1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

Case450

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I bought an 18' aluminum starcraft boat two days ago. It's already been gutted and all that remains are the floor ribs. I already know I will have to replace the transom.
I wish to rebuild the boat completely as it's already stripped and turn it into a tiller.
My question pertains to strength and hull integrity. When I build a new floor I will be attaching that directly to those ribs? The ribs will be my anchor points and everything off that will be glued and screwed to the floor?

In my head I see two boxes in the back corners of the boat, for seats as well as to house the gas tank on one side and battery on the other.
The center of the boat will house a bench/storage bin combination and the front of the boat will have a small casting deck approximately 4" higher then the main bottom floor.

This being considered, there won't be much structure at all reinforcing the sides of the boat. This open concept design has me questioning whether or not the boat will suffer from "torque twist"? Not too mention it's ability to withstand the pounding of the waves.

Long before I get started i'd like to get some pointers and advice, pictures, recommendations so i do it once and it gets done right! I am extremely excited to start this project and have been surfing this site non stop for the last three hours! I love it!

Thanks for your time guys!!
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

Welcome to iboats. Please do not duplicate threads just learn what the EDIT button will allow you to do.

Starcrafts have the most serious following of all aluminum boats here. we have HOURS and HOURS of reading here on what people have done.

What model was your boat prior to being stripped out?

If you install a bench seat in the middle that will eliminate the torque steer. What size outboard are you intending on using? It would have to be very large to torque the hull and if it was that big I doubt a tiller could be attached.

You do need to install a minimum of two stringers in the hull. Take a look at ezmobee's 18' super sport project and you will get an idea of the stringer layout. his project is here http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=357767

Use only aluminum..... no steel. Use exterior plywood but... DO NOT USE pressure treated wood or plywood.
 

mikezohsix

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
111
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

aluminum boats are great for us beginner restorers/repairers.
you'll get all the help you need here.
I found the work "theraputic", guess I'm nuts.

mike
 

North Beach

Commander
Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Messages
2,022
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

Case, we could really use a couple of pics to see exactly what you have. there are varying stages of stripped. Do uou still have the splashwell, assuming it was an outboard setup to begin with, or was the boat originally an I/O setup?

Post a couple pics and we can help you out.

To get a good look at floor construction, check out e's thread as Bob sugggested, or look at mine attached at the bottom of this post.

Good luck and welcome!
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

aluminum boats are great for us beginner restorers/repairers.
you'll get all the help you need here.
I found the work "theraputic", guess I'm nuts.

mike

Mike, you are no longer nut's........ look at all the therapy you have been through!:p
 

Case450

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
44
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

sorry, i wasn't sure about reposting.
I won't be able to get pics until the middle of february at the earliest (my reading week isn't until then) but as soon as I do i'll get them posted so people will have a better idea of what i have vs. what i'd like.

My friend whom i've fished with several times has a totally welded aluminum boat made by Henley Boats from Manitoulin Island and I LOVED his layout. Mind you i'm a college student so i can't afford the 23000 he paid for his rig. He got the boat, a bit of custom mods to it (it's the furthest thing from plush but will probably last a hundred years at least), the trailer and a 90 horse honda tiller for that price...this is in canadian dollars all brand spankin new with warranties.

With this boat i've bought (cost me 800) I would like to replicate what he has (pics will be forthcoming) and i've always wanted to rebuild a boat. It doesn't seem all that difficult but definitely a LOT of work from what i can see. I can't wait to get started.

Since i'm totally new to this i've picked up so far that you cannot or at least shouldn't have pressure treated lumber in direct contact with the aluminum. I was going to build all my substructure with pressure treated. It seems I need to coat all the lumber with some sort of epoxy.

I had intentions of sanding the boat down and giving it a nice coat of paint thinking i had to spray it on but a link to another guys project here shows him rolling and brushing the paint on...i really like that idea because i was going to spray it.
What do i need to do to prior to paint? I thought i would sand it and clean it up, then lay a primer of some sort and then the paint like a car.....from what i've been reading i'm mistaken. Not too sure on the procedure and more specifically the why's.

I guess I'm looking for information on the basics, where to get started, things to look at or watch out for, products that might be better suited then others.....so at least in the meantime i can start stockpiling any paints, carpets, lumber, fasteners, etc., etc. so i can tear right it into it.

Loving the boards on the people on this site! Everyone is very nice and i'm amazed at the high quality stuff that people have been making. I'm getting a lot of ideas and still really excited to get started! I'll learn the protocols for posting threads and stuff soon, in the meantime i hope i dont step on anyone's toes as thats not my intention, i'm here to learn!!
 

CheapboatKev

Vice Admiral
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
5,813
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

Welcome aboard Case..

On the paint..If the original paint is in good condition but faded..you can just sand her down a bit to rough her up, then wash down and paint with whatever you wish.. I personally used rustoleum rolled on and it looks pretty good.


With your's being an 18 footer..thats a big boat for a tiller..was it always a tiller?


Looking forward to seeing pics when you can...
 

Case450

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Messages
44
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

thank you!

no the boat wasn't always a tiller. It has a covered bow a dashboard and a steering wheel. The lads that had her before, took the motor off, and put a tiller motor on it. Left her sitting out with no protection and when the floors and seats started to rot they just kept ripping things out and throwing them away. So now when they drove the boat they sat on milkcrates and used it as a tiller.

I want to remove the covered bow and make her into a rig like my buddy has, with the mid bench/storage combo and a small casting deck in front.

My friend with the custom welded aluminum rig has a 90 horse honda on his and we put his rig on the gps and he was doing just shy 40mph. I found a 40 horse tiller for two grand in mint condition. I already sent the guy a thousand to hold it for me until spring. So I hope to use that as my motor.

The starcraft transom doesn't have a huge a cutout like a typical I/O does, it just has a slight dip in it. Perhaps 3" or so lower then the rest of the transom. I also didn't notice any splashwell parts/pieces/fasteners left behind either so it must have not have had one or the lads removed that part really well....at this point i dont really know.
i'm going to haul it out of the snow in feb and put her in the shop to thaw her out and clean her up ( i noticed a furniture dolly idea on here that i'm going to use) then take a wack of pics for you guys to look at and perhaps we can find out the model and stuff too.

i wanted to know about rivets, apparently that boat doesn't leak nor has it ever but if i need to rivet it i wanted to know what kind of rivets to use and where do i get those flat domed rivets like come from the factory.

Also, what is this gluvit i keep seeing in the finished rest threads? some sort of sealant? is it available in canada? I'm from northern ontario and it's a 6 hour drive one way to the nearest bass pro or half decent marine center.
 

North Beach

Commander
Joined
Sep 29, 2008
Messages
2,022
Re: 1st Timer rebuilding old Starcraft aluminum has some questions

Case, most of what you'll need can be ordered and shipped. I'm not located near the water so I had to mail order most of what I needed for my resto.
 
Top