Starcraft SS's: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

[Teamster]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

GA-boater,

I see myself trying start the 140hp Johnson soon. I read a prior post some saying the rule of thumb is to divide the HP by 10 to figure out hourly fuel consumption..... At 14 gal / hr... The big motor has to go! We may pull a tube once in a while, but professional water skiers we are not.

The only way your going to burn that much fuel is if you run wide open all the time,....

If you back off the throttle and just run on plane the 140 will get better millage than the 75 trying to run the same speed,....

The 75 will make for a very underpowered and poor performing boat in my opinion,..

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

I would keep the jack plate and use it,..

It will allow you to better trim the motor for better performance,.......

It ain't that kinda plate Teamster. It's just a height adjustment one. No trim. I don't think the gains would be worth messing with. On a bass boat maybe. I'd sell it.

I agree with Teamster on keeping the 140. Nothing says you have to run it fast all the time! However I do disagree with him that the 75 will be very underpowered. The boat will perform decently with the 75. It will perform AWESOME though with the 140.

 

[Teamster]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

It ain't that kinda plate Teamster. It's just a height adjustment one. No trim. I don't think the gains would be worth messing with. On a bass boat maybe. I'd sell it.

I agree with Teamster on keeping the 140. Nothing says you have to run it fast all the time! However I do disagree with him that the 75 will be very underpowered. The boat will perform decently with the 75. It will perform AWESOME though with the 140.

It's a powered jackplate so yes there would be some gains, Lifting the motor while under way will help get a bit more hull out of the water the gains may not be bass boat like but you would be surprised at the difference,...

It will also allow the motor to be lowered some if working your way through rough water to help get more bite out of the prop to work over big waves,...

If it wasn't already on the boat I probably wouldn't buy it new for this boat, BUT because it is already there why not use it???

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

It seems that your assessment is also shared on another forum that is listed below

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=397741

I will have to just accept this even though it seems to defy logic! If I can get the 140 HP motor running and the compression is good, decision three is made... White boat with 140 HP motor and galvanized trailer.

thank for you exert input.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

The snowstorm we had slowed things down these past couple of weeks. But boat 2 is now down to the ribs. This one took about 12 hrs. It still has some minor hardware on deck... can't seem to get it loose.

I did find something interesting about the construction of the two boats. The 1976 boat seems to be heavier duty than the 1982 version. When you do a tap test, the sound is deeper on the 1976 boat. And when I compare the area where the ribs attach to the side walls of the boat it is very clear that the 1976 boat has more material. As you can see in the pics, that area is reenforced with a continuous sheet of aluminum that is notched occasionally to make the bend. The same area in the 1982 boat has indiviual pieces reenforcing that area.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

The boat has migrated to the barn! It fits... with 18" to spare. The transum is now out. It looked bad... like carpenter ants had found a home in it for awhile. The ply had swollen so the only way to get it out was to cut a two inch section out to take the pressure off. A crow bar helped the rest come out.

The transum seems to be original to the boat. It is made out of 3 pieces. The main piece runs 1 ft deep along the entire back, and two smaller triangle shaped pieces are slid in sideways at the top.

It took the better part of 3 hours to get it out. Total time: about 15 hrs.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Remake your new transom out of one solid piece as opposed to the little triangles (sorry if stating the obvious).

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

ezmobee, you are not stating the obvious. This is definately an exercise in figuring out how to put a big puzzle together. Has anyone used LVLs (laminated beams) for the transum? I built a barn with these and they happen to be the exact same thickness as the transum... I counted the ply... I think they have 16 layers! Finding a beam 28 inches high may be a challenge. ....if not two pieces of marine ply it is.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

I just finished with my first coat of paint removal from the top side. I was sanding it and then noticed a container of paint remover that I had on a shelf. As an experiment I tried it and it worked great. I brushed it on, waited about 45 minutes, and with a putty knife it peeled right off.... NO EFFORT at all. I used Citristrip. As you can see in the pics, the aluminum is clean! The paint Starcraft used was a Acrylic-based enamel (from literature on a 1977 flyer).


I noticed that the metal seems to be different in the transum area. While the sides are aluminum, according to some literature from an old 1977 Starcraft flyer.... 5052 marine aluminum. It looks like the transum area (right hand side of the next photo) is galvanized. Could this be?



Paint removal time was about 2.5 hours... A good part of that sipping a beer waiting for the chemicals to do the work for me.
Total time.... 17.5 hrs to date.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

The last couple of weeks have been slow. I did a few experiments to 'plug' the many holes topside. First I used a solid epoxy putty... easy to work with, but did not stand up to the 'nail punch' test. Just did not have enough grip. Then I used some alumunum brasing rods with a propane torch (then a map gas torch). When it got up to temp, the holes plugged right up and it passed the 'nail punch' test. BUT it was slow and it warped the aluminum. So while it did work, I did not want to boat to have more waves on it than in the water. The last test was liquid 2 part epoxy. A little messy, but it worked just fine. Sanded down the first coat and then put a second skim coat over it. The trick was to have the bottom side of the holes covered with duct tape to keep the epoxy from dripping.
It took about 4 hours to fill in all the holes.

