1964 Starcraft Riviera Restoration

Reista

Cadet
Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
11
(pictures are really spotty, i'm starting this thread just at the end of all of the engine work. Still plenty to do though, no worries)

Hello all forum members- I'm a long time mechanic, first time boat owner hailing out of central TX

Bought this boat for $200 with the trailer. The tires were flat, the wheels had sunk about 5 inches into the dirt, and there were plants growing in the boat. Sounds like a great time right? Not to mention the copious amounts of mold on the boat, the 30 Bud Light cans I pulled out, the 2-3" of accumulated mud and dirt in the hull.... it goes on. It had the castings for the bottom end, but was missing the water pump, drive shaft, and a lower stud - and the bearings had probably been exposed for over a decade leading to enormous amounts of rust. Figured it would be easier to just get a new outboard, or new low end. (Johnson 1964 75hp)

Also, these boats look evil out of the back window.

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Gave it a good cleaning, picked up an Evinrude 1964 75hp ($50) and swapped out the lower end - literally EVERYTHING matches apart from the shift linkage. Johnson used a 2" brass coupler between the aluminum rods (and a longer lower rod) and Evinrude used an 8" brass coupler with a shorter rod. Now I've got a couple spare castings and a spare powerhead. worth $50 if you ask me

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Things still to do:
mount the prop
build the spark plug wires
Paint the top red, plastidip /grit hull interior
100% electrical rewire
new steering wheel/cables
HOPEFULLY find a Starchief top, maybe made something like it.
^If not, remake windshield with LEXAN
paint/rewire trailer
seats seats seats
fuel tank/battery/ hinged stern door
Throttle cables/resto side throttle
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
:welcome: to the iboats forum reista!

We don't get too many glass SCs around these parts but they're always welcome. My hats off to you brave souls who tear, rip and grind into these old glass Starcraft boats.

Looks like you;re already down to the short list on her, it's pretty cool how SC made their boats look so similar between their tin and glass boats.
 

Tnstratofam

Commander
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
2,679
:welcome: That's a nice looking project you've picked up. I'm with Rob on the way Starcraft made theirvglass and tin boats look,so similar. I usually have to wait until I see an interior pic before I can tell for sure. The windshield looks servicable. Just needs a good cleaning looks like. I'll be tagging along if you don't mind.

What part of central Texas? My Mom and a sister and brother are 20 year transplants in Cedar Park and Austin.
 

Reista

Cadet
Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
11
Watermann - I actually went into the sale thinking it was aluminum. The glass on this boat is actually at 99% integrity. Not even the Gel coat needs any kind of work aside from getting the old reg stickers off. There's one scrape on the bottom of the bow and that's it. The floor is 100% solid - don't think i could say the same if it was a tin boat with a wooden floor lol that wood would have been turned to dirt (as the wood from the destroyed original seats did)

tnstratofam - Thanks :) The windshield cleaned up well but has a lot of UV damage from sitting in the sun. The type of damage called 'craze' as seen in this picture from a yacht owner:

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Yes you can still see through it. But i figure if i can pull it off A. I can make a how-to for everyone who might need these windshields (for a $90 sheet I get 3 tries) and B. I get a non-crackly windshield to see through. There's no way to repair crazing unfortunately :/

Also, I'm from San Antonio. The boat is living at the girlfriend's house in La Vernia (about 40 miles away) famous for... Well. Let's just say that on their wikipedia page they've listed when their HEB (a grocery store in TX) opened up in 2010. Other than that, it has tractor parades and the highschool senior class has a 'bring your tractor to school' day. Yeah...

dozerII Not itchy at all XP rather pinchy though... pulling the outboard by myself to change the water tubes wasn't terribly fun when my pinky got caught under the powerhead while reseating it

jbcurt00 Thanks :)

___________________________________________________________________

As to give you guys some idea of what I'm going to do with the boat, here are some concept pictures just for reference. Apply them to my boat and you'll see the full picture:

Red Top
starcraftb64001.jpg

(http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-20...d=1431455923&sr=8-1&keywords=marine+paint+red)

Non-rotting steering wheel:
$_57.JPG


Seats that exist:
$_57.JPG


Black floor (spray on bed-liner. Doesn't get very hot, and has grip)
more%20stuff%20027.jpg


The outboard will be repainted a similar color and the girlfriend is going to restore the emblems to close to OEM condition

Not going to install a radio or any of those do-hickeys. A portable bluetooth radio is sufficient and doesn't involve murdering the dash.
 

