Vintage AlumaCraft semi-v boat restore

[g0nef1sshn]

Anyone recognize what the heck that is? You can see it from the bottom underside of the boat here.

through hull? livewell?

 

[Itsogood]

Ok JB whatever you think is best. PO must have made some drastic changes to my paperwork too or maybe I was given wrong paperwork when I purchased this boat... but the main thing is I really like the boat ... the lines are way cool. I do still hope to figure out exactly what it is. From the picks you posted I think you are right and this is not a starcraft but an alumacraft.... those handles on the stern are an exact match.. thanks for leading me in the right direction to figuring out what I have. Now getting the paperwork corrected sounds like it will be exciting.

 

[Itsogood]

That aquaduct transom is exact match too.... guess my search is coming to an end thanks to you JB. This place is awesome... I am so glad I found it and that you guys are so helpful.

 

[jbcurt00]

There has definitely been some work done to it:

Just in front of the fore most bench ^^^ is where the remote throttle controls would have been mounted, and that's a foot rest across the hull in front of the bench.

That bow cover should have come back to just in front of the control mount, and has been trimmed back about a third +/-:

Good news is Alumacraft is pretty much the best company to deal w/ for info about their vintage boats. You can send them a request for info from 1 of the links/tabs on the Alumacraft website and they will tell you what year and model your boat is from the serial # stamped on the front of the knee brace [part under the splashwell that ties the transom, AquaDuct splashwell and keel together] and if they have it digitized, they'll send you a scan of the brochure for that model boat. Many models were extremely similar year after year, so scan may be a different year, same model.

Look thru the Alumacrafts posted here, you'll probably figure it out, but you can call Alumacraft and ask them: 877-314-7756

 

[Watermann]

The hole in the bottom looks like a drain plug, sure is odd though.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

still a very cool tin you have there itsogood! Even if moved to the resto side, I think you find a lot of help there along with us starcraft guys checking in along the way!

 

[jbcurt00]

Bilge drain

Flip the door closed, keeps water on the outside of the hull----- A good thing

Get up to speed and flip the door open and any water inside the hull is drained out via suction created by rearward facing scupper on the outside of the hull:

Depending on what state you're in, it may need to remain 'officiallly' a Starcraft. If you don't put an Alumacraft logo on the hull, don't discuss it w/ potential buyers AND believe the guy you bought it from really did have legal right to sell the boat, then I wouldn't try to change the paperwork if you're in a state that's difficult to make changes. Here in WV I'd probably just have to call Bob at the state DMV office at the capital and send him pix of the boat and any brochure pages that indicate the title is wrong, and he'd make the change w/ little problems, but he'd likely contact the seller I got it from too.

IMO, it'd be worth a call to whoever sold it to you to make sure he doesn't still have a Starcraft boat sitting around w/ Alumacraft paperwork still on his desk, on the off chance he gave you the wrong paperwork.....

 

[Itsogood]

Thanks JB about your thoughts on the title problems. I was thinking the same things about contacting the seller to see if he had sold the boat to me with the wrong paperwork. It came from a car junk yard and was in horrible shape. I will probably not be able to put the real name of the maker on the hull but that will probably be ok because I'm sure that between what I can conger up and suggestions from the forum I will be able to come up with something crafty to have there to tell about the journey this boat has been on. It saddens me to leave this forum for the restore forum but if it's not a StarCraft, which thanks to JB, I am totally convinced it isn't and I guess my thread doesn't belong here and does need to be moved to the resto forum. So move me over when you have time JB and thanks again for the ID- ing so quickly on what I have here. It was amazing to me just how you knew what I have and to post those pics so quickly to show me that stern.... very impressed with your knowledge and ability to find that stuff out. Thanks Gonefisn for the thought that everyone here will still come and check on my progress and chime in when they see I need advice. You guys are the best and I would love to have your 2 cents worth when you see I am barking up the wrong tree with my efforts to get this gem restored and back out on the lakes here in CT.

 

[Itsogood]

Oh and as for the piece on the bottom of the boat.. At this time the scupper is pointed forward not aft and would send a good fountain spewing upward if I was to open her up on the run. LOL... But I will look closer to see if maybe it got turned around over the years. If I remember right it appeared to be welded into that position as I was stripping the paint from the bottom of the boat but I've been wrong before and sure that will happen again. Hopefully you are right and just turning it around will make for a great way to release water from the hold under the deck I plan on putting in her. As far as I can tell there never has been anything permanent installed for a deck but maybe some removable sections were in there at one time. If I plan to be able to use this to drain water on the run I will need to come up with a plan to have something there to get to the closure piece to use it. There is also a bilge installed in the back of the boat on the bottom of the transom. The motor is still there ... sure it doesn't work any more but the funny thing is in the pics I posted there is a 2" or so piece of rubber hose attached to the outside of the transom that is still there next to the old sending unit that is still there also for a depth/fish finder. Another thing that is on the transom is the drain plug. This boat came with a threaded drain plug... never seen that before. The threaded plug came with the boat and is tied up to one of the handles on the top side of the transom that helped JB ID the boat.... with a piece of weed whacker line... lol. I still have a lot of removing old parts to do and was kind of skeptical about how to get all those old rusty screws and bolts to come loose. Any advice on a product that works to get rusty stuff to turn loose without going to grinding and drilling process to remove them??

