Repair!

[Grekis]

Hello!

I have just purchased a 1976 Starcraft American 16 foot tri bowel. The boat looked to be a great deal and gave the guy $900.00 for it. I should start off first by saying that I do not know any thing about boats. I soon found out that my good deal had a rotted transom that needs to be replaced. I have done my research and think that the option of the Sea cast will work out best for my problem. I have started on getting all the wood out of the transom and getting ready to replace it with the Sea cast. I think that I have the Glass part down but what about the cosmetic part? When the job is finished what's the best way to paint over the repair? I have painted many cars before but never painted a boat. I will be painting this in my back yard as well. Do I need a paint both? What type of paint or material should I buy? What type of gun should I use? Do I need a primer? How would I prep the boat? Also, check out the pic's at the bottom!

Thanks in advance !

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/Boat1.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/Boat2.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/Boat3.jpg

 

[oops!]

Re: Repair!

hi....welcome to i boats.

gee.....i just cant beleive how much fun you seem to be having from the look of the pics .....may i suggest a chain saw !


the repair you have....is nasty.....good thing you didnt loose your motor, as broken glass and a rotten transom, mean that puppy was ready to fail at ANY SECOND !

the repair you need to make must be made from the front and the back....that means you gotta get in there with fiberglass.

im afaraid you will have to cut an acess hole in the interior skin you are trying to protect.
a standard polyester resin repair will work....

2 layers of csm....and a finishing veil...or one layer of 1708..

after the repair is done....id suggest you take a peice of thin plywood and screw it to the thin inner fiberglass as a backing plate...(keep and replace the cutout)....then you can pour your seacast......you might even put a peice of tuck tape over the cutout peice.then screw the plywood holding it all togeather......after its poured...remove the plywood...fill the holes with 3m 5200.....and a layer of csm over top of the cutout.

on the outside.....sand off the area....two layers of one oz csm and an 6 oz finishing veil.....(the kind of woven cloth avalable at home depot)
you will need to sand the new glass smooth and paint as usual.

as for paint....there is a ton of options.......just search paint on these forums....and you will have enough reading for a few weeks !

there is lots of guys here that have done seacast transom repairs....so if you run into a snag....there is lots of help here.

thats just one way of doing it....but it will be permanant.

cheers
oops

 

[keepNitreel]

Re: Repair!

Hello!

I have just purchased a 1976 Starcraft American 16 foot tri bowel. The boat looked to be a great deal and gave the guy $900.00 for it. I should start off first by saying that I do not know any thing about boats. I soon found out that my good deal had a rotted transom that needs to be replaced. I have done my research and think that the option of the Sea cast will work out best for my problem. I have started on getting all the wood out of the transom and getting ready to replace it with the Sea cast. I think that I have the Glass part down but what about the cosmetic part? When the job is finished what's the best way to paint over the repair? I have painted many cars before but never painted a boat. I will be painting this in my back yard as well. Do I need a paint both? What type of paint or material should I buy? What type of gun should I use? Do I need a primer? How would I prep the boat? Also, check out the pic's at the bottom!

Thanks in advance !

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/Boat1.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/Boat2.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/Boat3.jpg

Load your pics so we can see them by using the insert image & then paste your link from photobucket in the little window that pops up then hit OK.

Nice boat, have you checked the floor for rot also?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Repair!

Hi Grekis,
Your boat is actually a Capri model as the Americans were V-hulls, while the Capris were the tri-hulls.
If your transom is shot, then it is HIGHLY likely that your stringers and floor are also in need of attention. Your boat's construction is pretty much identical to the three Starcrafts I've rebuilt as far as construction goes. If it were mine, I'd go with a wood core transom and I'd pull the deck off to access the hull better. Check my links for a better idea of what you might be in for...
- Scott

 

[Grekis]

Re: Repair!

Hello!


Thanks for all the help you guy's are great. I am having a blast thou! I love a good project that takes up all my time and money! LOL.! I know once she is done and on the water it will all be worth it. I have not had a chance or do I know how the floor is good. Any suggestions in how to tell? I'm still working on getting all the wood out of the transom an also, waiting on a chain saw from a buddy. If I understand you right OOPS I will be cutting in to the interior skin this week and start on getting the rest of the wood out and will follow your steps with patching it back up when it's ready for the Sea cast. Thanks again for the advice. Thanks for letting me know what kind of boat I really have Chinewalker! I never new! The old man I got it from told me that is was a American and when trying to do research things where not adding up! That helps big time! Also, good job on your boats and looked like a lot of fun! I will be posting all of my pick's thru out my project as well.

