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The journey of our Hallett 270T

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So, with all this virus crap, and the other Hallett threads, I figured I'd post the journey of our Hallett 270T.

As the story goes, we were on Mead and got our asses kicked in our little deck boat. On our drive home, the wife and I were talking about boats and she asked what boats were best designed to handle the shit only Mead can throw at you.........and I said a Hallett. I said, "babe, that's why there are soooo many Halletts at Mead". Well, It was like the stars suddenly aligned. Not wanting to miss this solid opportunity, we (meaning I), sold our boat (my wife loved the deck;)) and the search was on. It took a long time, mainly work was in the way, but in spring of 2017, I found HOLY GRAIL. It was 270T located in Boulder City and had these beautiful small block chevys.

About this time, my Mom passed away and I became pre-occupied with helping my Pops. They lived in Vegas and I was driving there every weekend to be with my Pop. Well, while planning one of the many trips, I reached out to the owner of the boat and made an appointment to go see it. I took my old man, who by the way, kept telling me I really didn't need a twin engine boat. I mean, he said it A LOT.

We drove to Mead to test drive it, and he kept telling me I didn't need two engines. He'd say they were twice the maintenance, twice the head ache, twice everything. I said lets get you out of the house and go see it. Well......as we waited for the boat to arrive at the ramp, we talked about all the possibilities this boat could have. Then we saw it coming. As it crested the hill......and his eye gazed upon this vessel, he quickly snapped and said, "HOLY SHIT! IS THAT IT? HOLY SHIT GREG, YOU NEED TO BUY THIS BOAT!" We left the harbor (owners son was showing it to us) and out onto the open water and ran the shit out of her. I told the son I'd call his dad and be in touch. The whole ride back to the house, my Pops couldn't stop talking about the ride and that boat. LOL.

I ended up making a deal with the owner and drove back to Boulder to pick up the boat. My Pops joined my Mom 3 months later, and up until the day he died, he told my sisters, and anyone who listened, that the day we went and test drove the boat, was THE BEST day he had in a long time. So this makes the boat even more special. It is family.

Our plan is to keep the boat for a long time (but I know that everything is for sale). So we began customizing an already bitchen boat to what we wanted. To begin, the boat already had full IMCO hydraulic steering. IMCO exhaust, offshore controls, GPS speedo, twin small blocks with aluminum heads built by GT Marine, and Hydromotive 4 blade stainless props.

Here is the boat the day we tested it, and how it looked the day I bought it. That's my Pops in the first pic.

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Here is the old interior. Let's just say, my wife was not a fan of the material, carpet, and colors.

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Motor Pics.

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So.........as I stated, the wife was not a fan. She really wanted an open bow and we bought a closed bow. An open bow mid cuddy was not an option in this style of 270. I was like, "But honey, this is what you got." That went well. So well, I told her if she wants an open bow, the damnit, you'll get the damn open bow. But first, I needed to make the boat safe. Turns out there was a fuel leak. The aluminum tank had pin holes all over. Seems the old foam, overtime, had a bad reaction with the aluminum and created pin holes on all four sides of the tank. So a quick call to IMCO and they fabbed me up another tank. While the tank was out, I replaced all fuel lines, fuel filters, fittings, and fill/vent hoses.

Here is the old tank. It is 125 gallons.

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to be continued........
 
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The floors were absolute shit too. It was carpet installed over the teak and holly. The carpet was rough and of course, the teak was shot. Since I had to replace the fuel tank, I said 'F' it. Let's replace the floors. But it was at this stage I started down the rabbit hole. I decided lets do it. Let's give my wife the open bow. I mean, I already had most of the interior removed and the seat wood was shot. And let's be honest fellas, who ever said "happy wife, happy wife" was an asshole. But a genius asshole. Because it is here, where my wife began to really show an interest in the boat, other than just wanting to go for a ride and bath in the sun. She REALLY took an interest. I've owned a bunch of boats and still do, but this particular boat she really showed an interest in. Which got me all hot and bothered. LOL

So we began searching for a shop that could handle what we wanted done in my time frame. I'm not going to go into details as to who did the work, but the killed it. The craftsmanship, the materials used, and the construction was top freaking notch. Not to mention they did some of the tiniest details that were YUGE. The only beef I had was the communication. It was horrible. I mean, communicating with empty soup cans and string worked better than this shop. But hey did fantastic work.

