16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

[bucket of rivets]

In my search for another small tinny today I stumbled across two boats, one I believe is a 15' early 60's Starcraft Voyager, the other is a 16' 2" long 71" beam width Starcraft Jupiter or similar model. (the measurements really don't match any of the 16' early 60's models, with the options being Juptier, Starmist, and Stardust. Its got the huge splashwell and definitely measures 194" long, by 71" wide, too narrow for an early Jupiter, too wide for the Starmist or Stardust. Its the older flat bottom hull.

Both are $350, boat only no trailer, no motors.
The Voyager has a new plywood deck and new Seacast poured transom, all done by a local boat builder, who is selling the boats after owners failed to claim them. Both have been sitting for several years under a huge lean too storage area.
I was really after another tinny but the fresh deck and transom on the Voyager certainly caught my eye, as did the added space compared to the tinny with it's huge splashwell. (The Voyager has a rather small splashwell and much more room is left in that boat for fishing.) The downside to the Voyager is the short 15" transom and lower gunwales. Its been repainted at some point, both the blue upper and white lower are peeling pretty bad, bad enough that I could probably remove the rest of the paint with an air blower and compressor. Its also got a small crack in the plastic windshield.

On the 16' aluminum hull, its in need of a deck and transom job and has a scratch/scrape on one side down low, below the water line. Apparently someone dragged it across something somewhat pointy and it left a mark that looks like a little more than a keyed car door scratch, but at the end, there's a puncture, which someone welded. Its the weld that is now cracked in several places, still adhered, but cracked across the weld bead. He didn't try to hide it, he pointed it out and said the best way to fix it wasn't to weld it but to use epoxy and Gluvit the inside, then use marine Bondo to cover the repair for cosmetic purposes. He don't mess with aluminum boats and has no interest in fixing it.
I got the impression he bought it for its motor or some other parts. Its also missing it's windshield. I have a suitable glass windshield I can use if I go with this one.

The deck and transom are minor in my eyes, its the leaky repair that concerns me. The entire area is no more than an inch long, the length of the weld. The weld could certainly be epoxied over and sanded smooth. It appears they welded it from the outside since the inside area is under a rib.
It looks like the weld shrunk and cracked, the seller said that they had silicone smeared all over it and couldn't figure out why it leaked so bad. I couldn't find any other damage other than the fact its got about 20 or so misc holes drilled in the transom from past fish finder transducers.

Would anyone get involved with the aluminum boat?

How much of a drawback is the shorter 15" transom?
(I'm thinking safety wise here, I can bracket any motor, and I've even got several short motors I could run on it, but the plan is to run in saltwater, where a taller transom can be nice).

Basically both will need paint. The aluminum hull, while being a 20" transom, needs a weekend or two of wood work and some metal repairs.

 

[1973Chieftain]

Re: 16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

Both sound like they have positives and negatives. A competent rebuild of the transom and deck by a boat builder sounds like the best possible way of resurrecting an old glasser. From my researches though, that is often a several thousand dollar job
if done properly.. why is he selling it for only $350 if he put that much time and $$ into it? I would guess for the same reason you would not get much for it should you sell it down the line- few people want an old glasser unless it has some very unique design feature that SC's don't have.

The aluminum hull is probably more desirable, which would come in handy if you were to sell it some day. Gluvit has been used many times before for repairs, and it sounds like a small hole. Not sure with it being on a rib though, might be difficult to fix the inside as well as the outside.

Do you have pictures of either?

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: 16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

Aluminum boats are easier per se to work on. No fiberglass work, which for some guys is a deal breaker. They seem to be (on a whole) cheaper to fix up too. There are advantages to both. You need to weigh it out for yourself.

Now onto the two boats in question;
Patching is no big deal on aluminum. Under a rib seems to be a little harder. You can braze it (see my sea scamp thread) or rivet a patch over the offending area (Gluvit etc...). You may not win a beauty contest but it will be fully functional. A good welder should not have a problem fixing it either. IMHO the hole is not a deal breaker.

I need to see some pictures of the Glasser, and really mull it over before giving an opinion. I don't like glasser projects unless you know for sure what you're in for. I have nothing against them though. Some of us have issues with them, they call them donor boats and sawzall fodder. lol

Where are you boating/fishing at. Jupiters are kinda flat in the back half. Not made for waves, and you mentioned saltwater.

