1976 Starcraft 18' Super Sport I/O needs total rebuild

[M2HB]

I bought this 76 SC knowing it needed some serious work, but it had good "bones".

Unfortunately, the previous owner's name must have been "Bubba". Sometimes its best to just leave things alone. He even thought he could weld. LOL

 

[M2HB]

Picture of weld on side rails.

 

[M2HB]

Another picture of POs welds.

 

[M2HB]

Even the fenders were bent and held on by the best plastic wire ties that money can buy.

The rollers were wore down to the steel insert and the pins were rusted badly.

I built new axle mounts with new 14ga diamondplate fenders and steps on both sides. I even rewelded the entire trailer. The coupler was bent along with the front of the tongue. I could have replaced it, but I rebuilt the tongue and bought a new "collar lock" coupler. No accidental disconnect with this trailer.

New side rail mounts with receiver tube so they can be easily removed. The electrical goes up the tubes and have water tight quick disconnects so removal is easy. The new side rails are made from redwood.

Picture taking it down to get hot dip galvanized.

When reassembled it looks so much better.

 

[M2HB]

Better picture of trailer showing the new wheels.

I put new roller assemblies and the Stotlz rollers seem to work real well. The lights are all LEDs and the axle has new bearings. I probably should have just bought a new axle and hubs but there is still more life in this old axle. The only thing reused on the upper part of the trailer is the old heavy duty winch. I converted it to a nylon strap.

 

[classiccat]

I can't believe that it's the same trailer! too bad you can't hot-dip an aluminum boat!

 

[Alumarine]

Welcome, great work on the trailer!

 

[M2HB]

It cost more to sandblast the trailer than it did to hot dip galvanize it. One of the POs painted the bottom of the boat and the trailer at the same time. What a mess.

My wife says the "purple" on the boat has to go, or the boat goes.

The new colour will be maroon, with a gray bottom coat.

 

[BWR1953]

But if you keep it purple, you can name it the "Grape Escape" !! ound:

 

[M2HB]

But if you keep it purple, you can name it the "Grape Escape" !! ound:

If I keep it purple, my wife will divorce me and it will really be the grape escape.

For me it will be "exit stage left".


The PO painted the bottom of the boat a charcoal black color and he painted the trailer at the same time with the boat on the trailer. Everything except the lights and the license plate got painted, including wires, and rollers. To some people, tools are a deadly weapon.

 

[MD28]

That is a fancy looking trailer there! Where would one go to hot dip a trailer out of curiosity?

 

[M2HB]

That is a fancy looking trailer there! Where would one go to hot dip a trailer out of curiosity?

I used Arizona Galvanizing. The price is based on weight after it is galvanized. The main cost was sand blasting. I could have bought all new steel for what that cost. I wanted to keep the original 1976 trailer with the boat, so I just rewelded the entire trailer and fixed it up the way I wanted it.

Galvanizing doesn't look as good as powder coating, but it is much better for resisting corrosion.

 

[M2HB]

As I was going through all the paperwork that the PO gave me, I came across the name and phone number of a boat mechanic that he had used on the boat. After I completed the trailer, I contacted the boat mechanic to get some advice from him. I took the boat over to him on it's new shiny trailer. The mechanic remembered the boat and the work he had done on it. The PO replaced the floor and did a terrible job on it. The boat mechanic gave me a price to replace the trim pump with a modern one and rewire it completely. It wasn't much more than the pump would cost me, so I gave him that work. I noticed he had a paint booth so I asked him what he would charge to paint the boat, if I stripped it. The price was reasonable for him using quality marine paint. We discussed the "suicide" throttle and he could replace that with new cables for not more that the parts would cost me. So I gave him that work. I asked him how much to remove the engine and outdrive while it was there. He gave me a price and I accepted. In a few days the engine and outdrive was removed and it was time for me to pick up the boat and strip it down.

