'86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I think I like the Storm Grey

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Both about the same to me. There's another SC tread here that is dealing with the stickum right now. djpeters resto maybe?

Never bought any thru-hulls from iboats. Only ones I ever bought are for bilge pumps, no below the waterline types.

 

[64osby]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Storm Grey and Eggo's looks good.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Storm grey

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Cool thanks guys that's the way I was leaning. You guys think it will clash or blend together pretty well?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Should go together well.

Storm gray is what I have in my boat.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Should go together well.

Storm gray is what I have in my boat.

Cool man I thought that's what you had on it. It looks great. What type of adhesive did you use and where from?

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Oh yea looks like it will match up just fine.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Nautolex 88 adhesive to glue this stuff down? Do I need to put the glue on both surfaces (decking and vinyl) and will one gallon be enough?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I used the 88 on some of the larger pieces and Weldwood contact cement on the rest of the stuff.

After all was said and done I wasn't very impressed with the 88 and was very impressed with the contact cement.

The 88 requires stapling or taping to hold it for 4 or 5 days until it cures strong enough to hold itself, it also formed air/gas bubbles under the vinyl that had to be rolled out daily for 4 or 5 days after the vinyl was applied.

The bond with the Weldwood contact cement is immediate and strong and doesn't require any stapling or taping, once the vinyl is laid down and rolled... it's there to stay! Didn't have any air/gas bubble problems after the initial rolling either.

Working with contact cement takes a little practice, and you should practice with some scrap pieces of vinyl and plywood. Then wrap your smallest pieces with vinyl and work your way up to the big pieces.

Vinyl has to be wrapped around to the back of each piece you're covering, like this:

... or any edges that aren't wrapped have to be fastened mechanically. This includes any butt joints/seams. Even with the contact cement, exposed "loose" edges and seams will curl over a period of time. Aluminum angle or flat stock "trim" screwed down over the loose edges or seams will prevent this. I think I have a couple of pics to show for an example of this, I'll dig around and try to find them.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Once again, you ARE the man. That 88 stuff sound labor intensive! I have used contact cement countless times in my life I love the stuff. Especially the spray I kind. So if I have 3 sheets of wood I will have two seams in the floor? How will I go about keeping water it of there? A little silicone in between after it is set?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

So if I have 3 sheets of wood I will have two seams in the floor? How will I go about keeping water it of there? A little silicone in between after it is set?

I only had one butt joint in my decking, and it was on the bow casting deck. One of the pieces was the one in the pic above in post #70. Like I was saying, you wrap the vinyl around all of the edges to the back on every piece. The way I killed the joint was to dress it up with a couple of pieces of aluminum angle, one on each edge of the pieces that butt. Like this:

Here's a close up:

I didn't use any sealants because the joint is tight and water just runs right over it and back to the deck drain in the back of the boat.

Does your boat have a deck drain to the bilge like this or similar?

When water gets on the deck of a boat (especially a tinny) it's supposed to go down into the bilge. Then you drain the bilge when you pull the boat out of the water and pull the bilge plug and the water's all gone.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Well it is a little different, but yes the deck will drain right into the bilge. I like the idea about the angle iron on the seams. Man this boats going to look killer when I am done with it!!

On another note, I saw the DAP Weldwood that you were talking about. At $30 a gallon, and seeing as it is tried and true by you, it seems like the way to go bar none. I should be able to get the vinyl shipped, and a gallon of weldwood for around $160.00. Thats pretty sweet considering how long this is going to last! I am going to finish sanding the outside and inside of my rig this weekend, tie in the transom, and order the vinyl. Should make a bit of progress this and next weekend.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Ok, you do know you have to put the contact cement on the wood and the vinyl right? What you may not know is the vinyl will take 2 coats of contact cement (or I put 2 coats on anyway) the first coat will absorb into the canvas backing on the vinyl and a second coat is needed to make it shiny. I coated the vinyl first, then the wood (sealed wood only takes one coat, unsealed takes 2 coats), then the second coat on the vinyl after the wood. The directions on the can will tell you to put 2 coats on porous surfaces, you also have to keep the contact cement, wood, and vinyl at least 65*F and work in an area that warm too. Read all the directions on the can of contact cement.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

The only hang up I think I'm going to have is that the front decking piece is oddly shaped and the way that the carpet was previously attached to the sides of the hull.this is so you don see the ribs and the rib clearance holes in the wood. What if I leave the edges of the decking on this piece hanging off the edge and then silicone them to the hull. That way it will stick and I can get it up without tearing the vinyl.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Here is what the finished product looks like. You can't see the rib cut outs

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I'd wrap them just like this:

Then come back and cut the vinyl out of the bottom of the rib notch and the edge so the vinyl still still looked solid on top but the plywood could lay over the rib.

Silicone won't hold that vinyl down, the vinyl will whip that silicones butt and then laugh about it afterward.:lol: If you do it the way you're talking about use the contact cement to hold it to the hull.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Sorry man I having a hard time visualizing that.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Wrap the plywood with vinyl like it's a solid piece, the cut all of the vinyl out of the notch except the top. The top of the ply won't look like it has notches but when you turn it over the notches will be cut out of the vinyl.

In the pics it doesn't look like the ribs stick up above the top of the plywood... and even if they do a little the vinyl will stretch a little.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Ok gotcha. Yea I was thinking about that but if I do that it will allow water to get between the decking and side of the boat. I think I'm goin to have to leave a flap on both sides, stick the vinyl down, and when it is all cured ill dry fit the decking in and trim the vinyl to fit up on the hull. If I do need to ever pull the deck up I can still do it with minimal tearing of the vinyl.