Ski Brendella restoration

[Hoodcanal454]

Hello, I am new to the forum here. I am glad I found a forum with talks about Ski Brendellas. I recently acquired a 95 pro comp. it has a 350 mag which was stuck from sitting, but after many days of spraying PB blaster in the cylinders, it freed up and runs great. One of my concerns is the stringers only this boat. I find a lot of conflicting statements online weather or not a 1995 has composite or wood stringers. I’m hoping someone here has some insight. I am trying not to get too far ahead on the restoration without knowing how to check the stringers. It seems even if they are wood, they would be encased in fiberglass? Other than that, I look forward to reading your threads and hope I can contribute from time to time. Thanks a lot,

 

Austin from Union, wa

[RichardDoane]

Hi Austin welcome to the BOS somewhere in the thread about restoring the Dr Jack Brendella someone talks about what years had which type of stringer make up. Personally I'm not worried about my stringers because if they are soft, there's a process of injecting catalyzed resin to fill any soft areas.

[immikerowley]

Hey Austin, Richard is right, Dr Jacks restoration thread is a treasure chest of info.

[Hoodcanal454]

Right on, I’ll look for it in that thread. Thank you. Also, good suggestion with the epoxy. I’ll leave that as an option of they are wood and need attention.

[Jetsetr]

Any info on that resin???? Wasn’t aware of that. Thanks

[MarkTimm]

Easiest way to check stringers is to drill a few small holes in them. If saw dust comes out all is well. If you get mush there is a problem. It goes without saying plug the holes with epoxy after you are done. Welcome to BOS!

[Hoodcanal454]

Thanks for the suggestion Mark, I’ll give that a shot.

[Hoodcanal454]

And go Cougs!

[ironhorse]

Cant help until we see some pics!!

 

[MidMOSkier]

You can also check by trying to tighten the lag bolts that mount the engine to the stringers. If they turn, your wood is rotten. You can also tap with a screwdriver, wrench, or other hard tool and listen for hollow spots. Drilling is still the best method though - even though the stringers are fiberglass encased, water can get in through motor mount bolts and other screws. I did all of this when I bought my Brendella and was lucky that stringers were solid.

 

I envy your doghouse! I always thought the split design was brilliant. Can still check on the engine without making everyone in the back seat move in order to lift the whole darn thing.

[Hoodcanal454]

I will upload some pics when I figure out how. First time using a forum. I’m 29 and should be tech savvy- but I’m not. What app do you guys use?

 

I did the tap test a while back. Sounds solid all the way through. I’ll get it in the water and see if she runs well before I worry about the stringers anymore. The doghouse is in the best shape of the interior ha. Anyone ever heard of copy cat upholstery? It’s a company you can mail in tour old upholstery and they stitch new ones for you to reinstall yourself.

[Orlando76]

Not much love for old school boats on this forum. But there’s about 3-1/4 of us who appreciate old school. Solid advice given already to check for stringer rot. I’d drill in a few places then epoxy over. Even with rotten mush, good glass layup will keep it together, emphasis with good. I’m not familiar with many boats outside the Ski Nautique world but Brendella was better than most.

 

Copy Cat upholstery? As in Eustis/Tavares Florida area? Yeah.... research well grasshopper and do your homework.... and by that I mean who else do you have in your area? What is your area?

[Hoodcanal454]

Well this place has the most Brendella talk I could find, and it’s appreciated. I’m more and more confident my stringers are solid.

 

I didn’t see where the company was based. I live on a saltwater fjord in rural Washington state. Not much for upholstery shops anywhere near here. I’ll be more serious about the cosmetics when I get it on the water.

[Jetsetr]

I guess I’m one of the goofs that likes the old stuff better than the new...

[mmosley899]

@Jetsetr I am one of those that loves old style boats, though not necessarily to ski behind. I sold a lot of Brendella in the Southeast when they were popular. They are great little ski boats. I have also done some restoration on a couple of them. Here is one of the resin products to use for stringer repair:

 

[Hoodcanal454]

 

[mmosley899]

@Hoodcanal454 the Pro Comp was a little bigger than the original Ski Brendella Shortline boat. Nice boat. I was out of the Brendella business by ‘95 so I don’t know about the stringers.

[wawaskr]

I believe Brendella switched from wood to glass stringers in 93 or 94. I had the 98 version of that boat when the name switched to Calabria.

[Hoodcanal454]

Thanks, I like the boat overall. I wish the bow didn’t curve down towards the water. Although I have friends with a 97 brendella with an open bow, and I’m glad mine is closed. The water out here gets rough and have been in the 97 OB Brendella when we took on water in the open bow.

 

I saw an old ad (wish I could find it) of a 94 short line and they were promoting the versatility of wood stringers. I’ll look for it again and share it if a find it.

[Orlando76]

Wood stringers have great versatility. Easier to rebuild/modify due to great screw retention. Composite construction requires more thought, however you’re less likely to rebuild a previously built composite boat, duh. Wet foam is always a concern and is typically where the wood stringer rot originates. Sure like the idea of a top mount starter chevy, more so in a Shamrock but either way, much better than the counterpart. The name Copy Cat may be generic but there’s a Copy Cat in Tavares, FL that advertises a lot in marine upholstery. They’re located a couple country miles down the road I live on.... pretty certain I never heard positive of them but then again, damn near impossible to find a half decent upholsterer these days.