 

[Itsogood]

I have gone and looked at a resto that someone who was given the exact boat I have and his is complete or at least a lot more than mine is. It was a totally cool looking boat and again that thanks needs to go to JB for his quick ID on the boat. Being able to look at what I have before it was chopped up makes me sad to think this boat was ravaged that way buy with advice here and some cool ideas I have been coming up with I can see her looking awesome again.
Some swiveling deck chairs fore and aft and on older restored 25 HP Evinrude or Johnson tiller on the transom sounds good for a start. I was at Home Cheapo yesterday and was looking at plywood for the deck. I was thinking 5/8" screwed down with 1" SS screws. Don't think they carry the Arauco plywood there so what would be my best bet if I get the plywood there? There are no holes that I can find to indicate anything having been permanently attached to the bracing on the floor. So I won't have any trouble with too many holes there like gonefisn had. I was thinkin of leavin the deck painted instead of covering with carpet or vinyl. Any reason that doesn't sound like a good idea to anyone?? I have seen some cool looking deck paint that comes with or without the texture that would be cool if there isn't any reasoning that would lead me away from painting the decks. I figured clean up would be easier after fish blood and gore after a good days fishin. I know in my sears gamefisher that kinda makes for a bit of a hard mess to clean out at the end of an excursion.

 

[Itsogood]

Thanks to JB again for the info on how to contact AlumaCraft for specs and such on my boat. You are a wealth of info on stuff like that. It's soo cool to have guys here that know soo much about this stuff. And those pics of the transom area are so right on the money that it was shocking to me to learn at the very moment I saw them that it was an exact match to what I have and made the ID so complete. Then going and looking up the one I was talking about that the fella is restoring made my day to know exactly what I have. He is calling his an AlumaCraft FDR and I was wondering if that is what his model is and what the FDR stands for if it is....? No matter what I love the lines on this boat and am still very excited to get going on the rest of the process of getting her back on the water.

 

[Itsogood]

Another thing I just thought of is the fact that this boat now appears to be much older than I first suspected or was lead to believe. If it's from back in the 50's she and I are almost the same age and to think that this boat is almost 60 years old and still going to be out on the water is just another exciting thing to me to own a boat that has seen that much time here on God's creation that we live on.

 

[Itsogood]

I was hoping to get some work done on the boat this last weekend but caught a cold and had too many other things to do. Slept most of the day Sunday to try to rest up for work thru the week. Feelin' crappy and work is a drag. This weekend is out too because I have a job to do on Block Island and the ferry price is way to stiff to travel back and forth so I will be staying for the week to get a bathroom tiled there. Staying in the cottage over the garage. Girlfriend ain't happy about me being gone for the week. First time in almost 7 years I will be gone so long. It'll be like a miny vacation for me tho... haha! Been looking into plywood and was wondering if 5/8" is too heavy for such a small boat... Should I maybe downsize it to 1/2"??

 

[Itsogood]

If anyone has the specs on what rivets I should be trying to pick up that would be appreciated.

 

[Itsogood]

Just found a cool alumacraft thread that was started by Pony. There are a lot of alumacraft lovers who showed there cool boats there.

 

[Itsogood]

I know I am really lovin' mine!!!

 

[Itsogood]

No Title

Still trying to figure out this scupper located about halfway up the hull. It is turned toward the front of the boat which to me is kinda weird. It is welded into that position... so I guess when I get around to it I will have to cut it off and use the hole for a live well or something... Any suggestions?

 

[jbcurt00]

Brazer head, 1100 aluminum blind closed end rivets, w/ aluminum mandrel, in several different lengths.

You can get them at rivetsonline.com. They also sell solid rivets that may 'look' more like the original rivets, if you're prepared to buck and set them. Read thru some of the Starcraft forum topics. Several of the guys have been using solid rivets too.

 

[Itsogood]

I still haven't gotten around to calling AlumaCraft to talk with them about my boat yet but after viewing the website that JB mentioned in an earlier post I have kinda decided that the best match for what is on that site to what I have in the yard appears to be the '58-'59 Flying C model. The boat I have is 15' in length and even tho the pics don't match completely it seems that that model is the closest to what I have. The 15' model also has the two matching rear lights in the pic and the brackets for those are still there too. Thanks goes out again to JB for getting me closer to figuring this out and seeing what it is I really have.

 

[Itsogood]

Thanks JB for the info on the rivets. Got to find time to figure out what size I need and go there and buy some and get them shipped to me. You guys are awesome.