Next came the transum. I made it up from 3/4 ply and used Gorilla Glue to put them together. A 8oz bottle goes a long way! I have covered both sides with Fiberglass Epoxy Resin. I had to old transum to trace the new pattern from. This took about 3.5 hours to do total. It also took the better part of 4 days to dry because I can't keep the temp in the shop much over 45 at night.

Expenses: $39.71 for the plywood, $12.99 for the gorilla glue, $39.99 for 1 gal of fiberglass resin.

Total time: 25 hrs
Total Expenses: $968

 

[rheagler]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Nice job on the transom. I looked but may have missed something. Which hull are you keeping? The '76 or '82?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

$39.99 for 1 gal of fiberglass resin.

This concerns me. Are you sure it was epoxy and not polyester?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

+1^^^^^ If it was poly and you did not use fiberglass mat, then the chances of it cracking and allow water to penetrate in the future are very good. Poly when dry is very brittle without the glass fibers to hold it all together. Where did you purchase the resin?

 

[Grandad]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

I did find something interesting about the construction of the two boats. The 1976 boat seems to be heavier duty than the 1982 version. When you do a tap test, the sound is deeper on the 1976 boat. And when I compare the area where the ribs attach to the side walls of the boat it is very clear that the 1976 boat has more material. As you can see in the pics, that area is reenforced with a continuous sheet of aluminum that is notched occasionally to make the bend. The same area in the 1982 boat has indiviual pieces reenforcing that area.

Hi filltbo, I'm also wondering which hull you chose. What intrigues me is the difference in reinforcement at the ends of the ribs. I had a problem with hull cracks at that point in my '72 Holiday which had no OEM reinforcement. What exactly does the '76 have for reinforcement? That detail is hard to see in your earlier post. - Grandad

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

I am keeping the '76 hull. It is a stonger hull in my opinion. Plus I like the look of lapstrakes all the way up the side of the hull. The '82 stops about 3/4 of the way up.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Ouch, that cracked aluminum does not look good in your above post! But your fix is great!

The 76 has a side plate that folds and then slides under the ribs. It looks a lot like what you did to retro your ribs. Two rivits go thru the rib, then the plate, and then the hull. .

The 82 also has a reinforcement inthis area, but it is a different configuration as you can see below. 4 rivits go thru the rib, then the plate and then the hull.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

The poly vs epoxy resin issue is a big discussion point in these forums! I ended up getting poly resin because of the cost. I paid $40 for a gal at AdvancedAuto. It is the Bondo brand. It sell for up to $58 in other stores. Bondo states that this is 100% waterproof and is a 'reinforced poly' that can be used with or without fiberglass mesh. And I was also following KFA4303 (Lieutenant Commander)
advice "2.) use non-PT exterior grade plywood and coat with polyester resin, then fiberglass (resin alone is insufficient) no need to paint, but most do." I plan on using fiberglass mesh and then painting the entire transum with epoxy paint. But honestly, this project was pretty easy..... the old transum was 30 years old and did not seem to have any kind water sealer. This one should last a good long time.

 

[filltbo]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

We continue the build. The transom is now in the boat. Not too bad to put back in. I did not account for the thickness of the glass mat and resin. So the fit is very tight and needed a little 'friendly' help with a hammer.



The floor is now well underway. We have 5/8 exteriour ply ACX. It is going to be covered with glass mat and resin. Right now we are fine tuning the fit. It took 3 sheets of ply for this 18 ft boat.


Time: putting the transom in: 1 hr, measuring, cutting and fitting the floor: 6 hrs. Total time : 32 hrs.
Expense: about $120 for the 3 sheets of ply, and I purchased 100 ft of glass mat for $84.
Total : $1172

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Did you use Fiberglass mat on the outer faces of the wood transom? Did you sand Both of these surfaces really well with 60 grit to make sure and get rid of the wax that is in the Resin that you used? If not the mat will delaminate from the wood. There is no Bondo resin that will hold up without mat.

what kind of glass mat did you buy for the deck? What resin are you using? Does it have wax? It should not! The link in my signature has a diagram that explains the proper method for fabricating your deck. Disregard the parts about tabbing it to your sides since yours is a Tin Boat.

 

[I Fish]

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

Re: Starcraft Holiday: 1976 + 1982 = 1 'new' boat

I read through your thread, and was wondering about the jack plate. My SC clone (Sylvan) has a 100hp Evinrude mounted on a shop built jack plate. It's necessary on mine, and maybe yours, due to the engine mounts top bolts would otherwise miss the transom. Just something to think about before you sell it.