Starcraft Restoration

[BoatDr]

Hey guys, my name is Erik and I'm new to the board and to boat restoration. Well, with my last summer off probably until retirement, I'd thought I'd restore a boat. Here she is.

I'm guessing she's a mid 60's, not too sure on the model. Can anyone help me out there? I looked for the plate on the transom, but all I found was a light spot where it used to be, so no serial number. The engine is a 1979 Evinrude 115 that runs great. Transom and floor were rotted out in spots, so ripped those out.

When scrubbing the inside of the hull, I noticed a couple leaky rivets, a few of which were loose. What's the best way to tighten these? Now I was planning to apply Gluvit to the inside of the entire hull below the waterline to seal her up. Now my question is can I just apply it to the areas that are leaking, or should I do the whole thing. Gluvit isn't the cheapest thing in the world.

I was thinking ACX plywood covered with Durabak for the floor. Can I get away with 1/2" or should I go with 5/8"? The transom is about 1 5/8" thick. If I'm using two pieces of 3/4" plywood, what should I use for the extra 1/8"? I was thinking some sort of tough plastic to line the splashwell. Can I use treated lumber, or should I stick to the exterior ply? Marine ply is out of my price range. That's enough questions for now, as there are plenty more to follow haha. I'll post my progress. Wish me luck.

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Erik,

Welcome to the club! Nice boat you have there, check under the gunwale up by the steering wheel for a tag too. I am going with 5/8 for the deck, and coating with fiberglass epoxy then durabak too. ACX is not always exterior, you need to find exposure 1 or waterproof glue plywood. Pressure treated is not good as the copper will react with the aluminum. Don't forget the flotation under the floor. I am adding a layer of glass to thicken up the transom on my I/O.

have someone buck the loose rivets inside the boat while you re-set them with a hammer before you use the gluvit.

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

have someone buck the loose rivets inside the boat while you re-set them with a hammer before you use the gluvit.

Should I gluvit the entire hull or just the areas that are leaking?

 

[singinout]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Hi Erik! Welcome to iboats! Nice project! Gud luck! I don't have any experience with aluminum boats so I won't try to tell ya how to fix your hull. On my boat I used 3/4" exterior on the floor. Might have been overkill but its solid!!

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Hi Erik welcome to iboats and the Exclusive Starcraft club . The gluvit only needs to be applied to the rivits and seams not the whole hull. I would go with a minimum of 5/8 on the deck I am planning to use 19/32 which is close to 3/8. Take a measurement from the transom to the point on the tip of the bow and we can probably get pretty close with the ID on your boat maybe not the year but at least the model . I am pretty sure the same basic boat was made from the early 60's through the 90's so it could be newer than you think . One way to tell is the Starcraft emblems on the rear of the hull mine is a 1970 Jupiter V 16' and had decals or stickers but on most of the 60's boats I have seen they were plastic .


Rick

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

I just took a second look and by your emblems I would say mid 60's .


Rick

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Starcraft identification is really all about dimensions, transom pictures and pictures of the front dash.

With a 2 piece front windshield I doubt it is mid 60's but maybe newer... early 70's

LOL WHO CARES!!! It's a Starcraft Take a look at North Beach's project boat and be prepared to be stunned! http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=286412 and http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=304356&highlight=cheapboatkev and http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=299519&highlight=cheapboatkev
or examine many others that are here.

Yup only gluvit the rivets and seams..... UNLESS you happen to find a corroded spot on the hull.... some have had battery acid eat some on the hull. Save some gluvit for the inside rivets on the transom too.

No pressure treated plywood allowed since it reacts with aluminum. Only aluminum or stainless steel fasteners/bolts.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Bob how about late 60's . The 67 Jupiter Brochure shows a rounded windshield but the Plastic Starcraft with the Arrow through it . The next Brochure I have seen is a 74 and the boats in it are like mine Flatter windshield and Starcraft stickers on the rear quarters . Mine being a 70 with the stickers would say maybe his is a 68-69.


Rick

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Thanks for the help guys!

Hi Erik welcome to iboats and the Exclusive Starcraft club . The gluvit only needs to be applied to the rivits and seams not the whole hull. I would go with a minimum of 5/8 on the deck I am planning to use 19/32 which is close to 3/8. Take a measurement from the transom to the point on the tip of the bow and we can probably get pretty close with the ID on your boat maybe not the year but at least the model . I am pretty sure the same basic boat was made from the early 60's through the 90's so it could be newer than you think . One way to tell is the Starcraft emblems on the rear of the hull mine is a 1970 Jupiter V 16' and had decals or stickers but on most of the 60's boats I have seen they were plastic .


Rick

Will a 2# unit of gluvit suffice, or am I going to need more? I'd like to order it asap, since local places want like $60 for it! I am planning on getting the floor and transom traced out and cut tomorrow which should be fun seeing as most of my transom looks like mulch right now haha. I'll spread it around the bushes when I'm done with it. Until tomorrow...or my next question haha.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

BoatDR I havent gotten that far with mine yet but I know NB went through about a gallon on his 21' Starcraft so I would take the measurement from bow to stern and go from there as to how much you might need. I plan to order a gallon for my 21' Jupiter I figure better to have a little to much than a smidge to little .

