My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Hey Shawn, if that is the 15 ply Baltic Birch from Windsor Plywood, they assured me it was water proof glue and good for exterior use if sealed up properly.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Hey Shawn, if that is the 15 ply Baltic Birch from Windsor Plywood, they assured me it was water proof glue and good for exterior use if sealed up properly.

Is this available in the states? This WOULD be GREAT transom (& other uses) plywood.... 15ply has an incredible amount of glue in it's laminations & the glue probably penetrates the 15 thin (very very thin?) veneers much better then in a 7ply lamination plywood.....

 

[jasoutside]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Hey Shawn, if that is the 15 ply Baltic Birch from Windsor Plywood, they assured me it was water proof glue and good for exterior use if sealed up properly.

I just noticed they sell this at my local Menards:

3/4" x 4' x 8' Baltic Birch Plywood at Menards

http://www.menards.com/main/store/2...aterials/BM_Halex/Prod_Tech_Spec/125-3102.pdf

Though, if I'm a betting man my $ is thinking he has the standard birch stuff.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Well thats ^^^ good looking stuff! Windsor Ply only has Washington & Montana listed as US sources. They must be distributors & Menards gets it from them....

Really nice looking stuff, void free cores I bet, and w/ 11 core & 2 exterior veneers, 13layers is still going to be a great plywood to work w/, esp w/ exterior glue (per Jas' pdf link..)

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

I agree Jason, and the regular Birch is not meant for boat building.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

I think the stuff I have access to is regular cabinet grade birch. My bro has it and he is going to look and see what it is. Windsor plywood has the 3/4" Baltic Birch on sale right now for $79 per sheet. 3/4" exterior grade fir is $49 per sheet. Is there enough benefit to justify spending the extr***** for the birch? My thoughts are that the original transom lasted 30 yrs. I don't think I will own this boat for another 30 to try to make it last longer.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

My $0.015:

It might be great ply to build other structure out of, depending on how you plan to seal those, but for the transom, I'd probably go 1 sheet @$49..... It will do the job & it will be mostly unseen...

The BB will likely have a much smoother face on both sides then the fir does on either 1, if it's ACX. Which for console sides, seat bases, platforms, etc may make the BB easier to finish, and finish well, possibly w/ 1 less coat of epoxy &/or spar and ultimately make a smoother final finish for vinyl, but definitely paint.

The other point would be is great (better?) ply worth $30 more then good ply to you? The fir ACX prepped, sealed & cared for will likely outlast the 30yr original. So the extra $30 might be better spent elsewhere....

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Totally agree with JB 3/4 fir G1S is great for the transom, seal it up real good with three coats of Spar and your good to go.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Thanks for helping me finalize my decision. That $30 will buy the beer:-D

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

And for the consoles I was kind of thinking maybe curly maple or mahogany.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Got my o/b stand built yesterday thanks to the plans I found here on the forum. Hopefully get the motor sitting on it this weekend. With spring just around the corner I have to get crackin'!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Nice boat. I'm sure it hauls butt with that 90 on it. Good luck with your project. Glad you're doing the transom. They always look much worse when you get them out.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Thanks ez. I managed to get 40.5 mph gps last year. Might get a bit more after I plug some of the holes in the bottom to keep the water out. I will keep you guys posted with pics of the progress

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Looks like I have more repairs to make than previously thought. Found a broken transom support which explains why all the rivets on the outside of the transom are missing :mad-new: I will post pics later. And to top it all off I let the smoke out of my air compressor motor while trying to die grind the head off a screw that someone had broken a screwdriver bit tip off in :rip:

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

So here is what we found yesterday...
Missing Rivets


Broken Flange


Other side


Top cap removed - wood isn't in too bad shape but will be replaced soon

When replacing transom with a one piece do you need to trim the aluminum under the caps to allow wood to slide in? I just noticed in the pic that it overlaps.

Where can I find a new splashwell boot for the control cables? Mine is torn.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Yes, bend back or trim gunwale metal to allow transom to be slid up & out... Remove the drains...

Iboats Motor/steering cable boot, and similar from others online

Broken knee brace is a sign the transom needs to be replaced, or the boats seen very rough use/abuse..

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Seen quite a few knee braces cracked like that. Once you have the transom out just cut the flanges off that bolted to the transom, then pick up some 3/16 or 1/4 aluminum angle and when you are installing the new transom bolt the angle to the transom and rivet it to the vertical knee bracing. If you look in my 18 SS rebuild post you will see how I did it.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Got my new transom pieces cut out today. Hopefully tomorrow I can get them glued together. Picked up a rivet gun also. Now I need to get the rivets, a rivet set and we can get started repairing these broken parts. Fastenal has rivets but they can't get the set for the air hammer. I have a couple more options to check here before I place an order from rivetsonline. I will keep you guys posted with the progress.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Got the new transom glued together today. Test fit looks good. I decided when I cut the two halves to lay them at an angle so that when glued together it should give a bit more rigidity by changing the grain direction a 22.5 deg either way for a combined angle of 45 deg. That with the 90 deg between layers should add a bit of strength. Next will be drill some holes in it and start the spar varnish process.


I finished removing the transom brace as well. Apparently, the only thing holding it in there out of 16 rivets was one that had been replaced a long time ago. While I was under the hull I had a quick look to get an idea how many rivets I will need to replace and I think I came up with the perfect name for this girl... "The Colander"!

Now I just need to get some rivets, a rivet set, and new tin bent up and we can start reassembly. I am amazed how easy it is to find rivet suppliers up here locally but I am having a heck of a time finding a rivet set. One would have thought they would go hand in hand. My next bet is to go to some of the truck body shops here in town before ordering online.

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Looking good Shawn, did you try Princes Auto for the rivet set?