My first project boat 1973 Starcraft SS(I think)

[UpnorthMN]

I am starting to rebuild a 1973 16? Starcraft SS. This is my first ever rebuild adventure on a boat so I wanted to clarify and get some opinions about my plans before I get started. I purchased this boat from my father in law a few years ago and it had been modified from a console boat to a tiller. In the process of doing this a lot of the original equipment was removed. We tore the floor out of the boat last weekend and I forgot to take ?before? pictures but I will get some uploaded tonight.

The first issue we found was the original stringers that run bow to stern were removed. He did this so the floor could be lowered a couple inches. My first thought was to cut new stringers from side to side and mount them on top of the half circle aluminum braces along the bottom of the boat. These would be cut from plywood and be placed on every brace approximately every 10 to 12?. The other plan would be to try and duplicate the original stringers that run the length of the boat. Is one of these better than the other?

The second issue has to do with the floor. The floor is approximately 4?-8? wide for most of the length of the boat. There are two ideas we came up with. The first would be to lay a full sheet of plywood down and fill in the outside with two 4? wide pieces of plywood. The other is to run a seam down the middle of the boat and have only two pieces approximately 2?-4? wide. Is one of these ideas better than the other?

The last question I have for now is on the whole process of laying in a new floor. From what I have gather on this forum the plywood should be laid down and epoxy together. I am assuming this for waterproofing and for strength. The next step is to lay fiberglass down across the whole floor. Is this down so all the plywood acts as one solid piece or is there another reason?

Any information you guys can give me will be much appreciated.
Thanks
Nic

 

[jasoutside]

Re: My first project boat 1973 Starcraft SS(I think)

Oh man, another boat I can't see! Rats!!!!

OK, welcome MN! Glad you are here buddy!

Now, can we take a look at what you are working on? We'd love to check it out! Then we can talk through your decking job.

Click on the "Starcrafts being Rebuilt" link in my signature, that should give you plenty to do for a while

Cheers

 

[barato2]

Re: My first project boat 1973 Starcraft SS(I think)

MN, careful....Jas seems friendly but i can already hear the sound of a grinding wheel sharpening a pitchfork, and catch the faint whiff of kerosene. and the rest of this pack of piranhas has got his back.....AKA, post some pix and you get lots of help, don't and the Mob pays you a visit.....

to best answer your Qs, we need to ask a few, like where will you be using the boat (small lakes, or Lake Superior?) and what will you be using it for (fishing or Lesser pursuits?) and how many people do you expect to have with you most of the time.

on general note, i'd go with alum stringers....far lighter than plywood, and the ribs you're describing only add lateral stiffness, not bracing along boat's longitudinal axis. alum isn't free and STARCRAFT OBV DIDN:"T PUT THOSE LONGITUDINAL STRINGERS THERE FOR LOOKS OOPS SORRY dang caps lock>>>someone on here mentioned using an old ladder as one possibility.

 

[UpnorthMN]

Re: My first project boat 1973 Starcraft SS(I think)

Here are a couple of pictures of the boat so far. It is still very messy inside, when we tore the floor out we found that the previous owner had removed the stringers and filled the bottom of the boat, under the floor, with greatstuff. I can't bad mouth him too much since i married his daughter. The boat has been run that way, no stringers and great stuff as the bass of the floor, for 25 or so years. When we opened it up there was a lot of ice in the bottom of the boat so we brought it outside to melt and dry up a bit. I am going to bring it back in the garage tomorrow and clean it up. There will be more pics uploaded then.

The boat will be used for fishing only, not much else to do with a 25hp motor. The lakes we fish are anywhere from 1000 acres to 6000 acres. The boat has been out on Lake of the Woods but we never get to far away from the bay we camp in. Mostly i fish with one other guy but there are times when there are 3 of us.

I'll take a look at the link you suggested Jas and do some more reading.

Thanks

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[barato2]

Re: My first project boat 1973 Starcraft SS(I think)

i wasn't trying to trash the PO....as you say, it obv worked for him that way for 25 yrs. i'd replace the stringers just because i'd want to know it was as sturdy as possible the day a sudden storm blew up when i was miles from shore. nice boat either way!

and a double win....your wife can't even complain about "that old pile of junk in the driveway".......