68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

One step forward....... three steps back I had a fruitful night, first I ruined the coating on the endwalls and amgoing to have to sand it alloff andstart from scratch, then, speaking of scratches, I finally gave up on trying to posih the front plexiglass windscreen and had to take it out, breaking 32 of 36 stainless screw head bolts So does anyone know where I can get a polycarbonate smoked plastic front windshield cut and bent to fit?

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

dude its 300 (maybe 200) bucks for a freakin 18' ss!!! If i were closer, id be camping out in the guys driveway!

Bounced him an email and left a message..no reply yet

One step forward....... three steps back I had a fruitful night, first I ruined the coating on the endwalls and amgoing to have to sand it alloff andstart from scratch, then, speaking of scratches, I finally gave up on trying to posih the front plexiglass windscreen and had to take it out, breaking 32 of 36 stainless screw head bolts So does anyone know where I can get a polycarbonate smoked plastic front windshield cut and bent to fit?

Check out MatthewP's thread..If I remember right, he made his own windshield for his console, and heated it and formed it...

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

One step forward....... three steps back I had a fruitful night, first I ruined the coating on the endwalls and amgoing to have to sand it alloff andstart from scratch, then, speaking of scratches, I finally gave up on trying to posih the front plexiglass windscreen and had to take it out, breaking 32 of 36 stainless screw head bolts So does anyone know where I can get a polycarbonate smoked plastic front windshield cut and bent to fit?

i noticed that the ss screw heads seem to break pretty easily...

 

[Mark42]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Bret, Its looking good! What are your plans for a door and possibly a window in the cabin wall?

The least expensive window will be made from plexyglass. If you want glass, the local glass shop can cut laminated safety glass fairly inexpensively. If you want tempered safety glass (its is a lot stronger than laminated) it will get expensive. The set of 4 windows for my hard top ran $600 in 1/4" tempered and tinted. If you want a nice piece of tempered safety glass cheap, stop in at the local auto salvage yard and see what they might have in delivery vans. The flat side and rear door windows are generally tempered glass. Should not be hard to find a nice rectangle piece of glass to install.

Just a thought.

The veneer side of the cabin looks really nice. Will it be left natural or painted?

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Bret sorry to hear about your setback . Seems to be running rampnt among us Tinnies here lately . I think Andy is the only one of us ontrack currently.


Rick

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Mark,

I am planning on re-using the window from the original door, it is a glass slider, I have new latch hardware ordered and will use a SS piano hinge to hang it. All the wood will be given 4-7 coats of clear helmsman spar urithane which gives the wood a slight honey color.

The window I need made is to replace the crazed front plexiglass one. it has a single bend and I woiuld like to get a tinted replacement, Any Ideas?

Rick,

I know the tin cans will survive! They held up against incredible odds at Leyte, and will do so here as well. Long live the Tin Can Navy

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Bret you should be able to remake that front window out of tinted Lexan pretty easy especially with only one slight bend in it using a heat gun .


Rick

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Rick, what is the best way to cut it? (lexan)

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Bret best way I have ever found to cut lexan is a jigsaw with a fine blade . Take your time cutting and put masking tape on either side of the cut first then draw out your cut then cut it . Harbor freight carries a decent heat gun usually pretty cheap . Slso take your time heating it build up the heat dont just blast it with the heat gun for one little bend . I would cut it to size lay it out on a flat surface with a 2X2 turned up on edge in the center and heat it over the 2X2 and it will start to bend at that point slpw and steady so it doesnt overbend .


Rick

 

[brobrad]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Rick, what is the best way to cut it? (lexan)

A steady slow hand will work fine with a jigsaw, but a band saw is even better. Another idea with the bend might be a beveled cut. There's a chemical that glues it togehter that makes it appear almost seemless. I've used it to make some waste containers for mildly radioactive trash in a lab. It goes together very well. Just a thought. BTW i can't remember the chemical that is used to glue it, but any glass man could help with that.

Brad

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

There's a chemical that glues it togehter that makes it appear almost seemless. I've used it to make some waste containers for mildly radioactive trash in a lab. It goes together very well. Just a thought. BTW i can't remember the chemical that is used to glue it, but any glass man could help with that.

Brad

So I guess you would give the chemical a "Glowing " reccomendation?! Sorry, someone had to say it:redface:

 

[brobrad]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

So I guess you would give the chemical a "Glowing " reccomendation?! Sorry, someone had to say it:redface:

You gotta have fun when you can. Let me stress it was low level radiation. All of my children were born naked, but the seem normal.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Check the yellow pages (remember them? That's what we used before Al Gore invented the intenet!) and look for plastics suppliers. 1/8 or 3/16" lexan will bend without heating. The rather mild curve to the windshields on that boat, you could probably even get away with 1/4".

Lexan brand polycarbonate is available with a scratch resistant finish. I used it for the side windows in a 40 Ford convertible and after years of rolling up and down between the rubber strips, it never scratched. It costs more, but because you are saving the labor costs of making the windshields, it might be worth the added expense.

When I made the polycarbonate windshield on the MFG Niagara, the plastics shop I found in the yellow pages was really helpful. Spent half an hour showing me different plastics, and discussed different ways of bending. These guys generally sold in volume to sign shops and the like, so getting a customer in who needed advice was novel for them and they seemed to enjoy sharing their knowledge of plastics. Hopefully, you can find a shop that is as helpful.

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Mark,

Thanks for the info! I will hit the Fort Wayne yellow pages tomorrow

Here she is sans winshields and hatch cover

Now, I discovered an oops in my best laid plans. I realised after getting the doghouse complete, that in the old boat, the floor overhang the stringers in the engine bilge area about 1" Seems I forgot to build the new floor that way, so when the exact same doghouse measurements are used, it's too narrow for the floor to support!!!!

I think I am going to mount some upside down 1" aluminum angle, level to the floor, to the stringers to give me a ledge for the doghouse to sit.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Bret the angle iron ( aluminum ) should do the trick just fine and the doghouse looks great.


Rick

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Dope!!!!!
Ya already got a great gameplan for fixing it..
I was thinking a 1X1 around the base of the doggyhouse, but you have it handled!

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Dope!!!!!
Ya already got a great gameplan for fixing it..
I was thinking a 1X1 around the base of the doggyhouse, but you have it handled!

LOL who would have ever guessed they sold the same tape measures in Hoosierville aaaaand Florida .




Rick

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

LOL who would have ever guessed they sold the same tape measures in Hoosierville aaaaand Florida .




Rick

You know Rick..I thought you'd enjoy not having the black vic around these last few days..Time to call em back in for 24 hr survellience...I believe you should see them in 5...4....3.....2......1..Yeah, thats them outside your window

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

ROFLMAO Kev I knew that would get a rise out of you . I also know that Bret knows I am a transplant from Floriduh and dont play into the Whole Kentucky/Hoosier thing . You get that Supersport report done yet You know there will be 3 or 4 more killer deals on SS's down there next week .



Rick

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: 68 Starcraft Starchief 18' Cuddy Restoration

Bret sorry to hear about your setback . Seems to be running rampnt among us Tinnies here lately . I think Andy is the only one of us ontrack currently.


Rick

SHHHHHHHHHH!