1964 Starcraft Jet Star Aluminum Runabout Project

[MaddysDaddy]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

nice boat i like how its coming along. i just wantd to put my 2 cents about the paint. i was reading pack a copule pages about your paint peeling. i have never painted a boat but i have had troulbe with rusto before, on metal bilco doors(like the heavy basment door in your backyard) not only does it take forever to cure, i belive the morning dew and humididy will really make it soft.

i also belive that the extrame heat makes the paint dry real tight and cracks, i did my project in the full sun light about 75, but by the end of the day the doors where hot!! the next morning the doors where wet with morning dew, the water was runing down the doors, but as soon as the sun hit it you would have never knew it was wet. i have been out nights when the dew lays at midnight and stays wet till 6.

anyway the paint looked great after the 2nd coat but was soft to the touch. i left it alone and moved on to other projects after about a week it looked good and cured alot more, although you could dig up the paint with you nails, i thought after a few more days it would be fine.


but as far as paint peeling, dust is the worst. i do alot of painting and i all-ways scuff the primer and wipe clean (twice) before i paint. if the paint co. says you can wipe with thinner that would clean the best. and always paint indoors when you can. the contions outside change way to much to cure paint properly . flat paint usely preforms and covers better then gloss
just my .02

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

The paint poll is Rustoleum and Pettit, neck and neck. Not that it's that exciting, there are only 5 votes . And thanks MD for your thoughts.

I learned a couple things about working with vinyl today, applying it to my fabricated plywood control board with Weldwood contact cement.

1) After you apply the cement and are waiting for it to set up, the vinyl gets pretty soft and stretchy, and you need to be more careful of wrinkles.

2) When you apply the cement and walk away to do other stuff while it's setting up, the edges of the vinyl tend to curl up onto themselves and get stuck.

3) It's harder than it looks to figure out where to make the cuts for wrapping a shape other than flat and geometrical. My board has two curved corners and single and double thickness. I also discovered that the SS staples I bought do not fit my staple gun. d'oh.

In the end, with a lot of messing around and "custom" hacking and cutting with scissors and a stanley knife, it came out not looking too bad for a first try. At least most of the mistakes are on the back and in more obscure spots.

I also made progress with primer and paint applied to seat and floor boards and the transom board. The weather was great for painting today, 70's and dry.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

No fair LL, we can't see that vinyl job of yours.

I'm just sayin...

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

No fair LL, we can't see that vinyl job of yours.

OK, but I'm not going to show you the part I really screwed up. You can see one place a little bit on the lower left.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

LL...Shut the front door!
That looks great! All you perfectionists are really making me feel very bad about my boat! lol

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

LL...Shut the front door!
That looks great! All you perfectionists are really making me feel very bad about my boat! lol

Listen, I'm no perfectionist, I just know how to take a picture! I'll fess up that there are a couple places on the edges that I touched up with a burgundy Sharpie! Yeah yeah, I know it's gonna fade .

 

[Pleasure Boat Junction]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Hey Lakelover, nice project. I've got a '63 Jetstar, and a '65 Jet. I still have the '63 by chance, because it didn't have a title, and I gave it away for scrap. Then the guy I gave it to wasn't ambitious enough to cut it up for scrap, so I got it back. I have the title now, but it needs total resto.

Here's a few thoughts I had while reading through the thread.

