1970 Starcraft Jupiter V Custom 16' REHAB

[Andy in NY]

Its been a while since i've been on here. Its nice to see old friends and hope to make some new ones. Here's where I stand:

Original resto thread HERE from when i bought the boat in 2009

Open bow conversion thread HERE that I started at the end of the 2010 season

In September of 2011, I went out fishing with a buddy. Opened her up at the end of the channel and BANG! The flywheel nut backed itself loose and the flywheel bounced around in the engine cover, damaging some of the threads on the crank. I had just gotten a promotion to store manager at work, and proceeded to spend the next 3 1/2 years working 6 days, 55-65 hours a week plus driving. I parked it in the back yard and didnt even so much as think about it for a long time.

Fast forward to present day. Im ready to get back on the water. I still need to work on the motor, After yanking it out of the back yard, I realized I committed the ultimate boaters sin: left it uncovered under a tree for 3 1/2 years. The deck is rotten because I did a very poor job fiberglassing it when I did it the first time. The "console" I built is a poor excuse for a console. The seats are at the end of their life. The bow project is still unfinished -- needs trim and finish work.

Motor is first priority. Somehow the flywheel turned up missing, so I had to find another one on ebay. I ordered the shear key I need as well as an impeller. Those will be here sometime next week. I may start stripping the deck out before the motor just to fill the time, but if the motor is bad then Im not sure what direction im going to go in.

Heres how she sits today:

 

[Tnstratofam]

Hey Andy I posted over in your bow conversion thread. I thought you were going to continue there. Anyway in that post you mentioned replacing the deck with pressure treated plywood. That is a big mistake for these tin boats. The chemicals in the plywood can leech out if exposed to water and then you will have major corrosion issues with the aluminum hull. Seal the new deck with woodonglass' s old timers recipe or use epoxy or spar varnish. If the wood is coated properly, and she is kept covered when not in use, the deck should last a lifetime.

 

[Andy in NY]

I decided that a new thread that encompassed all aspects of this was in order, since its not just about the open bow project at this point. With regards to the deck, im open to suggestions, just NOT going to use glass again. Last time I used exterior grade ply with poly resin and woven mat. Just resin on the bottom, resin and mat on the top. I learned that I am NOT good at it! With regards to the pt wood, my plan was to use the pink sill gasket stuff anywhere the wood meets aluminum. Another member used pt and it seemed to work out. I think it was maybe ezmobee? Again I am open to suggestions but Im prettty set on not using fiberglass again.

 

[Andy in NY]

No Title

Nothing like spring in northern new york! Going to brave the cold and try to get some work done.

 

[jbcurt00]

You can find kiln dried PT ply that is CCA, which is what many boat builders use now. Its expensive and hard to find. If you are close to a marina and lots of boat repair shops you might find it locally.

You DO NOT want to use ACQ treated PT in a boat sealed or not, IMO. It is likely to get wet, its likely to leach copper laden chemicals and be caustic to the aluminum. I wouldnt put it in my aluminum boat sealed or not, even if you prep, prime and paint the aluminum that it might come in contact with.

Nor would i use foam to isolate PT from the aluminum. Info is out there about why not to use foam under or around an aluminum gas tank below decks...

Heres 1 link w the why not ACQ:
http://www.yellawood.com/products/acq

Leaving it uncovered in the weather has significantly more to do w the deck not holding up then the sealing you did or didnt do correctly.

 

[Andy in NY]

You can find kiln dried PT ply that is CCA, which is what many boat builders use now. Its expensive and hard to find. If you are close to a marina and lots of boat repair shops you might find it locally.

You DO NOT want to use ACQ treated PT in a boat sealed or not, IMO. It is likely to get wet, its likely to leach copper laden chemicals and be caustic to the aluminum. I wouldnt put it in my aluminum boat sealed or not, even if you prep, prime and paint the aluminum that it might come in contact with.

Nor would i use foam to isolate PT from the aluminum. Info is out there about why not to use foam under or around an aluminum gas tank below decks...

Heres 1 link w the why not ACQ:
http://www.yellawood.com/products/acq

Leaving it uncovered in the weather has significantly more to do w the deck not holding up then the sealing you did or didnt do correctly.

OK that's a fair argument against ACQ PT. Kiln dried is probably not an option on cost alone. The majority of my budget is going into new seats.

What other suggestions are there besides glassing?

Here's what I got done today: seats, console, side panels and 2 deck panels removed. Took out my wiring harness. I'll upload pics later as I have to resize them.

