18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Well I'll tall ya, what I have NOT been being very good at is making sure I do at least something on the boat almost every day. I seem to keep thinking that if I don't have a certain number of hours to work on it that there's no point starting on anything. I have to get better with that. Last night I was settling in to read iboats around 8:00 and realized I should really go out and spray the windshield at least.

 

[Jet Star]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

awsome job on the boat! i have a few questions about the easy epoxy paint, do you have to reduce it or is it readdy to spray out of the can? how much was needed to paint your boat? and its 1 stage paint right? no need to clear coat? thanks, i noticed today they carried it at canadian tire

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

I did not spray it. I rolled it and didn't need to thin it or clear coat it. The gloss is fantastic. Taking the 2 colors out of the equation, it took 2 quarts to paint my boat.

 

[North Beach]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

E/Jet Star, not tryin to hijack but there's a ton of info on spraying the easypoxy in my LL resto thread. If that's the way you want to go.

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

E/Jet Star, not tryin to hijack but there's a ton of info on spraying the easypoxy in my LL resto thread. If that's the way you want to go.

stop trying to steal jeremys thunder! jeez, everyone has seen your boat. give it a rest!!!!

 

[North Beach]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

stop trying to steal jeremys thunder! jeez, everyone has seen your boat. give it a rest!!!!

Yeah you're right Andy. E, I apologize!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Well folks there hasn't been an update in a while mainly because the frustration level has been through the roof. Finish work and details are not things I'm particularly good with and that's pretty much all that's left. Everything regarding this windshield has been a disaster. For starters, my paint job looks like he!!. This is not surprising becase me and rattle cans don't get a long. I'm hard-pressed to think of anything I've ever spray painted that came out well. I'll probably go over them again with Rusto from a can once this mess is straightened out.

Secondly, I messed up big time. I needed to have put the windshield on and leveled everything out many steps ago. The consoles are way out of whack and now I'm paying the price.

It's mounted and flush on the driver's side and fairly close to level. The passenger side though is like a friggin' 1/2" off.

I THINK I can replace the piece of angle aluminum that holds the console to the gunnel with a larger one and raise it up some. I can't go too high though or my nice completed console panels will be flappin' in the breeze.

So I'm pretty well irritated at this point. My concurrent task is cutting and fitting the King StarBoard dash panels. They are cut now but are a little large in at least 2 dimensions (better than too small eh?) I need to figure out a way to trim those down without screwing them up.

Hopefully I'll get some transom work done this weekend. Might also be picking up a "new" tow rig tomorrow evening. More info on that if it happens.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Bummer, I had my fair share of paint and windshield frustrations too...

Is there anything different between now and when you took the windshield off that could be causing the alignment problem? I notice a piece of aluminum angle on the drivers console, where it butts against the gunnel, that looks new, is that throwing the alignment off?

I went from 1/2 decks to 3/4 decks and who knew that 1/4" could make such a nightmare while aligning the windshield. I got it, but it required a lot of shimming here and there to find out where it needed to be, then I screwed everything down permanent.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

I did go from a 1/2" to a 3/4" deck. However, my boat had been refit once before and not particularly well. So it's not like everything was perfect when I got it. The piece of aliminum angle you see on the driver's side actually improves the situation. I need the same thing (and more) on the other side. This wouldn't be so bad if I had dealt with it before those console panels were cut and fit.

 

[jspano]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

ez

bummer on the windsheild... have you thought about spliting the difference.
lifting the drivers side and lowering the pass. kinda like balancing the sides, both might look the same.
i think sometimes compromise is the lesser of 2 evils
just thinking out loud

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

have you thought about spliting the difference.
lifting the drivers side and lowering the pass. kinda like balancing the sides,

Thanks for the idea but the windshield is supposed to be completely flat and straight across. The drivers side is pretty darn close to level. But the passenger side is off. So all my adjusting needs to be done there. It's weird because I thought I'd already made up for the difference in the the floor thickness by mounting the consoles up a little higher.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Well EZ, I wish I could come to your garage and give ya a hand fixin it up, what a bummer! I am sure you can make it right in no time at all.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Drawing it tight doesn't seem to help? Just thinking maybe the console lost some curvature...spacing gives the appearance that it might draw up fine...If I keep thinking out-loud I may prove beyond a doubt, that I know absolutely nothing

 

[oops!]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

ez.....isnt there supposed to be a rubber foam tape between the alum wind frame and the hull/deck?

this will eliminate rattles and provide a "buffer" for you to take some adjustment......

i just cant see the boat coming off the factory line in absolute tolerances. they needed a buffer of some type.

i used weather stripping. i was out a wee bit because of the fairing i did with the consoles......the weather stripping made all the difference......the windsheild alignment is dead bang on.

cheers bud
oops

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

May be it is the phenomenon of small inconsistencies compounding but that would not explain the fit on the one side.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

You probably all ready thought of this, and I hate to say it...

But the only way I see it working out is to replace the angle that butts up against the gunnel. In doing that the face panel is probably going to have to be re-worked, prying the Nautolex back and either scabbing in a wedge of plywood (gorilla glue) so it fits the aluminum console or recutting another panel.

I know, I know, 1 step forward and 3 steps back... But sometimes it has to be done.

Been there, done that. I had to rip my friggin deck off after getting the interior completely finished, because of the leaky fuel tank I had. I feel your pain...

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

I think this will help tremendously

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Thanks guys. I do have some fairly thick foam weatherstripping under the drivers side one. I didn't put it on the passenger side yet. It compresses a LOT so having that in there isn't going to solve my problem. It will draw tight just fine but it's the windshield that gives in not the console. So I'll have a crooked windshield. I'm hoping that moving the console up a bit, plus the weatherstripping and maybe some light shimming, will level it out and not leave my console panel hanging. We shall see this weekend.

 

[86 century]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

I just went though the same thing due to a loose windshield that i did not see in the first mock up. I was able to tighten up the windshield with it all apart and re drill the holes as i mounted those pieces of the console on the out side of the lip. I think i have had all of the bow pieces in and out like two hundred times I hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: 18' Starcraft SuperSport restoration

Might also be picking up a "new" tow rig tomorrow evening. More info on that if it happens.

So, did you end up with a new tow rig? Maybe I missed it somewhere else, just curious.

I am sure that you will get the windshield figured out soon! Good luck.