Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

[Woodonglass]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Picture of the old 3 piece transom - not sure if it is the original. I plan on a one piece replacement. Trashing the old and making a template for new transom construction. I also removed the splashwell.

I am thinking ahead - should the splashwell thru-hull drain fittings need to remain flared aluminum [I do not have the tool for flaring], or can I use a threaded plastic thru-hull fitting. Pros or cons strong for one way or another?

I'm not a "Tinner" but...I'd stay with aluminum. You can make your own Flaring Tool.

 

[gardug0213]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Cheap and easy...cannot beat that. I am going to use your shop built flaring too - thanks a lot Wood!

 

[gardug0213]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Picked up some plywood for the deck and transom. It was a deal that I could not pass up (my father knows a guy kind of deal). Nontreated marine plywood at cost...cheaper per sheet that the exterior grade stuff at the big box stores. I picked up 3/4 inch for the deck and 1 1/2 inch for the transom.

Marine plywood has no voids and more plys. It comes in treated and non-treated - I obviously went with non-treated because of the corrosive effects between aluminum and the preservative in the treated wood. I plan on epoxying all wood before installation.

 

[gardug0213]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

I had to take a break from the paint stripping. Have just the Gunwale to complete.

I was not sure if I could cut two transoms out of one 4x8 sheet of plywood, that is one reason that I went with the 1 1/2 inch plywood for the transom instead of using 3/4 inch. I cut the new transom and ordered the epoxy. For the wood epoxy I am using West System 2 part marine-grade epoxy [105 Resin & 205 Hardner] and West System fillers [403 Microfibers] for thickening. For the aluminum epoxy I am using Gluvit for interior rivets and seams.

In the end I confirmed that I could cut two transoms from one 4x8 sheet. I have enough 1 1/2 plywood left to do another boat transom...does that mean that I should look for another boat to restore?

 

[gardug0213]

Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Trailer Issues: The steel trailer that was packaged with the Mariner when I bought is in need of some work. The trailer metal is solid - no salt water, probably just seen the Inland & The Great Lakes. The bunks have almost failed, some rollers need replacing, needs tires, electric wiring and lights, prep and paint. I was dreading stopping progress on the boat to work on the trailer. My father came across a freebee galvanized roller trailer [he is good at finding deals and nothing beats free]. So I loaded the boat onto the new trailer after adjusting it to the max length, but the rollers are just short of supporting the transom. It will work as is for the restoration phase, or at least until I hang a motor on the transom.

I think that I can get the trailer to work, but am still trying to figure it out. I am thinking of bolting on a folding tongue extension to bring the boat onto the trailer another 6 inches. I would have to add a couple of keel rollers also to support the bow. Other than that, I could be done with working on a trailer. Does anyone see an issue with doing this?

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

That's a nice trailer score and sounds like a pretty good plan too!

 

[Decker83]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

That's a really nice looking boat. Wish I could find the wood you did. That was a really nice score on the wood.
Keep up the good work.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Gar - What do you tow with? The reason I ask is I tow with a Jeep Cherokee with a lift gate. I couldn't open the gate with your rig hooked up. I know because my rig has more distance from the winch post to the ball than you do and it hits. I got a 12" hitch extender ($18 at HF) to fix the lift gate hitting the post If your post is more forward you'll be running out of room for a swing-away tongue. In fact you don't have room as it sits in the last pic or even to move the post enough to move the post forward. Actually I think the trailer is a bit short for the boat.

All is not lost. You can splice in a length of tubing between the bow rest and the main trailer rails. Measure the tongue tube and get the next size up and it should fit with the original tongue inside. Cut the tongue, weld it up and good to go. I bet a lot cheaper than buying a swing-away. After all the trailer was free, so you have to spend some $$$ on it. But just enough $ to get the job done.

I'm just judging by the pics and I could be all wrong.

 

[gardug0213]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

You are pretty much spot on GA_Boater. I am tight to my lift gate with my current setup. I have a few more inches to move the winch stand forward. Currently the stand sits against a grommet for where the trailer wiring exits from inside the tongue, which can be removed and the wires rerouted allowing for the winch stand to move forward a bit more. Thanks for the idea for extending the tongue by nesting it with a different size tongue. I am going to have to do a few final adjustments and determine what my final decision is going to be. What ever the decision is, it will cost less than fixing up the old trailer!

