72 Starchief 18' Restore

[Wakeesh]

I obtained a 72 Starcraft for next to nothing and promised myself I will bring it back to life for next years' (2013) salmon season. I'm in Alaska so weather is not conducive to outdoor repairs from now til May. My garage will have to do. I would like to remove the cabin and block it up in the garage for hull inspection and repair. No idea yet how many rivets leak. Maybe restore the cabin, and maybe convert it to an open center-console day boat. Will decide on that later. Any assistance in ideas for the restoration will be gladly accepted. I have a lifetime of boating/fishing background, but little restoration experience.

 

[rheagler]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Nice score. Looks like it's going to be a lot of work, but the good news is that the aluminum boats are pretty easy to work on without special skills or tools. Be sure to check out the Starcraft section, and especially the Starcraft restoration threads found here... http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=494143
Have fun and post lots of pics!

 

[Wakeesh]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Finally getting around to my winter boat project. Have aluminum, marine plywood, rivets, ss screws, etc. Before I proceed I want to throw out my primer/paint plan and see if I am on the right track. We only have WM and HD stores here, so limited somewhat compared to "lower 48" projects. My 40 year old paint is on real tight, and would like to rough it up, clean, prime with Aquagard waterbase 190, and top coat with Inter-lux Brightside Polyurethane. I will wire brush to bare aluminum all rivet areas and coat those spots with Z-Chromate. The Aquagard wb 190 primer claims to chemically bond to aluminum, so, is Z-Chro really necessary?
I've read a lot of posts from various Starcraft re-models, and seen several paint solutions. Since my original paint is so tight, why not save a lot of paint removal time and adhere my new paint to the old (properly primed of course). I will be painting all in my garage so proper temps are not a problem, and these paints/primers mentioned are relatively safe to apply with a little ventilation.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Brightside is above the waterline only:

Brightside? Polyurethane is a hard, high gloss one-part polyurethane topside finish. Excellent application characteristics yield that ?sprayed on? look when brush applied in thin coats and is ideal for use anywhere above the true waterline. Brightside Polyurethane is easy to clean, resists staining and has great abrasion resistance.

• Hard, high gloss one part polyurethane finish
• With Fluro Microadditive for easy cleaning, resistance to staining and added abrasion resistance
• Range of bright, crisp colors

Why do you want to remove the existing paint at the rivets? If the original paint is in good shape don't go to bare metal.

If you water test the hull & have leaking rivets, deal w/ them: re-buck, replace, etc. and then seal the inside rivets & seams w/ GluVit.

I've not read about anyone using the Aquagard, so you may not get much feedback about that specific paint. If you decide to use it (it certainly reads like a good option from their website) be sure to provide details & how it performs:
AQUAGARD? 190 PRIMER
Quart - 25009 | Gallon - 25109
Enviro-Friendly Waterbased Aluminum or Wooden Surfaces.

• Chemically bonds to aluminum
• Excellent resistance to corrosion and salt
• Improves adhesion of final coat
• Compatible with all other top coats
• Scientifically formulated for use with Alumi-Koat Anti-Fouling Paints
• Exceeds VOC standards
• No toxic fumes
• Waterbased
• Cleans up with soap and water

If you trust the marketing department for Aquagard's bonds to aluminum claim, you could skip the ZC. It's Alaska, find a piece of bare aluminum & paint 1/2 w/ Aquagard & Brightside the other w/ ZC & Brightside and leave it outside til Feb 2013...

Welcome back

That Starchief has certainly traveled some miles. Wonder if it made the journey overland or under it's own power?

 

[Wakeesh]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Thanks for the feedback JB, nice to hear from "experts" before I screw it up too bad. I will conduct that ZC vs aquagard test you suggested, and let the -30F winter determine which is the better application! I meant to say w-brush all the marked rivets from my water test done before winter showed up. The boat's history is a mystery, as the PO said the boat was in the woods behind his house when he moved in 6 years ago. I had to blaze a trail through the jungle to back my trailer in to rescue it. Anyway, thanks again and I'll post more pics as I progress.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Great job on the rescue and recovery, she can be a sweet boat once again

Up in your neck of the wood that cabin style hull may be missed but I do believe I see some damage on the roof there?

Welcome to iboats and and the Starcraft brohood!

 

[Wakeesh]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Thank you for the welcome JAS. I've read through a lot of posts and learned a lot. I like the igloo cooler under the seat and aft jump-seats on your 22' SC. I can see how this can turn into an addicting hobby. You are correct that the cabin is a valued component when boating around here, and I plan on keeping same. Plus, I have a wife and 3 daughters that need a private area when mother nature calls. Our weather is so unpredictable that a temp. shelter is nice to have to sit out a blow if need be. Not sure why they cut a 3' square out of the overhead plus some off the bulkhead, but it looks fairly straight-forward to replace and reinforce.

 

[sprintst]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Sweet boat. These boats are tanks. Some restoration and they'll be around for another 40 years.

 

[jhandlon]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

hello, so i took on pretty much the same project this past spring with a huge step more but I did it and it was a fun summer out on the water with my girlfriend jennifer. i did my one big mistake with a angle but will be fixed before next season.
advice, have a plan and buy 20% to 30% more than what you need. dont listen to the ones who say it cant be done, all thats means is you have to work harder.
go section by section and take lots of pictures and measurements.
if its not right to start it wont be right when its finished, and you dont have to go with top of the line stuff.

 

[Wakeesh]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Thanks JH. I am taking it slow and careful because; 1. I have a long Alaska winter to do it, 2. I need to read up on all these threads and product descriptions, and 3. I want it to turn out proper. I've been accumulating paint, aluminum stock, marine plywood, ss screws, rivots, etc. as I get confident enough to buy the right product. We don't thaw out here to sometime in April, and I want to be fishing soon after. My garage is tight but I built dollies to move the boat around to access tool and shelves. Thanks for your vote of confidence!

 

[Wakeesh]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

That is one of the reasons I decided to take this project on, figured if it is still intact in Alaska after 40 years then it has to have a tuff hull. Seems hardy enough for a coast day boat, yet light and compact enough to tow, launch, and store. Sure is interesting reading all the restoration projects.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Starcraft's are built tough as nails. Well built too. She'll be a nice fishing platform when you're done. The cabin will offer you some protection from the elements.

Good luck
Don

 

[dozerII]

Re: 72 Starchief 18' Restore

Welcome Wakeesh, great looking project boat you found. You will find a lot of great guys ready to help on this site. I am pretty much in the same boat (so to speak) as you in that I am very limited to what I can buy local, shopping has to be planned well on trips to the city and buying online. Good luck and looking forward to watching your rebuild.