Having someone build you one of these would likely be EXPENSIVE and wait time will be long. If there are people doing turnkey boats out there still, I’m not sure who they are. So you have some options, but most are going to require you to acquire some sort of working knowledge to rig and maintain one at the very least. Options:
1.) Watch the Scale Hydro and For Sale (Classified) forums here. You might find one used. If someone is selling a Winston Eagle, Smokin’ Joes, York Intl hull from that era, that’s your boat. You would have to repaint it, which is a process in and of itself.
2.) Phil Thomas Hydros has the 8700 hull in fiberglass. This would be eliminate ALOT of work but you would still need to be able to fill, sand, paint, rig, and set up the boat.
3.). Actually build one. ML Boatworks has laser cut kits that are really nice. I think they have an “Extreme” kit for this hull. Order the kit and all the sheeting and stringer stock all in one place. You can get a cowl from RC Boat Co. Vinyl Graphics from Wes Ellet. It’s a nice winter project and you learn a ton.
4.) Maybe buy a smaller boat like a sport hydro and go out and run the thing and see if you enjoy it. Complete boats and/or kits are available fairly frequently here. And to be honest, the Proboat UL-19 is a nice running hull which is ready to run and a couple mods make this boat run real well.
Anyway, I’m not trying to discourage you but you need to know what you are getting into. There isn’t anyone here that won’t agree with me I don’t think. You really need to affiliate yourself with a local club to learn about these if you are serious about it. This was critical for me back in the day. The knowledge acquired in building, rigging, and painting one of these is extremely helpful when you go to run it.
Best of luck Pal!
Rich
here
