1972 15' Nova rebuild

[MNhunter1]

Waiting for some cure time before putting it all back together again. A paint booth would have been nice, but I managed with some redneck ingenuity. Luckily my free time and the weather cooperated to minimize any overspray to the neighborhood :lol: I've got the axle tore down as well, replacing wheel bearings and trying to get it all back together in order to get the hull to a welder to see about repairing the punctured bow.

 

[MNhunter1]

The Nova also inherited a big brother in the form of a 16ft SS thanks to the generosity of crkranz



My wife actually took it better than expected...lol

I had intended to just pack the SS away until I was completed with the Nova, but I'm debating reversing the process and finishing off the SS first. It's a little further along than the Nova and a bit more exposed to the elements as they sit in their current form.

 

[crankbait cowboy]

nice, starting to put a real stable together! trailer lookin good.

 

[Tnstratofam]

Another Starcraft Armada in the making. I would finish the SS and get her in the water. That may help keep the Admiral happy. It did at our house. Nice looking boats either way you go. Isn't MBS fun!

 

[MNhunter1]

Figured an update was due... Progress continues, but has been slowed by some of life's unexpected events. My wife had to have her appendix removed, and later her gall bladder, so daddy has had to step it up a bit on the homefront and lend an extra hand with the boys. Recovery is going well and she'll be back to work next week after an 8 week hiatus. In addition, bow season has opened in MN, so much of my free time is now being spent in the timber. Nonetheless, I've almost got the trailer completed with all new hardware, new paint, wheel bearings, and a few extra refreshments here and there. Just finishing up work on the bunks and will get the hull in place for final adjustments. I've got a guy lined up to repair the punctured keel, just need to get it mobile again. Hope to have everything ready for paint first thing in the spring and will take the winter to prep all the trim and interior pieces for the reassembly process. I decide to finish the Nova before starting on the 16' SS, so I got the SS all inventoried and packed up for the season. Dropped the SS off on Saturday at her covered hibernation grounds.

 

[Watermann]

Glad the admiral's recovery has gone smoothly, that's a big plus right there!

Yeah winter time busy work on all the pieces and parts, that's what I did too.

Good luck on the venison, I'm heading for some mile high Cascade Mountains this week with my smoke pole and a cow elk permit in hand.

 

[MNhunter1]

Trailer is done with the exception of the guide posts I have yet to install. Will also get a new set of shoes in the spring. With the help of my neighbor and some off hours access to an aluminum welder, we managed to get the puncture in the keel welded up and removed the crease in the bow with a little precision hammer/dolly work. Not perfect, but much better than before.

 

[Watermann]

Looking good! So how was the hunting?

 

[MNhunter1]

Looking good! So how was the hunting?

Had to pass on the biggest 6 point I've seen on the hoof due to MN antler point restrictions (needs to have at least 4 points on one side), but I've had several deer in range each time out. I'll start up again on Oct 25th and hunt(bow) each evening for the following three weeks as the bigger bucks should be on their feet in daylight searching out the does. I just hunt for the bigger bucks these days and enjoy just being out there more than anything. Use to chase all sorts of critters, but once the wife and kids came along I limited myself to spring turkey and fall whitetails...and fishing of course. Once the boys are a bit older, I'll probably get back into waterfowl again as well, but for now, I choose my battles wisely

Nice elk by the way! Never been, but it's on the bucket list.

 

[MNhunter1]

Questions:

5200 - does it really need to be used within 24 hours of puncturing the foil? I was going to install a few screws, but didn't want to waste a whole tube to do so. Might need to coordinate my projects a little differently.

Gluvit and/or 5200 on outside hull seams - I do plan on sealing all interior seams and rivets with Gluvit, but was thinking of possibly hitting the exterior seams with a bead of 5200 or Gluvit as well before laying down the paint. The factory smeg has a few years on it now and I figured it could use a little refreshing.

Epoxy - down to what temperature can it be applied succesfully to the transom wood? Temps are starting to drop here in MN and was hoping to get it sealed and installed before winter? Will 40-50 degree temps have any impact to the cure time/results?

Paint stripper on interior hull - was going to attack the interior hull with some stripper but I'm concerned that some of the waste may clog up my seep hole drainy thingees under the ribs. I could always give it a good pressure wash and cleaning in the spring, but if I get everything at least neutralized with a water washdown, will any remaining paint/stripper/gummy waste that may not have washed out solidify to a point where it'll be a PIA to deal with by spring? Main reason I'm asking is because I still have some spots on my driveway that didn't get dealt with right away. Option B would just be to hit it with the sander and spray over the existing. Probably overthinking this as it will all be covered by the bow cap and sideboards anyhow.