I will also add I was sketched as hell dropping my boat here and going with this guy. But he is a legit interior shop who does some high end rides, even though they are small and work out of their property. They had an assortment of performance boats. I won't say who or what the boats were, as some people get weird as shit if they see pics of their rides posted. Like the license plate thing. I don't get it, but to each their own.

I dropped the boat off in January of 2018 and laid out what I wanted. I also gave them cart-blanche and to surprise me. And they delivered.

Here are some pics that I have that show the process
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Test fitting the open bow

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New rear seat foam

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Open bow seating getting glassed.

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New side panels. Taller then originals.

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New drivers seats.

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A boat owners worst nightmare. Seeing your boat cut to shit and gutted.

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Here you can see it coming together. Down in the cuddy. New teak and holly floors.

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The next two photos are exactly how I saw it. Blurry. You see, I was so punch drunk happy, this is how it looked that day. LOL

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To be continued.......
 

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DWC

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Great thread sir. Subscribed.
 

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After some time and not getting any updates. Some sleepless nights. I finally got the call. You know the call....."hey you're all set. Can you bring cash" LOL

So I went and picked up the boat. Butterflies in my stomach the whole way. Can this be real? Can someone pinch me?

I think they killed it. You tell me! In fact, if you see me on the water or on the beach, or shit, in the parking lot, stop me. Open invite to anyone to check it out. Check out the possibilities of an older boat.

We wasted no time and hauled ass to Mead. Our goal was to see how well it handled the abuse of my family and the water. I'm happy to report, the wife and kids love it. It doesn't rattle. Fit and finish, perfect. We actually use the hell out of the boat and it still looks new.

Here are some more pics.

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After the first trip, it went into the shop for a stereo system.

Fast forward to last month, March 2020. We took the boat to Prime Marine. Our intention was to upgrade the guages. But there is too much glass and gelcoat work we need to do for the gauges that we didn't budget, so we elected to do it next off season. However, our goal is to continue to customize and update our beautiful boat. So Mike switched gears. He removed the old cleats and added pop up cleats. We also added a flip up LED bow light and transom lights. We also removed the single ladder that had three rungs that hung off the side of the boat and installed two stainless ladders with four rungs that tuck under the swim step. You may not believe this, but the extra rung makes a huge difference for the girls when they need to pee. And we didn't like the DCB looking seats. So Mike trimmed the head rest down and added a bar. We also switch out the fuel fill and vent.

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Here are the ladders.

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Here are the seats.

Before:

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After:

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At this point, since gauges are for next year, I'm going to start working on the trailer. Until then, here are some random photos from the last couple of years. Like I said, we use the shit out of our beautiful boat. And we are not done upgrading.

I am hoping this boat inspires others, as to what is possible. If you can dream it, someone can do it.

Enjoy the pics. If anyone has any questions, ask away. But when it comes to costs, get quotes and figure out what works for you. My mindset is this, I don't put a price on my happiness. And this boat brings me and my family pure joy and happiness.

Not bad for a 31 year old boat.

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hallett3

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I was parked next to you (red vector) at pirates. What story about you and your dad. Definitely a family keeper. I remembered how bad ass and super clean your boat is. Can’t wait to see more of your upgrades. 👍
 

One2go

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Looks awesome,Cool story! Had a 240 closed bow that was immaculate for about a season but wife didn't like the closed bow....should have done that to it.
 

RichL

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Great story.....Beautiful boat.
Congrats.
 

ToMorrow44

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Awesome write up thanks for sharing! Looks like a great family boat!
 

95Enforcer

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Beautiful boat and a great adventure. Im on the road to finishing ip my Conquest Enforcer with new upgrades too. Love to see the love and pride out there for the older boats. Congrats on a bitchin boat.
 

Done-it-again

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Great write up and the sled looks awesome.