I had the truck hooked up to the trailer, when I asked the boat mechanic where the best place was to get good marine grade 3/4" plywood. He said his supplier doesn't sell to the public but he provides the wood and has a CNC wood saw that cuts the sheets of plywood perfectly, as long as the supplier has the program for that particular boat. The StarCraft 18' SS is very common so that wasn't an issue. Since the PO had replaced the floor and did a terrible job, I had no pattern to use. This means that if I did the floor I would have to use a string line and starting from the front, I would have to take many measurements to accurately cut the plywood. The price the boat mechanic gave me wasn't much more than I figured the plywood would cost me and the cuts would be perfect. Besides, the supplier puts resin on the plywood before it is picked up. So, the boat mechanic got that work. Now I'm ready to leave and the boat mechanic asks me how I'm going to strip it. He gave me a price to strip it and it seemed reasonable to me, if I figure my time is worth something. So, he got that work also. I unhooked the trailer from the truck and left the boat there. Now, what is left for me to do?

I decided that I didn't like the idea of wood surrounding an oily engine. The original dog house was a mess, so I made a new one out of angle iron and covered it with aluminum diamond plate. I will attach snaps to the sides and have upholstery wrap over the top from side to side. That will keep the glare down and the people in the back seats won't get burned from the hot aluminum. The new dog house doesn't weigh any more than the old one and it sure looks better. Besides, it is much stronger.

 

[M2HB]

 

[M2HB]

 

[Watermann]

Welcome to the Starmada M2HB :wave:

The trailer looks super nice, we all hate trailer work but yours seemed to have been made to look easy. :thumb:

What did you use to seal up the angle iron for the dog house, most times ferrous metals in boats goes to rust fairly quick.

 

[M2HB]

Watermann, thanks for the comments on my trailer. I've been following your builds and you do awesome work.

As far as the Dog House goes, I was going to build the frame out of aluminum angle iron, but then I would have to go buy a spool gun and I just couldn't justify the expense. Besides, the steel is much stronger and it really isn't heavy at all. I used scrap angle iron that I had so some of it is 1-1/4" x 1/8" and the rest is 1-1/2" x 1/8" thick. I just primed and painted it and I will see how it holds up. I was concerned about rust and I used all stainless steel bolts. I checked out the cast iron engine and it still looks like new, so I figured the steel angle iron should be fine. If not, it would take me just a few minutes to remove the stainless steel nylock nuts and take the aluminum diamond plate skin off and take the frame down to have it hot dipped galvanized. I put some plastic feet on it to keep it just off the deck, so it won't be setting in water.

This trailer is the first one I ever had hot dipped galvanized and I like how it turned out. The company I used does all the work for U-Haul trailers. It will end up a dull silver color in a few years, but it should last a few lifetimes. I even used all stainless steel bolts (except 2 grade 8 bolts on the spring shackle) and nylock nuts on the trailer, including stainless steel roller pins. It adds costs, but if you are going to keep a trailer it is well worth the investment.

 

[laurentide]

I like where this is going so far. It looks like you might know what you're doing with a welder. The trailer looks incredible!

 

[M2HB]

Well, the Boat Mechanic is making some progress. It is stripped down and hopefully will be painted by next week.

The engine was running rough, the one time I tried it. The distributor has a massive amount of debris in it so its time for an electronic ignition. The carburetor will be rebuilt.

The seats were ordered today, so things should progress quickly.

I had the boat on the trailer one time, and I noticed that I need to move the bunk rollers forward about 4". The whole project should come together quickly now.

 

[M2HB]

The Boat Mechanic was working on my old 3.0 and made an offer I couldn't refuse. For $500 he has a 2008 Alpha 1 outdrive and a 2008 140 3.0 engine to go with it. He will take mine as a trade in and put the newer setup in my boat. The only issue is there were a couple of nicks in the bottom of the Alpha 1 outdrive, so he will repair that as part of the deal.

While I'm waiting to get the boat back I finished the dog house and put Poly Planar speakers in it. I also installed maroon trim to protect against any sharp edges. Once I install the dog house in the boat, I will put 5 snaps on each side and have the two sides and the smaller top covered in upholstery. It should look nice when it is done. I am planning on putting 4 stainless steel cup holders in the top of the dog house, as long as they clear the engine. I can't tell until I install the dog house, so that may be a while.