and epoxy on either side.

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[quintonvincent]

Front end coming together... Alot came off off! The rocker looks less agress than I thought it would.

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[Sanoman]

Forming up nice! I would almost use carbon to prevent so much buildup that you have with fiberglass cloth.Be a lot stronger.

 

[quintonvincent]

How many layers of glass should I use? I don't have any carbon. Is vacuum bagging anything to look into?

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[quintonvincent]

Looks like it is all going to fit nicely. I'm going to have to relocate my battery or at least move it back. A small rectangular tank would be nice....but I'm kind of seeing just how cheap I can be with this build just for the sake of it. Anybody ever wrap the waterbox and tank with plastic and just fill the whole cavity with foam? I'm thinking about doing that up front to hold it all in place and for structural integrity.

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[quintonvincent]

Baby steps...

Working on chopping the pole about 7 inches, deleting the battery tray, and what has to be the nastiest job ever of a temporary glue-up of the nose so I can throw some glass on the outside, and prep/fill the inside corners.


FYI I am including so many boring pics to help those who are unfamiliar with the process to have more insight into the steps... Also this is really my first foray into this extensive of a project so I like to be able to see my progress.
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[quintonvincent]

Filled in the holes and prepped the first side. Going to lay down one layer of glass outside and then reinforce the inside and glass the whole from outside together.

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[Colby]

Subd

 

[quintonvincent]

Last night I tried vaccum bagging using whatever materials I could find at the hardware store. I got a harbor freight air powered vaccum pump that works great, but no guage. I used medium strength painters plastic, but it was too weak and was stretching and cutting off airflow to areas. For the peel layer I just poked a bunch of holes in it, and for the backing material I used some roofing joint tape for fluid applied roofing systems. I used cheap painters caulk for the outside seal.

The process was pretty simple and I think with better planning it will be pretty easy.

With the plastic being so thin I ended up pulling it all off and rolling it out like a normal lay up. I'll have to do a smaller more controlled area next time.

As for the vent or plug where the hose sucks the air out I just did a big glob of caulk around the hose and layed the plastic over it. I'm really happy with how the caulk worked as a mastic sealer.

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[quintonvincent]

Cleaned and prepped inside the bow, filled in holes and cracks with resin. A little more sanding and I'll be ready to filet and glass it up.

Jb welded the sides of the handle pole together and sanded/bondod it a little smoother. It's not perfectly straight but it's not enough that it will catch your eye. I'm going to try to vaccum bag the pole since it is straight and smooth.

Does anyone know if I can wet and bag like 5 layers of cloth? For all the prep this takes I want to get it done quick!

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[quintonvincent]

Before and after of trimming the nose piece. Its about 1.5 inches narrower. It will end up looking fairly stock, which I am happy with. I will have to use some foam afterall because the nose and the bow don't match up at all.

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[Quinc]

Get some! Making great progress. There is a thread on here somewhere where a guy built and flipped a chopped up 650sx.