1979 18’ Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning – lots of pics)

[Joe_the_boatman]

I couldn?t have made it this far without the input from the iboats forums, so figured I?d post some of my experience with my first boat restoration in the hopes someone else can learn something from it.

I?ve always wanted a boat, and it?s tough find a decent sized boat, motor, and trailer that is water-ready for under $1000. I knew I could meet that goal easily though if I did the work myself, so took the plunge September 2007 and brought this girl home.

As she started life w/ me:

Bought hull and trailer for $200 through Craigslist from a guy in Griffin. Deck had 3 layers ? carpet over aluminum diamond plate, covering ?? plywood screwed to the original ?? vinyl-covered plywood. Floatation foam was waterlogged, deck was rotted.

Seats in good shape. I prefer swivel style over lounge, but hey?..

Shop vac came in real handy removing the original floor, or what was left of it?

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Trailer:
Sold undersized (18?), rusted (salt water use, from Jacksonville) trailer that came with the boat for $150 through Craigslist. Bought 21? ?Sportster II? trailer on Craigslist for $260, to restore.
Materials & method:
Wash w/ bleach, scouring powder, degreaser. Rinse w/ pressure washer.
Remove loose rust w/twisted wire wheel
Phosphoric acid spray on areas w/ surface rust (converts iron oxide ?rust ? to iron phosphate, which is black)
Neutralize acid treated areas w/ baking soda solution, rinse w/ water
Spray 2 coats of Benjamin Moore M22 in ?Safety White? w/ Wagner 2200 psi airless sprayer
Bunks are 12? long 2?X6? pressure treated pine, coated w/ 2 coats of exterior latex paint, then covered w/ exterior carpet from Home depot.
Rear lights are LED, amber sides are Harbor Freight cheapies. All connections soldered and covered w/ heat shrink tubing.
Will repack bearings before she goes out. These hubs have a grease fitting on the axle side, where grease is pumped in and old grease spews out through a hole in the outside dust cap. Pretty neat design.

Steps on side are same wood, paint, and sand as the boat's deck (see below). I screwed exterior screws upward through the wood, then ground the tips off and painted over for a clean look.

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Hull (exterior):
Flipped hull upside down
Scrub w/ scouring powder and water
Scuff surface w/ 60 grit sandpaper
Rinse with vinegar/water solution
Spot prime bare aluminum w/ Rustoleum Latex Aluminum Primer, let dry 24 hours minimum
Spray 2 coats of Benjamin Moore M22 in ?Safety White? w/ Wagner 2200 psi airless sprayer

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Transom:
Removed end caps, cut/bent aluminum sheet upward to allow transom to slide up and out.
Old transom was 3 piece, which is the only way (beside removing the splashwell entirely) to get it in, unless you cut the aluminum , as I said above. It was coated in what looks like polyurethane or varnish. Probably looked top-notch when it went in, but now is rotted through in many areas.

Used old transom as a template on 1 sheet of ?? 4?X8? ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) pressure treated pine plywood, which had dried for 3 months in my garage.

Rough cut the outline, leaving lots of excess all the way around. I used PL Polyurethane (waterproof) construction adhesive, spread with a ?? trowel.

Join the two sheets, then clamped and let sit overnight. A better method would be to pre-drill holes in one piece, and then fasten it to the other sheet using 1? exterior coarse thread screws.

Once dry, put old transom on top, and trace out sides and bottom. Cut with a jigsaw.

Make sure the transom supports are good. Re-revit if necessary. If you move any supports after you?ve made your cuts, the transom won?t fit properly.

Reinstall in the boat, and trace along the outer transom skin to get the top line. I used a hand plane and belt sander to trim down a few areas. Mark holes. Mark which side goes inside the boat, also.
Cut along the top line w/ the jigsaw. Do a test fit back in the boat. Re-cut if necessary.

