Couple questions on a Robberg Express

I've never seen one of these Robberg Express surfskies. (Tampa, Fl). Anyway a really beat up one is on the work table. I have a couple questions as I start down this rabbit hole.

1. These are single hull meaning no foam core? Yes? no?

2. Preferred glue to repair the seam.

3. on the stern there is what appears to be a hole that someone glassed over. Was this the main drain plug at one time? The only other hole is at the upper right of the footwell but I think that was only for a bleeder tube.

4. In the footwell there are two sets of pad eyes. Is the bottom on for the rudder assembly and the top a bungie? The previous owner was using the top for the rudder lines.

5. I cannot find any ID on this boat where do they write the number. I am used to finding them on the stern.

6. Is replacing the SS rudder lines and tubes with Amsteel/Dynema a wise decision?

7. The previous dude tried to gelcoat it. The white was goop that I am trying to remove. The blue I am sanding down to the orange but appears to have cured properly. Must I remove it all for a new spray coat of gelcoat?

8. The ski had a grey bow and stern and the upper hull was orange. The lower hull white. Was that a typical paint scheme?

This ski must be around 20 years old or more and most probably was leaking hence the paint job.

1. As for construction? The stiffness of the hull will tell you that, flexible would be no core and stiff would have one but I doubt it has a foam core.
2. I always use epoxy as it will always bond to other sub-straights.
3. Yes all skis at the time had the drain bung at the tail.
4. The riveted loops were for the rudder lines.
5. ID? Sorry no such thing at that time.
6. I always replace like with like, if you have one sharp edge where the Dyneema goes it will cut it. However if you don't have the required tools for SS cable then the cord is easier.
7. To spray a complete ski with gelcoat is a huge undertaking, You have to get back to the original gelcoat or the new stuff will not stick. When you spray gelcoat you still have to sand it ALL back till it's smooth, gelcoat is not paint and it will have a rough finish, you will need hours of sanding with finer and finer grit sandpaper and then polish at the end. Maybe the easiest option is sand the hull smooth so there is no loose coating, undercoat and spray with 2K polyurethane paint. Just a note just looking at it will cost be more that the ski is worth!
8. Most skis at the time were all white but technically could have been any colour under the sun. Ends could have been Orange.

Thanks Ranga,

You are always a knowledgeable fellow.

Turns out what I thought was bad gelcoat was actually house caulk and the paint was some sort of latex. I scraped and sanded 95% of it off. You are right, single layer construction. Yes it is older than old. I like fixing things that fall in my lap whether if they are last years model or two decades past. Sure, I'll never recoup my labor but for me it is the journey. The boat was free

The hull was white the decks are orange and the ends are grey.

I'll be putting a 4" hatch behind the bucket to fix the hull, and failed seam. While open I'll inspect the rudder tubes. and will probably leave the SS lines unless the SS sawed through the tubes. And the drain may go to the EPIC spot only so I can get a camera into the bow section.

Yes, Gelcoat is a bastard. I was an industrial coating specialist in my younger years (think coal tar tonemic/epoxy). Poly 2k. I like that. I'm thinking clear to capture the age and let people know what they might be getting themselves into.

And I am not ashamed to say that I've cut up up more than one boat rather than see it being a danger to the public. I just think this will work. And partly because I'd like to see how she handles for the shits and giggles of it.

The rudder spreader is actually digging into the hull. Not sure why this ever got out of the factory. Going to make a new one. If I do the cables are going in place of amsteel. She is seaworthy again but needs a bit of paint/gelcoat/2K.

I don’t think the rudder actually turns that far in normal usage even with one foot pedal pushed all the way. You don’t actually need the rudder spreader to turn more than maybe 45 degrees. A lot of skis have some sort of physical stop in the rudder housing to prevent the rudder from turning sideways like that. Here is a pic of an epic housing showing the physical stop. I agree though looks sketchy the way it digs in.

This is very common on quite a few skis out there.

I would glue a stop at the back to stop the "T" bar from going farther than 45deg as mentioned before. The main reason for doing this is to stop it going completely around and jamming the rudder with the cables getting crossed over. When this happens it can end in tears as it would normally happen on the shoreline when trying to get in and the rudder hits the sand when going backwards. Once this happens you are going to the scene of the accident as you will have no steering.

I have a V10 and V14. That makes sense what they have. What the Robberg has doesn't because it slices into the boat. Adding a wedge is certainly doable and probably the best course of action. Thanks.

I'll add a wedge. Thanks.