78' starcraft ss restoration

[Huron Angler]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

New motor, new paint, looks good

Trim and tilt is convenient and great for optimizing performance, hole shot, etc, that 70hp Merc should get her planed out nicely.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

thanks! I cant wait to get to try it out. I was kinda dreading not having that before and even looked into an aftermarket rig. so this worked out at right about the same price. I got two coats of epoxy on the floor now, the ply soaked in alot already so we will see if i need to do a third when this dries. I really want some vinyl for the floor but im still undecided as to which color i want. I got a sample of nautolux storm grey and shark. I'd like all grey but the storm grey looks a little purple for my liking. anybody have this color in their boat? Also considering deco dot. Any advice?

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

I have what I believe to be Nautolex Shark gray, and I like it so far, we'll see how it looks on the deck in a week or so.

It's a nice low-key color that matches everything. I really didn't like the other colors available.

I think I will be good with two coats of epoxy, but I've been using huge brushes and laying it on pretty thick. I've heard that using trowels is the better way to go for spreading epoxy, maybe I will try that next time.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

Mine is storn gray as well. Pics in here somewhere http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/?start=all

The product is very nice but my installation skills left something to be desired. I have air bubbles. I think I'd go with something painted on if I had it to do again. Durabak, Kiwi Grip, something like that.

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

I got a sample of nautolux storm grey and shark. I'd like all grey but the storm grey looks a little purple for my liking. anybody have this color in their boat? Also considering deco dot. Any advice?

I used decodot gray. See my site. It has not been exposed to on the water use yet but it has endured my scrambling around as I did my interior. I used their vinyl glue, needed to be thinned, but when it dries it is STUCK down. Did not get any bubbling, you have to really roll it to get them out. Did get a few odd bumps, most likely from thick glue, did not thin at first. Not too noticeable. The vinyl edge must be secured mechanically. I rolled mine over the edge and stapled. Did not use stainless but probably should have. The ones I took out, 40+years old, still had life left in them. You will not get a hard corner when you roll it over an edge. Too thick. And be sure you account for the additional thickness if you are fitting the panel into a tight space. I had to roll back one edge, saw off a bit, and reset. You can see the whole thing.

More ?s, let me know.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

Thanks guys. I don't know that I'll be folding the vinyl underneath yet or not how critical is this step? I own a floor covering business so if I botch this up that would be pretty bad! EZ does yours look purple at all? I checked out the pics but figured Id ask anyway. Never know with some cameras... I really like the texture of that but it's just difficult to tell from a 2" x 2" sample. I've got to make a decision pretty quick cause there's so much left to do. I'm pretty bad with color scheme choices but at the same time I plan on looking at this floor for the next ten years or so. But thanks again for the advice and replies. I think I'll try just brushing on the epoxy from now on cause the roller I'm afraid isn't getting It on thick enough. My girlfriends at home putting on a layer right now. It's pretty cool to have someone help out like that instead of give me a hard time.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

EZ does yours look purple at all?

Not in the least.

You won't find a better price than here http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|10918|311409|311410&id=23740

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

Thanks guys. I don't know that I'll be folding the vinyl underneath yet or not how critical is this step? My girlfriends at home putting on a layer right now. It's pretty cool to have someone help out like that instead of give me a hard time.

It is best to wrap the vinyl to prevent it from peeling back up. The problem is that on these boats it is not easily done on the main deck.

I have not seen anyone wrap the boards prior to installation, but the guy that my dad hired to rebuild the deck on his aluminum boat did it that way(I haven't seen it yet).

I will be doing something similar to Ezmobee's with aluminum angle riveted down as trim on each side of the boat. The bow section of my boat will be wrapped and stapled since they are smaller pieces.

The vinyl is a big headache for me so my girlfriend is in charge of it all.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

After some thought Im gonna go with kiwi grip for the deck. It seems to be a pretty good product and has some really good reviews so I'll pull the trigger on that later today and hopefully get it installed early next week. EZ air bubbles happen sometimes in vinyl floors in houses. Sometimes they will go away in time but if not you can just stick a needle in it and work it out. I understand though if you don't want to poke holes in your new floor, but it will be a lot less noticeable than a bubble. If I don't go with vinyl Ill have to figure out what to do with the area above the bow seating and the space on the gunwhales underneath the side consoles, since I was planning on putting the same material as the floor on there. I think I'm gonna order some teak for the two "dashboards" and finish them to match my ski locker. This should look pretty sweet.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

Wow, quite the progress since I last peeked in...luv the paint job 'and' the fact you not using the chrysler{lol}...great work!

