1964 Starcraft Jet Star Renovation

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

The higher pitched scream when it hits limit sounded pretty normal for the tilt pump. The initial creaking sounds like a dry bushing, is the ticking coming from the pump or the same place as the creaking?

Ticking problem solved after I greased the 2 zerk fittings on the front and ran it up & down a few times. It also runs a little faster now that it's lubed up.

I'm going to check the fluid level & the manual says I can use "Dexron 2 Power Steering Fluid", but I'm seeing that's obsolete and hard to find. I'm told that any power steering fluid, Dexron 2 or later, will work.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

I had a lot of trouble making the bilge pump work reliably.

I suspected the switch and bypassed it = not the problem; tested the pump alone by wiring it directly to the battery and submersing it in a pail of water = OK. I did find a bad crimp at the fuse block, and fixed that, but still the pump worked erratically, sometimes it worked OK, sometimes it didn't, with fuses blowing instantly when the switch was thrown.

Then I did what I had most wanted to avoid, I unbundled all my wires and pulled the bilge pump wires and found....:facepalm::facepalm:... In fastening up my bundles under the gunwale, I'd managed to catch the hot pump wire under a star washer at a clamp & cut into it. So sometimes it would short out and sometimes not.

So I'll cut it & re-splice using a solder connection.

Moral of the story: Be very careful with your wires!

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

This morning I got the rubrail installed, pretty straightforward. I had to abandon my idea of no fasteners showing on the rubrail - I had planned to anchor it with screws under the stern corner caps and shove it in under the bow cap as far as it would go, but the profile is enough different from the old stuff that it wouldn't fit under the bow cap or corner caps. So I had to carefully trim the ends and butt it up against those.

I lubricated the channel with a mixture of dish detergent & water, a tip I had read previously here on the forum somewhere. This helped it to slide right in, even as it rounded the bow curve.

Here's the exposed SS screw. Now that I see it I don't think it looks all that bad....I'm even toying with the idea of putting one in the front too, just in case there wants to be any problems with contraction as it cools.

And last, the corner caps are reinstalled:

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

The cover is off again so I can put the correct type of hose on the bilge pump, so here are a few overall shots of the rubrail, it does dress it up nice. I like the beefier profile of this newer stuff, I'm sure it will take more of a beating than the original, smaller profile.

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

I just got done with tweaking the trailer, tightening, adjusting etc. and it suddenly dawned on me, I guess I am done what I set out to do. We know what I'll be dreaming about, but I'll have to find something to keep my hands busy!

I'm still looking for a good fitting cover that will also cover the motor, & I do need a little storage for incidentals...and I still need that piece of foam around my cables in the splashwell to stop the buzzzzzzing when they vibrate--we'll see, maybe I'll be adding a little something now and then!

The paint is holding up well. I've put a few small tool marks here and there but so far I'm pleased with it, we'll have to give it the test of time (& abuse!). I'm still thinking about the name decal, maybe just under the gunwales by the front seats....

A little Photoshopping showing where the name decals will go:

 

[lakelover]

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Re: 1964 15' Starcraft Aluminum Runabout Project

Glad you've enjoyed following along, I can say I've learned a lot. I just consider that I mostly bumbled my way through it, and have to credit most of all everybody else on the forum who has helped me out all the way through. I also have to say that my wife has been very supportive and encouraging all along the way. She didn't even laugh when I first dragged it up the driveway! (Wait, she now confesses that she did, I just didn't know it!)

Ever since my father's 1965 14' Glastron Skiflite runabout became unsafe and we had to stop using it 10-15 years ago (just remembered, the cleats are off that boat), I've wanted a similar boat and this really fit the bill. I'm sure we'll get a lot of pleasure out of it for a long time, now if I can only wait out the winter! I think it's going to be a long one.

Thanks again.

Note: This thread is a summary of the complete project thread found at:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=309879

 

[lakelover]

1964 Starcraft Jet Star Renovation

Hello folks, back now from a couple weeks of intense use on the water with the Permanent Vacation! I can't believe how much fun that little boat is. That's FUN with a capital F! I thought I'd give a little evaluation.

Performance with the Johnson 50 is amazing. With just me in it, it jumps onto plane & flies and is a great ride with two. I'm surprised and pleased what a smooth ride it is even in relatively rough water for my lake. That would be 1-1/2 to 2' + waves. The ride is way smoother and quieter than the 1965 14' Glastron SkiFlite my father had when I was growing up.

It still has the power to handle great & plane out quickly with 4 passengers too, although in the wind, the rear passengers get a little wet from the wind blowing the splash in. With the mostly flat hull in the stern half, it's very stable.

I'm running a 12x17 prop and that has mostly tamed the over-revving I was having with the 12-1/2x15. Trimmed all the way in, it will top out at about 5000 rpm and will hit the max of 5500 trimmed out. My top GPS speed on my test run was 36 mph. There's also great & easy cruising anywhere from 2500-3500 rpm.

One thing I need to design & improve is stowage space. I need to mount something where I can throw in my binoculars for easy access or quickly drop in my sunglasses etc. I have a few ideas. For anyone renovating a Jet Star, I'd recommend making sure you put enough room between the front & rear seats to keep them from rubbing together with people in the back. I was pretty sure I had left enough space to avoid that, but there is more give to the Wise seats than I anticipated. Since I made the rear support board extra wide, I could tweak that by moving the rear seats back a couple more inches, but I don't think I'll bother as usually just myself and one other person are aboard.

Not too many classic boats on my lake so it turns lots of heads and gets lots of friendly waves. Anyway, my wife shot some pics and a video of me enjoying the rewards of all the work...definitley worth it!! Thanks for looking!

CLICK ON PICTURE!! Enjoy a great video.