Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Well, a long weekend of working on the boat resulted in launching it yesterday evening with about 95% of the work done! Still have an interior to assemble, but we can do all that stuff IN the water! We decided we're going to opt for the nicer new seats, but the budget is shot at the moment, so we're using the old seats for now. The wife will be cutting and stapling new vinyl this week for the trim pieces and cockpit coamings. I also have an issue with the motor overheating at half throttle and above, so we still have some bugs to iron out.

Also had a nice teak transom swim ladder given to me by a neighbor off a junker boat he was going to cut up. The wife was quite pleased with that acquisition - no more climbing in over the motor!

All in all I am very pleased with it. The ride is tremendous! Took a couple of cruiser wakes with minimal jostling and the 90hp Johnson is plenty of power (for now). Nothing like a brand new boat, which it is for all intents and purposes! Rock solid, nothing rattling or squeaking. The way it SHOULD be!

Thanks for all the encouragement over the course of this two year odyssey! Purchased it in April of 2005! Splashed it June of 2007! Not bad, eh?

- Scott

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Okay - it's been almost a year... We used the original seats, held together with construction screws and duct tape for all of last season. Back in December we dropped the seats off with a friend of ours who does vinyl upholstery work. At 6'4", I was not finding any aftermarket seats I liked and the originals were a good 4 to 6-inches longer when laid down than any of the aftermarkets ones I was finding.

So, last weekend we got to pick up the rebuilt seats and they look great! I still have to build new base boxes and install the hinges, but that won't take too long. Hope to have them done by Memorial Day weekend...

- Scott

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

I used the better of the two old seat bases as a template and managed to knock together one of the new ones before the rain yesterday, plus I ran out of SST screws. I mocked up one of the seats for a pic - I think they look sharp! Can't wait to finish them up and get them in the boat!!
- Scott

 

[TriadSteeler]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

The other day my wife was doing some spring cleaning and found an old picture of my first resto. It was only a paint job, rewire, new wood for the seats and carpet. It was a '73 Starcraft American with an Evinrude 85

 

[oops!]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

good to see you found time again for it scott.......

just a suggestion...on my b2b seats, i built a base under the base...it picked them up another 6 ins.....you didnt feel like you were draggin anything while sitting, and it wasnt soooo far down it was painful to sit. i have a lot of freeboard. but you might give that a thought. with your height, its a long way down....


(i also have a capri b-liner....scott, it feels like a cheap corvette......i sit sooooo low to the deck...just a matter of preference i guess......)

cheers bud
oops

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

I'm calling this project DONE! I finished up the seat bases and assembled the hinges to the cushions last weekend and got them in the boat. Some measurements and chalk lines got everything squared up and then I screwed them down! Gooped up the screws real good with Life Caulk to hold off water getting into the floor. Aside from the general maintenance things and the odd improvement or three I'm sure I'm going to want to do at some point, the rebuild and restoration work is finally finished! Except for the hull & deck skin, and the windshield, the boat is brand new! It feels good! I get a charge of satisfaction everytime I look down at the dock and see it floating happily awaiting our next cruise...
- Scott

 

[jakekootenay]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/31/07!

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/31/07!

Another busy weekend working on the boat. No funds for the carpet or seats at the moment (dang car needed tires :-() but there was no shortage of things to get done.

Last week I installed new side panel bases - the shelves that always seem to accumulate empty cans, loose change and gas receipts. The old ones didn't have a means to drain and were rotted out. These will have a drain hole in the back.

The windshield went on last Saturday with new T-bolts and weatherstripping. Then installed the rub rail, which didn't go quite as planned, but oh well. The original had been badly chewed up in a couple spots, including the aluminum channeling. I straightened it out as best I could, but ended up putting the rubber part in in sections, cutting out about a foot of it. I do most of my docking on the driver's side, so it won't be a big deal. Eventually I'll invest in new rub rail material, but this will do for now.

I scraped off the old Starcraft decals, as well as the reg numbers. Followed that with some wet sanding on the sides to bring back the gel coat a bit. I am very happy with how the red sections turned out! I am in the midst now of using rubbing compound to polish it a bit, then waxing to protect it. I have new Starcraft decals to stick on and will have a vinyl shop cut me new reg numbers. And, finally, I painted the transom, covering all my transom installation holes and a few dings and scrapes that I had filled.

I will be rigging the engine and making the side panels this weekend. Hoping the budget will allow for carpet, too, as I may just stick the old seats in for now. The water is calling!
- Scott

Hi Scott
great project. great job of the restoration.
I also have a starcraft american 15 ob that I bought new in 1974. I have spent the winter rebuilding the transom, stringers, keel and am just about to lay the new sole. Been a big job but will be worth it in the end. Had the interior upolstery done a few years ago. Noticed on one of your posts that you obtained some new starcraft decals for the sides. This is one item that I would like to replace as they show some tearing. Could you please give me the name of the supplier for these? thanks again for your post.
Jack from the Kootenays in BC, Canada

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/31/07!

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/31/07!

Hi Jack,
I found my decals on eBay. I don't recall the seller, but there are usually a few on there at any given time...
What are you running on your 15-footer? I have mine in this summer and really like it! I knew I kept it for a reason after I finished the 18 - the wife wanted me to sell it, the old "why do we need two boats" deal. My thought was why stop at two??
- Scott