'86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

[jbcurt00]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

May not be senseless money, but I get what you mean. If you have dry foam, it's likely not got many, if any, rivets leaking....

Might confirm foam is dry in more then 1 place all the way down to the hull....... If you've already done that, I missed it or my CRS is acting up: Can't remember S... well, you know...

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

The other problem with your bilge drainage is those darn ribs that run side to side, have you ever noticed how those things hold water?

... but there's a fix for that too.

Buy a sheet of 1/8" masonite (cheap) and cut an 8' long piece to lay between your stringers at the keel. Lay a few 2x4s on it and then weight it down with something heavy like concrete blocks or bags of sand so the masonite bows and sits on top of the ribs. Allow enough room between the edge of the masonite and your stringer so you can pour foam in the voids between the ribs, you'll pour from each side.

It'll look like this when you have the masonite laid in the boat (green) and the foam poured (yellow):

When you have the 8' section poured remove the masonite and move it to fill the rest of the ribs, remove the masonite when you have everything poured and you'll have foam up to the top of your ribs and the water can drain to the back of the boat without ponding behind the ribs.

 

[Grandad]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

And jas thanks for the input. If this rig didn't have 1/2" ply I'd consider the fun noodle floatations idea. This foam really beefs up the floors.

Hi Pete, I've got a '72 Holiday with 1/2" floors that I chose to re-use because they were in such excellent shape. I didn't use pour-in foam and although my floor does have some slight spring, it doesn't feel at all spongey. I used sheet foamboard laid flat as opposed to PMC method of installing it vertically in wafers. One of the deciding factors for me was that I wanted to avoid as many places as possible for water to hide, including crevices between sheets. You also don't want to introduce rattles (plastic bottles) or voids in the flotation (bottles and noodles) or squeaks (from wedging sheets in place). If you put some creative thought into how you can efficiently cut and fit sheet foam, I think you'll get good results without the headaches of pour-in foam. - Grandad

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Looks great gdad how much $ did you go for in foam? And jig you see the spaces under the ribs that allow drainage? As long as it stays clean in there it flows nicely.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

And how in the hell did you cut that foam on angles?

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

And how in the hell did you cut that foam on angles?

I would cut the same as straight except with a longer knife. Or use whats called a hot wire cutter or knife. Since I don't have one of them a sander will work too.

How did you do it, Jig?

 

[Grandad]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

And how in the hell did you cut that foam on angles?

I put together a hotwire foam cutter. Essentially all you need is a low voltage power source (I used a model train transformer), a suitable conductor that will get hot when powered and some sort of framework to support the wire and hold it taut. Have a look in the thread link in my signature below for some pictures of my cutter. The rig doesn't have to be very pretty. You could stretch the wire across an old window frame (minus glass). Try to get a variable power source that allows you to control the temperature of the wire. Keep the wire (I used a fine stainless steel safety tie wire) only hot enough to melt the foam, but not hot enough to cause early failure of the wire. The wire will turn perhaps blue when it's hot enough, red is too hot. The wire fatigues each time it's heated and cooled.

You can cut foam "freehand" following a scribed line or you can take the time to build a fence or jig to carefully guide the foam through the wire. Long smooth passes give the best cuts. Stopping to adjust your footing or hand placement usually results in a wiggle in your cut. There is virtually no resistance to pushing the foam through, so it may take a little practice with your stance to get good results. - Grandad

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Damn man you guys gettin deep on me. I just wanna go fishin!! Haha

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

$10 electric knife maybe?

 

[Grandad]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Damn man you guys gettin deep on me. I just wanna go fishin!! Haha

It's your choice of how you spend your time, but once you've tasted the Koolaid ......

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

And jig you see the spaces under the ribs that allow drainage? As long as it stays clean in there it flows nicely.

I see the rib drains in GDs pics, but somehow must've overlooked them in yours.

I wonder how much of that trash has gotten into your ribs through the drain holes and if you're going to be able to get it all out to keep the drains clear for proper drainage?

 

[Grandad]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I see the rib drains in GDs pics, but somehow must've overlooked them in yours.
I wonder how much of that trash has gotten into your ribs through the drain holes and if you're going to be able to get it all out to keep the drains clear for proper drainage?

If you guys are talking about the holes through the ribs along the keel, they're called "limber holes". All boats should have them. Even fibreglass boats should have a glassed in tube or hole to allow water to drain. Larger vessels often have a chain permanently fed through these holes from stem to stern for crew members to periodically drag the chain back and forth to keep the debris clear. Broken bits of foam are likely to clog these holes, so clean your bilge as much as possible before re-installing the floor. I suppose a limber chain could be installed even in a small boat, but it'd have to be something compatible with the aluminum hull to avoid corrosion.

And to answer your earlier question as to how much I spent, I dunno. You don't think about those costs once you drink the Koolaid. Those afflicted/addicted lose all perspective on costs. You just hafta do it. - Grandad

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

before re-installing the floor.

If you're talking about a floor in a boat it's called a deck.

I know what limber holes are, and cleaning the bilge and keeping the bilge clean was the point I was making. Debris passing through the limber holes in a rib may make it through the first hole but become trapped in the rib and accumulate only to clog the second limber hole later.

 

[Grandad]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

If you're talking about a floor in a boat it's called a deck.

More specifically, the sole. I always use the term floor on this site so everyone knows what I'm talking about, as newbie as it might sound to others. - Grandad

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

More specifically, the sole.

I've never heard a call for "All hands on sole" or "All hands on floor" in the navy, it's "All hands on deck".

Some people call it a sole because a deck looks like the sole of a shoe when you look at it on a plan view (but it looks more like the sole of a pointy toed cowbow boot to me)... but more specifically, it's a deck.

When someone is talking about boats and they mention a deck it's pretty easy to figure out what they're talking about, even for a newbie.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

It's real simple guys. Sole is an interior floor, as in cabin sole. Deck is exterior horizontal space, as in where the crew musters when all hands are called to the deck. Deck or floor works for me since most understand it.

Here's a forum link to the same type of discussion.

Now how did a rope turn into a sheet? LOL sutor -sorry for the mini hi-jack.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

It's real simple guys. Sole is an interior floor, as in cabin sole. Deck is exterior horizontal space, as in where the crew musters when all hands are called to the deck.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to argue that with the Chief when he tells you to leave the rack and hit the deck.

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

Well since I am getting an anatomy and physiology lesson could somebody please tell me where the clitoris is? :excitement:

 

[fat fanny]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I think you may be in trouble!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sutor623]

Re: '86 Aluminum Starcraft Restoration

I think you may be in trouble!!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha I figured I'd lighten up the thread a little. Started gettn heavy in here.