 

[starcrazy]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

I am currently redoing a 18' Mariner. Bottom side is repainted, and just finishing up the inside sanding to repaint it. Once the inside is painted, she goes to be measured for all the necessary cables so I can put her together. It's been fun and quite the learning process. It hasn't gone as fast as I expected it to go, but life has it's own agenda some times, so don't get discouraged.

Keep up the good work, will be following to see how she turns out.

Although I think when this is all said and done, I will look for the 22' Mariner and rebuild that. Simply remove the 115 etec and place it on the 22'. Time will tell though.

Wayne

 

[g8er4lyfe]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Ok Doug I am motivated to catch you. I at least will catch you on the manual labor stuff. The overall project depends upon finances. Anyway good luck and hopefully you are as excited about your project as I am mine.

 

[gardug0213]

Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

The transom that was removed was a three piece transom constructed of plywood and nominal lumber. I have decided to go with a one piece replacement. I do not foresee any issues with this decision. The only modification that must be made is to cut and remove a small piece of the gunwale where it meets the transom - it ends up getting covered up by the transom caps anyway. I do not see any structural loss in doing this modification. This has to be done with a one piece transom because it will not slide in as is. Another option would be to remove several rivets in the gunwale - but it seems more time intensive without benefit.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Yah, just about all of the rebuilders around here do just that ^^^. Good move!@

 

[64osby]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

gardug - Nice work so far bringing that Mariner back to glory. They are awesome boats.

You may want to keep your eyes open for some additional rollers for your trailer. Tinnys like support. Our 21'er sits on a 32 roller shorelan'er.

 

[starcrazy]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

I removed my rollers and replaced them with bunks instead.

starcrazy

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Great great boat! First time i have seen this thread.

I restored the exact same boat about 2 years ago. you can find the restoration thread in my signature. I know these boats inside and out, although not much to them! Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

 

[gardug0213]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Trying to make some time to Gluvit the rivets and seams. I have one seam on each side that seems to be not accessible from the inside (see pictures) of the hull. I think that I will have to epoxy this one from the outside. I plan on leaving the bottom of the hull bare aluminum and Gluvit needs to be protected from UV. Should I use another product here, like West System G/Flex?

Also I took a picture of the inside bottom of the hull at the bow. There is some kind of reddish stuff here. Is this a PO's attempt to fix something, or does it look this way from the factory. It doesn't leak here, should I remove it and Gluvit the area or just leave it as is. If it is a repair and it fails, I will no longer have access to it once the decking in installed.

**Update I called West Systems technical support - G/Flex needs UV protection also.

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

Trying to make some time to Gluvit the rivets and seams. I have one seam on each side that seems to be not accessible from the inside (see pictures) of the hull. I think that I will have to epoxy this one from the outside. I plan on leaving the bottom of the hull bare aluminum and Gluvit needs to be protected from UV. Should I use another product here, like West System G-Flex?

Also I took a picture of the inside bottom of the hull at the bow. There is some kind of reddish stuff here. Is this a PO's attempt to fix something, or does it look this way from the factory. It doesn't leak here, should I remove it and Gluvit the area or just leave it as is. If it is a repair and it fails, I will no longer have access to it once the decking in installed.

look into a product call coat-it. I used that on my mariner, and it worked great. if i remeber correctly it does not need protection from uv rays. I could be wrong on that, but i think that is correct.

 

[gardug0213]

Restoration of a 1978 Starcraft Mariner 22'

I purchased rivets from Jay-cee Sales and Rivet, Inc. [http://www.rivetsinstock.com]. I purchased closed end blind rivets with a dome head in 2 sizes: 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch [both with a Grip Range of .126-.250] - I decided that the steel mandrel is the way to go due to the increased strength. I plan on filling the holes left behind with Gluvit or 3M 5200 - sealing the mostly broken off mandrel from the elements. I also purchased aluminum washers/burrs in 3/8 and 1/4 to supplement a smaller grip range of .020-.125 (cheaper than buying 4 rivet options). Basically, if I am riveting through three sheets of aluminum I will need the larger grip range, and if I am riveting through two sheets of aluminum I will need to add the washer/burr to the inside.

I have noticed that several rivets in the bilge of my boat at the transom seam extending forward along the keel have corroded on the inside - possibly due to standing water or some chemical in the blige. The aluminum hull still looks good and so do the rivets everywhere else. I took a punch and hammer and easily knocked a few rivets out from the inside. I plan on drilling out more that need replacing.

I added an old picture: you can see how the factory placement of the thru hull for the bilge drain plug does not allow for complete drainage of the bilge - water is left undrained in the picture. The area that water does not drain correlates with the area that will need the rivets replaced.