Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

[snapperbait]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

Matantiques ... My 2cents worth, keep the little aluminum boat, here's why.... <br /><br />Those little boats make great flats boats when you deck em' out just right... A friend of mine has a similar 15' starcraft with a mid 1980's 60hp evinrude, all decked out in flats/bay boat style and done up right... On a few occasions he's been offered considerable $$$, and turned it down...<br /><br />My gut says, that big bowrider, consider it a total rebuild job... It will take considerable time, much more than the little boat; to refurbish... You will probably need to invest more into it than it would be worth when finished... And, fiberglass work, it's the worst...<br /><br />anywhoooo.. If you were to decide to part with the little boat, give me a holler.. I'm kinda looking for a little one like that... Have cash, will travel..

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

Its all about displacement....the displacement of your cash from out your wallet. What is the propulsion of that 21 footer? Does it run? Does it even have an engine? I hate to say it, but if a guy is willing to trade a 21 foot boat for a 14 foot boat, it sounds just a tiny bit fishy. Yeah, that bigger boat may be tempting, but the size does you no good if it costs a fortune to get it goin', then the cost of runnin' it. Yeah, I would stick with the aluminum. Fix her up, use her, and if you need to upgrade, you have a complete runnin' boat to sell or trade, giving you much more buying power. Just my 2 centies....

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

Well Mat, I know what you mean about space. I'm a BOB (Big Ole Boy), too. But I have to side with snapper and Jason and say keep the aluminum boat. I run a 15 foot fiberglass trihull, kinda like Jason's Skankybeast before the rebuild. Bowriders are nice, but I'd swap dead even for a good aluminum boat the same size. Course that fiberglass rig would look nice redone just like Jason did the SBeast wouldn't it? Whatever floats your boat, bro.

 

[matantiques]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

Thanks for the good advice guys. I think I will heed your warnings and stick with the little Starcraft. Since this is my first project boat, I think I should learn small before going bigger. Like they say, it's not the size of the boat.....etc. Well, now that the distraction is over, today I removed the old wooden dash from the boat. What a *****! The sucker was riveted AND bolted down with rusty nuts. I have also been thinking about welding the seams of the boast for added strength. A friend told me that there are epoxies/sealers that do the same if not better than the alumunim welding. Your thoughts?? In the spirit of low $$ investment, I am also planning on using thick white styrofoam for buoyancy on this boat. I am able to acquire thick transport coolers from my work that I can cut to size and use under the floor. What do you guys think about that? Sorry for all the questions, but you guys are my only source of support for this project.

 

[pjc]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

mat, i would not atempt to weld that sucker. A sealant is used at the joints and rivits at assembly. Unless removed you would have unweldable aluminum. Aluminum, in order to be welded must begin clean as can be. If you've ever TIG (heliarc) welded you will see all the black crap left from oxides and other contaminants at weld joint. Same for MIG. <br />There is a post in this area about 3M 5200 to seal your seams and rivits.<br />--a wise choice to stick with this boat imo--

 

[ratherbefishin]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

My sister gave me a ''free'' barbeque once- and by the time I had it up and running- it cost more than a new one-it just needed a clean up-yeah right!<br /> * new valve for the outdated tank<br /> * can of white spray paint for the tank<br /> * new burners<br /> * new lava rock <br /> * new hoses<br /> * new racks<br /> * can of black barbeque paint <br /> plus the shirt I got spray paint all over.<br /> You'd think I'd learn- but I never do...

 

[matantiques]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

Thanks Pat, will look into it. <br />Hey Ratherbefishing, I had the same experience once but with my ex-wife instead of a barbeque. I ended up getting a newer model!!

 

[ratherbefishin]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

ex-wife?What did you end up replacing?-New racks? and- what did you trade the 40 in for-2 20's?[ assuming you're wired for 220....]

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

Gluvit is good for sealing up an aluminum boat with leakey rivits.. 3M 5200 is great stuff too..

 

[NathanY]

Re: Free boat!! My first project boat!!!

I know what kind of boat that is. That is a Starcraft Sprint. Probably 15.5ft. I have one too. Here is what I did to mine. It is not complete yet, but almost. The link below will take you to my yahoo folder that has the before and after pics.<br /><br /> http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ic...yahoo.com/ph/icefrog357/lst?&.dir=/Starcraft& .src=ph%26.view=t