63 super sun sport 1996

[Greg Pack]

Hi I’m new to forums, I’m doing a refit/remodel on my 63. I pulled it out of the water for 16 days in Fort Lauderdale at playboy marine center (do it yourself yard). So two weeks before I pulled her out I replaced the gen and new flooring throughout. In the yard I am planning to do bottom paint, add 10” stern thruster, paint the Hull shark grey awlcraft, fix a bent railing, remove and build new custom swim deck, underwater lights, shaft seals, props, zincs, add a 4 person hot tub, remove fiberglass seating on port side and add bar, remodel crew quarters into storage, add light up name on Transom, and all the little things that come up.
I plan on doing a lot myself but hired out the Hull painting, swim deck and railing repair. I can post pics and progress along the way for anyone interested.

 

[LTD.330]

Welcome to CSR. Outstanding project. Yes, we all want pics. Lots of pics.

 

[Strecker25]

Second the picture request. Sounds like an awesome project. Those are incredible boats

 

[Shoyrtt]

Pictures, pictures and more pictures please!

 

[Greg Pack]

Saturday and Sunday aug 7th & 8th
Cut out layout deck, started building hot tub surround and supports to crew quarters. Lots of garbage at the marina. I know I’m going to get questions on the hot tub being on port side and not in the middle. Problems, If I put the tub in the middle I will have no good access to crew quarters and will loose all seating and layout pad. Solution, boat had a 4” list to starboard, adding water tanks for ballast and transom shower on starboard side once back in water. Planning on putting lead in to level boat the use 50 gallon drums of water to figure counter ballast for tub

 

[Greg Pack]

 

[Greg Pack]

Monday
Got her hauled out and pressure washed, started sanding the bottom with a friend. Pulled off the original swim platform and took it in for scrap, $225 in beer money. Cut out area in transom for the new light up name

 

[Creekwood]

Isn’t a full hot tub of that size well over 4,000 lbs? That is quite an engineering feat to support that kind of weight using structures not designed for that weight.

 

[NotHerDecision]

Greg: I’m only going to chime in once here just with some thoughts then leave you to your being.

If that hot tub idea is real (and it looks like it is), I assume it will be 800 gallons of water minimum which is 6400 lbs of water. You’re well overweight and it’s all on the port side. Which will make this boat unseaworthy. In addition, the deck will definitely not support the weight, it would have to be supported by stringers and the hull. Lastly, adding more water and lead weight as ballast is just not a good idea either. Even if you get the boat to hold the weight, it’s performance will be severely affected.

I am just trying to help here, please get some folks with experience involved before you continue.

-Josh

 

[Creekwood]

Greg: I’m only going to chime in once here just with some thoughts then leave you to your being.

If that hot tub idea is real (and it looks like it is), I assume it will be 800 gallons of water minimum which is 6400 lbs of water. You’re well overweight and it’s all on the port side. Which will make this boat unseaworthy. In addition, the deck will definitely not support the weight, it would have to be supported by stringers and the hull. Lastly, adding more water and lead weight as ballast is just not a good idea either. Even if you get the boat to hold the weight, it’s performance will be severely affected.

I am just trying to help here, please get some folks with experience involved before you continue.

-Josh

I was thinking the same thing re ballast. Presumably the hot tub would be drained while underway, meaning all of that permanent ballast will cause a major starboard list while underway. I know that is a massive boat, but I have got to think that running with 5,000 lbs of starboard side ballast on top of an already 4" list, is going to make that boat very hard to handle.

I wonder what @Capt. Rusty Higgins would have to say about it.

 

[WinkBuilt]

Not disagreeing with anyone. But my 8 person hot tub fills with 400 gallons of water. He had mentioned a 4 person tub. During our month plus of shopping tubs this past spring, they hold about 200-250 gallons depending on style. Still a decent amount of weight.

 

[Creekwood]

Maybe the OP can "weigh in" on the weight of the unit he is going with.

 

[Shoyrtt]

I would look at a custom made ballast bag that are used in wakeboard boats. Fill the jacuzzi and the bag when you are stationary and drain both when underway.
https://www.wakemakers.com/wakeboard-ballast-bags

 

[Greg Pack]

Guess I should have mentioned I’m an aluminum boat builder. Under the hot tub is an aluminum frame integrated into bulkheads and bottom. This is the 4th tub I’ve put on a boat, it will work just fine, btw the tub is 250 gallons and will only be filled wile in the bay, not used offshore or on plane. I also removed just over 1000 lbs from the crew quarters and added back apx 300 lbs in tub, fiberglass and aluminum.

 

[Greg Pack]

I would look at a custom made ballast bag that are used in wakeboard boats. Fill the jacuzzi and the bag when you are stationary and drain both when underway.
https://www.wakemakers.com/wakeboard-ballast-bags

I thought about that, great idea thx

 

[ttmott]

Keep the progress pics coming; cool project.
I've got time on those boats.

 

[tdschafer]

Amazing! I look forward to more pics of progress!

 

[Jaws]

At a different level:
Years ago we had a Four Winns 365 Vista Cruiser with the hot tub option. It was a smallish tub under the V-berth with only a couple of jets. As I recall our kids enjoyed it a couple of times and of course it could only hold water while at the dock. I remember that it took forever to fill and heat and I replaced that dedicated heater twice. But draining it with the built-in pump was fast, and it gave my neighbor's hull a good boat wash, lol.
Your hot tub is obviously in a different league than that one. Good luck with your project; sounds interesting.

 

[Tim Fila]

This thread reminds me of the "sandbar experts" post. Everyone chiming in with what not to do. Give the guy a break and let him do his thing!

Greg, you do you and keep posting pics!

Tim

 

[b_arrington]

This thread reminds me of the "sandbar experts" post. Everyone chiming in with what not to do. Give the guy a break and let him do his thing!

Greg, you do you and keep posting pics!

Tim

This site and the people here are not like THT or lousy FB groups filled with know-it-all jerks that just want to rain on someone else's parade.

The way I read the comments, it's folks gently asking clarifying questions and trying to make some helpful suggestions. Nobody here wants to see a fellow boater do something unsafe or wreck their boat.

The OP's info that he's a boatbuilder adds a level of credibility that he has experience, and didn't just cook up a hair-brained idea to hack up a boat and install a 12 person hot tub.

On a practical level, I'm wondering how to fill the tub with that much water? Could it be used if out at anchor? How long it heat it up? I have a 500 gallon hot tub at home that takes a few hours to fill. It also increased the temp at a rate of 3-4 degrees per hour. Getting my spa to rated temp takes 12 hours or so with a high power 30A heater.