1968 StarCraft Holiday restoration

[Watermann]

You have a pic of the damage? Is it the keel or the keel strip that runs all the way down the center of the bottom to the stern? My SeaNymph had a horribly beat up keel that was also wore down to where it cracked. I thought about replacing it but ended up repairing with MarineTex epoxy which is more abrasion resistant than aluminum.

 

[classiccat]

I've never seen anyone remove the bow plate...impressive! :thumb:

it looks to be in good shape! You have alot of rivets to put back in...I'm jealous! :madgrin:

+1 on sharing pics of the damaged keel strip.

 

[jdvasher]

I would not recommend removing it to anyone unless absolutely necessary. I found out over the weekend how difficult it can be to reinstall. I managed to get it back on but there were several problems I faced. First, if you plan to use 5200 in large amounts, it might be helpful to place in the fridge first. It is very runny on a hot day and makes a sticky mess of everything. Second, two sets of hands is really not enough, three would be ideal. Third, the rivets needed for that area when going through 3 pieces of aluminum sheet are longer that what was listed on this forum. I went by the guidelines and ordered 3/8 and 7/16. Luckily I had blind rivets on hand that were long enough to hold until they can be replaced with the longer rivets. I will post some pictures when I have a few to clean up the area.

 

[Watermann]

Not an easy fix, messing with seams is always a last resort, especially the keel. So what did you do to the keel strip to repair it the right way? Just remove, clean and put back on with 5200?

The solid rivet length for 3 layers 7/16" should work if all the layers were clean and flat but a keel area isn't anything close to being flat. I've not measured the thickness of a keel plate but thinking it's probably thicker than any other panel, maybe .125?

I'm thinking at least a 9/16" length solid when adding the fudge factor into a keel assembly.

We need to see a pic of white snot drizzle fest. :lol:

 

[jdvasher]

Not an easy fix, messing with seams is always a last resort, especially the keel. So what did you do to the keel strip to repair it the right way? Just remove, clean and put back on with 5200?

The solid rivet length for 3 layers 7/16" should work if all the layers were clean and flat but a keel area isn't anything close to being flat. I've not measured the thickness of a keel plate but thinking it's probably thicker than any other panel, maybe .125?

I'm thinking at least a 9/16" length solid when adding the fudge factor into a keel assembly.

We need to see a pic of white snot drizzle fest. :lol:

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Correct, I just removed, cleaned and replaced with 5200. After doing it, I'm really wondering if there would have been a better product to use for this area other than 5200. One thing for sure was the existing adhesive used in the seam had deteriorated and I'm not sure it would have possible to get a good seal another way. I actually didn't get any pictures until the mess was cleaned up. I definitely didn't want that stuff getting on my phone. Hopefully I'll get some time to work on her tonight as the longer rivets finally arrived.

 

[jdvasher]

Seems like it been forever, haven't had much time to work on the boat. I did hear back from my machinist and the block looks great so that a pretty big win. The crank will need to be send off for grinding but that not a big deal. really looking forward to getting this thing back together. I hope to get back into some things this weekend.

One question I have, is there is a 2" cutout on the bow section of aluminum sheet where the previous owner installed a second gas tank fill nozzle. Is there any other good options to filling this whole other then having someone weld in a patch or replacing the whole thing with a new sheet?

 

[Watermann]

Good news on the block. Can you put a clam shell or louvered vent over the hole, not sure if it would bother you or look out of place?

 

[jdvasher]

Good news on the block. Can you put a clam shell or louvered vent over the hole, not sure if it would bother you or look out of place?

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That might work. I ended up finding a good deal on a 4x10 sheet of 5052 to cut chine supports and any misc. but its really hard to source a 5' wide sheet locally. Hell, only one place even had 5052 and it was left overs from a special order.

 

[jdvasher]

Man, its been a much longer break than I wanted, I was holding out for some help getting these chine braces riveted in. I was finally able to knock it out over Thanksgiving break thanks to a great friend of mine. This was a major hold up for me so now I will be able to move forward.

Engine update - Crank was sent off for grind and returned perfectly. Currently trying to track down new rods, existing ones were chewed up.

