1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

[flatsider45]

Hi guys.I'm a newbie to the forum and this is my first Starcraft. Found her in Sc. but she has made it all the way from California.I have always liked these boats,but never could find one that wasn't beat all to pieces,so I took a chance on her cause I couldn't stand to see this boat go completly to waste (although it wasnt far from it)so I picked it up for 500.00 and started in on her.I have gotten some really good information on reworks from this site and plan to use em. I'd had planned on using Gulvit on the rivets and seams but the hulls integrity is pretty good so I opted for the truck bedliner ,hope I'm not messing up.Only found two rivets on her bottom discolored so i'm going to try to re-buck them and add the sealer.Also have a crack about 2" long between two rivets that I'm going to to weld where the bunk boards make contact.I think the bunks are too short on the trailer and all the weight on this shorter span is what caused the problem with the crack.Any problem with making the bunks 9 feet long to help distribute the weight? I have reworked the trailer to a point with new rollers,hand crank,jack,lights and some paint.It's a work in progress.Thanks for all the info.

 

[fshngho]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Welcome Flatsider. it looks like you have jumped into the resto head first. Nice looking boat and I am sure you will get a ton of info from this forum. I think some guys have tried the bedliner route and don't recommend it, interior sides and splashwell are ok. I would highly suggest the Gluvit. Now it the time to do it while there is no floor and for the price it's a great piece of mind. I'm not an expert, but I think you will want to drill a small hole at each end of the crack to prevent it spreading also. Keep the pics up and good luck. Dale

 

[Daltonxj]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Yep Gluvit will fix the leaks mine had alot of leaks in the bow area put some 3M 5200 in and did a few bucks here and there then cleaned and Gluvited the inside now no leaks at all... Well out to the boat to cut the flooring...


PS... Welcome to the Starcraft Armada....

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Thanks guys,Looks like I'm gonna have to remove the bed liner now.Ever have those times while your doing something that just puts that little something in the back of your mind that says, awe it'll be alright.Besides I already have the stuff,might as well use it.Well, should have listened to me.(AGAIN!!) Not the first and probably not the last.I dont suppose Gulvit would stick to this stuff,so it looks like a redo.Man I'm so mad at me.I pride my self in my work and have always gone the extra mile to make something better than orignal.I like taking chicken s--- and making chicken salad out of it.But right now it smells of a poultry farm.Small setback I guess.Really wanted to get to the next step,but I still need to address the crack before the floor goes in.I've done the stop hole before on steel and cast iron but these were thicker metals and couldn't completly melt through the material to assure complete penetration,but probably couldn't hurt either,just fill it up with weld.Gonna leave that to an expert on aluminum.I dont have a high frequency machine.Thanks alot guys! Back to work.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Nice project boat you've got there. Nobody will recognize it when you are done. Good news is it looks like you've got all the major original aluminum pieces.

The wood is easy to replace. Make sure you seal all ply with epoxy resin if you want it to last many years without rot.

My boat is the same and it's a great rig to work on. Much easier than a fiberglass resto.

Welcome to the Starcraft club

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Everyone says that you need to use epoxy resin on the wood .Can you not seal it with fiberglass resin to get the same results? Is epoxy that much better,or is it because it is a little more flexible when dry? Thanks

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Everyone says that you need to use epoxy resin on the wood .Can you not seal it with fiberglass resin to get the same results? Is epoxy that much better,or is it because it is a little more flexible when dry? Thanks

Polyester resin alone does tend to crack and epoxy doesn't.

With fiberglass matting, either way is fine to seal the ply. I prefer epoxy so you don't have to deal with the mat.

I did use 3/4" exterior grade ply, if you go with 1/2" then the glass and resin will be equally as good.

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Do you know of a good place to purchase epoxy resin? I'm wondering how much I will need to do the transom and the contact points on the flooring.Im using 3/4" marine grade ply for the transom .A buddy of mine gave me what was left of a 4x8 sheet after he cut out his transom for his pontoon.I'll have plenty to do the transom.Probably use mcq for the flooring.Hey, checked out your ss and it looks nice .That boat wasn't hurt at all.Can't wait to see'em bobbing around in the water! Thanks. Jimmy J

 

[coolbikeguy]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

US composites for all your resin needs LOL

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Thanks for the info. Just what I needed.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Great looking project. As was mentioned it's a huge plus that you've got all the pieces. Good luck with it.

 

[fshngho]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Flatsider, just a simple suggestion that you may already know. Read the restoration threads on the SS's that are done and in the rebuild stage. You will find a lot of oops & uh ohs that you can avoid. Thats the reason everyone shares on this forum. You can save a lot of time AND money by looking at what others have done. An added plus is you get to steal some ideas Good luck and don't forget the pics. Dale

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Do you know of a good place to purchase epoxy resin? I'm wondering how much I will need to do the transom and the contact points on the flooring.Im using 3/4" marine grade ply for the transom .A buddy of mine gave me what was left of a 4x8 sheet after he cut out his transom for his pontoon.I'll have plenty to do the transom.Probably use mcq for the flooring.Hey, checked out your ss and it looks nice .That boat wasn't hurt at all.Can't wait to see'em bobbing around in the water! Thanks. Jimmy J

I ordered my epoxy online from clarkcraft.com and I was very happy with the price and product. Best thing about it was that it's a 1:1 mix which is easy.

Some others are 5:1 and easier to screw up the ratio when mixing in the hardener. Keep it simple!

Thanks, your SS will look clean too I'm sure, aluminum is great to deal with

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Hey Flatsider, If you go to my photobucket page you will see a boat just like yours that a friend of mine is trying to find a new home for. Color and all. Might provide some guidance if you want to restore like orig.

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Thanks for the info.Checked out your photo bucket and man what an excellent job done on that boat! Sweet ride! I don't believe i'll be able to stay with the original color scheme although I probably should,but I will do the best job I can on her.I really like these boats! And by the way I like your choice of tools. I've been a tool tech.for the last 36 years and love good tools.Excellent job ! Thanks Jimmy J

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Thanks Dale I have been reading through this forum and have gotten some great info from all of you guys.What a great forum! I'll keep the pictures coming as I go.I'm into making the transom now but still have to get the crack in the floor repaired before I move on to the flooring.Still have paint to do before that starts ,so ckecking off things one at a time.Thank again! Jimmy J

 

[flatsider45]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Thanks ezmobee.I'm still looking for a few parts for her,but I think I can find things like the handrail fittings which are cracked and have a pretty bad case of cancer. I'd like to find a top for her but I think that can wait for now.Just picked up a 2000 johnny 70 hp with all controls to go on her.I think I got a buy at 1600.00 with less than 150 hrs on it. Compression is 165 dead nuts on all three cylinders.Looks new and runs great! Thanks again! Jimmy J

 

[motorpsykler]

Re: 1973 16 ft.Starcraft Super Sport renovation

Flatsider, regarding your bunk question. I went with 10ft 2x6 bunks on my trailer and set them on their sides. It has worked out great and would do it again in a second. It seems like the boat loads and unloads easier because the bunks don't dig in. I detailed what I did to my trailer in my threads below.