'77 Starcraft American (fiberglass) rebuild

[veedub]

whats up guys? Having some time off work, I was able to work on my 77 American and I got the stringers out. My question for everyone is I have old fiberglass mat still attached, some wavy and some not. I know i have to remove the wavy old mat but the mat that is still laying flat do I have to remove it? Also, ehat is the best way to remove the old drain plug? Thanks guys.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

I'm happy to say most here aren't that knowledgable about glass repair..lol
You'd be better off posting your questions in the Boat Restoration thread, theres guys in there that are half of their body weight in fiberglass dust and cough blood and glass shards...

I'd cold chisel break those wavy areas and grind down what doesnt break out. The old mat..that would stay.

Good luck..

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Yikes I have a older fiberform that came clean with stringers ok It is a glasser, to be used on the local river. I dont know If I could handle what your looking at. Good luck

 

[veedub]

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

thanks for the responses guys. its gone good so far just a few "surprises" nothing but time and money cant fix :facepalm:.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

The 'old' flat glass mat can stay, if it's well stuck. But you will need to make sure you clean it very well & wipe it down w/ acetone to make sure there is nothing left on the surface of the waffle texture that would hamper the new materials from being well adhered. And yes, all those areas that look like ripples across the water will be in the way of a good, solid, air bubble-free & well stuck fiberglass tabbing to reinstall your stringers.

You should also remove the 1" lip left behind when you removed the stringers.

CheapBoatKevin is correct, you'll get a lot more help, questions answered, and comments if you move this thread to the Resto thread forum. The SC group is quite heavily weighted w/ Tin SC owners.

Find an iBoats forum Moderator (where your screen name has Cadet under it, a MOD's will read Moderator): Bond-O, Exmobee, oops, JB are the 1st 4 that come to mind right now. Send them a PM, left click their screen name & form the list that pops up, choose Private Message. Ask them to move your thread for you. It may take a day or two, they are few & we iBoat posters are many.

Good luck w/ your project.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Thread moved to Resto.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Re: OK, this is where Im at....

Just found this thread - looks like what I went through! I liked it so much, I've done it three times!

Your 16 should flat out fly with a 115 on the transom. The American is a great performing hull - you will be pleased!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: '77 Starcraft American (fiberglass) rebuild

Now that you have made it to the right place in the forum...


First off, Welcome veedub...

Second, Have fun...that's what this is all about...

Yep, you'll want to remove the lumps, and at the very least you should do a ruff-n-scuff on the glass mat you leave behind to insure a goob mechanical bond between the old and the new...and like jbcurt said, wipe down real good with acetone right before apllying the new glass...

For some great info on what is waiting for you, be sure to read the first 16 pages [or all 178 and counting, if you are so inclined...] of this... http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=234392...
And read and watch the vids from here... http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=510077


You can remove the old drain plug by any method you desire except to try and get it out in reuseable condition...you can use a punch and cave in the edges, then knock it out...it will be getting replaced with a new one once you get your new transom in...

Best of Luck,
GT1M