My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

I did try Princess auto. All they have are air hammers, punches and chisels. I did pick up an air hammer the other day that I think should work fine for the riveting. Might not be quite the same as a real riveter but I didn't feel like shelling out that kind of money for a tool that will sit on the shelf after I am done, unless this is just the start to a new hobby like yours

Since today was a holiday here nothing was open so I ended up at my friend's farm with the kids cleaning out his goat barn. Not really my idea of a holiday but the kids had lots of fun riding the tractor all day. Hopefully make some progress tomorrow.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

I was also wondering if the broken rivets on this boat are from 30 years of towing down rough roads without a transom saver. That wood looked original and it wasn't in that bad of shape so that is the only reason I can see for the kind of damage that I am dealing with now. I knew nothing about boats when I bought this one so I guess next time I will know more what to look for.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Hey, I just got a promotion!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Anything that stressed the rivets could be the cause of 'lots' of missing rivets... Running to fast for sea conditions, pounding thru waves, wake jumping, no transom saver, too fast towing on rough roads, the 90 might be slightly overpowered (my 16 has an 85hp limit), that w/ the slightly heavier motor & any of the other stresses could be enough..... Even a bad lot of factory rivets.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

At least the bilge pump will thank me after this! I think I am a sucker for punishment! I just bought 2 jeep cherokees to put together into one. Plan is to get the boat and the jeep operational by mid May! I may have to recruit my wife and kids to help.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

So this is my garage as of yesterday...

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Looks like your going to be busy for a while Shawn.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Been very busy here. By Monday I should be minus one jeep in the garage, at least for a bit until I decide to get another to strip for parts. I received my rivets today, a scrap piece of 1" steel for a bucking bar, a 1/4" aluminum plate to repair the transom/keel brace. I have 4 coats of spar varnish on the transom. I had a friend of mine weld up the cracks in the splashwell for me as my bro's new shop is not up and running until sometime next month and I would like to get this boat back together by May. I am heading to the border on Wed. to pick up an Ignition coil, motorwell boot, pitot sensor for speedo, and rivet set plus a few Jeep parts. Looks like we will be able to start reassembly in the near future. I will keep you guys posted.

Cheers,

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Just wondering before I put my transom in, I noticed it is 1/8" thinner than the original. What have you guys done to solve this issue? I thought 5 coats of varnish would have taken up some of the gap but I guess it didn't go on as thick as I thought.

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Hey Shawn, I have always just used two layers of 3/4"with out a problem. I also use glazing tape from the glass shop to seal the splashwell to the transom. The tape is totally water proof and about an 1/8"thick.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

What about the 1/8" gap at the bottom channel where the wood sits?

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

What about the 1/8" gap at the bottom channel where the wood sits?

I never worried about it, on the Naked Lady we put piece of aluminum between the knee brace and the transom. Most don't put screws back in the channel at the bottom as they don't add strength, just a place for water to get in.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Finally started to put her back together. It is very hard to find time these days to work on it. New transom is in, drain tubes installed. Hopefully with some help from a guy at work that used to build aircraft pontoons before joining our team I can learn something about riveting. I am hoping by the weekend to have the splashwell back in so we can start painting. Anyone have any experience with Benjamin Moore KP22 paint? Price seems reasonable and they tell me it will work.

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Made some progress today. Splashwell reassembled, knee brace welded and reinstalled, and a dozen or so rivets at the rear that I could reach replaced with solid rivets. The remaining holes in the bottom will get closed pop rivets until the floor comes out as another project down the road. Can't wait to get the splashwell back in and caulked so I can paint and get the motor hung back on there. Here are some pics of the progress...








This should be a bit stronger than before...

 

[dozerII]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Knee brace repair and transom look good, what did you seal the transom with?

 

[ShowMeGuy]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Nice lookin work there buddy.. Any more pics of the ballpeen hammer tube installation would be great!

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Nice lookin work there buddy.. Any more pics of the ballpeen hammer tube installation would be great!

Sorry, I forgot I was going to take some pics of those for ya. I will get some this morning.

Transom was sealed with 5 coats old masters spar varnish.

I can't believe how many broken rivets I found at the back on that last rib. Maybe this boat was built with a bad batch of rivets Even at this point the transom feels much stronger. Can't wait to get it wet

 

[smacd11]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

Here are the pics of how the tubes turned out using only a ball peen hammer...

 

[barato2]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

me likee. nice work there on the drain tubes. you may have just saved me $15 in hardware.

i think not so much bad rivets as the stresses from the transom going. most of em seem to sustain some "collateral damage" when the tranny starts to bow.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: My first boat - 1982 Starcraft SS160 rebuild

That's some good hammer work! The tubes look factory.