 

[bucket of rivets]

Re: 16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

Both boats are kind of flat in the back half, the lower hull shape is almost identical in the rear, but the glass boat has more of a bow flare which I feel would keep water from coming over the bow. The flat hull is a plus since the water can be shallow here. Often we run in only a foot or two of water.
The Voyager is the same as the one in the 1960 Brochure listed here but minus the rear seat and in blue/white not yellow.
I'm not sure if the aluminum boat is a Jupiter or what, its an inch short for a Jupiter, and an inch or two narrower, yet it looks too deep for a Stardust or Starmist model.
I guess my biggest concern is the low transom on the glass boat, and the leak in the aluminum boat. I'd be less leery of it if it hadn't been fooled with before. I called a welder buddy and he didn't like the idea that it had already been welded and cracked, he said that could make a proper fix tougher, depending on how badly they damaged the aluminum in that area trying to weld it.
There is a definite welded bead across the scratch there, it runs almost the width of two rivets across a rib. There are two rivets that may have been welded over. I tried to get a pic of the cracked weld but it didn't come out too clear.
The weld is roughly 1.5" long overall, with about a 3/16" wide bead that runs along one of the strakes or ridges.
What worried me is that this was a stress crack not damage from hitting something. If the metal there is fatigued, I don't think I want to get involved in this boat at all.
I don't really care whether its glass or aluminum, both do have advantages. But I think glass may be better for saltwater?
I'm just concerned about the low transom level.

 

[slowleak]

Re: 16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

That hull shouldn't have ever been welded. Chances are the metal is stressed or fatigued where it cracked. The right fix would have been to use epoxy and filler.
Welding something like that can warp or shrink the metal causing the cracks to appear later. I'd probably drill the cracks, clean, prime and seal the hull from the inside and then fill the outside with marine filler and repaint.
If its done right its permanent and the repair will be invisible.
By the looks of that transom, you have a boat load of holes to fill in too.
If it were me, I'd stay away from something that has obviously had too many hands on it that didn't know how to work on boats.
The dash looks cool but again, its not original and who knows what else they modified or rigged.
There are cleaner hulls out there, find one that don't need so much work.
The glasser sounds like it may be an option if you want glass, especially for saltwater. You can always make up a riser for the transom if you wish to run a 20" motor. I've also made up lightweight panels to deflect any following wakes in rough water too. All it takes is a few brackets and a panel. I used plexiglass on one.
If the 15" transom is an issue, your most likely overloading the boat anyway.

The older Starcraft glass hulls were tough, they used a built in stringer system made of fiberglass tubes, the decks were 1/2" plywood and easy to change. The transoms were wood cored, if the boat your looking at has a poured or all resin transom that alone is worth the asking price. The way it sounds all that boat needs is a motor and an owner. I wouldn't sweat the paint job, that can be done anytime, and all I'd do is use Rustoleum enamel on it.

 

[bucket of rivets]

Re: 16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

I went back today with the intention of trying to buy the glass boat for maybe a bit less, but it was gone, only the aluminum hull remained. I think I'll pass on that one, between it needing everything plus having hull damage like that I didn't feel like taking the chance it could turn into something more than a minor leak. I think I'd be more apt to gamble on it if it were never messed with, much less fixed and failed afterwards as well. While I don't doubt a plate riveted over the area would make it a sound hull, I couldn't see putting all that work in a hull that needs that sort of repair in the first place, I'd rather just find a cleaner hull. If it were a complete boat, needing nothing but that patch, maybe.
I got to thinking about the 20 some holes that need patching in the transom, 32 snap holes that need to be filled in, a complete paint job, Gluvit reseal, new deck, possibly new flotation, and a complete interior I figured there's got to be something better out there.
Its a super clean hull otherwise, absolutely no corrosion which is rare around here. I can see the shadow of PA registration numbers on the hull in the sunlight so maybe the weld damage is actually freeze related as it appeared to be pushed outward in between the rows of rib rivets.
Back to my search I guess.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: 16' Starcraft aluminum and 15' Starcraft fiberglass finds

Keep looking there are a bunch out there. Good luck to ya!