I'm hoping for a mild winter so I can knock some of this out before spring. I would love to splash this girl early summer. I guess my next step is to scrub and wash the inside for a coating of Gluvit.

 

[Watermann]

Nice work, those braces look great! You'll have some peace of mind now and a nice stout hull. :thumb:

Make sure you have the temps up for the Gluvit to cure properly.

 

[jdvasher]

Nice work, those braces look great! You'll have some peace of mind now and a nice stout hull. :thumb:

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Make sure you have the temps up for the Gluvit to cure properly.

Thanks, I will have to heat the garage to do this. This weekend we are still in the 50s so its likely my only window until spring.

 

[jdvasher]

I finally got around to the Gluvit. Took my time with a wire brush and cleaned and coated every rivet below the waterline. Even with the warmer weather that weekend the garage was only in the 60's during the day and I knew it would get much colder at night. To achieve a quick curing time I covered the entire boat with tarps and blankets and placed 2 electric heaters inside with the temps set at 70. I let it sit for 48 hours before removing the cover and the gluvit cured nicely.

 

[jdvasher]

I originally planned to replace 100% of the wood in the boat with Coosa. After visiting the manufacturer I was really impressed with the stuff and the idea of never having to worry about rot really appealed to me. I still plan to use Coosa for the floor and side panels but for the sole reason that I wont be able to pick up any, anytime soon, I decided to go with Marine Ply for the transom. The way the transom installs in this boat, you really cant do anything until it is in place because the rest of the panels, gunwhales, etc. install over that section. I wont be close to a dealer for a couple months and I didn't want to pay the crazy shipping. Aside from shipping cost, Coosa is actually very comparable to marine ply. Anyways, I found a specialty lumber place in town that keeps a small amount on hand and was able to pick up two sheets for about 240.00.
I plan to get these pieces epoxied together and sealed over Christmas break.

 

[jdvasher]

Now onto the stringers. They were in pretty sad shape, 90% of the rivets were gone. I removed the stringers one at a time, cleaned the areas where they touch the ribs, applied a generous dollop of 5200, and then reattached the stringers with heavy duty rivets with larger heads.

 

[jdvasher]

Since I plan to use Coosa and because I want a very solid floor with plenty of fastening points, I decided to add some 1x2 c-channel bracing. This does add some rigidness to the hull but I don't think it will be enough to effect the needed flexibility. Disregard the two braces closest to the transom as I will cut the middle sections for the motor once everything is fastened down permanently. I will also be installing a hatch in the floor (typical rope and ski storage) so I will need to cut a couple up front. I am still working everything out but I would like to have bracing underneath the floor anywhere anything is going to be attached, seats etc. I will post updated pictures when I get all of this finished.

 

[Watermann]

Stout hull additions are great! I hope the coosa works out and you don't make any mistakes during the cutting at that price point is would be bad

 

[jdvasher]

Have been jumping around on the boat of the holiday break. I will try to break up these pictures into several post to make less confusing.

After laminating the transom I installed it for a test fit. I then pre drilled every hole that will end up in it so every square inch, nook and cranny will be properly sealed when it is finally installed. I also trimmed an 1/8" off the bottom and will install spacers and a couple weep holes so that any moisture that does find its way in will have somewhere to go instead of getting trapped in between the bottom support rail and the bottom of the transom.

 

[jdvasher]

This is something I wanted to share as it could be used in many applications. I'm sure a lot of people would already know this but it could come in handy for some, picked this little trick up a couple decades ago from an old timer. If you need to drill straight holes through an object (especially when drilling through the transom and need to align with the existing holes on the opposite side) make yourself a little jig block. It will keep everything nice a true.

 

[jdvasher]

There were several spots on the stern where the corrosion was pretty bad. After going back and forth in my head, I decided just to do one large patch rather than a bunch of small ones. I have plenty of 5052 on hand so it works out. I plan to finish trimming it to fit for installation today. This will make for a much cleaner look too as there were 30+/- holes that would have needed to be filled in anyways.

 

[jdvasher]

Here are some pictures of the new stern skin. It took a bit of work but I am happy with the results. Nice and clean look.