Has anyone shortened a Starcraft?

bunnymoney

Seaman
Joined
Oct 5, 2016
Messages
68
So now if a new custom transom turns out to be financially doable I may put the 18' and 22' models back into consideration. After all it's just sheetmetal.:lol:

Here's a relatively serious question:

Since I can start with probably most any 16' hull and the fact a rough ride is not a concern as I troll 90% of the time on the water, which hull type is less tippy at stand still? My Jetstar is flat bottomed at the transom with rounded chines. Is a slight V more or less tippy at stand still?
 

bunnymoney

Seaman
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Oct 5, 2016
Messages
68
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Bear with me as I ramble on.

I thinking about where the bottom of the hull meets the bottom of the transom. Would you let the hull extend beyond the transom? A little (1/4"? 1/2"?) the water coming off the Jetstar looks horrible!

In the very old days of wooden runabouts the bottom skins most always extended a couple inches beyond the transoms and the flow was much cleaner. I suppose the massive quantity of rivets is to blame for most of this.
 

StarTed

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jul 14, 2015
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694
That looks like a little more than trolling speed to me. ;)
 

DLNorth

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 26, 2016
Messages
432
Just how deep is your garage? It must be very short if a 16 ft'er is tight.

I'm assuming you already plan on a folding tongue.

Seems like it might be easier to modify your building than a boat.
What about adding space on the back wall for the motor? I'm thinking a cavity that the motor would extend into past the back wall of the garage. Of course this depends on what is in back of the garage. It might only be where the power head is.

Or how about letting the tongue "run long" through the door?
Don't laugh, that's what I did with our old garage to get the SS16 on a very long trailer in. The motor fit in the stud cavity in the back, and even then the tongue was about 2 ft past the door, (this on a 20 ft deep garage) (this also before swinging tongue were common place). I cut and re-enforced a slot in the bottom panel of the door that the tongue could extend through, and then made a "box" that went over the tongue and fit tight to the slot in the door. When the garage door was opened/closed, it just slid over the box. The tongue was not exposed to the weather.


Dan

ps, at a stand still, a flat bottom is more stable then a vee. But a vee rides at speed sooooo much nicer.
We actually changed boats because of this a while back. Had a cheep Blue Fin 14 ft fishing boat, vee bottom, road great on the water, but when stopped, it would rock across the vee, drove the wife nuts as the dogs moved from rail to rail.
Sold it and got a Lund semi-vee, which is flat at the back, problem solved. So course the Lund also pounds in the waves and rides a lot harsher.

"My Jetstar is flat bottomed at the transom with rounded chines. Is a slight V more or less tippy at stand still?"
 
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Brackett221

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
May 27, 2015
Messages
75
I think a Mini Pontoon boat may be what you need instead of the Starcraft mod. you are wanting to do. http://directboats.com/pontoonboats.html Short and wide seems what you are wanting... If the Smokercraft you owned didn't suit your needs, a butcher'ed Starcraft will not suit them either. Remember they are made by the same company. The mini pontoon is wider than your Stacer and will have more stability and more storage. And you can get them from 12' to 16' with a swinging trailer tounge to fit your condo storage!
 

bunnymoney

Seaman
Joined
Oct 5, 2016
Messages
68
My Smokercraft 1644MV was a very low jon boat with low sides that leaned way out from the floor of the boat. It did not have a splash well and didn't really like to back troll. If the fish aren't biting and I'm not catching anything then my Jetstar is absolutely perfect. When it comes time to land/net a fish is when my age makes it more difficult. I used to just easily kneel at the jon's gunwale and get it done. Now that's not as easy as it used to be. I can still take care of business with the Jetstar but the future I anticipate to be getting more difficult. From this seat, everything is great!


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Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
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13,747
It's tough to get much better than great... :happy:
 

SCStarcraft

Cadet
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
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No Title

I think Starcraft already made what you are looking for. Look at a used Starfire 160T, or 150T, if that is too long. It has the PowerTrac hull with reverse chines for stability. It has a 12 degree deadrise; not much, but certainly better than a jon or your Jetstar. It would not have the extreme initial stability of the Jetstar, making it more comfortable for trolling or drifting. It's almost the same length and width as the Stacer. It has a splash well for safe backtrolling. At 6'10" width, it is more beamy than an SS (6'5") or Holiday would be. You should be able to fish it from the helm seat comfortably as you did your jon.
 

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bunnymoney

Seaman
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Oct 5, 2016
Messages
68
Thanks SCStarcraft,

I will take a serious look at them as well as the Smoker Lodge series.
 
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