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

WOW,

Its been over a year since i updated this thread. I can say that in the past year a lot has happened with the SS. As of right now ive had it on the water about 8-10 times
Ive made alot of progress, a lot of mistakes and learned a lot along the way. This forum has brought a wealth of knowledge i never would have dreamed of.

As i recall the last update i gave was a new paint job. Well i wish it still looked new The paint i chose was easypoxy for the hull and top side. Like others have noted with this paint, i did not have longterm success. I repainted over the old paint thinking this would bond well on the bottom of the boat, but unfortunatley that was not the case. Its started peeling pretty bad, and i could scratch it by practically looking at it! The topside i sanded to bare aluminum and primed and painted. I wish i could say i had better results, but again every time i drag even the dullest of objects i get a scratch.

But enough doom and gloom! ill Figure out the paint later when i run out of other things to do. Next thing i did was install the deck.

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I chose to use 1/2'' marine grade plywood, because a local lumber yard had some in stock and couldnt get rid of it so i got a swingin deal. I used clark craft epoxy about 3-4 coats on each side. To install the deck i used 3/16" x 3/4" aluminum blind rivets countersunk and filled with epoxy flush to the top of the floor.

As i said in one of my last posts i Chose to use Kiwi Grip for the deck. I have mixed feelings on this stuff. First of all i applied it too thick with a v-notched trowel and then rolled it on using their textured roller. I did this when it was raining constantly for a week. After about 4 days it still had not completely cured in some spots and i found this out by walking on it
This is what it looked like:

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After having this in the boat for about a full season, i would say that it is overall a good product. However it does crack a little bit and shows dark lines which are only visible up close. it stays relatively cool in the sun, but does get dirty very easy and requires a good scrubbing to get clean. As far as the parts that i stepped on when it was still wet, i still have some left and will probably throw on another light coat.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

Soooo,

After i got the deck installed and painted i went ahead and started cutting and intstalling vinyl for the bow area and the shevles along the gunwhales. I went with Nautolex storm grey. After that I started assembeling the consoles. I chose to just carpet the bow seating for now and used Cabelas' Ultimate Marine carpet in charcoal. By the last piece i got pretty good at upholstering carpet I did add a hatch to the front bow seat and used a flush mount latch handle.

Im embarassed with this picture the boats so dirty! but you can kind of see the bow seating with the new hatch and the vinyl around the gunwhales and bow.

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I added two pedastal seats and upholstered the consoles and side panels in light blue vinyl. The above picture doesnt really make the color of the vinyl look good but in the sun i really like it.

Heres Another.

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[ezmobee]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

I am sorry to hear that you had the exact experience that I did with Easypoxy. I have been hesitant to officially recommend against it due to doubting my own application methods. I, like you, had read (I think I even watched a video about it on Jamestown Distributers site) that specifically said I could just rough up the existing paint if it was in good shape. This is apparently some real sh&t advice. And like you, even the parts that adhere, are easily damaged. I really think the stuff is absolute crap. My advice now to others is that if they want to save money, stick with Rustoleum (especially with added hardener) or step up to a true 2 part marine paint. Nuts to everything in between.

Your interior work looks great. I'd like a better shot at your bow area because it looks like you did a great job on it and I'll eventually be redoing mine.

What happened with the Chrysler and how'd you end up with the OMC?

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

I was in dire need of a motor at this point and the mercury I spoke of earlier didn?t pan out. So I was able to find a 78' 85 hp evinrude on CList. I bought it from a guy who was extremely knowledgeable about outboards and really gave me a good deal. It has power TNT and is in great condition for its age.

So I rigged it up and hit the lake She ran good but porpoised quite a bit, but thanks to the knowledgeable gentlemen here at iboats I think we?ve come up with a solution. Sorry tangent... anyway I immediately noticed I needed a lot of things when I was on the water last year so I went ahead and got me a couple of things to modernize this old dove.

I purchased a Minn Kota Terrova 55lb trolling motor with a 54" shaft. It pushes the boat around very well and is so quiet I hardly now its running. I installed a quick mount and a trolling motor plug so I can remove it easily.

