1977 StarCraft 18' Super Sport Needs Rehab [SPLASHED 2017]

[Old Irving]

I just purchase a 1977 18' Super Sport with 85 HP Mercury or what I thought was a good price. The hull and topsides are in good shape but the deck and transom are rotting away. I plan on ripping out the floor and replacing much like everyone on this site has done. Reading this forum has made it much easier for me to attack this project. I most likely will not be able to get to the boat until the weather gets a bit warmer but I will try to get indoor storage for the winter. I will have a list of questions about the restoration and will try to post images soon. This is my first aluminum boat restoration but I have some experience on sailboats. Wish me luck.

 

[Old Irving]

I attached some images of my new purchase. Let me know what you think and please give me comments. I will have a list of questions soon.Thanks ​

 

[Old Irving]

I paid $500 for the boat and motor which runs.

 

[Alumarine]

Welcome Irving. The boat looks pretty nice.
You'll get lot's of good help here.

 

[OldLRRP]

Nice looking boat.

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome to TinLand, Irv.

$500 - I think you got a good deal on her with a good hull and running Merc. Deck and transom are not hard to replace in these.

Looks like you have a nice, big place to work on her. You should be ready for Spring.

 

[Watermann]

:welcome: to the Starmada Old Irving!

Great deal you got a Super Sweet 18' SS, looks to be straight and complete.

 

[classiccat]

Welcome to the Starmada! :welcome:

great deal you got there! :thumb:

...you're lucky to have a good place to start tearing into it!

 

[Tnstratofam]

That is a nice looking 18SS, and for a good price I'd say. Lots of great people on here to help you get her back in running condition. I'll be tagging along if that's okay.

:welcome: to the dry dock Tin division.

 

[Decker83]

Great looking SS you have.. That was a steal on your part..
Welcome aboard..

 

[Old Irving]

I have a question about using 3/4 inch plywood on the deck and how it affects the console area. What modifications do I need to make to the console for it to align correctly?

I found a heated barn to work on the boat but it is an hour from my house in Chicago. At least the free price is right.

 

[jbcurt00]

The consoles will sit 1/4 higher on 3/4 decking so windshield fitment and fitting the consoles to the gunwale will be effected.

Why 3/4? 1/2 can be made to work or 5/8 is a compromise between fitment and thicker deck.

 

[Old Irving]

In most of the rehab posts it seems like most people choose 3/4 instead of 1/2 inch for the deck for added strength. Thoughts?

 

[Watermann]

Grandad had a great come back to the bigger is better and stronger line of thought about decking but I can't remember it right now. :cold:

Anyway I used 1/2" marine grade for my Chief's decking but no way would I have used regular ext ply in 1/2". The marine grade has no voids and is a solid 5 layer. If using regular ext ply I would use 5/8" which is what I made the motor cover/sun deck out of for my Chief.

Those are my thoughts. :happy:

 

[crankbait cowboy]

Nice find Irving and sweet price I feel. I am also working on a 1973. 18 ft ss. On your deck for what it's worth I went with 5/8marine grade and 2 coats epoxy . Seems plenty stiff and I don't foresee any issues with the consoles ( as I layed it out ) don't have the deck in yet but researched it with a lot of these folks and fell good about the 5/8 marine grade

 

[Old Irving]

Today was my first day working on the boat and spent 9 straight hours on it. Most of it was focused on getting out rivets and figuring out how to take that damn steering wheel out. I was only able to salvage the bow deck as a template the rest was rotted and fell apart. I know I will get kicked out of the group if I don't insert photos but I will get to that tomorrow and more questions on my behalf.

 

[Old Irving]

No Title

Attached are images from Day 1 of my boat rehab. Can anyone send me a link on how to remove a Mercury 850? I hear the steering cable can be hard to get off.

 

[Old Irving]

No Title

More photos from Day 1.

 

[oldhaven]

Congratulations on a busy day with much to show for it. It took me longer than that and I did not get as far.

 

[Decker83]

You did a great job getting her cleaned up.. Looks good..