1974 Starcraft

I am rebuilding a 1974 Starcraft Marine from the ground up. Boat has been blasted and rivets are good and it is ready for paint. BUT the transom is rotted. My question is can I build a frame from 1? SQ alum tube 1/8? wall cover it with ? ? alum sheet stock front and back weld it all around and use that as a transom? My next question is Can I use 3/16? alum diamond plate as decking. I would only like to do the boat over one time and have it good for as long as I live.

Re: 1974 Starcraft

I would only like to do the boat over one time and have it good for as long as I live.

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Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... I thought that 'bout a '74 Islander,... 'bout 15 years or so ago...
Still patchin' it up, 'n keepin' 'er afloat....

What's it got for Power,..?? How long a boat,..??

Re: 1974 Starcraft

Yes to the decking... I dunno about the transom, you can always try it and if it fails you can do something else... but that means you'd have to redo your boat again... something you're trying to get out of.

The wood in your boat rotted because it was neglected and left exposed to the elements. Take care of your boat and it will outlive you.

There are a couple of different types of plywood you can use for your transom that will be as close to worry free as you can get.

1. Is CCA kiln dried pressure treated plywood, made specifically for marine applications and come with a lifetime no rot warranty. Problem is, it's hard for most people to find. A boat dealer (especially pontoon) that has a repair service can probably tell you where to find some.

2. MDO plywood, used in commercial construction, exterior sign making, and boat building is more readily available. It is a waterproof plywood that will last for many decades.

Re: 1974 Starcraft

Thank you for your reply: The boat is 18' CC 1995 Suzuki outboard. Transom and the deck were MIA when I bought the boat. My son and I have been bucking rivets on and off for two days now
But still going over them one buy one. I am a welder buy trade and the first thing I thought of was to replace the transom with an alum frame. Weld the frame to the ?? on one side and rivet one side then weld all around. The frame or transom replacement will slide into the channels that are still on the boat. Blind rivet or self taping SS screws to secure to the channels. But being my first rebuild of a boat what I think and what is the correct thing to do are probably very different.

Re: 1974 Starcraft

Bond-o said:

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... I thought that 'bout a '74 Islander,... 'bout 15 years or so ago...
Still patchin' it up, 'n keepin' 'er afloat....

What's it got for Power,..?? How long a boat,..??

Click to expand...

The boat is a 18' cc powering it with a 1995 75HP Suzuki

Re: 1974 Starcraft

ctriverfish said:

Thank you for your reply: The boat is 18' CC 1995 Suzuki outboard. Transom and the deck were MIA when I bought the boat. My son and I have been bucking rivets on and off for two days now
But still going over them one buy one. I am a welder buy trade and the first thing I thought of was to replace the transom with an alum frame. Weld the frame to the ?” on one side and rivet one side then weld all around. The frame or transom replacement will slide into the channels that are still on the boat. Blind rivet or self taping SS screws to secure to the channels. But being my first rebuild of a boat what I think and what is the correct thing to do are probably very different.

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Ayuh,... Mine's 21', I/O.... You could build it like that,...

I replaced the mid-ship bulkheads with welded aluminum frames, with plywood fillers, just to screw into...
The cross brace piece under the forward windshield is also framed aluminum...

I also use alota 3/16" closed end pop rivets,... work Great,...

If yer rebuckin' all those rivets, ya must think she leaks,...
If so,... Coat the seams with Glu-vit, before ya closed her back up....

Re: 1974 Starcraft

Welcome to Starmada, Ctriverfish
Good score on the Mariner. I was looking at your alum transom from the other thread, you should re-post it here as your alum transom turned out awesome. Great idea for the replacement transom. Look forward to re-build...keep the pics coming