Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

[Chinewalker]

Having purchased at 15-footer a few years ago, gutting it, rebuilding the stringers, floor, etc., then finding a twin to it about a year and a half ago (now in the shop getting the gut & rebuild treatment) I just stumbled across an 18-footer over the weekend! An inquiry and subsequent deal have landed it pending me getting one of my trailers out from under a friends' boat in the next week or so.<br /><br />This one will need, at the very least, a transom and interior work. I suspect, being that it's of the same vintage as the '77 15-footer I did three years ago, that it'll need stringers, too, as the floor isn't the best. For $200 bucks, I didn't think I could go too wrong...

 

[evin300]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Good one Chinewalker!

 

[Realgun]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Is that second picture the transom? It looks full of holes and a crack at the top.<br /><br />Well 2000 more and it will look new!

 

[G DANE]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

It will also ned a V4

 

[Mark42]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Nice! The top frame and windshield alone are worth more than $200. Looks like a nice project. And don't worry about that crack in the transom, it's probably just cosmetic... <br /><br />The great part is it looks like it hasn't been stripped.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Mark - The boat was just taken in trade. The marina took it for the trailer, knowing the boat had issues. I basically paid for the winter storage and paperwork. The guy who traded it in just had them move his motor to the new boat. It has new side curtains & a new rear mooring cover, too, although the top itself is older - but in good shape!
Realgun - I'm no stranger to the innards of these boats. The transom on my blue 15-footer was MUCH worse, as it had buckled under the weight of the 85hp Chissler on the back. There wasn't a single piece of wood in that boat that I couldn't have crushed between my fingers. The 18-footer is in much better condition as a starting point... By the time I'm done spending that $2000, I'll have a brand new boat, for all intents and purposes.
Thanks all for the encouragement! Now to finish the 15-footer and see of the 18 will fit in the shop... I gots ta have my projects....
- Scott

 

[79Starcraft]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Scott,<br /><br />Nice Starcraft boat for $200 dollars. I am sure you will have no problem restoring it. Looks like you have done a good job so far on the 15 footer.<br /><br />Chris

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

UPDATE! Well, after spending last spring finishing off the 15-footer and then swearing off boats for the summer, I began nibbling away at the "to do" list on the 18-footer. Although I hadn't planned on it, I ended up tackling the powerplant first when I lucked into a few V4 parts motors for cheap last Fall. Managed to get one together (1984 Johnson 90, covered in the Evinrude/Johnson forum) over the winter and test ran it this past weekend on a "beater boat" I bought last year. <br /><br />Having a known quantity for a powerplant has added a little fuel to the boat-rebuilding fire as the 18-footer project itself had stalled a bit over the winter. So, we spent a good part of the weekend deconstructing the 18 - getting the carpet up, removing the deck hardware, pulling all the old wiring out, and I finished drilling out the steel screws that held the deck to the hull. All three of my Starcrafts had steel screws at this joint, which blows my mind. Had to drill them all as the heads were too corroded to take a screwdriver.<br /><br />Anyway, the deck is now loose and awaiting an afternoon to hook up a couple of come-alongs and lift it off onto my flatbed. Then I'll dig into the floor, stringers and transom and see what I'm up against....<br /><br />- Scott

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Still plugging along... Adding pics now...<br />Got the deck mostly loosened up and ready to come off. It's still sticking at the transom where the motor well is glassed to the transom core wood, but the wood is punky and some leverage ought to break it free.<br />Also got the windshield off and the interior is pretty much gutted....
- Scott

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Spend yesterday getting the deck loosened up the rest of the way and made up a 4-point harness to distribute the load a bit. Hooked up a come-along and started lifting! A little assistance from a prybar and it broke free at the transom where the motor well was glassed to the transom! Pulled the hull out from under it and backed in my flatbed . The deck now resides in my backyard on blocks, while the hull is now getting picked at as I start pulling the floor and saturated foam out. This being my third Starcraft project, I'm starting to get the hang of it now..
- Scott

 

[mgrimm1]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

chinewalker, i have a 77 starcraft american 15 ft. which was rotted out stringers, floor and transom all replaced with the help of this site, lots of elbow grease and anti-itch cream . mine has a solid windshield. is the windshield on yours original to that boat?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Hi Mike,<br /> Yes, the 5-piece windshield is original to mine. I've seen them both ways, so I am pretty sure that was an option at the time, or something they offered on different years and models. My cousin has a 1981 15-foot V-150 (same boat) with the 5-piece windshield and both of my 15s ('74 and '77) have had the 5-piece.<br /> My first two restorations were American 15s - great little hulls! I've still got the second one ('74 with a 1980 Johnson 75hp Stinger). What do you run on yours?<br />- Scott

 

[mgrimm1]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

I have an 89 Evenrude 40 on it now but it came with a 67 evenrude starflite 100 elect shift, joe reeves helped with that one but the parts were too much. all the wires, paulse transformer, ect. I picked this up on the side of the road for $150. loved the look of the haul and the trailer was in great shape. i did not know what i was in for with the restoration though.