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I also covered the bow support?? In vinyl. I think EZ mentioned that this part sucked for him as well. This was probably the most aggravating part of the whole restore. I?m not sure at what stage in the building process they installed this piece but it was so tight I had to cut it out. I used the two halves as a template and cut two new pieces of wood in its place and epoxied them. I wanted to get a good fit so I wrapped the two pieces of wood in vinyl and put the piece in as two. I then used some Simpson framing ties on the back of the pieces to secure them and for stability. Overall it was just a headache and I?m glad that done. I also had to stabilize the bow with some additional wood underneath the trolling motor because there was so much deflection in the original setup. It?s not at all pretty under there but it does the job

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

So As you can see i also added a couple other things. I got a couple flip down cup holders and rod holders, a radio, speakers a tach and speedo and fishfinder. For the guages i used autometer mounting cups part #5204. Someone reccomended this idea to me right as i was about to cut holes in the dash! I thought it was a really good idea and im glad i did it now. I got a stereo as a gift for X mas, which was a great deal on overtons:facepalm: 4 speakers cd player, splashproof cover, remote, antenna, and it has a usb and aux in the front for like $130. It sounds pretty good too.

Heres another picture... the decks dirty and theres crap everywhere sorry!

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AS for the fishfinder it is a humminbird 788ciHD DI. ive only got to play with it once on the water but so far its pretty sweet.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

So of course with new electronics there must be new wiring, so I rewired everything!

I got all my wire from genuinedealz.com. this is a great site with arguably the best prices around. They have just about everything you need to wire a boat. I used 16 ga marine wire and heat shrink terminals for everything. First i ordered some flexible conduit (split Loom) and some zip tie mounts. My original plan was to 5200 zip tie mounts under the gunwhales and all around the boat and then zip tie the split loom leaving the wires hidden. Well the 5200 failed so little by little i am using JB Stick to adhere them all back. I Made me a circuit breaker panel that housed 8 push to reset circuit breakers underneath the starboard console.

Pic of the breaker box

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I got a set of circuit breakers with illuminated rocker switches from great lakes skipper, and wired it all up!

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

Heres a couple more shots at what the boat looks like now. DIRTY

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As you can see my windshield is ridiculous. this will be the next thing on my list. I found a kit on great lakes skipper for 2 windshield supports and window gasket so ill probably get this. when i got this boat i had glass missing out of the port side and i threw in a crappy piece of plexiglass somebody was throwing away:facepalm:
id like to paint the frame as well. Im curious to know how some of the other guys painted windshields have held up?

Also Id like to add some bow cushions and maybe some removable jump seats or pedastals in the back. anything to hide the gas tanks and all that would be great. but for now im gonna enjoy this thing!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

As long as you hit the windshield frames with etching primer first, the paint should hold up fine. Your work looks great. Not sure if you saw my post up above that I posted while you were adding all your updates. Got a shot of the '78 'Rude? TnT is a rarity on a '78. Take good care of that. It's worth $400 by itself on ebay.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

I am sorry to hear that you had the exact experience that I did with Easypoxy. I have been hesitant to officially recommend against it due to doubting my own application methods. I, like you, had read (I think I even watched a video about it on Jamestown Distributers site) that specifically said I could just rough up the existing paint if it was in good shape. This is apparently some real sh&t advice. And like you, even the parts that adhere, are easily damaged. I really think the stuff is absolute crap. My advice now to others is that if they want to save money, stick with Rustoleum (especially with added hardener) or step up to a true 2 part marine paint. Nuts to everything in between.

Your interior work looks great. I'd like a better shot at your bow area because it looks like you did a great job on it and I'll eventually be redoing mine.

What happened with the Chrysler and how'd you end up with the OMC?

EZ,

yea the paint job was pretty disappointing, I dont know what it is about that stuff. Ive already touched up some spots here and there with what i had leftover but now im out. I dont know if i should buy another pint and just keep hitting spots as they come or what. Anyway thanks for the compliments. I feel if i was to upholster another boat id get it looking pretty good, but i was able to learn on this so it was pretty cool. Now i wish i would have done something different like a removeable casting platform with maybe a livewell on one side and dry storage on the other. One thing about the 16footer is there is not a lot of storage space.

As far as the chrysler goes its still sitting on that old stand in my buddies garage, I cant find many parts for it so its just collecting dust. I really like this evinrude though and have done some work on it, and have gotten pretty familiar with it. There are def. more parts available for this than the chrysler.

By the way your interior work is sick. I just checked the stern seating and platform out on your thread. Very nice man it looks like it should be on a showroom floor! keep up the good work.

 

[singledoubt88]

Re: 78' starcraft ss restoration

The guy i bought the motor from just replaced the trim motor and all the solenoids, so it should be good to go for a while. Ive got to move the motor up one hole to help out the porpoising issue, so after that ill get to play with it more. With the way the boat rides now theres not much benefit to it, but that will change. I dont have a good picture of the motor but ill snap one next time i get to the boat.