Rick

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Starcraft identification is really all about dimensions, transom pictures and pictures of the front dash.

With a 2 piece front windshield I doubt it is mid 60's but maybe newer... early 70's

LOL WHO CARES!!! It's a Starcraft Take a look at North Beach's project boat and be prepared to be stunned! http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=286412 and http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=304356&highlight=cheapboatkev and http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=299519&highlight=cheapboatkev
or examine many others that are here.

Yup only gluvit the rivets and seams..... UNLESS you happen to find a corroded spot on the hull.... some have had battery acid eat some on the hull. Save some gluvit for the inside rivets on the transom too.

No pressure treated plywood allowed since it reacts with aluminum. Only aluminum or stainless steel fasteners/bolts.

I found quite a bit of corrosion on the transom. It's very pitted and even goes through in two places. What should I fill those with? The transom also kinda looks like swiss cheese because of all of the hardware and plates they added to support the rotted wood.

Should I just through-bolt them with stainless?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

a 2 lb can of gluvit should be fine.

That corrosion is from mixed metals. On the transom it is best to use an orbital sander and clean it up. You can fill the pitts up with jb weld, re-sand and even use gluvit if you like.

In the spots where to corrosion goes through..... is there wood behind those holes? Considering the power of the v-4 you might want a sheet of aluminum welded in.

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Starcraft identification is really all about dimensions, transom pictures and pictures of the front dash.

With a 2 piece front windshield I doubt it is mid 60's but maybe newer... early 70's

LOL WHO CARES!!! It's a Starcraft Take a look at North Beach's project boat and be prepared to be stunned! http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=286412 and http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=304356&highlight=cheapboatkev and http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=299519&highlight=cheapboatkev
or examine many others that are here.

Yup only gluvit the rivets and seams..... UNLESS you happen to find a corroded spot on the hull.... some have had battery acid eat some on the hull. Save some gluvit for the inside rivets on the transom too.

No pressure treated plywood allowed since it reacts with aluminum. Only aluminum or stainless steel fasteners/bolts.

I found quite a bit of corrosion on the transom. It's very pitted and even goes through in two places. What should I fill those with? The transom also kinda looks like swiss cheese because of all of the hardware and plates they added to support the rotted wood.

Should I just through-bolt them with stainless?

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Boatdr I would say through bolting with stainless bolts would work for the holes just make sure you seal the bolts when you put them in . I agree with Bob though if theres alot of corosion on the transom check with some local welders about welding in another piece of aluminum to the transom which would fix that problem as well as all the holes from things being bolted on over the years .

Rick

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Thought I'd post some progress. Got the deck cut out and sealed.

Test fitting the floor:

The transom is cut out and glassed on both sides. I then sealed up the top, bottom, and ends with some left over gluvit I had.

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Also took her to get some welding done. Had the holes from the rod holders in the gunwale fixed. I cut out a piece of aluminum and had it welded in. They did a pretty poor job and let it get too hot and warped it quite a bit. Got most of the warping out. Good thing I'll be covering it a track for rod holders.

Also had the brace that was cracked welded:

As well as all the holes in the transom:

Now I am just sanding like crazy! Looks like almost all of the paint needs to come off. There are three layers of paint on the bottom that all appear to be chipping to some extent.

Thinking of buying some paint stripper. Any recommendations?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

You are doing a really great job on this project. Keep it up!

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Also took her to get some welding done. Had the holes from the rod holders in the gunwale fixed. I cut out a piece of aluminum and had it welded in. They did a pretty poor job and let it get too hot and warped it quite a bit. Got most of the warping out. Good thing I'll be covering it a track for rod holders.

Also had the brace that was cracked welded:

As well as all the holes in the transom:

Now I am just sanding like crazy! Looks like almost all of the paint needs to come off. There are three layers of paint on the bottom that all appear to be chipping to some extent.

Thinking of buying some paint stripper. Any recommendations?

Nice update!

for stripper, there are so many on the market. i prefer aircraft stripper myself. but if the paint is in good enough shape, just sand it to rough it up and paint over it...

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Now I also have a question about the steering. There is a decent amount of play in the wheel. Does it need to be replaced, or can it be tightened? Here is a picture of what I am dealing with:

Looks to be a rotary doesn't it? The cable functions, but it's in terrible shape...the casing is cracked and rusting, the support tube is all rusted, etc.

Should I just replace the whole system with a NFB rotary?

 

[BoatDr]

Re: Starcraft Restoration

Nice update!

for stripper, there are so many on the market. i prefer aircraft stripper myself. but if the paint is in good enough shape, just sand it to rough it up and paint over it...

Looks like it was repainted poorly in the past. All over the boat, there were pinhead-sized areas of bare aluminum. Seems like they were from air bubbles. There were also areas where the paint seems to chip off really easily. If you look closely in the picture with the cleaned rivets, you can see 3 different colors of chipping paint as well as lots of old caked on algae. Looks like the boat sat in water for long periods of time...could that damage the paint if it wasn't a bottomkote type of paint?