1965 starcraft transom rebuild

[Jdudemann]

i started my transom demo today. pretty bad shape. i noticed that its 1.5 inches thick but it is a single peice of plywood. would two 3/4 sheets do the trick. also, the old one will not slide out of the channels to use a template. how can i pull it out without tearing it all to peices. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Jdude

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

You must remove all Screws, Bolts and rivets that might be securing the transom to the aluminum skin. The draintube will prolly need to be removed as well. Just take a chisel or a screwdriver and mash the inside of the tube together and then punch it out the outside of the hull.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Hi Jdudemann. Two 3/4" sheets of plywood glued together with PL 400 adhesive should get you the thickness you need, BUT be sure you NEVER use pressure treated lumber on an aluminum boat as it will cause an electrolytic reaction that will eventually lead to pitting. Instead, use high quality exterior grade plywood, or MDO. OSB, however is not a good choice. You should be able to get good wood from most big box stores like Lowes/HD. Auraco is very popular brand that lots of folks here have had success with. You'll then want to seal it with either epoxy then paint (for UV protection), or you can seal it with high quality, wax-free polyester resin, then fiberglass mat. You'll then want to attach the sealed transom with Stainless Steel through-hull bolts coated in 3M 5200 marine caulk, also available at Lowes/HD. There are tons of threads here in the forums that can walk you through a transom job too. Holler if you get stuck. We love pics

 

[Decker83]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

In your pics it looks like you have some tabs going over the transom on the top outside edge. Those will need to be moved out of the way also.

Welcome to i-boats. The Place to Be.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

......oh yeah, try to get the old transom out in one piece, if you can, so you can use it as a template. Cheers!

 

[Jdudemann]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

the tabs on the outside edges are riveted to the outside of the boat. would like nothing more than to not put extra holes in the hull. ive got all bolts and screws out. i think its just swelled up so much that it has sealed itself in place. that and its rotted so much that everything that i have tried just leaves me with a larger pile of mulch.

Jdude

 

[boatnut74]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

The top of the gunwales (top sides of the boat) that extend over the transom will either need to be cut or bent up out of the way to pull the transom out. One of the transoms I pulled out this spring had one single rivet down at the bottom that was holding it in that was hard to see.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Hey dude, take a gander at the Jet Star thread in my signature starting at about post #142. That should pretty much walk ya through the transom removal steps.

Cheers!

 

[PlayD0h]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

What are we looking at in pic 5?

I've never pulled a transom, so my advice is weak. Yet maybe put some bolts through the engine mount holes, and attach a chain or strong rope to them. Then use a hoist/come-along, over head, to 'lift' while you try to wiggle it. Perhaps put weight in the back of the boat, or yourself to help it budge.

If that didn't work, I'd take a yard stick and trace it out on the back. If not a 'yard stick', something else, then I'd cut a section out of the middle so you can pull the two halves inward. Then using the trace as a guide, put the 3 pieces back together with gussets.

I'd look at jasoutside's rebuild and all other resources, before trying my ideas though.

Good luck.

 

[Jdudemann]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

What are we looking at in pic 5?

for some reason this transom is three peices. i pulled the corners out and that is down in the side by the gunwells. the lower piece is 12 inches tall.

i got the lower section out today. hidden screw behind the knee in back. im surprised it held on as rotten as the whole thing was. also started sanding the inside of the transom skin. paint job is not for this year but in the near future.

Jdude

order my new sheet of plywood from local building supply. should be here in a week or so. thats all for tonight

 

[PlayD0h]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Good job. Ya it looks rotten.

Is there any sealant used where the wood meets the aluminum? Would you use some when re-installing? Doesn't seem like an epoxied piece of wood just slid in the slot and screwed in place would make a water tight seal. If no sealant is used, I'd imagine you have to have the exact thickness, I.E Planer required?

Maybe I should do some more reading vs asking.

 

[Jdudemann]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

to be honest, if there was sealant, its long gone now. i dont think any was used before but i will coat the new one.

Jdude

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

for some reason this transom is three peices.

Yah, a lot of our ol boats came this way from the factory. It's common practice (best practice) to rebuild as one piece.

Cheers!

 

[starcrafter65]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Jdude - just one thought - you should merge all your threads into a single one - makes is easier to keep up for future tinheads and wannabes to keep track - not sure how to do it - maybe a mod will jump in

And like all SCrafters - have to choose whether to stay here or keep it on the SC forum.

Keep up the progress!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Jdude - just one thought - you should merge all your threads into a single one - makes is easier to keep up for future tinheads and wannabes to keep track - not sure how to do it - maybe a mod will jump in

And like all SCrafters - have to choose whether to stay here or keep it on the SC forum.

Keep up the progress!!

He's fine with his intro thread in SC and his project thread here. No foul.

 

[JoshGuitar]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Yet maybe put some bolts through the engine mount holes, and attach a chain or strong rope to them. Then use a hoist/come-along, over head, to 'lift' while you try to wiggle it.

When I pulled mine, I got all the fasteners out but the wood was still in there tight. I did something kind of similar to this - actually I drilled holes and attached a chain to the top of the transom with a lag bolt on each side (right above the trailer bunks). Sat a hi-lift jack on one bunk, hooked it to that side of the chain, and lifted that side 1/2" or an inch. Moved to the other side, lifted a little. Worked my way back and forth until it was easy to pull out by hand. I probably could have laid a 2x4 across the 2 bunks, and just jacked the transom from the center too.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Whatever method you choose will be worth it if you can get the transom out in one piece (more or less), so it can be used as a template. Otherwise you'll have to make a cardboard template, which usually requires lots of jumping in and out of the boat.

btw, what kind of guitar do you like/play. there are several other guitar guys here ion the forums, myself included.

 

[JoshGuitar]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

I'm currently retired from "rock stardom" and a little rusty, and I sold off a few of my guitars a while back. At the moment I have an American Standard Strat (first nice guitar I ever bought, back in '94), an Ibanez RG7620 7-string, an Ibanez Artcore AF75 hollow-body (blue sunburst ), and a Charvel 625C acoustic. Plus other random stuff (bass, banjo, mandolin, digital piano, cello). But I guess that's all a subject for a different thread

 

[eclipseturbors]

Re: 1965 starcraft transom rebuild

Yours looks just like my Jupiter. Mine came out in pieces, but making a template was very easy. You have to bend up those tabs covering the edges of the transom. There is a ton of guys here that have rebuilt some nice Starcrafts here. Plenty of pics and lots of people who are eager to help too! I'm guilty of owning an Ibanez RG350, Rickenbacker 2003 bass, and a 6 string guitar/banjo thing. My dad is old enough to have bought a 25th Anniv. Strat new. Still all original and plays it fairly regularly. Post some pics of that Starcraft!