Thanks Again !!!!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Repair!

one of these really helps.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Repair!

I saw a very similar repair, the transom was worse though. The guy pushed a pre-moldedseacast block down inside the slot to push the glass skin back out, then he poured seacast into the transom,
finally he just patched the outside with glass putty and gelcoat painted everything. I don't think its necessary to cut anything open, I did on mine because it was all gone,
but a little split like you have is not a big deal with seacast.
You could either push it back out or just tape it over and go ahead with the seacast and fill the outter skin later.

My transom split on the inside (bilge wall) , so I had to cut off the splash well....and then the inner wall just fell apart.

A chainsaw is the way to go, it not only eats the wood but it throws it all out too. It also scours the glass on the inner wall pretty decent but theres no danger it will cut through, they just don't cut sideways at all.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/materials/seacast-transom-repair-w-pictures-18939.html

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Repair!

Hi Grekis,
On all three of mine it was very obvious that things weren't right under the carpet. The floors were not flat, for starters, and when I stood on them things moved where they shouldn't. When I redid my first 15-footer my wife was inside the boat handing the old seats out. Boat was on the trailer and when I bent down to set the first seat on the ground, I happened to look under the boat while she lifted the second seat up - and I could see the bottom of the boat flexing a good bit. With my second 15-footer I could hear nasty crunching sounds when I stepped into the boat. And on my 18-footer I discovered not only was the floor rotted, along with the stringers, but they were gone enough that the resulting flexing had cracked the glass that held the wood cores in place!
In any case, I am pretty sure that if your transom is that bad, then your floor is going to be, too...
Also, if you pull the deck you won't need the heavy machinery to get the transom out. A belt sander and chisel will be all you'll need - trust me, it'll be easier in the long run... You can't access the entire transom from the well area with the deck on.
- Scott

 

[Grekis]

Re: Repair!

Hello!

WOW! I do not think that there is a better tool then a chain saw when when doing a transom repair. I was a little nervous to use a chain saw but I
have to say it was not that bad and it made getting the wood out of the transom easy. The repair is very dirty and felt like some dump a bag of mulch on me by the time I was done. I have most of the wood except for a little bit in the top corners of the transom. Does the transom have to be completely free of all the wood before the Sea cast? Also, I have cut a hole in the floor and stringers are very dry and solid!!!!

Trying to add pic but you will have to go to the link! Trying to fiugar out how to up load them right to the page!

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/1102081650.jpg

 

[oops!]

Re: Repair!

if you are using seacast....get as much wood out as you can.....but dont get anal......but make sure its dry......run some air movement in there.....evem stick a vaccume cleaner on blow in the slot for a day or two

 

[oops!]

Re: Repair!

c&p the img tag and post it in the reply......dont forget to resize the pic to 640 x 480.....

btw....if you dont repair the glass before you pour.....the crack will spread in a few years after the seacast is in...

cheers
oops

 

[jonesg]

Re: Repair!

Hello!

WOW! I do not think that there is a better tool then a chain saw when when doing a transom repair. I was a little nervous to use a chain saw but I
have to say it was not that bad and it made getting the wood out of the transom easy. The repair is very dirty and felt like some dump a bag of mulch on me by the time I was done. I have most of the wood except for a little bit in the top corners of the transom. Does the transom have to be completely free of all the wood before the Sea cast? Also, I have cut a hole in the floor and stringers are very dry and solid!!!!

Trying to add pic but you will have to go to the link! Trying to figgar out how to up load them right to the page!

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/Boat/1102081650.jpg

well the directions say yes you have to remove all wood, but Wolfgand says don't go nuts, its hard work being obsessive. With the chainsaw you are rubbing glass and can hear it, blow those chips out and if you can see glass its good. I left the top corners intact.

 

[Grekis]

Re: Repair!

Getting ready for paint....

 

[Grekis]

Finished! Completed boat with pics!

Finished! Completed boat with pics!

Here is the slide show link to my completed 1976 tri hull Star Craft Capri 16 foot fish and ski! Thanks for ever one help!!!

http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n217/ekisrekis/?action=view&current=6e0fc3d4.pbw

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Finished! Completed boat with pics!

Re: Finished! Completed boat with pics!

Wow, that has to be the most bad-***** little tri-hull I've ever seen! Nice work.