1977 18' Starcraft SS restoration

payphone

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Hi, I just picked up a 1977 18' SS with an 85 Evinrude. I paid $1000 for the boat motor and trailer. The ONE thing I never checked was the transom! Well of course after a second look at home, I noticed the transom wobbles and is separating from the well. %$#)&* - lesson learned.
One retail shop wants a few thousand to fix it in the fall.

1. is this something that I can repair myself? I restored a 1999 malibu sportster (new upholstery, new carpet, replaced the rub rail) but nothing structural like a transom. Is this a few day repair or mre like a summer project?
2. Would I be better off just to keep/sell the engine and junk the boat?
3. How easy is it to lift the motor off?

thanks for any help

paul
 

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jbcurt00

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Read thru some of the other SC topics

Most involve transom replacement.
 

Watermann

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Welcome to the Starmada payphone :wave:

A transom replacement in an aluminum boat is easy when compared to a glass boat. Removing the motor is simple, just remove the steering cable, fuel line, unplug wiring harness and 4 bolts that hold the motor to the transom. Motor lifts off with a come along or cherry picker. Drill out rivets from the end caps and splashwell, drive out splashwell drain tubes and remove the screws for the spashwell. Once you get the old wood transom out you can hopefully use it as a template.
 

laurentide

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You can definitely do it yourself in a weekend. It'll actually take a bit longer due to the glue/epoxy/varnish needing time to cure, but in terms of labor hours it's not a big job.
 

Decker83

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:welcome: payphone.
There is a ton of information on doing this.. Also check and see if you have any soft spots in the floor..
Watermann pretty much told you how to do it..
Do a search on transom removal..
Great boat by the way..
I would keep the boat and repair it.. Or just sell it as is to someone who may want to restore it..
How is the motor on the boat.. Did you run it yet..
For a few thousand you can do a complete restore on the boat yourself..
 

g0nef1sshn

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You really found the place for advice here. If its only the transom your looking to do then in one day (with all parts on hand) have the old transom out, new one cut and glued together. Let that set for a few days. then do what ever you choose for a sealer and seal it. Let that dry and drop it back in and bolt back together. Not hard at all! Just read through a few of the projects here and all have pretty much done it. And a lot of first timers to boot!

Ofcourse we would like to see it gutted, leak tested, fabricated new things every where, gluvited, new floors, carpet vs vinyl?, and everything else that makes this fun too; Just throwing that out there.....:gossip:
 

payphone

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No Title

Thanks for the good info and nice overview by Watermann. I think I'll go for it. Transom, floor repair and hull repaint. It's the exact boat I want and should be less than $2000.
The estimates on the transom vary around $2000 :confused:
Also, the seller agreed to refund me $300 so I'll have $700 into it at the outset. About what the motor might be worth.
A few years back I restored a 1999 Malibu Sportster but that was mostly upholstery / carpet and a good rubbing out. (I can't seem to upload some of the photos from my Photo Album)

thanks again and i'll keep you posted

paul
 

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Watermann

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Hey now that sure looks like some darn fine work from here!

fetch
 

will w.

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My son and I did one a a few days last summer. Longest part of the job was waiting for each coat of epoxy to dry. Coating the transom wood is not a necessity and if you choose to do so, you have several options on products, We were a little rushed to get it done for our annual walleye trips. We left the splash well intact, but it would have been easier to work with it removed. After drilling out rivets and removing the corner caps, you will need to bend up the portion of gunnel that extends over your transom wood, then bend back down after installing the new wood. Your bend will not be noticeable since the area of this bend is under the corner caps. I was careful to not ruin the small aluminum nails that hold the transom cap on. I did not know where to get new nails and did not have time to order them.

Essentially the same boat. 77 Holiday with an 85 rude. We fished it hard all of July and most of Aug. I had tearout when drilling some of the holes. I filled tear outs with marine tex epoxy then sanded flush. I also hit the holes with rustoleum for added protection. I used 1/2'' ply for the motor pad, but would have used something more durable if I had more time. Two 3/4'' marine grade cut outs glued together for the transom. Was able to get both cutouts from one 4x8 sheet, as suggested here tite bond 3 glue. We also painted the transom while waiting for epoxy to dry.