 

[crankbait cowboy]

No Title

to be honest i am not sure what is "correct" for sealing outside of seams, as i asked the same question and got mixed reviews but right or wrong i put a bead of 5200 under gunnels and along front bow seam before hitting it with paint i have attached a before and after photo.

 

[crankbait cowboy]

No Title

epoxy, i think you will find an extended cure time at these temps. i found somewhere between 65 and 80 to work fine and set up in a day or two. thinking waiting till warmer temps or doing in a heated garage would be best (just my 2 cents) as for inside the hull, if you are going to cover it with carpet or boards anyway i think i would just clean it up best i could with sander and not strip it. myself i am carpeting so i did not strip everything off. the blue i am cleaning up and covering and the old adhesive i used the disk and drill and a product called goof off. i did not get it perfect as my thinking is to cover it anyway. just clean it up enough for the new adhesive to adhere. one mans thoughts is all and good luck

 

[MNhunter1]

to be honest i am not sure what is "correct" for sealing outside of seams, as i asked the same question and got mixed reviews but right or wrong i put a bead of 5200 under gunnels and along front bow seam before hitting it with paint i have attached a before and after photo.

Any reason you skipped the chine seam? What you did is just what I've been considering, only with the bow seams and chine seams, never even gave the gunnels a thought until now. I was picturing a smaller bead however, tape off the edges, lay the bead, smooth out with a finger(and lots of mineral spirits), remove tape, let cure, prime/paint.

Yeah, the epoxy will be a tough call. Daily temps outside are mid 50's to low 60's with drops into the 30's and 40's overnight, but probably much warmer in my attached, yet unheated garage. Thought if I could maybe keep the epoxy inside at room temperature, along with the transom until the first coat is applied, I might be okay with just a longer cure time. Sounds like the colder temps could compromise structural integrity/bond a bit, but not really sure what effect it would have on the "sealing" capabilities. I've already bonded the two 3/4" pieces together with Gorrilla Glue, just looking to keep out the water/moisture now.

I think you're on the right path with the sand and wheel on the interior...I was way overthinking it and got dazed and confused by all these bright shiny interior hulls on some of the previous resto threads.

 

[64osby]

5200 can be saved for a later date. Cap on tight, plastic bag and placed in the freezer. Thaw as use requires.

 

[Watermann]

For the keel marriage seams I have only used gluvit on the inside. I don't think paint will adhere long term to 5200, it's just not the right surface for paint. As far as the gunnels go, SC didn't use anything to seal them and neither did I. If water gets up that high you getting some over the top anyway.

 

[crankbait cowboy]

agreed the gunnel seam may be overkill, i like your idea as to how to apply hunter. time will tell for me if paint adheres to my bead. to answer your question regarding chine, i only did the bow because after gluvit and leak test i still had a leak in that area. so i applied some loctite over gluvit on inside and then a bead along outside of 5200( in my thread " 1973 starcraft restore in progress " ) some of us discuss it with some pics page 9 post 130 is the start.. i am not sure what is best, but above is what i did, time will tell i guess, but i did get the idea because i had seen that others on this forum had done it. that drill and wheel i used is a sandpaper wheel not metal and be careful to not take to much actual aluminum off.

 

[MNhunter1]

Well, packed up the Nova and stored her away for the winter yesterday afternoon. I'll be bow hunting whitetail every evening for the next 3 weeks, so figured I better put her away before the snow flys. I kept some things at the house such as the trim pieces and dash in hopes of having everything prepped for installation when the time comes. I'm going to miss her, but it'll be nice to see her again in the spring with a plan toward completion.

 

[Watermann]

Good luck on the hunt and come by the forum even now and then to keep your interest up.

 

[dozerII]

Good luck with the hunting, and don't be a stranger. Rifle season begins here Nov 10 then I will be out hunting as well.

 

[MNhunter1]

I know the electric shift is a big red flag, but would this be worth the 3.5 bills? It's 10 minutes from me and I still have a 16SS without a motor and a 65hp rated Nova with a 35hp awaiting the marriage.
http://rmn.craigslist.org/boa/4736205081.html
http://rmn.craigslist.org/boa/4736205081.html