 

[Andy in NY]

Seats out

Console out

First sections of the deck out

 

[jbcurt00]

If you can find it in 5/8", I'd recommend MDO, medium density overlay, NOT mdf the carp put it together yourself furniture is made of. MDO is what freeway signs and a lot of concrete form boards are made of. Phenolic resin plywood.

I can get a sheet of 1/2" MDO, good 1 side (good 1 face, which means it's got a pretty side covered w/ brown paper grocery bag looking paper on that side, the other side might have some knots or voids) for about $55. It's available, less then marine plywood, and very nice to work w/. I used it w/ a sheet of 3/4 exterior plywood for my Duracraft's transom. I can also order 3/4" locally, but not 5/8".

If I had to put an entire deck in a boat, I'd use 5/8" MDO if I could find it. More substantial then 1/2 but less expensive and not as heavy as 3/4".

Then at least 2 coats of epoxy on both sides of the deck. Doing all the edges w/ every coat, so they've got 4 coats.

My 2nd choice for plywood would be ACX Arauco plywood. 2nd choice for sealer would be Spar varnish/urethane.

NOTE: You have to cover anything you put epoxy on, it's not UV stable.

Deck finishes could be paint w/ or w/out grit added for slip resistance, marine carpet, marine vinyl or even DeckOver.

 

[Decker83]

Looks like your getting some good information..
Nice looking tiny..

 

[Andy in NY]

Sounds a bit pricy. I'll have to check if that is available anywhere here. I'm in the middle of nowhere.

I'm also on a REALLY tight budget. Let me ask this: what about using 5/8 exterior drake ply with 4 coat of spar?

 

[tallcanadian]

Hey Andy, good to see you back at it. You will like the open bow. That's the main reason I like the tri hull. Just have to step in to my boat, no climbing over the windshield. Great job so far, looking awesome. My only critique would be your plan for the deck. If it would me, and it's not, I would go the fiberglass way. It takes a bit of practise but the work in the long run will be worth it. PT plywood is okay but the longevity won't be there like 'glass. But hey, it's not my boat. If you don't mind,I will be tagging along with ya.

 

[jbcurt00]

Drake plywood?

Exterior acx is a popular choice as is spar

COVER the boat

 

[Tnstratofam]

Exterior plywood with spar varnish should work nicely. Are you planning on carpeting it or putting down vinyl?

 

[Andy in NY]

Exterior plywood with spar varnish should work nicely. Are you planning on carpeting it or putting down vinyl?

Just paint.

 

[Andy in NY]

All cleaned out and vacuumed. I was going to pressure wash it until i realized that my hose bib was broken so Ill have to fix that before I have water out there.


This is the console i scored off craigslist. It fits the bill PERFECTLY for what I want. Im going to strip it down and repaint it the same green as the top of the boat. Im going to have to fab up some legs for it through because it came from a jon boat so the left side is only about 18". Im also going to put an aluminum plate over the front because I wont be using all the holes there from the gauges.

This is the steering wheel that came off the console. I like it, however I dont think the cable will be long enough.


I have 2 questions right now:

1) Would it affect things if I moved the console closer to the stern in order to use that steering setup? I worry about how it will affect the way the boat sits and rides on plane. Im thinking that I would have to move it back about a foot.


2) I have some spots on the gunnal in the front that I had drilled holes for the angle iron when I was bending the aluminum during the open bow project. I hit them with a grinder and took a bit too much material off, causing a noticeable dip as well as the hole. What can I use as a filler on those? Plastic body filler?

 

[Tnstratofam]

To fill in the holes, and level them out i would use jb weld. Body filler would probably work fine too. As far as the console placement it may affect the boat when it's on plane, but you could always move some weight around after you get her back in the water if she doesn't plane out or ride good enough.

 

[Andy in NY]

How easy is jbweld to sand? If I use body filler, what type?

 

[Tnstratofam]

I think the key to either would be to have it as smooth as you can get it to avoid allot of finish sanding. Bondo or plastic body filler will work fine I think. As with anything surface prep plays the biggest role in good adhesion, and having the best results. As far as how hard the jb weld is to sand again having the jb weld as smooth as you can get it would be ideal as it can be a little harder to sand than body filler.

 

[lakelover]

I used JB Weld for that purpose...definitely get it as smooth as you can on the first application, because it's a bear to sand, it gets very hard. It will probably hold up forever though. I don't have any experience with body filler. Here's what I did to fill drilled holes, JB with thin aluminum backing (discarded aliminum offset printing plates): http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...e9#post4286858 Any thin non-steel metal that won't rust would do.

 

[stevecur]

Body filler is like a sponge with moister. If you want to use body filler at least get the kind with polyester resin in it. It is a little more moister resistant. I think its called Bondoglass or Everglass.