1967 Starcraft Imperial V 18' Fiberglass Hull Construction Question

[moosestg]

Hi there, new to forum and I just picked up this boat about 2 months ago, and remarkably its in pretty good shape. Floor is solid, transom is solid, has a '93 Mercury 115 HP outboard. The boat handles well, gets up on plane and cruises at about 30 MPH and handles chop really well.

I have been reading about how some boats have styrofoam blocks or poured foam in them, and I was wondering if anyone here may know how this particular boat was constructed. I found an old catalog page that says this model has the "Air Chamber" flotation, rather than styrofoam. So, would this boat have no foam in it at all?

I'm curious because when I put a transducer on the boat, and drilled into the bottom rear of the hull, the fiberglass shavings that came out from the drill bit were moist. I would assume that a 50+ year old boat will have accumulated some moisture in it, but it does not seem to affect how it sits in the water and performs.

This is my first boat, and if I get a few years out of it for $1,000 its a win. I won't be ripping it apart and restoring it, but I was just curious if anyone may have insight to the construction of these boats in that year range of the middle 60's.

 

[Watermann]

Welcome aboard :wave:

Not many if any guys in the SC section work on glass boats to have much insight into how your model was constructed. When drilling the holes into the transom and finding it wet most likely indicates that the transom wood is soggy and on it's way to rot if not already.

 

[moosestg]

Thanks for the info...

I paid $1,000 for the boat, motor and trailer so if a get a couple years its a win. It would not be worth tearing it apart. The transom seems pretty sturdy, hopefully the motor doesn't just fall off one day!