Well, it took me a while, but I finally got my repaired transom cap back from the fab shop - I’m really happy with it, and appreciate all the suggestions. $30 bucks, and a bit of a wait, and I’m back in action with the original part!
Thank you for all the suggestions! I think I’ll try my local fab shop first to fix the break if possible… for some reason, I assumed that cast aluminum wasn’t repairable - happy to learn that it might be! If that doesn’t work, I guess my fall back will be a set of aftermarket cast aluminum...
When I restored the boat this past year, I noticed it was a bit tricky torquing down the transom caps - I probably had a bad angle on the drilled transom holes… Anyway, it finally “popped”! Being 50 years old doesn’t help, I’m sure…
Really interesting boat, amazing design for 50 years old! I had an aluminum welder fill my screw holes, and just ground them nearly flat and wire brushed all the gunnel rails with a sanding wheel drill - came out nice. I also struggled with color. I wanted something cheery for my young grand...
On my 1974 12’ StarCraft, I used marine plywood, sealed with marine resin and then marine paint - should last another 48 years! Lol BTW, using a jack plate makes for a great ride and freed up transom space to mount my sport ladder and boat hook!
I love the jack plate on my 1974 12ft aluminum StarCraft. Not only does it make for a nice ride, it frees up lots of space in the boat and on the inside of the transom. I used that space to efficiently mount a sport dive ladder and boat hook!
Mine were about $50 per bench seat. Easy to install and very durable! Note: they ship with a protective plastic wrap around the foam inside. It needs to be removed so that you don’t get a “crinkle” sound while sitting on them. I’m very pleased with them…
Most of these little boats are restored as fishing rigs. I restored this one as a pleasure boat to explore all the rivers, lakes and the Gulf of Mexico around Florida with my grandchildren. Easy to launch and use almost anywhere!