To insulate the copper in the pressure treated plywood from the aluminum hull, I encapsulated in epoxy from U.S. Composites. It took about a ? gallon. 1st coat was thinned with approx 25% xylene. 2 coats followed that.
Reinstalled, and sealed splashwell and transom joint with PL Polyurethane Concrete Sealer.

Splashwell-hull joint was sealed with a bead of 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive. 5200 also got used on all the new rivets in the transom area, and to fill any existing holes.

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Deck:
I let the original waterlogged foam blocks dry in my garage for 4 months. They were still waterlogged (and heavy), so I replaced it with the pink ?? foam insulation from a 4?X8? sheet. I only used about a ? of the sheet, and reused the original foam if it was dry.

Vacuumed the inside, paying special attention to the ribs and the any channels where water is supposed to flow to the bilge. Put the vacuum on the ends of the ribs, you?ll suck out all kinds of stuff that way.

Deck is ?? pressure treated MCQ yellow pine plywood. MCQ is ?micronized copper quaternary? and seemed a lot dryer than the stuff I used for the transom. I used measurements to cut the panels, since the old stuff was so rotted.

Test fitted and marked any areas that would come in contact with aluminum. Working from the bilge, I used a few temporary rivets to keep the sheets from moving. Holes were drilled through wood and ribs for the rivets.
Removed floor, coated marked areas with epoxy to insulate from aluminum (2-3 coats). Coated all holes, also. Looking back, I would have drilled the pilot holes right before riveting in, and sealed the holes with silicone instead of epoxy (which I did to the few holes I had to re-drill).

Once in, I cut in the ski locker and installed the bracing. I coated all with ?KILZ 2? latex undercoater, sprinkled sand over it, swept off excess when dry, recoated, added more sand, then top coated with M22 in ?Platinum Gray?. Sand was ?Play Sand? from Home Depot.

Wife was skeptical at first and thought it would be tough on bare feet. Figured we?d cover it with carpet if it was. She likes it much better than carpet, and me too. Carpet?s nasty in a boat, but that?s just me.

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Hull (interior):
Washed, spot primed with Rustoleum Aluminum Primer, scuffed surface with 100 grit sandpaper.
Reinforced splashwell with some galvanized brackets. Used 40 (exactly) 1? galvanized lag bolts to secure splashwell to transom (Starcraft owners know what I?m talking about here), after drilling pilot holes and filling each with silicone.
Drew a line 7? below rub rail with a Sharpie, then masked right below that line so the line would be painted over. I used a shoebox and holding the pen stationary against it, followed the rub rail bow to stern. Worked perfectly, and much easier than measuring down, then trying to get a straight line with the tape.
Sprayed M22 in ?Platinum Gray? (http://www.benjaminmoore.com/bmpswe...+Repository/50078&_pageLabel=fc_productsspecs) over interior (existing vinyl included) using a high pressure siphon gun. Paint was thinned 10-15% with a mineral spirits replacement, that was cheaper and also worked great (Kleen Strip KSPro Paint Thinner).

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Well, that gets us caught up to last night (7/1).

Next is the ?fun? stuff ? reinstalling the interior, engine, and controls. Big plans for this weekend (July 4th) ? I have about 10 people coming into town to stay at my place, so work?s postponed until after they leave. Too bad the boat?s not ready! But, we?ll take the jetski out?.

 

[jennis9]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

joey

I love seeing this come to life. keep up the great work...

 

[new_boater]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

excellent

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

HOLY CRAP! You're doing fantastic work. The paint colors are great, floor looks great. Very very nice. One suggestion for you since I have a similar boat: Are going planning on doing any more painting on the interior? I painted a lot of the exposed alumium on my interior gray before I put it all back together. However, I didn't paint the area between the shelves that run along the sides and the gunnels which will be visible and for storage after you get your sides back on. Mine were already kinda flat black so I left them alone.I wish I'd fixed them up a bit. However, I just did my splashwell with spray liquid bedliner in a rattle can from Wal-mart. It looks awesome and has a great texture to it. I think it would look great in your storage areas and I wish I'd used it for mine.