I don't know anything about the marine paints you listed in the poll. Mine only had the original red coat in terrible condition. I used a palm sander which was a mistake. Took way too long. I would use stripper the next time.
I used to do some automotive bodywork years ago so I used centari acrylic enamel on mine. I had a can of 4737AM red (66 mustang) left over from the early '80's. Prepped down to bare metal. Used a rattle can etching primer, and sprayed the centari over that. Then wet sanded and buffed. I regret not using hardener. I know it would have buffed out easier and held a shine better. Also, the paints tends to dull where the cover rubs on it in the winter. I think it probably wouldn't have done that with the hardener.
I painted the top of the boat about 3 years ago, but someday I was thinking about using Imron to do the bottom since it is so tough.
You have a lot of coats of paint on there, and you will get better results if you get down to the bare metal. I suspect there are some corrosion issues with the original paint that is hidden by the other layers. Also, with that many paint layers, you would need to use a DA to properly feather edge all the deep sanded areas so they won't show through. There just isn't enough room along the sides to use one.
My '63 had that rotten wood floor in it, but the '65 never had a floor in it. I don't see any need for the floor. Performance wise, I think you would want to leave as much weight off as possible.
I find the original seats sit way to low for me. I usually use 3 of the cushions to sit on. I find eye level just above the top of the windshield to be good. I think you will like the height of your new seats better than if you had used the originals.
I ran a 35 hp and a 60 hp on the boat. To give you an idea, I was getting 25 mph with the 35, and 35 mph with the 60. The 60 came on my '63. The power was nice, but weight was too much for these boats. The 50 should do good.
You will find you can feel the difference in performance depending on how many are in the boat. Just yourself and it will be nice and sporty. You'll want to sit toward the center to stay level. Add one passenger and you'll feel the difference. Four adults is pushing the limit (at least with the way the jet seats are arranged). Five and you will be lucky to get on plane.
You'll also find out that your the smallest boat out there, and it's more fun to go out when the wind isn't blowing and the water is calm. Choppy water and other boat wakes make for a rough ride. Using the 3 cushions helps a little, but it's still rough. I often wonder if this sound from this boat is as loud to other boaters as it is to me on the inside of the boat when banging across waves.
Looking forward to seeing more progress.

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq59/Mhomes1/boat/S5000506.jpg

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Hey LL,

I Like the vinyl job. I for sure have seen a LOT worse.
Keep it going.

I'm just sayin...

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Hey Lakelover, nice project. I've got a '63 Jetstar, and a '65 Jet..........

Thanks for all the specific info. I expect that most of the time there will be one or two in the boat. That is a light hull, 415 lbs, so I'm hoping the 50 will be fairly spunky on it. I decided not to bother getting a speedo because they're so inaccurate; maybe I'll get a GPS eventually.

And that's a fine looking boat you've got there. Maybe it's just me, but I think the Jets/Jet Stars are the ultimate cool boat!

 

[tgp***]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Nice boat! Similar to my 66' Nassau. Great vinyl work. Its not as easy as it looks. I made a little jig to slide along the interior side panel, when I did mine, to help hold the vinyl while stapling, work great as a third hand, and to help keep it tight.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Hey LL,

I Like the vinyl job. I for sure have seen a LOT worse.
Keep it going.

I'm just sayin...

Thanks for the encourgement and urging. It is frustrating to not be able to work on the project whenever I dang feel like it. These last couple weeks of work are just dragging like you wouldn't believe, my mind is retired already, but my body is trapped at the office. Won't be long now until I'll be more free to keep at it. Should have a lot of good time left before it gets too cold.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

That will probably be the extent of my vinyl work. I had planned to use it in the dash tray, but decided to leave that out to make more knee room for myself.

Rustoleum is pulling away with the lead!

Thanks so far to everybody who's been looking and commenting, it's all been very helpful as I've been going along all this time, and half the time, not knowing what I'm doing or where I'm going! It's a learn-as-you-go and I hope it's helpful to somebody else eventually.

 

[North Beach]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

LL, you gotta take the poll results with a grain of salt. A ton of folks here are rebuilding on a budget and well..rusto is by far the least expensive.

I almost went rusto on the mariner-even bought three cans of their primer-but got scared of trying to learn the ins and outs of another paint brand and ordered the easypoxy. I'll also be using the easypoxy on the islander/hybrid.

And you're right. The red/white boat looks awesome.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

LL, you gotta take the poll results with a grain of salt. A ton of folks here are rebuilding on a budget and well..rusto is by far the least expensive.