 

@Jetsetr I can always count on you being one of the 3-1/4 guys appreciating old school, carburetion, and give logical motor advice ?

[jhughes]

OP you may want to check out the forum in Correctcraftfan.com. That has to be one of the most knowledgeable groups of people out there with regard to fiberglass ski boat restoration particularly with stringers. Dozens of restoration projects there and the right people to ask for sure.

 

If BOS became the go-to Brendella site there’s a part of me that would find that pretty funny.

[Orlando76]

A lot of knowledge on CCF but the Richard Cranium over there will lock your thread if it isn’t a Correct Craft.

[MidMOSkier]

@Hoodcanal454 your bilge & engine looks great!!

 

Funny, I actually ended up here because BOS has the most Brendella information out of all the major forums. Plenty of good restoration threads on TeamTalk, CCFan, and MalibuCrew for the older boats though.

[MidMOSkier]

Saw your question about swim deck brackets on Dr. Jack's Brendella thread. Mine were in bad shape so I shopped around and found these:

 

https://waterskis.com/swim-platform-brackets/

 

They're really pricey, but anodized aluminum should withstand salt water if you're careful to put a PVC or fiberglass washer between the bracket and the transom mounting bolts (where they contact the aluminum). Direct contact between dissimilar metals will cause galvanic corrosion when exposed to salty or brackish water.

 

That being said, if you can fabricate and weld aluminum it usually only costs $50-100 at small anodizing shops to do parts that size if you aren't in a hurry.

 

If you decide to make your own I can take detailed pictures & dimensions of mine to help out.

 

Another good resource: https://alloymarine.com/products/removeable-swimdeck-brackets/

[Orlando76]

I’m confused on the referred Mastercraft brackets, surely the swing and rise on MC is different than Brendella? The Allomarine ones are nice but don’t jack around getting them from Alloy, he’s a one man operation and is busy. If you get ahold of him be ready with your credit card because communication with them can take awhile.

[tlarocque]

Austin - going to look for that boat when I hit Alderbrooke for lunch this summer! Good luck with the restoration!

[jjackkrash]

I seem to recall rumor that Mike Brendel used an old Prostar hull to make the first Brendella mold or even bought an old Prostar mold to build the first Ski Brendella. But I am not 100% sure on this.

[Jetsetr]

@Orlando76 I feel special: I’m a 3 1/4rrr!

I like simple...I’m a simple guy.

[MidMOSkier]

@Orlando76 You may be right - I never purchased the Mastercraft brackets I linked so I cannot guarantee that they would work, but the dimensions offered on the website perfectly matched the brackets that came on my boat. Mine is an 89 (first year for Brendella Skier) and is quite possibly different than the brackets on OPs 95 Brendella. No telling if the brackets on mine were even original!

 

@jjackkrash I've read that rumor as well. Seems reasonable to me that someone coming in late to the inboard ski boat game like Brendella would buy an old mold from an established company like Mastercraft as a starting point to make their own changes. The rumor seems to fit with the stereotype that the California inboard manufacturers (mainly Brendella & Malibu) started by taking MC & Nautique hulls and adding fancy 5-color gelcoat to them.

[Orlando76]

I’m not too sure about Brendella’s beginnings coming from a MC but I seem to recall same story. I’m sure most do know that Rob Shirley cut a Ski Nautique down the middle and with the help of Correct Crafts own iconic Art Cozier, widened the bottom with a tweak here and there and voila that was the first Mastercraft. Where did first Ski Nautique come from? Leo Bentz made a few boats with intentions to try and sell the mold and the name “Ski Nautique” to Correct Craft but Melloon wouldn’t bite. Bentz never wanted to be a boat manufacturer. It took a few years but CC decided to try it out. Where did Bentz get his donor boat? A wooden 17’ Higgins was the original boat plug for the mold. The Ski Nautique Art drives in the Masters is #12 I believe which might’ve been first Ski Nautique CC built. The very original Bentz #1 Ski Nautique just recently surfaced and I believe is being restored. Kinda amazing the industry that spawned from a waterskiing attorney. Back to Brendella....

 

Edit: I do know somebody used old MC molds. Now that’s I’m thinking about it, was it Brendella or American Skier that was the MC hull? I’m thinking American Skier.

[jjackkrash]

So its sounds like the brackets might fit on an old Nautique as well.

 

[Orlando76]

Contact Alloy he’ll know, he has almost all the swing and rise numbers on file. He may not reveal to you which ones are interchangeable as that kinda would hurt his business though.

[Jetsetr]

The first short line comps were POSSIBLY MC hull designs (1985 S&S hulls) for the most part with some improvement. Mine is a 1989 Short Line Comp, and when I put it next to the 78 MC S&S you can see the lines to a degree but they are quite a bit different, however there’s 10 years plus difference in production as well.

I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG...

Someone here who has been around a lot longer than I have probably knows the real story better than I do...if so PLEASE share...

@RichardDoane

 

 

[Jetsetr]

Shameless Plug: My 1989 Brendella Short Line Comp is for sale

1005 hours total time, solid hull, decent original interior, will get some interior pics up soon. Runs great, GPS speedo, fresh oil/filter, decent trailer. PM for any additional info required. Runs perfect, fun boat, really decent wake for a dinosaur. $6K? Offer?

 

[Andre]

Don't know about Brendella being base on a MC mold but pretty sure the MB190 was...