1963 14' Starcraft Seafarer project boat

[srctx]

I am writing this thread post splash on this project...

There are a number of reasons for doing so but I wanted to share some experiences from a novice perspective. As much as I've learned through this forum, I only felt it appropriate to share my experiences and decisions, for better or worse, to contribute in a very small way back to a community that has helped me immensely throughout this process.

Probably one of the most humbling factors is that I simply wanted a small fishing boat I can enjoy with my family and friends. I recently rediscovered fishing and I now plan on 2 or 3 trips a year to go Trout fishing on the White River in Arkansas. I live in Texas and also wanted something to take my kids out fishing on the small lakes nearby.

The boat I chose fits these parameters along with my budget...

My project started with a 1963 14' Starcraft Seafarer which admittedly I did not know until recently... I purchased the boat, trailer, and 2 Evinrude 25HP motors for a nominal sum nearby. The primary motor is a 1969 Evinrude 25 HP 25902D and the other is a 1956 that needs restoration. I've sidelined the '56 for a rebuild this winter (well for what passes as winter in Tx anyway).

One of the most noteworthy components of my purchase was the trailer which caught my eye. It seemed capable of the longer hauls I was wanting to make to the Ozarks. The axel is rated for 1500 lbs and has 15" rims... as many of you know it's overkill for this particular boat.

The single biggest benefit to my admittedly naive approach is that there is not a single nut, bolt, rivet, or wire that I have not touched in this process. All of the hard work and research paid off in that there is not a single part of this vessel, motor or trailer that I haven't touched at some point during the rebuild.

While my sweat equity might not be worth much, it simply builds confidence when having not only my kids but nieces and nephews aboard (which to me was a daunting responsibility). I grew up on boats early on but only rediscovered fishing in the past few years.

Ultimately my reason for not sharing my experiences thus far are that neither my budget nor my aspirations were very high. Don't get me wrong the Starcraft I purchased simply put has great bones. I knew this immediately upon first inspection. However, I am working with bench seats while the vast majority of projects on this forum are simply put beyond my available means.

This can be humbling and given my nature I chose to lurk in these forums and gather information as necessary instead of posting to an ongoing thread.

I have subsequently reversed my decision in hopes to not only encourage other novices that this is possible but also pay back what small amount I can. I am still working through tuning the motor and I am just now gaining confidence that I am heading in the right direction. My first road trip is in 10 days so I'm under the gun as far as timelines.

None the less I will post additional info on this project along with pictures for those of you interested in catching up on my progress.

Thanks,

Sean

 

[srctx]

These are the starting point....

 

[srctx]

Removed all wood including the transom...

 

[srctx]

I used Citristrip paint stripper to remove the worst of the paint. Then powerwashed the entire boat. Given the shape that the paint was in it removed a significant majority paint.

The rest was removed with a wire wheel and I focused on all rivets and seems to make sure these were completely bare metal.

 

[srctx]

The keel had three locations of damage that I suspect lined up with the rollers on the trailer.

While I know this was a boat forum the trailer rebuild was actually the first to be completed. I ended up wire bushing the trailer with a 1/2 inch buffer and stripping all the wood. Welded some additional supports to resolve some issues when the wood runners didn't line and added fenders. Once repainted, the wiring harness was replaced, new runners with carpeting attached and finally all new rollers.

Given the extent of the cracks and damage to the keel I did some research. The method I chose to repair was to terminate the cracks by drilling a 1/4" hole at the end of each.

At this point I should also note that there were a large number of rivets that were loose. There were ones that were tightened previously using an air gun and dolly behind to tighten. And others that were replaced using the stainless steel nut and bolt method.

I decided to replace all of these using 1/4" marine rivets I bought on the internet. I had to also get a 1/2" rivet gun from the hardware store. I mixed some Gluvit and dipped in each rivet in before popping them into the boat.

This decision was to eliminate all the issues in a uniform method and may or may not be the best way for spot repairs. This worked for me as I ended up using 164 rivets throughout the hull.

Back the keel specifically, once I had the rivets in I used an aluminium bondo product to fill in the holes in the keel pushing as much as possible into the damaged area to reinforce it as much as possible.

I am pleased with the cosmetic results and so far the keel and shown no issues using this method.

 

[srctx]

Once the the aluminium bondo dried I sanded these sections down and applied a layer of Gluvit to each seam and rivet on the entire boat.

A note of caution here is with the Gluvit. The product is a two stage epoxy. While applying I was mixing in batches as I went and on section I didn't stir enough which left a mess on the boat. I ended up having to remove and reapply. I got as much off as I could with acetone and ended up wire brushing the rest. It was a mess... Just one more quick note is that I only used a single 1.8 lbs (815g) can for the entire project.

If I were to do it over I would have spent more time sanding down the run lines where the Gluvit dripped when drying.

 

[Watermann]

:welcome: aboard and to the Starmada srctx,

Glad to see another oldie but goody SC brought back from the brink of extinction. :thumb: