Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

[jigngrub]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

I've been searching around the page like crazy whenever I have free time for the past couple days to try and find examples of factory bracing. The problem is they changed the rib design in 1960, with less verticle ribs, and more horizontal as it meets the hull. (from the pics I've found) Some of them have a tapered floor from front to back, and others don't. Even found two same year that had differences.....After looking around a bunch, and taking in the recommendations you all have given me, I'm going to run the floor at one height from front to back, about 6'' up. Right now I'm just going to put in the aluminum angle framing, (and deck boards when it gets warmer out) and will deal with the layup of the rest later. I feel that going anything above 6'' up will make it unstable, so i might as well start there and see where it takes me!

Thanks for all the help, framing starts tonight! I'll post pics as I go!

They've changed the framing design several times, from 1 to 2 stringers... and now some of the newer ones don't even have stringers, they have the deep ribs like my Tracker:

Framing your boat like I have it drawn will enable you to run your decking from stern to bow instead of port to starboard with less waste of plywood.

I suggest you lay a 4x8 sheet of decking down at the stern and center it up so you have a 2" ripping on each side so the perimeter angle will support the rippings on both sides.

 

[Decker83]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Have a question for you IndyFish.. Have you filled the hull with water to check for leaks?
Just asking because I don't remember reading if you did..

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

That's not a bad idea! But, your way technically has more cuts to make the deck (no table saw for me, just a strait edge, clamps and a circular!). I like the less waste part though! Either way I do it I still have to knotch out for the ribs on the sides and front.

I just got done marking up the floor all the way around on the ribs. Hopefully have more time in the next couple days to get a chunk of it done!

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Have a question for you IndyFish.. Have you filled the hull with water to check for leaks?
Just asking because I don't remember reading if you did..

I had it in the water a couple of years ago for a few days in a row. It was right when I got it and played around the the merc400 on the back. I was expecting to have to scoop out water, and was prepaired for it! But much to my suprise It was nearly bone dry at the end.

Before that, the boat hadn't seen water since 1983. It had been sitting in a garage covered with other projects just waiting for some to come by and hack it up! <--- thats me!

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Update!




The goings slow, especially with all the thinking and measuring juice being consumed! :drunk: I would of liked to do jigs double supports up the middle, but I don't have enough angle. I will literally have a couple small pieces left, so I'm just going to run with it!

It's suprisingly sturdy already, probably partially because I'm using the 1/8" for the cross beams instead of the 1/16 (it just worked out that way)

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

You should be fine with the one center support and the 1/8" angle, the double support was mainly designed for 1/16" angle.

The perimeter angle and framing looks good!

 

[64osby]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Look like your short one beer. 4 Braces - 3 beers.

Looking good.

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Look like your short one beer. 4 Braces - 3 beers.

Looking good.

Number 4 is still in my hand as I'm taking pictures!

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Pretty pleased with the faming, if I do say so! I had to add some additional brackets in the back corners because I basically ran out of rib to rivet to. Only had 1/8" or smaller gap that high up on the rib, so I put one in there anyway and made the angle bracket to help support it. It passed the drunken jump on it test!






Had to remove the rear bench brackets because they were in my way for framing. I might intigrate the front ones into a livewell so I'll leave em' in for now.

Going to start searching for flooring options and suggestions on the forums tomorrow, trying not to bug everyone too much! Thanks for all the opinions and suggestions this far! stick with me and we might see water not too far off!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Looks like a great start for some decking.

5/8" or 3/4" exterior plywood, both sides & all edges coated w/ epoxy then your choice of floor covering.

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Well guys, the worst has happened! I was discharged from my company yesterday because they are downsizing and no longer need my position. I've been oursourced. The good news! I now have plenty of time to work on this thing, but no money! haha. I'm going to get as far as I can on as little as possible. Cut the deck template out of cardboard, probably get the deck cut out, and see how my wallet looks from there! I did some figuring this morning and there is actually no way possible for me to get out of using 3 sheets of plywood. Even if I lay one 8' piece I won't have enough left from the second piece to make my strips down to side/s of the 8'er. Even drew it to scale on graph paper and figured it every way possible. 3/4 BC Plywood is the best I can come up with quality wise for the deck, <--will that be sufficient? Thanks for all the help! I'll keep you updated on progress.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Sorry about the layoff. What kind of position did you have?

As long as it's exterior, any ply will do.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Damn, sorry to hear about the layoff. Been there... Well sealed exterior ply will last a long time...........

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

I actually delt with custom fabrication of orthotic (braces) and prosthetic (missing appendages). Something I kind of fell into 7 years ago and rode it out for a while. Became very good at it, but the whole field had recently shifted and has gone away with in house fabrication, and I'll be damned if I'm going to work for a central fab place. I think it's time to get into some trade work or something. I've been doing resential wiring on the side for friends and family, and can put together a trade oriented resume. Indy is opening up apprentice programs in the next month or so.....if I can make it that long without going insane! Thanks for the concern!

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Ran out of cardboard! So I rebuilt the carb on the little 5.5 johnson seahorse i use. Heading out of town to see the parents this weekend, so I'll get back to her monday.... if I steal some cardboard from somebody's dumpster. Haha

 

[IndyFish]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!


It's no masterpiece, but I'm proud.

I ended up using accuro 3/4, It was a GOOD chunck less than marine ply, and after reading around on the forums it seems that it's good quality. Found no voids etc while working with it. <-- next time I'm investing in a bandsaw, or making friends with someone that has one! Cutting most of that with a jig saw was kinda like looking at the road a foot infront of your front bumper while driving! (hard to drive strait) But being patient and having not much else to do helped!

This is pretty much as far as a take her until I have an income again! I have to finish the very back around the transom brackets and such, and make a peek door somewhere in the middle.

Some advice to anyone looking to give something like this a first shot!.... Spend tons and tons and toooooons of time on your cardboard templates. My first piece, the back one, took me longer than the rest combined because I had to do a million adjustments. After that it went fairly smooth though.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

EXXXXXXXXCELENT JOB!!!! Your attention to detail really shows!!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Starting my 59' Starcraft flooring project!

Looks great