1979 18' Starcraft SuperSport Restoration

[mbroughton02]

Found a much better trailer for my boat on Craigslist. Had to drive 3 hrs to get it but I think it will be worth it! Galvanized, bunks, and in much better shape all around.

 

[Watermann]

Nice, that chariot should cradle your SS like a baby in it's mothers arms.

 

[Decker83]

Great score on the trailer.. Looks to be in great shape..

 

[mbroughton02]

So I test fit the boat on the trailer today:

After moving the winch post as far up as possible I still need the bunks to extend about 18" further back than how they currently sit, so that the transom is supported:

I don't think its a good idea to overhang the trailer's framing that much so I'm thinking I'll have my buddy with the welding shop move the rearmost crossmember back as far as possible:

That will get me about 6", and between that and moving the bunk bracket to the last hole I think my bunks will be overhanging the bunk bracket by about 8-10".

Because of that I am thinking I'll change the bunks to 4x4 instead of the current 2x6. Hoping the 4x4 will not deflect with the overhang. Also the boat will sit 1.5" higher, which will allow it to scoot just a little further forward before hitting the bow stop. Every inch should help.

Am I on the right path or does someone have a better idea?

 

[Watermann]

You could do the 4x4 or add 2 more bunks and have 4 2x6's. I prefer the later as the support of the boat is spread out more with say 24" of surface area as opposed to 8" with 4x4s. or if it works better for you a combination of the 2.

The next issue you'll face is stern eye tie downs, with the trailer so far underneath they'll rub the boat for sure.

 

[M2HB]

I like Watermann’s idea with extra bunks.
i would also add a Stoltz keel roller near the bow.
i also like keel rollers on all the cross members.

 

[Decker83]

Have your welding buddy extend the length of the trailer to fit the boat. You may have to adjust the axle to get the correct tongue weight..

 

[mbroughton02]

Thanks for the trailer ideas. I think I'm going to stick with my original plan. I feel good about it.

Finally warm enough to paint. Taking advantage of the powerhead being off and giving this outboard a makeover.

 

[nrf414]

Wow man that looks great!! Giving me ideas...

 

[Watermann]

Man painting an OB is a tough job but well worth the effort, looks nice so far.

 

[maineboat]

Thanks for the trailer ideas. I think I'm going to stick with my original plan. I feel good about it.

Finally warm enough to paint. Taking advantage of the powerhead being off and giving this outboard a makeover.

It looks great!! How did you prep it, and what are you using for paint?

 

[mbroughton02]

It looks great!! How did you prep it, and what are you using for paint?

The prep was a lot of work:

For the aluminum parts I de-greased everything with simple green & "gunk" engine cleaner. It was filthy so this took a lot of scrubbing. I masked the hydraulic rams and the transom of the boat, and taped the plastic bag you see over the powerhead gasket mating surface. I then primed it with rustoleum clean metal primer and painted with two coats of rustoleum professional enamel "smoke grey" with hardener added- same as the trim on my boat. I used the HVLP gun for the primer and paint.

For the fiberglass and miscellaneous plastic parts I sanded it first and primed with spray cans of rustoleum sandable automotive primer which said on the back of the can was suitable for fiberglasss. I then applied marine-tex to some cracks and deep scratches (I know from experience that you can't put the sandable primer on top of marine-tex, hence the backwards order of events). Sanded the marine tex areas with 180 then sanded the whole thing with 400 then 600. For the white I bought a quart of the rustoleum marine "topside" paint. I went with this instead of the rustoleum professional enamel I used for the hull because the marine topside paint said it said it was suitable for fiberglass. I added the hardener to this paint as well. Applied the first coat of white as seen in my pics above with the HVLP. I applied a second coat of white last night. I am not done with the cowling yet- I will be adding a blue stripe and white decals.

The prop I painted with a brush. Seemed easier than masking everything else off!

 

[Decker83]

Excellent Job!! That motor looks brand new..:flypig:

 

[No-AH]

top notch job mb....real nice!

 

[mbroughton02]

Finally finished the outboard paint job & new custom decals.

Before:

After:

 

[No-AH]

Looks good! Nice complimenting colours

 

[Watermann]

I know how tough painting a motor can be, the prep work is killer but you made it look easy and the old Rude is now looking better than the factory.. :thumb:

 

[mbroughton02]

I know how tough painting a motor can be, the prep work is killer but you made it look easy and the old Rude is now looking better than the factory.. :thumb:

Thanks. The prep was a bit of a pain but I had to replace the gasket between the powerhead and exhaust housing so I had it pretty far disassembled. That made it a lot easier.

Also replaced exhaust cover gasket and rebuilt the carbs. Running great on muffs and no leaks now, but the real test will be at the lake. It was stalling at idle but only when warm. I think I likely have some sort of ignition problem but I wanted to rebuild the carbs first because I'm good at those and the kits are cheap

 

[Watermann]

If that didn;t fix the issue then check the voltage when the motor is running to see if the rectifier is working correctly. After that look at the power packs, wiring and then stator. My Johnny had issues with power packs failing, come to find out the rectifier was not supplying the correct power or charging the battery. When I pulled the rectfier off the wires were bare, the insulation was rotten.

 

[nrf414]

Looks awesome mbroughton02. I may do same job soon. The paint not the exhaust gasket lol