1971 Starcraft Super Sport Floor Replacement and Such

turtle1173

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Hi all,
Well, I'm taking the plunge and tackling replacing the floor in my trusty ole Starcraft. This floor has been falling apart the past few years, as it hasn't seen much use. But with the encouragement of my 12 year old son, we are fixing her up and looking to be ready for some fishing!

I've removed the side console, to provide a more open floor plan. I've got the floor out now and oh what a mess. Under the plywood was some steel or iron plates that were used to help support the pedestal seats. Of course, what that did was corrode the aluminum terribly and I need to clean up the corrosion, oxidation or whatever this junk is. What do I need to do to get rid of this? I've provided plenty of pics.

Thanks for your help!

Shane
 

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Bondo

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Ayuh,..... A shop vac, 'n power washer oughta get most of the worst crap outa there,....
 

turtle1173

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Lol, yeah, that Styrofoam was a mess. I've got it mostly out cleaned out now. However I need to clean that corrosion up before putting a new floor back on, I would think.
 

dozerII

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Mix up a 50/50 mix of vinegar and warm water use a stiff brush and scrub the bejeepers out of all the spots with corrosion, then pressure wash again. Inspect any deep corrosion spots to ensure they don't go right through.
 

GA_Boater

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After the crud is all cleaned up as good as you can to see how bad the corrosion is, several things can be used to stop further corrosion. A brass or stainless wire brush knocks off the loose stuff and a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar pretty much takes care of the rest. There are some products, which escape my mind, made for safely cleaning aluminum. And elbow grease, lots of it.

One place to pay close attention to is the ribs. They are just U-shaped and crud likes to accumulate under them and block the small drainage ports at the bottom of the Vee.

If you find any pitting in the tin - Well, we have ways to take care of that too. Good luck, turtle!
 

turtle1173

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Basically there's a 3'x5' section that is the worst. The rest of the boat looks pretty good. Here's some more pics. One is before I did some scrubbing. It is white and has a powdery layer on top. After putting some 50/50 vinegar and doing some scrubbing, it looks better but it's obvious that there's pitting. I know I have much more cleaning to do. However, when it's clean, what do I need to do about the pitting?

None of the pits go through. I pushed on some with a screwdriver. Good thing I'm getting on this now!

Thanks!
 

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Bondo

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Basically there's a 3'x5' section that is the worst. The rest of the boat looks pretty good. Here's some more pics. One is before I did some scrubbing. It is white and has a powdery layer on top. After putting some 50/50 vinegar and doing some scrubbing, it looks better but it's obvious that there's pitting. I know I have much more cleaning to do. However, when it's clean, what do I need to do about the pitting?

None of the pits go through. I pushed on some with a screwdriver. Good thing I'm getting on this now!

Thanks!

Ayuh,.... I donno of any way to fix the pitting,.... I suggest ya run redundant bilge pumps, 'n carry a spare,......

Is this barge gonna sit at a dock, or on a wagon,..??

Starcrafts start out as .063" sheet,... The pits ain't gotta be very deep,....
 

GA_Boater

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Some of those do look deep. Are any through the hull?
 
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jbcurt00

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This area is particularly suspect to actually being thru the hull:
fetch


In case it doesn't show up ^^^, it's pix #3......
 

turtle1173

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Here's the latest from today, after cleaning it some more. None go through that I can tell. I guess I need to fill it up with water and see for sure.

Thanks!
 

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jbcurt00

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None go through that I can tell. I guess I need to fill it up with water and see for sure.
^^^ almost always a good idea. Also shows you if you have any rivets or seams leaking.....

Just need fill the boat up to just above the chine (where the bottom of the hull meets the sides)

In this pix, you'd come up to a couple inches below the lap line you can see on the hull side above your shoe
fetch


Maybe 3 or 4 inches above the top of your shoe
 

jbcurt00

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Until you're comfortable that anything that will weep (not necessarily LEAK much) has shown itself...

Overnight on a dry driveway or fill it before work and check after maybe,

You'll want to give it a really good going over before you drain the water.
 

GA_Boater

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Use a grease pencil or marker, even a lead pencil to mark any drips.

JB was saying to add water until it is above the chine rivets, roughly about where I marked. The water will be heavy, so watch the trailer and tires.

image_214388.jpg
 

turtle1173

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Ok, I was pleasantly surprised at how this turned out. The biggest leak is at the bow, where it comes down to meet the bottom. That's a pretty common spot, from what I've read. I also marked seven rivets, which includes 3 spots, where the side meets the bottom. There were no leaking from the pitting.

Ok, so what do I do with the pitted areas? How can I clean it up and prep it for repair? Then, Can I put some JB weld down on it? Do I need to put a self etching primer down first? Or would I do better coating it with gluvit?

Thanks for all the help!
 

64osby

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Clean with vinegar and wire brush. Wash multiple times. Skim coat to seal and build it up with JB Weld, Marinetex or similar aluminum base metal filler.
 

turtle1173

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Hey thanks. What should I use as a seal coat? Gluvit, self etching primer or something else?
 

64osby

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Gluvit is used for sealing seams and rivets, self etching primer is for bare aluminum.

If the area has some bare aluminum give it a light coat of self etching primer. Then use a primer and paint.
 

jbcurt00

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For the pits, once well cleaned and 'etched' w vinegar, well rinsed, and dry, JB directly on the aluminum
 

Watermann

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Deck replacement turned full resto? The pitting should be cleaned VERY well with a wire wheel to remove all of the corrosion before moving on to the next step. I use Heinz cleaning vinegar right out of the jug in a spray bottle, scrub with a brush, rinse it out and let dry. Wipe the surface area to be skinned with some acetone because after the water clears out who knows what will be left behind in the pitting.

I like using Marine Tex. Work in small areas not the whole job at once. Heat the area with a heat gun so the tin is nice and warm, this will help displace any moisture and make the MT flow better. I use a bondo spreader to apply the MT. Don't over work the stuff, put it on, smooth it out and walk off until it's set. Do not walk inside the boat until it is cured and from now on put in a piece of ply to stand on so you don't step in between the ribs and over flex the tin between the ribs.

The bottom of the SC hulls are not .063, the sides are but the bottom is .080 so you have a little more wriggle room for the pitting. Standard thickness for these older SC's are... "Hull bottom and ribs-.080, Hull sides-.063, Transom and bow-.086, Keel-.077."

Oh and how about that transom wood in your SS?
 
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