This is the area I'm talking about:

 

[WizeOne]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

......1st coat was thinned with approx 25% xylene.....

Did you find that the epoxy did not really mix well with the Xylene? No matter how vigorously I've mixed it the batch was always heavier at the bottom of the pot.

..and btw, great looking resto.

 

[fishingdan]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Nice work!

 

[stevewolverton]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

That looks wonderful. Nice color choice - very subtle.

So.........how much to fix up my trailer?

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

HOLY CRAP! You're doing fantastic work. The paint colors are great, floor looks great. Very very nice. One suggestion for you since I have a similar boat: Are going planning on doing any more painting on the interior? I painted a lot of the exposed alumium on my interior gray before I put it all back together. However, I didn't paint the area between the shelves that run along the sides and the gunnels which will be visible and for storage after you get your sides back on. Mine were already kinda flat black so I left them alone.I wish I'd fixed them up a bit. However, I just did my splashwell with spray liquid bedliner in a rattle can from Wal-mart. It looks awesome and has a great texture to it. I think it would look great in your storage areas and I wish I'd used it for mine.

This is the area I'm talking about:

Mine had the blue/white speckled vinyl, and were pretty ugly. I painted the vinyl up in the bow area, but this vinyl in the gunnel area was peeling back, and needed to be reglued. I figured for that much work, I'd just use some left over carpet (from the trailer bunks) and put that in instead.

I tried painting over the glue first - it didn't look to hot.

I'd probably use something like that bedliner over the glue (which doesn't come off with a heat gun, xylene, goof off, mineral spirits, or acetone), since I can't remove it, and the bedliner would hide the texture of the glue. I hate wasting stuff, and that leftover carpet's sitting in my garage, so in it goes.

I'm done painting the interior, but the individual pieces have to go back in. All exposed aluminum is painted now.

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Did you find that the epoxy did not really mix well with the Xylene? No matter how vigorously I've mixed it the batch was always heavier at the bottom of the pot.

..and btw, great looking resto.

I only did one batch w/ the xylene. Didn't notice any settling. The epoxy was around 90?F since it was in my garage all day, which made it less viscous, also.

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

That looks wonderful. Nice color choice - very subtle.

So.........how much to fix up my trailer?

Bad thing about having a nice looking trailer is that you might come back to the ramp only to find your truck there with nothing behind it. The flashier they are, the more eyes are looking at it, so better figure out a way to keep it locked up.

I'm worried about someone taking my $50 LED lights off too with a pair of pliers - maybe I'm just paranoid and have been reading too many horror stories in the trailer boats forum.

In Georgia, all that's needed to register a trailer as "home built" is a notarized "I made it myself with purchased parts" form, then a serial #'s issued, riveted on, and a police officer signs a form that says it's permanently attached. Kinda scary. Works out good for us honest folks (had to do the "home-built" route for both my boat and jetski trailers due to illegible serial #'s and one being from out of state), but for the bad guys, it makes lifting someone else's trailer all that more enticing.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

looks GREAT. good job!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

I'd probably use something like that bedliner over the glue (which doesn't come off with a heat gun, xylene, goof off, mineral spirits, or acetone), since I can't remove it, and the bedliner would hide the texture of the glue. I hate wasting stuff, and that leftover carpet's sitting in my garage, so in it goes.

It would be perfect for that. It's really cool stuff. Has a great texture. I coated my splash well once before with the liquid bedliner that you roll on. It was decent but even using the textured roller they tell you to use it still ends up too smooth. The stuff in the spray can ends up closer in feel to your paint with sand in it. Very nice.

Again great work and if you keep up the excellent photo documentation this will definitely be one we will want to add to the Completed Projects archive so we don't lose it in the pile.

 

[sunaj]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Nice work, thanks for all the pics, always a pleasure to see a job well done

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Re: 1979 18? Starcraft Supersport Resurrection (warning ? lots of pics)

Joey....your avatar shows progress that we aren't seeing here....tisk tisk! How bout some updated shots? Your work thus far has been most impressive.