1979 18' Starcraft SuperSport Restoration

[mbroughton02]

Looks to be real clean work right there! :thumb:

Not as clean as yours, but this is my first boat restore

 

[nrf414]

Looking sweet. Makes me think i want my blue boat back. I like the way the vinyl came out. Nice work sir.

 

[shaw520]

Too clean!,... no fish guts allowed

 

[mbroughton02]

Working on side panels...

I polished the pieces that connect the side panels to the floor. On the right is before, on the left is after. I didn't bother with anything that wouldn't be seen:

Went with vinyl channeling for these. Will also use this vinyl for the back sliding doors, the backrests, and part of the bow cushions. At $30/yd it was an expensive decision, but I got turned onto the look of it from a few other rebuilds on this site, and I had to have it!

Set in place but not attached yet:

The hole is for a speaker.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah I do like the looks of the vinyl but not the price so much ouch. You really got that toe kick shiny, nice touch.

Do you have like 1/4" batting under the vinyl? I hate drilling holes through that stuff, it makes a big knot so I used a soldering iron to melt a hole down to the ply rather than tearing one with a drill bit.

 

[mbroughton02]

Both side panels are done:

For the attachment to the toe kick and shelf, rather than riveting through the side panels, I decided to screw into the plywood from the back. I have a 90 degree attachment for my drill which was perfect for the shelf to panel attachment:

I realize that rivets would be stronger but I feel pretty good about the screws. I used #10 so they are pretty beefy. If they don't hold for whatever reason, I can easily rivet them later. I just want to avoid riveting through the new channeling if I can help it.

Yeah I do like the looks of the vinyl but not the price so much ouch. You really got that toe kick shiny, nice touch.

Do you have like 1/4" batting under the vinyl? I hate drilling holes through that stuff, it makes a big knot so I used a soldering iron to melt a hole down to the ply rather than tearing one with a drill bit.

This channeling has polyester fill, but I did not add any additional foam. I didn't have to drill through the material anywhere, so I'm not sure how well it would work, but I did have to screw through it to attach the toe kick, and fortunately it didn't get all tangled up.

 

[ezmobee]

Panels look great. Those screws may back out. Some of mine did. I just reinstall 'em with some Gorilla Glue and they don't come out again.

 

[Candutch]

Looking good MrB!

 

[mbroughton02]

Tonight I got this stupid board reinstalled:

Which involved spending way too much time like this:

So I celebrated by mocking up my dash with a scrap piece of plywood:

It's tight, but I wanted to make sure it worked before cutting the real version out of oak.

 

[ezmobee]

You mean the board that they clearly started with and then built the rest of the boat around? :lol: Yeah that was fun. I replaced mine with a piece of PVC trim board. I had too much flex in my bow though then especially from the trolling motor so I backed it up with a 2x4 and now it's solid. Your dash looks awesome. I haven't seen that much instrumentation crammed into an SS dash yet!

 

[Watermann]

Tonight I got this stupid board reinstalled:

I hope you didn't forget to bore the 1" holes in that stupid board so you can run wiring under the gunnels. I made mine out of 3/4" ply and the entire bow cover has 3/4:" under it too. I put the board in first though before anything else.

 

[Candutch]

The dash looks great, good job on getting everything on there. I don't know how you managed it, I had a hard enough time with just the Speedo, Tach and some switches. If mine wasn't already done I would steal your design!

 

[classiccat]

Got caught-up on your build...someone was busy this winter! Really nice work and attention to detail! :thumb:

 

[mbroughton02]

Back doors are done, except they need handles for opening and closing. You can see that I took everyone's suggestions regarding some vents in the doors:

I used 1" u-channel top and bottom, knowing that my 5/8" plywood would get a lot thicker with the vinyl channeling.

I used flat head screws and countersunk the holes in the track for the attachment to the floor, so that the screws do not interfere with the doors. It fits snug in the track, maybe a little too snug. Doors are a bit tough to open and close, but I think I'll put some kind of lubricant in the track. Not sure what yet, I need something that will not make a mess on the white vinyl.

Also I put 1/4" aluminum shims under the track:

This is to allow water to pass under the doors and to the bilge in the event that the boat takes on a big wave. Not sure what others have done, but this was my method.

 

[Watermann]

Nice work there, :thumb: I like the white and the doors being tight is in my book better than loose and no more than you'll be opening them I don't think I would add lube, if anything some car or boat wax would work and not be a mess.

The shims will also allow for some airflow too since fuel vapor is heavier than air it will be at the lowest point.

 

[mbroughton02]

Nice work there, :thumb: I like the white and the doors being tight is in my book better than loose and no more than you'll be opening them I don't think I would add lube, if anything some car or boat wax would work and not be a mess.

The shims will also allow for some airflow too since fuel vapor is heavier than air it will be at the lowest point.

Car wax is a good idea!

 

[Pusher]

Anything you use will dry and stick with age. Candle watch or ski wax might last a little longer.

Could you slip the entire door into a u channel and let the door's channel ride inside the floor's channel? I'm thinking your white vinyl (which looks great by the way, vents and all) will turn gray from the aluminum as you use your doors and the boat vibrates on the waves.

 

[Tnstratofam]

I like the look of the white vinyl. It contrasts nicely with the blue.:encouragement:

 

[mbroughton02]

Could you slip the entire door into a u channel and let the door's channel ride inside the floor's channel? I'm thinking your white vinyl (which looks great by the way, vents and all) will turn gray from the aluminum as you use your doors and the boat vibrates on the waves.

I thought about something like that, actually, but ultimately decided against it. You are correct that the vinyl that comes into contact with the track will likely turn grey, but in theory that part of the vinyl will always be hidden by the track.

 

[Pusher]

That's​ true, and will look very snappy while doing it too!

I especially like the full frame look with the side channel you put in