Just brought home another Starcraft SS 16ft

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
On this boat, the flotation in the upper gunwales is only about 1" thick, 4" wide by about 10' long, the blocks down below the side trays are about 3x5" thick and about 5' long toward the rear. The block in the bow is about a foot thick and cut to fit the V shape of the hull, above the floor, but below the seat top. This piece I would think would be the primary piece of flotation. The strips in the floor are layered, it looks like a combination of three strips down each side at the stern, a 3x5" strip, a 1x4" strip, and a 1"x2" strip stacked outboard of the stringers.
If I were to take a guess, and considering this having a 300 lb outboard on the back, I'd guess that it would float bow up in the water, and likely capsize with the motor, fuel tank, and battery likely being in the rear of the boat to weigh it down.
At best you would have a bow tip to cling to in the water. I doubt the amount of foam in the rear of the boat would offset the motor and related weight. This is the earliest 'SS' model I've owned, all of my other boats had only below deck flotation, there was nothing above the deck at all. Those were later models. Maybe they learned something as time went on? Or did they just go light on the foam and its placement to give us more storage compartment space?
The area that's stuffed with foam up front on this boat was open storage space and padded seating on my later model boats.
I'm sure the seat cushions were also part of the flotation but they were only secured by a few snaps, if they would float, they would likely be for passengers to grab onto not to float the hull.

My biggest concern with a boat like this would be to keep it off the bottom if did sink to reduce recovery costs, most of the places I boat aren't super deep or wide, if my boat was sinking, I'd likely beach it first. I couldn't imagine the cost of recovering a boat from the bottom of the river channel or bay. I worked for a company who did recovery work, they weren't cheap and some of the bills for simple little jobs were astronomical.
If a boat isn't 100%, it don't go in the water. Period. But along the same lines, if it cost more in foam than the boat is worth or can be replaced with, I'll find another project.
I have 3 other boats, this one just happened to come along for cheap. I don't want to dump a ton of cash into it, I'd probably feel differently if it were an 18' model.

Right now its got a few inches of snow all over it from last night, I'll do some more exploring and maybe ripping apart when the weather warms up a bit again.
 

GA_Boater

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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May 24, 2011
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49,038
I think you will find that a PO re-did the boat and left out the foam in the center section. The foam you mention in other places isn't the way she was built in Goshen.

Is there a ski locker or evidence of one? That would reduce the amount of under-deck foam.
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
It doesn't look like it ever had anything done to it, the original blue vinyl floor is in place, the floor is riveted down with large head rivets that match those all of the boat and front seats. There is no ski locker. I only pulled up the rear floor so far, about 2 foot ahead of the splash tray area, the middle of the floor had nothing below it, and there's a blocker brace across where that last sheet stops. My foot went through the area between the seats, if there was anything in there its got to be melted because my foot went down 8" or so into the center area. I'd think if there was foam it would stop me from going through like that. Its still soaking wet out, and all the snow hasn't melted off the boat yet so I didn't do any more work on it. We got a lot of freezing rain and then snow last night, there's still an inch or so in the boat. I didn't bother covering it, it can't get much worse.

Where there different flotation locations for different years? Like I mentioned before, all my newer 16SS boats had only the lower deck filled with foam, my 74, 75, 76, and 77 models all had white foam, my 1979 had poured in foam. My 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1967 closed bow hulls all had the flotation only under the deck.
The worst was the '79, that foam was water logged and it took me a week of long nights to dig it all out. Then I had to deal with all the corrosion in that hull. I'm hoping this one is still solid but its hard to tell until I get it all gutted.
 

Rayzor

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
172
I have your boats brother. Mine is also a blue and white 73.
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
I think my boat has lots of brothers, there's at least two on my street and one behind me.
All of my past 16ft SS boats have been blue with the exception of my 1979, which was sort of a burnt orange color with a white lower hull.
 

nrf414

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
573
slowleak wow. Aside from a mess on the inside what a find! The thing I noticed and never seen before is the shelves inside the consoles. Not one of my 3 Supersports had them.

following along for another cool build
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
I think the shelves are someone's addition over the years, they're made from wood. They rest on a riveted on piece of aluminum angle on the inner panels, and atop the end of the side 'ski locker tray outboard. They are framed with 1x2 wood, the shelves are plywood. They did match the paint well though, its almost a dead on match with the rest of the boat.

I still haven't talked myself into doing this project, I've already got a 16' boat I'll never part with and a 14' open Starcraft SF14.
If this were a larger hull, I'd be more interested in getting it done. Right now I've got a ton of projects to finish first.
I'll probably regret it but I'm thinking of just listing it for sale on CL rather than just letting it sit.
 
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