I don’t get not naming the upholstery shop. Besides not great communicating, looks like craftsmanship was great. What shop these days communicate well?
 

hallett21

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Great thread!!! Beautiful boat.


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SoCalDave

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You Sir are doing it right...there is no price on precious memories for you and your family.
 

CigAjerk

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Looks like my old 240 parked next to you in the gorge pic.
 

Hallett_Whacker

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Great write up and the sled looks awesome.

I don’t get not naming the upholstery shop. Besides not great communicating, looks like craftsmanship was great. What shop these days communicate well?
And it may get said shop some business, as they did some spectacular work on the boat in this thread.

@pull-on great story, great boat, great thread. Thank you.
 

Motoxxxloak

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Great write up and the sled looks awesome.

I don’t get not naming the upholstery shop. Besides not great communicating, looks like craftsmanship was great. What shop these days communicate well?

Me neither. He appears to be in So Cal, as am I, and am looking for an interior shop. I am on Eliminator’s wait list but I am not opposed to going elsewhere


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Done-it-again

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Me neither. He appears to be in So Cal, as am I, and am looking for an interior shop. I am on Eliminator’s wait list but I am not opposed to going elsewhere


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I think I know who it is, but cant remember the name..... They are brothers and then split up located in Corona area. I also believe they do Lavey's int.....Again, this coming from someone who cant remember laste week.....lol

They looked like they did the teak flooring pretty well, and my 240 could use new stuff.
 

QC22

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I've been aboard her at Halletts in Havasu 2018, and hung out with these guys some both years. This thing is even better in person. Great write up, Greg!! Tried to get RD to check it out and get more pics, but he was struggling with some terrible news, etc. :( The early EFI small blocks are what surprised me, didn't even know they existed. Super cool boat, and super cool family!
 

707dog

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Very well done hit that out of the park and those older efi motors are very cool... nice work makes me want another hallett
 

DaveH

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sweet boat!

i too have a 27 twin, slightly newer (95) but almost identical boat.

i have the drives off right now (clutches are gone after 1400 hours on the drives) and going to pull the engines next to rebuild the gimbal housings.

once i get the motors out, i am going to get the boat off the trailer and put new wood on it and replace an axle and rebuild the hubs.

i have the same Hoss trailer, by chance if you are replacing any axles do you have a part number on them?

i'd like to completely strip and powder coat the trailer.....but with all this craziness right now and economy slowing down.....think ill just do the repairs and not go big.
 

Riverryder

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What a dam write up!! Thanks for posting! The part about your dad waiting at the ramp was awesome!


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I was parked next to you (red vector) at pirates. What story about you and your dad. Definitely a family keeper. I remembered how bad ass and super clean your boat is. Can’t wait to see more of your upgrades. 👍
Looks like my old 240 parked next to you in the gorge pic.

That’s because it is. Lol. He did a complete interior redo last year too. Turned out bitchen.
 

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sweet boat!

i too have a 27 twin, slightly newer (95) but almost identical boat.

i have the drives off right now (clutches are gone after 1400 hours on the drives) and going to pull the engines next to rebuild the gimbal housings.

once i get the motors out, i am going to get the boat off the trailer and put new wood on it and replace an axle and rebuild the hubs.

i have the same Hoss trailer, by chance if you are replacing any axles do you have a part number on them?

i'd like to completely strip and powder coat the trailer.....but with all this craziness right now and economy slowing down.....think ill just do the repairs and not go big.

I can take a look at the axles and get back to you. 👍
 

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Thanks everyone, for the kind words.
If you see us on the water, don’t be afraid to Come check it out.

As for the interior shop, it is what it is. they did a killer job with materials and workmanship, second to none. Im not gonna bash the shit out of them here. I simply didn’t like the communication and that’s that.

if someone has a need to absolutely know who they are to possibly use, then pm me. I will give them a glowing recommendation. Maybe your experience will be better. 🤘🏼

With that out of the way, funny couple of stories. I brought the boat home to do some other work. One of which, it needed a new cover. So off to Custom Canvas in Montclair.

