1972 starcraft floor replacement

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

Any hardware store or Big Box store has the Weldwood. I used Helmsman spar varnish instead of epoxy on my floor. It lasted decades with what Starcraft used to protect the wood - NOTHING. So it has to be better. Epoxy will last until the day before forever, but I don't think I'll be living that long so I went with the spar. It's a choice, is all.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

You don't need marine plywood, but you do need to seal the ply with some kind of water sealer (i.e. spar varnish).

I was thinking of going with water sealer that bonairll mentioned to seal the plywood that epoxy looks very sharp though.

The problem with water sealer is that it's little more than parrafin (wax) and mineral spirits and your adhesive won't bond well or for long to it.

Merit, I think you were planning on using Spar Varnish or similar like GA did ^^^, correct? That isn't really a water sealer per se, but it does seal out the water. Many have used it, porch paint & other products that do a much better job then the original NO protection Starcraft used.

Jig is correct, a WATER SEALER like Thompson's isn't a good choice for the ply or under the vinyl.

 

[BonairII]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

I found the epoxy resin well worth the $50, it's like a sheet of glass between my raw decking and the vinyl adhesive:

Even though my decking is kiln dried CCA plywood and will never rot it still suffered checking (cracking) from water intrusion, that's a thing of the past now.

Where did you find enough epoxy to do an entire floor for only $50 bucks?? I thought that the cost was around $200 or so.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

Where did you find enough epoxy to do an entire floor for only $50 bucks?? I thought that the cost was around $200 or so.

I used the 1/2 gallon kit of 635 thin medium 3:1 from USComposites ($39.75):
Epoxy :*Epoxy Resins and Hardeners
With the pumps and shipping it was like $55.

It was enough to do 4 coats on all of my plywood:

... and mix up fairing compound to fill the checking (cracks). The above pic is after the second coat and before filling/fairing the checks.

 

[BonairII]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

$55 bucks for resin AND the hardener? It took me 2 gallons of spar varnish($50 a gallon) to do my floor and transom. I only did 2 or 3 coats also.

Did you epoxy both sides of plywood?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

$55 bucks for resin AND the hardener? It took me 2 gallons of spar varnish($50 a gallon) to do my floor and transom. I only did 2 or 3 coats also.

Did you epoxy both sides of plywood?

Yeah, the resin and hardener come as a kit and it's actually more than a half gallon. You get a half gallon of resin and 21.3 oz. or hardener for $39.75, a little over 5/8 of a gallon when mixed together. Epoxy is cheaper than a lot of people think.

I did the top side of my plywood and the edges 4 coats plus fairing. I didn't do the bottom of the plywood because it never gets wet and still looked like brand new, I wish I could've just flipped the ply over and used it that way but none of the holes or cut-outs would work.

I use exterior grade spar urethane for some things (small stuff) when I'm out of epoxy, but the more I use it the more disappointed I become with it. I used it to seal the side bunks on my trailer and dinged the carpet on one of them while putting the boat back on the trailer in a high wind. When I took the bunk off to patch it and cut the dinged section of carpet off I pulled the spar off with the carpet and glue. I also have a wooden garden hose reel on the side of my house I built with ply and sealed with exterior spar urethane and after 2 years it has cracked even with 4 coats and the ply is suffering water intrusion. From now on I'm just going to stick with epoxy and paint over it if it's exposed to the sun.

 

[BonairII]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

If I had known that epoxy could be done that cheaply...I probably would've went that route. Ive some here that spent $300+ to epoxy their floors....so I ruled it out in a hurry.

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

well I am not so good at posting pictures but there they are I will have some more later going back out now to tear out floor

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

Congrats on getting the deck up. The typical dreaded pour in foam quagmire........ Yuk...

You won't regret removing the old & redoing the flotation foam & deck.....

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

Ouch - Got water in your foam? That's one of the problems with factory pour in foam. Never anywhere for the water to go. The sheet foam is much better at shedding the water unless you do a few things with the pour-in to let it get back to the bilge.

On the pics - Are you using Photobucket? It really easy to post PB pics and larger pics so you don't have to click on them to view.

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

so all the foam has to come out or just in the middle so it will drain. i started taking foam out from the middle and the outside of the foam was dry to the touch but the inside was soaked to were i would pull a piece out and a puddle would form. So I take it that the foam on the sc holiday is not structural?

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

Wet foam never dries out, Merit. Pull it all to be safe. Foam has no structural purpose in tinnies. The floor tied to the stringers and ribs provides the rigidity to the hull. That's another reason I argued against the foam over the stringers.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

Core sample or just cut a plug out of the side foam to check for moisture on the bottom, the top can feel dry while the bottom is saturated.

Your foam is kinda/sorta structural, it was supporting the 1/2" decking making it feel more solid than it really was... but since you're going with 3/4" plywood you don't have to worry about that.

Your boat is a lot nicer than I had pictured in my mind and is definitely worth the time and money to restore her.

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

ok so I have to take all the foam out tomarrow. what is the best way to remove the foam? also I am having issues removeing throttle from side panel i removed handle and the chrome cover plate and the three screws and the thing is still hanging on there any suggestions?
Thanks jigngrub Its like one of those boats she looks great till you get within 10 feet then you see shes been rode hard and put away wet. But I got a good deal on her and always wanted a big well big to me aluminum boat. I saw potential and the room to do some of the ideas I have brewing. she runs great as long as your not afraid of playing with her knobs. I can't tell you how sick of rochester 2gc's I am. The last three boats I have had also had that same carb. Seems like you almost have to adjust the idle circuit every year. Sorry I am rambling tired I will give a update with more pics in the morning.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1972 starcraft floor replacement

A pointed spade/shovel will remove large chunks of foam quickly, just like digging dirt.