Tnstratofam

Commander
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
2,679
Everything sounds pretty good. I'm not a fan of a black floor/deck in a boat due to it gets hotter than you think. I'm also not a fan of spray in or roll on bedliners as you are really committed to them because they are Very Hard to remove once applied. I've seen a few boats with spray in liner colored to match the hull, and it looked good and was durable, but any darker color is gonna get hot I think.

Went through Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 91. Been back there a few times in the last 25 years. I like Texas and would live there if I could get my wife to leave the mountains here in North East Tennessee.
 
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Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
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Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
Yeah I have to give a thumbs down to the bed liner stuff inside a boat hull because in some instances it may or may not adhere properly and then water gets under it causing serious corrosion issues on AL boats.but over glass it could be a viable option for a non-skid surface.

I almost forgot you SC isn't made of AL.
 
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Reista

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Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
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Yeah I have to give a thumbs down to the bed liner stuff inside a boat hull because in some instances it may or may not adhere properly and then water gets under it causing serious corrosion issues on AL boats.but over glass it could be a viable option for a non-skid surface.

I almost forgot you SC isn't made of AL.


I think what I'm going to do is try a plastidip. Just on the sides of the hull and under the bow, and dark-ish gray foam matting or removable/washable black carpeting on the floor. That way if it's too hot i can remove it and everything can be clean/mold free. Given the un-removable nature of the bedliner you guys have been pointing out i agree that it't not a very good idea :p

Are there any other boat flooring ideas? I've looked into carpeting but the astro-turf stuff doesn't really rub me right. I know that dark colors are nasty and un-conventional but I just have it set in my heart that the boat needs a red top and black floor lol can't explain it much better than that
 
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MNhunter1

Ensign
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May 12, 2014
Messages
970
They make Nautolux vinyl flooring in black. Seems to be the preferred choice of the Starmada, not necessarily in that color though:)
 

Reista

Cadet
Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
11
*whew* so I got pretty much everything rewired, points adjusted and the motor's electronics tested OK. Boat fired for the first time in 18 years yesterday. No pictures for now because it's all pretty boring - just take corroded/degloved wire here, and replace it. (the positive wire from the battery was LITERALLY bare copper because the jacket has cracked and fallen off to powder on the floor. no way in hell am i hooking anything with over 3v to that :p) Yeah, lots of that. Changed out the solenoid with one from Farm & Tractor Supply and got some spark plug wires for an international tractor while I was there that are the perfect length. Just going to solder them to the screw terminals. Spent 60 on 2 awg starter wire alone - blech. Next update will have pictures of the wiring in its final state, switches that got installed for start/prime/kill/3 accessory. Once I take care of the fuel issues if there are any (I expect there to be) then the boat beautification will begin and I can keep more regular updates
 

Reista

Cadet
Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
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Here's a picture i found of all of the trash in the boat if anyone was curious:
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Got it running excellently today, went though all of the carb system (the ol' cork float is still hanging in there) but I'm having overheating issues so I'm going to be taking apart the bottom end for the fourth time *tear* and tossing in some new life to it.

Here's a few pictures of the aforementioned wiring job:
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Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
What the heck, did the PO think the boat was a dumpster? Don't loose your good wire strippers in that mess. ;)

It's a good feeling to bring an old beast back to life and hear it roar! :happy:
 

Reista

Cadet
Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Messages
11
With the engine now running pretty steady cosmetics have begun (still needs some tuning, and I'm going to change the points/condenser since they aren't hitting flat anymore).

Grabbed some wood, lexan sheeting, silicon caulk, wood glue/filler, black paint etc etc. The carpet during a 104F day (pretty much this whole past week) registers a temperature of around 190 on the IR thermometer but to the foot it feels like laundry out of the dryer, easily comfortable enough for hours of standing/walking around. the sizes are rubber coated, and the black wood railings will be going in front of them

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The box below the seats will get wrapped in carpet as well, not glued but velcoed on each end

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The window took about an hour of work to do, just cut and finished the edges using the old one as a template and siliconed it into the bottom rail. Noone carried a single sheet long enough so i went with an aluminum channel T support. Still waiting for the caulk to cure all the way before i clean up the excess.

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Tnstratofam

Commander
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
2,679
Looks like good progress. The windshield turned out nice as well. Nice fab work on the tee section joining the two pieces. I like the back to back lounge seats they should make for a comfortable ride.
 
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