Yup, and that factor will figure into my final decision of which to use. I find my budget disappearing too. I've done a fair amount of research and just thought it would be a fun little survey. At least I'm down to those three!

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Last weekend I got a couple more coats of paint on the backside of the floor plywood, seat boards & transom board, then the weather turned iffy. Hopefully I can do some more painting Thursday. All these coats of paint are running my paint bill up because when I was figuring how much to order, I underestimated how many coats I was going to apply. Also needing a lot more foam rollers. For the final couple of coats on the top of the floor, I have the anti-slip additive to mix in. I'm curious to see how well it works. If the weather is good this coming weekend, I hope I can get at least started on putting the pink foam and floor in.

My opinion of Rustoleum has improved over my initial impression, it just needs way longer to completely cure than they lead you to believe.

It seems like painting is one of the long, slow stages.

I made a template of the dash for further work and checked out the fit of the new Teleflex rack steering, I think it's going to work out OK.

Also hope some more pictures will be coming soon too.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

More progress on the floor today. I laid out the foam and fitted in the rear pieces, after putting marks on tape on the sides over the centers of the ribs, and marking down the center of the floor. After marking out where the rivets would go and drilling carefully thru the plywood and aluminum, I injected a hefty dose of 5200 into the hole before putting in the rivet.

A bendable aluminum yard stick helped in lining up the marks along the cruvature of the hull for drillling.

Afer putting in the first few rivets on the first piece and moving around on it, I knew right away that the excessive squeaking caused by the movement of the epoxied and painted plywood against the foam would drive me crazy. So I removed the rivets I'd put in and started over.

Maybe somebody on here has tried this before, but I don't recall seeing it anywhere. I thought of putting 4 mil clear plastic between the foam and plywood, and it totally silenced the floor. I think it will hold up well protected from the UV, since this is the stuff that never rots buried in landfills. As long as it doesn't break up into little pieces and clog up the under deck drainage, it should be OK. I was surprised how well it worked.

Another thing to mention is that I'm getting really irritated with my Craftsman cordless drill. It's a 14.4v that I've had it for about 3 years. It has the annoying habit of letting the bits slip in the chuck, and I'm finding that of the two batteries that came with it, one works and hold up fairly well, and the other seems to be shot already. The last cordless I had was also a Craftsman that was something like 10.2v and it lasted me at least a good 10 years. So I spent probably twice as much time as needed today because of messing with and waiting for batteries to partially charge and switching them back and forth.

Next step is to continue with the front decking pieces. After they are in, I have to work on the seat boards and supports, and then I'll paint the floor with a few coats of Rustoleum marine with the Anti-slip additive.

By the way, thanks to bananaboater for sharing his leftover broad head pop rivets.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Hey LL,

If you know someone with a wire welder have him zap your battery. It will work like a new one. Just put the welders ground on the negative side of the battery and have him do a very quick couple of zaps on the positive side of the battery terminal and voila' the battery will charge and hold a charge like a new one. I guarantee you it will work!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzIlVLOH9XI


I'm just sayin...

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Very nice work on the deck and flotation, the curvature of it makes it more difficult I'm sure.

I went ahead and bought an older Craftsmen corded drill at a garage sale because I was getting really impatient with my cordless running out of juice.

Good idea on the sound barrier, seems like a good solution.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Very nice work on the deck and flotation, the curvature of it makes it more difficult I'm sure.

I went ahead and bought an older Craftsmen corded drill at a garage sale because I was getting really impatient with my cordless running out of juice.

Good idea on the sound barrier, seems like a good solution.

Thanks. I was trying to think of something I had on hand that wouldn't delay me fruther from making some progress & happened to have the roll of plastic. It does a great job of cutting the friction between the two surfaces & allows them to slide silently over each other.

I have a B&D corded drill that I really like but I'm afraid to use it for this, I might drill through the hull. Too much power for this application.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Hey LL,

If you know someone with a wire welder have him zap your battery.
I'm just sayin...

I do know somebody like that, I'll have to ask him if he knows about that or has ever done it.