196X Starcraft Mariner 16

[junkman306]

No recent progress. However, sitting here at work I am perusing over brochures and pictures. After all this time, I have found some decent, viewable, pictures of a 1970 SS 16 and a 1970 Mariner 16, and I do believe that my boat may in fact be a SS. The SS transom shape in the brochure and mine are identical. Along with the decorative rails up front. The Mariner in the same brochure looks to be far more plain with basic wood benches and a more squared, not as low cut, transom. The brochures on Flickr are nice, but there just isn't any zoom capabilities on them. Take a gander and tell me what you think.

 

[MNhunter1]

No recent progress. However, sitting here at work I am perusing over brochures and pictures. After all this time, I have found some decent, viewable, pictures of a 1970 SS 16 and a 1970 Mariner 16, and I do believe that my boat may in fact be a SS. The SS transom shape in the brochure and mine are identical. Along with the decorative rails up front. The Mariner in the same brochure looks to be far more plain with basic wood benches and a more squared, not as low cut, transom. The brochures on Flickr are nice, but there just isn't any zoom capabilities on them. Take a gander and tell me what you think.

I would tend to agree. The bow casting deck and existing side console were a PO add on and the side panel structure, supports, and console attachment are all consistent with the SS model. Looks to be a heavily hacked SS.

 

[junkman306]

I would tend to agree. The bow casting deck and existing side console were a PO add on and the side panel structure, supports, and console attachment are all consistent with the SS model. Looks to be a heavily hacked SS.

This excites me because I can run a bigger motor. Mo powah!!

 

[shinytopgeezer]

Still nothing new to report. I keep forgetting to buy a drain plug for it. It is holding some water well. It has rained a lot lately and we are supposed to get up to another 7 inches of rain tonight. I could leak test it if I had a plug in it.

https://flic.kr/p/2oVy5cS

Your drain plug method is certainly a test that's been used successfully many times in the past! But please don;t do that until you have the trailer tailored to fit the hull! All that water weight could do tremendous damage to the hull. But it does seem to have passed both it's strength AND leak test during it's previous life in the boonies! Have you thought of a TINY (not much bigger than a leaning post) center console? This will be a great family boat!

 

[shinytopgeezer]

I changed the float, needle, and seat on the carb to my Johnson Seahorse 9.9 to try to solve some low speed/idle issues on my jon boat and decided that I would put it back on today to get it ready to go to the lake tomorrow. Got it all installed and it won't even try to fire. So I got mad and shuffled some boats around. I moved the Starcraft onto the driveway so that I will have a better spot to work on it.

https://flic.kr/p/2oUf9QC
https://flic.kr/p/2oUosqs
As seen in the picture above, the side bunks need covered and adjusted. There is some wear on the boat where those rollers touch. I assume it if from years of sitting on the trailer not strapped down and allowed to move around in the wind and such. The roller trays underneath are quite a ways off also. I need to get the boat off the trailer and get that adjusted as well as rewired.

https://flic.kr/p/2oUkTfM
https://flic.kr/p/2oUhZwb

I'm not sure winch is scarier, the transom or the trailer!!!

 

[junkman306]

I thought about cleaning up the hull a hair more and starting some floor action today. Then, at 103 degrees outside temp with a new area record 122 degrees heat index, I decided that I would just stay inside.

 

[junkman306]

Well... It's me again. Lol. I have moved the boat to the backyard since the last post. still in the same condition. However, I have really had the bug to get back to working on it. I still need to work on the trailer. I am not trailer savvy, so I really do not know what to do with it other than try to adjust it to fit. Onto to plywood. I figure 1/2" pressure treated will suffice. I am stuck on whether to use pour foam or foam board. Ugh.

 

[MNhunter1]

No place for pressure treated wood an aluminum boat. Stick with marine ply or an exterior grade ply like ACX or BCX and seal with Epoxy or spar depending on the application. The chemicals in pressure treated wood results in corrosion of the aluminum.
I'm doing my trailer work now. I recommend doing it early as its not a lot of fun and becomes easy to put off after the boat is complete. Much more important from a safety perspective as well, and way easier to manipulate the hull around when its stripped down and without the motor.
I suggest staying away from the pour foam and sticking with the foam board. The pour foam has a tendency to trap and hold water/moisture which over time causes corrosion when its trapped against the hull. I know there's an argument about the pour stuff adding structure/rigidity to the hull, but its debatable. There's a pile of older Starcrafts still on the water today that were originally outfitted with the foam board, so its not a problem that necessarily needs to be fixed.

 

[junkman306]

No place for pressure treated wood an aluminum boat. Stick with marine ply or an exterior grade ply like ACX or BCX and seal with Epoxy or spar depending on the application. The chemicals in pressure treated wood results in corrosion of the aluminum.
I'm doing my trailer work now. I recommend doing it early as its not a lot of fun and becomes easy to put off after the boat is complete. Much more important from a safety perspective as well, and way easier to manipulate the hull around when its stripped down and without the motor.
I suggest staying away from the pour foam and sticking with the foam board. The pour foam has a tendency to trap and hold water/moisture which over time causes corrosion when its trapped against the hull. I know there's an argument about the pour stuff adding structure/rigidity to the hull, but its debatable. There's a pile of older Starcrafts still on the water today that were originally outfitted with the foam board, so its not a problem that necessarily needs to be fixed.

Looks like ACX can be bought cheap enough. I'll buy some and seal it and see how it goes. I'm sure it'll last several years as is.

 

[junkman306]

Anyone have any thoughts on the trailer? I don't know anything about how a boat should sit on a trailer so I don't know if this is right or not.

 

[Moserkr]

I have zero knowledge on roller trailers, but @MNhunter1 has been rebuilding his recently. Check out his trailer thread, maybe he can help answer any questions. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/shorelandr-rebuild.772860/

I do know that the more support the better, especially for our riveted boats. My trailer has a lot of bunks and just center keel rollers.

 

[MNhunter1]

Anyone have any thoughts on the trailer? I don't know anything about how a boat should sit on a trailer so I don't know if this is right or not.

To be honest, the trailer looks like its in pretty rough shape based on the pictures. I'd start by stripping those rusted side guides and raw wood off, as well as that makeshift wood cross member for the transom support. Your rear rollers should really be aligned with the transom as that is where the bulk of the weight rides. Your boat is currently sitting too far back on the trailer and you risk hooking your hull if left that way. When the hull is stripped, it's not a big chore to get it off the trailer and allow you a better opportunity to look over the trailer. I couldn't tell if the rear frame on the port side was bent, or just the angle of the photo. I'd assess whether its worth the effort of a rebuild, or if your better off finding a replacement. You'll definitely want to check the tires(likely need replacing) and repack the bearings/replace seals, which should be done as regular maintenance. Once the hull is off, some additional pictures would be helpful as I can't really see much of the bunk/roller set up. Any old wood I'd also tear off to ensure there is no pressure treated anywhere on the trailer. The trailer is actually more important than the boat from a safety perspective. There's a lot at risk if it's not up to the task and can wipe away all the effort of your restoration in a heartbeat.