Aluminum hulls
 

Hello all!

I have been looking at the Pavati boats for a little while and thinking about trying to build a aluminum wakeboard hull.

I build aluminum mud boat hulls currently for a hobby and wondering why I don't just build me a wakeboard hull.

But I've never owned a inboard so I'm not really sure what exactly it is supposed to ride like or how to build the bottom of the hull to accommodate the v drive system. I've seen one picture of the bottom of the Pavati hull and it looks fairly simple.

I guess my question is, would it be worth my while to build one now? Or should I wait and own a few boats to see how they need to be built? Or would it be a waste of my time?

The main reason I want to build one is just to say I did it I guess.

Not sure about cost yet but I think I could build it for around $25k+ depending on how deep I go into it!

Thanks for any replies!

Here's a few pictures of my hulls.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...c07a237fb4.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...6e935f9ad0.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...761395e24d.jpg
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...9239cef8c3.jpg

Well, apart from the satisfaction of building his own boat, for 25K I would look to a good used wakeboard boat, without any doubt.
There are too many variables to be taken into account to risk building a boat that would not work satisfactorily. That would mean a wast of time and money.
My very personal opinion.

By the way, good looking aluminum hull:)

Build one.

Thanks for the reply.

I have thought about buying a used boat but if I were to buy one I doubt I would spend $25k on it! Not really sure why though.

And I am just throwing $25k out there because not really sure how much the engine and controls are.

I would say I could get the material for the hull for about $5-6k so but that's probably the cheapest thing I will have to buy.

Transmissions seem to be about $2k but still have to get rudder and all the controls to rig it with.

As for the performance, the bottom of the Pavati's are fairly simple.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...539704c43b.jpg

I am going to look into it further in the next few weeks though. Been calling about engines today. Any company to stick with and ones to stay away from?

I would think your best bet would be to find a boat that the hull is trashed and the rest of it is good and buy that to transplant into a hull you make. I've read stories about people with hulls that delaminate and can't get them covered under warranty and end up having to dump their boat for parts...

This is a good idea.

I just so happened to know a guy with a MC Platinum Prostar with no title/registration. Only thing about it is it's super nice and clean and would hate to part it out.

i have no real techincal input to give other then you could buy the steering stuff and skeggs from skidm.com fairly cheap . I think drive train from a trashed boat is a good idea too . imagin the ballast capabilities youcould build into your own design .. please do a build thread if you decide to do it .

Yes I could build the ballast under the floor and have plenty of room I believe.

Oh I will do a thread if I build one. But just trying to get my ducks in a row and make sure that I want to build it.

Pavati hulls weigh 4200lbs I think and have about 4200lbs worth of ballast. Not sure what a glass hull weighs but they make it sound like aluminum hulls are a lot lighter glass.

motor
 

If you are looking for a good motor built in Louisiana, check out
http://marinepowerusa.com/

They have experience in the wakeboard industry

I'm not saying don't go for it, but keep in mind that these boat companies spend a ton of money on dialing in the hull design to get an ideal wake shape for their target demographics. Without the ability to test your hull design prior to building it, I would think it to be a waste of money. I'd hate to see you put a ton of work into a decent build only to have the wake be terrible. Then you'd be stuck with a boat that you couldn't sell and wouldn't be worth riding behind. But then again, if you put enough speakers on a tower on it, I'm sure some douchebag with truck testicles will be more than happy to buy it....

Good point!

The resale bothered me too because it would be hard to sell someone a $40k boat that they know nothing about.

Stick with the mud boats as it looks like you have a good thing going.

Exactly. There's so many great options out there for used boats in that price range that you'd almost be guaranteed to be stuck with it. While the idea of an aluminum boat that isn't $180K sounds good, without the ability to R&D the wake to respectable standards it would probably just be an exercise in futility.

Look at the older boats out there like the 2001s and 195/205Vs and they hold their value better because they create a fantastic wake despite their age, and the resale value reflects that. Whereas boats like the old T6SMs, Sunsports, and Kamberra don't command as high of a price because they are fairly limited in the wake capabilities. And these older boats can be had for $15k or less all day. So when you start talking about a $40k price range to recoup your cost of materials and labor of an untested/unproven boat, you're getting into the realm of boats that are much more proven and offer a ton of features. You're getting into the neighborhood of nice used LSVs, Axis, etc. that are well-equipped and have a ton of pedigree to them.

But with all that being said, if you have the time to build one and just want to do it for yourself, I'd say go for it. There's a ton of satisfaction in making your own stuff, so I can only imagine the accomplishment felt if you were to build your own inboard. Just make sure that you do it for you and you alone, as there will probably not be much of a resale market on something like that....unless you get lucky and build something that throws a fantastic wake on your first try...

As it sounds like a great idea I think I'm going to try to own a few boats and look at the hull designs on other boats to try to get a good idea on how a hull needs to be built.

As for now I am going to try to get that fella to get the title/registration for the Platinum Prostar 190 so I can buy it. Going to try to start cheap and work my way up.

Thanks for the help fellas. I'm going to keep it in the back of my mind and someday y'all might see the build.

There was a guy on wake.com.au with the user name MACH6 that built one starting in about 2010.
This picture is from 2012, I think.

Here's one I found a while back.

http://youtu.be/Y7hWww5qF7c