18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

classiccat

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

how crazy is that! ...and his last name is Gibbs...ya just can't make this stuff up! Was he driving a Chrysler? :lol:

Wish I could help ya on the polishing...doing alot of trial/error myself on mine...removing corrosion & PO's sanding marks while making it look good is easier said than done!
 

GA_Boater

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

:faint2::eek::facepalm: Just don't know what to say!
 

Gibbles

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

Yeah lol, and my name on here "gibbles" has nothing to do with my name, it's actually from my old Quake tag "Gibbles 'n Bits" :lol: (Kibbles 'n Bits but with gibblets :D )

the whole getting rear ended by this guy, sucked.
Crazy guy decided since the bumper had a small scratch on the right side, the new damage clearly was not him... and clearly I just want to pocket the $...

The crazy guy I can blow off, it was the way the officer treated me until near the end, I assume until after his "history" became clear...

anyways... :)

more bad news for me, 2nd gen blazers such as mine have a known issue, the frame will start to crack around the front lower control arm mounts, and I see a clear crack forming on both sides...
So I called up the guy that welded up my boat, and left a message with his wife...

I'll drill out the ends to stop it there and wait... :facepalm:
 

GA_Boater

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

What - The cop gave you grief?

And the frame is cracking, too?

I think you should go back to bed and pull the covers over your head. :rolleyes:
 

Gibbles

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

I know right!


good news is I caught the frame early, mid week the welder can get me in...

I have been keeping an eye open for it, when ever I do my brakes, ball joints, ect I look... I was hoping my blazer was not affectd by the bad robot welding :facepalm:
dern robots!

oh well this welder is good, I'm sure he will put a plate in there as well :)
 

Gibbles

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

I got a real good night sleep last night, more work on the boat to come + pictures.
Currently working on getting my self motivated. :rolleyes:

I got new pannels cut for the front bins\seats, the more complex pieces I decided to recycle and not replace.
I sanded, and coated with epoxy letting it soak into the wood, any warped pieces I used some angle alumnium with some clamps to flatten out while the epoxy cured, painted with some primer (Hide the ugly), then epoxied over it again, then wrapped in vinyl.

the rest I'll need to get some pictures to explain my plans, and I'm still thinking through how I'll work out a porta potty or something in the boat.
I know the front is pretty much the best and only place to work it, vinyl everything on the front so a good hose out if (required) is all I'll need... :lol: (not counting the carpet covered sides)
the little deck in the cabin does drain pretty good, but I might think something out more flowable...
Thinking a hole in the flooring... but I'll need some way to make it pretty... ;)

I'm also learning that 1 coat of the epoxy is not enough, 2 coats for full sealing... the black vinyl covered strips covering up the ugly gunnels got some water behind them and they warped a bit... other pieces that I did a full three coats did not have the issue...

I'll revisit them when I have some time with a table saw, and I'm wanting to make them more padded anyways...

My main focus right now will be getting this thing water ready, hopfully for the fall spawning season :)
 
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Gibbles

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

also a note on the nautolex install, I did not use the correct glue, the areas not trimmed over are still holding real nice.

I did test one section in the front that will end up covered over later on, glue is good, but I noticed if I pull I can pull it up (with force), and not damage the nautolex.

I'm hoping this is a good thing if I ever need to revisit any rivets or other issues...

The carpet glue did good, and it was pretty easy to work with, applying thick and using a roller to squish out the excess + any air bubbles went real nice.

As of right now if I did it again, I would use the same method... + the carpet glue was cheap. :rolleyes:


And going over the front section... I'm kinda wishing I went for the aluminum rivets with stainless mandrel.
I'm noticing they don't pull the wood sections down very hard, requiring me to put my weight into the boards in order to hold down tightly, other sections I'm using C clamps... but note these are the orig pannels, some are warped a little due to me leaving outside thinking I was just going to replace... :facepalm:

I have been abusing the boat a bit, currently it sits uncovered trailer at a steep angle allowing any rain water to drain out.
Everything is holding up real nice, I even hosed out the inside the other day due to the nautolex looking... yellowish..
After hosing out the nautolex looks brand new again, the water hit the nautolex, and the dirt just lifted up and away. :cool:
 

classiccat

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

I know the front is pretty much the best and only place to work it, vinyl everything on the front so a good hose out if (required) is all I'll need... :lol:

...hopfully for the fall spawning season :)

for you or the fish? :p :lol: :bolt:
 

Gibbles

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

I'm also about to cut new doors for the under splashwell storage area, I was thinking about keeping the whole sliding door setup for ease... but the railing will block the water flow going to the back, and I would perfer to prevent any water from draining down the sides, and risk water getting caught in the floatation...

possible I should re think the door system, that or build a drain path into it...
maybe just cut some slits in the channel to allow water to drain back?

Ideas?
 

jbcurt00

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

Elevate the aluminum slider track off the deck w/ a few rips off a dollar store cutting board. 1/4"+/- tall by the width of the track.

5200 & a couple rivets in each end to hold the cutting board block to the channel, and an occasional thru screw holding the track/block assembly to the deck... You can countersink the both the block & the channel so the rivets & screw heads are all flush.

Cutting board would make a good slider for the bottom of the sliding panel/doors too....

5200 may not grab the cutting board very well, but I don't think that much does. At least not much available for DIY projects.
 

classiccat

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

Well I have been telling my wife the boat's name is "sex machine"... :cool:
so both :lol:

:lol:! Rumor has it that once you finish a StarCraft restoration, there is no off-season :cool:
 

jbcurt00

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

In season? Off season? I didn't even know there's a season?

While we're in review, is there a possession limit?

Apparently, the Admiral is also the DNR officer around our joint. Until there are less boats, future seasons are in jeopardy :facepalm:
 

classiccat

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

Is there normally an off-season?

how 'bout when that CL-add materializes in your driveway without the Admiral's permission
 

Gibbles

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

Part of my plans for the cabin.. fill in the support for that finished look..
DSCF2653_zps4e55e1df.jpg

DSCF2654_zpsf7def790.jpg

DSCF2655_zpsb0ca3c3a.jpg
 

rheagler

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Re: 18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

Looking good there Gib!
 
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