 

[floatingwoody2006]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Chinewalker.. A little off topic, but how far off the rear of that trailer does the boat hang? I have a 14' lund that hangs off the rear by about 16 inches or so, and was wondering how safe that was..

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Hi FW,<br /> It hangs off a bit, but that's not the trailer I would normally use with the boat. It's actually the trailer for my 15 with the winch stand all the way forward. It's the only way I can squeeze it into my garage on the trailer! My other trailer - the one that actually fits the boat - won't let me close the garage door because the tongue is too long!<br /> With the hull weighing much less now and there being no motor hanging off the end, there isn't any distortion with having the hull hang over that much. Normally I like to have them set so the rearmost roller is just ahead of the transom by an inch or so. 16-inches of overhang is quite a bit. With a motor on the transom you run the risk of putting a hook in the keel over time... Not saying it's going to happen, but it can...<br />- Scott

 

[zuke]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

hey chinewalker!!!<br /><br />i was looking over all the posts i could to find some different ways to fix my new boat.<br /><br />i just bought a 1972 glastron trihull for 200$ with a 60hp vro ob that cranks. i decided to work on the boat first then the motor later. <br /><br />the problem i am having is that i am big guy and its hard to in an around all the areas, especially by the back of the boat. but the way you lifted the top part off your boat gives me some hope. i was wondering if its possible for my boat to do the same thing? and did you have to do any cutting to get that top part off???<br /><br />i surely hope my boat does that same thing, because that would make it very easy to work on. also, there is a big ring on the top of the outboard, and i assume like a car motor, this is for picking the motor off the mounts, but is this true?<br /><br />im sure ill have many more questions, but i just didnt want to open a new post without asking on old ones first...<br /><br />thanks for the great pictures and any help you can give...<br /><br />zuke

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

yes you boat will come a part the same way. you remove the rubber in the rub rail, then the rub rail . open your own post and post some pictures.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Hi Zuke,<br /> I'm not certain, but fairly sure you can do the same thing. First thing to do is take a look under the gunwales at the seam from the inside. If it's glassed together then you'll have a bit more work to do. If it's just riveted or screwed together (as mine was) then it's much simpler. I took off the rub-rail and the screw heads were then accessible. Mine were all rusted and most had to be drilled out. At one time it had some sort of caulk between the top and bottom overlaps but it was well dried out and wasn't bonding much of anything. The only place it was still fairly well stuck together was at the transom where it the deck/motor well area was glassed to the wood of the transom board. Once I started lifting on the deck I managed to stretch myself back under there with a J-bar and a little prying popped it loose. The transom wasn't in very good shape so it came apart fairly easily. <br /> I'm a big guy myself and can understand making it easier to get at what needs work without the deck in the way.<br /> Good luck!<br />- Scott

 

[Twidget]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

Zuke, the '76 Glastron my Dad and I did had screws under the rubber insert on the rub rail. The screws went into plywood backing on the hull, with some dried out sealant between the topside and hull.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American!! New Pics 5/29/06!

After a few cruddy weekends of rainy weather we had good working weather again over the long weekend. Managed to get a good start on gutting the hull and yanked the transom core out.<br /><br />Made an interesting discovery - the roving that was used to hold the port side stringer in place was cracked clean through over most of its length. Near as I can figure is that the previous owners used the boat a fair bit even after the hull started to flex with the rotted stringers. This is a sterling example as to why you should not use a boat that has "just a little rot". With the saturated foam, broken and delaminated stringers, and rotted transom, this poor boat was a disaster waiting to happen.<br /><br />I cringe everytime I see someone looking for a quick or temporary fix here on these boards. Not trying to be preachy, but in absolutely pays to do the job once, the right way, the first time. This is the third Starcraft I've done and the wood on the floor and transom was actually in better shape than the previous ones, BUT it looks to have been used more which resulted in the glass failure. When I see someone who says their hull only flexes "a little bit", we need to show them the pic of the broken glass over this stringer.

Back on track - I'm going shopping this week to get some plywood! Hoping to have the new transom in in the next couple weeks, then I'll finish gutting the rest of the hull. The old transom probably weighed 75 lbs. - it was VERY saturated with water! As you can see, the foam was, too!

- Scott