I've been reading iboat forums for years, so everything was straight forward due to all the great information posted by these guys over the years. You did good with that other boat. You got this. Good luck!




 

g0nef1sshn

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good point on the transom cap! the nails arent hard i think. BUT YOU definitely do not want to bend it if it is good shape when taking it off. I made that mistake and you cant just order one online as far as I know.
 

payphone

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Thanks for all the help. I'm almost done with my motor stand.
Is the SS 180 supposed to have side windows? There is no glass in my two side windows. Looks odd.

My plan is keep this boat for many years so I really would like to take my time and do it right. For me there is no point in skimping on materials cost.
Here is the plan: epoxy paint the marine grade plywood transom before installing. Then filling many holes from the PO's many many mounts in the transom :eek:.
What's the best epoxy to use on the plywood and filler to use for all those mounting holes? Should the ply be primed first?
I have no experience with riveting so I was thinking of maybe getting a rivet gun off ebay. I'll most likely need to do some riveting on the hull too.
 

Watermann

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I've found that the 2 part stick JB water weld epoxy is perfect for filling unwanted holes and it sands super easy compared to regular. I make little wads of it and push into the hole with pressure from both sides forming a mushroom on the inside for things like the underside of gunnels. For the transom you can't leave much of a mushroom or the transom wood will hit it if the holes are that high. It's like water proof 900 PSI bondo for AL boats.

Apply the epoxy resin to bare ply you don't want to use primer or anything else first. Your SS shouldn't have any transom wood exposed to the sun so no worry about needing to paint it unless you want to. I paint mine and inside transom skin just as another barrier to future corrosion.

A pneumatic blind rivet gun is invaluable and if you need to drive solids then a 3/8" brazier head rivet set and a regular air hammer is about all you need other than a good bucking bar.
 

payphone

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new discovery! The brace from the center keel to the transom is cracked.
This seems like a big deal. Is this fixable?
I saw some post about an aluminum angle being added on?
 

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g0nef1sshn

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There are a few here who have repaired that. I dont think it is too big of a deal. Im sure they will be along to post their pics. I think all used angle style repairs with either bolts and or solid rivets.
 

Candutch

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My knee brace was broken in the same place as yours. I removed the remainder of the broken tabs and then bolted some 1/8" thick aluminum angle in their place. I used jb weld between the angle and knee brace and in the screw holes so the ss screws wouldn't be in contact with the aluminum. Top screws on mine are 1/4" and the rest are 3/16", all have nylock nuts. Check out page 7 of my restore and you can see how I did it.
As gonefishin said there are a number of others that did it as well. Some use thicker angle and some use solid rivets, it's totally up to you which way you choose to go.
 

payphone

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Built my engine stand and finally got that beast off the boat yesterday. I used my neighbors chain hoist and one of those harbor freight flywheel pullers to hook onto the motor that I read about in another thread.
Today I stripped the hardware off the transom. That's a lot of holes! Swiss cheese comes to mind.
Should the transom be replaced before I do anything else like the even the floor? I was thinking maybe it's needed for structural support when flipping the boat etc.
Your SS shouldn't have any transom wood exposed to the sun so no worry about needing to paint it unless you want to.
It turns out my transom is exposed above the splashwell so I was thinking I could pick up a sheet of aluminum and tuck it up under my transom cap. Don't like the idea of exposed wood right there. thoughts??

i'm finding this forum to be invaluable - thanks!

paul
 

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g0nef1sshn

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I would think if the splash well is in snug, that would be ok as it is with the wood out. But I would
recommend removing that, the knee brace, and the Z brace that supports the bottom of the transom wood to get a thorough scubbing in and cleaning since you are this far along.
 

Watermann

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If you go flipping the boat without the transom it might be alright and then again it might crack the splashwell from the stress, it all depends on how you go about the flip.

I agree, you should really think about pulling the splashwell out so you can get a good clean up job done on the inner transom skin. I recommend prime/painting the inner skin too after filling any substantial pitting.

Forgot to add be very careful with your transom cap, treat it like it's made of gold. Be sure to knock out those drain tubes too before trying to get the transom wood out. :)

Oh boy I don;t even know what half those holes were for :lol:

fetch
 
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payphone

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Apr 16, 2009
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The drain tubes don't look like I can save them - the flare won't make it through the aluminum. so I'll just buy new ones?
 
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