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!
My first tiny resto job: After stripping my 1974 tiny down to bare metal, I’m planning to paint the entire boat with Total Boat Aluminum white paint and trim with Total Boat Topside color paint. Should I put a clear coat over the entire exterior, or is that overkill? I want a nice practical...