When I brought the boat over, the owners acted like they had seen a ghost. They asked, “where did you get this boat?” So I told them the story. Turns out, they used to know the original owner and hang out at Mead with them. One of them started reminiscing about hanging out on the swim step eating watermelon while on the lake. What was funny is they weren’t sure it was the same boat. Cause last time they saw it, it didn’t have a “hole” in the bow.

Here is the cover they made.

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CigAjerk

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That’s because it is. Lol. He did a complete interior redo last year too. Turned out bitchen.

I would love to see some updated pics. I got a pic sent to me of it parked at Nordic last year and was wondering what happened to it.

Your boat looks great BTW. Nice write up.
 

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Another cool little bit of history on this boat. I store my boat at Billy B’s in Needles. Gotta say, it’s as easy peasy as it comes. You call or email Taryn and let her know your coming and when you think you’ll be dropping back off. When you show up, viola, it’s sitting in the secured ready to go parking area.

Well, one trip, my son and I arrive to pick up the boat. It was during the day and the shop was open. Billy comes out and says “I gotta meet the guy who owns this boat.” I’m thinking ‘shit, what in the hell did I do now?’ As it turns out, he wanted to let me know how crazy it was that he has this boat in his storage. Turns out, the pin lines around the stripes were his handy work back in 1989 when the boat was being built. Not a super important nugget, but I thought it was cool. We are supporters of his as I also own a blown v-drive and attend his gatherings when I can.

Here are pics of the stripes and my flatty:

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Here’s a pic of me and my boy. Took the flat down into the gorge.

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DWC

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Another cool little bit of history on this boat. I store my boat at Billy B’s in Needles. Gotta say, it’s as easy peasy as it comes. You call or email Taryn and let her know your coming and when you think you’ll be dropping back off. When you show up, viola, it’s sitting in the secured ready to go parking area.

Well, one trip, my son and I arrive to pick up the boat. It was during the day and the shop was open. Billy comes out and says “I gotta meet the guy who owns this boat.” I’m thinking ‘shit, what in the hell did I do now?’ As it turns out, he wanted to let me know how crazy it was that he has this boat in his storage. Turns out, the pin lines around the stripes were his handy work back in 1989 when the boat was being built. Not a super important nugget, but I thought it was cool. We are supporters of his as I also own a blown v-drive and attend his gatherings when I can.

Here are pics of the stripes and my flatty:

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Here’s a pic of me and my boy. Took the flat down into the gorge.

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Billy and team are awesome. They never missed a beat while we were there. He’s always blast to talk to and the boats in the shop are unbelievable.
 

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This last week, we took the boat in for a much needed detail. So a HUGE shoutout to Ultimate Detailing (detaildan on IG) and Dan Harrer for cleaning up gel and really polishing her up.

Dan lifted the boat off the trailer so I can do a much needed replacement of the bunks.

Here are pics from yesterday. (warning, I'm a picture whore)



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Pics of the bunks. Future plans are for paint, LED's, new wider fenders, wheels, etc.

Before:

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After: Since I'm planning new fenders, I did not do the inner fenders at this time.

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Mcob25rg

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This is an AWESOME thread. First off, you have a truly custom one off boat, love the pictures to show progress, you are SUPER LUCKY to live where you do - no one does work like this in OHIO or anywhere near. I’m planning on bringing my old piece back to Nordic for updates, but I’m waiting to be retired. I hope to get new seats, floor, engine cover, trailer. Going to drive it both ways. Second, you are lucky the boss is for all this - not always the case
 

throttle

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outstanding, well played. what a great story and pics. thx for sharing.
 

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This is an AWESOME thread. First off, you have a truly custom one off boat, love the pictures to show progress, you are SUPER LUCKY to live where you do - no one does work like this in OHIO or anywhere near. I’m planning on bringing my old piece back to Nordic for updates, but I’m waiting to be retired. I hope to get new seats, floor, engine cover, trailer. Going to drive it both ways. Second, you are lucky the boss is for all this - not always the case

Thank you. It's a team effort with the wife and kids. If you're planning on doing that much work, I would definitely wait then have Nordic do it. They did my buddies 1990 240, open bow conversion and all new interior......they killed it. Excellent communication, quick turn around, and best yet, over the top service!
 
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