1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Thanks, jb, that's great advise on the photos. The tear down is nearly finished; at least I can see the end of the tunnel now.

barato2, thanks for the heads up on the symmetrical issue. I'll be running a centerline from bow to transom, after the powerwash, and will do my dimensional checks off of that line.

Thanks, BlueFin16, I will put water in the boat after it's powerwashed and properly cleaned out to check for leaks. If I note any leaks, I can mark them on the outside of the hull and fix as required. Then I plan to use Gluvit as a sealer on all the rivets and seams I can get to from the inside bottom of the hull and up to about 6 inches above the waterline.

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Today I cleaned up the dried debris that was leftover from yesterday, with a plastic brush, from the inner hull bow area and vacuumed the area. Next the rivets were drilled to release both decking channels that run from the bow to the transom. Lifted each from it's respective position and marked each channel as to port or starboard and front and aft. Vacuumed the rivets heads and aluminum debris from the inner hull. Took the aluminum channels into the garage. Photos included.

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Looking great

Hull laid bare..

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Thank you, jb. It feels good to get this far along...I can do this...probably...perhaps...

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[barato2]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

honestly, you got the hard n ugly part done. the rest is actually mostly fun if you like woodwork. floors aren't all that tricky if you use a good quality jigsaw (buy one if what you have is a $35 item with stamped steel shoe plate, it's cheaper than a new boat) and new, sharp blades changed frequently.

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Was only kidding in post #244, barato2. I'm glad to be this far along and looking forward to the rest of the work. Already have a nice jigsaw and one can never underestimate the value of keeping new blades in the shop.

Figure I'll remove some more trim and the front light. Most likely the rubber dock guard strips and the associated aluminum will be removed, too. Stay tuned.

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[barato2]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

OK, great. i think i toasted an entire 4-pack of blades cutting the bevel on outer edges. note that if you pull the rubber rubrail, it will shrink and may be a hassle to stretch back to full length.

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Thanks for the heads-up on the rubber rubrail as I'd figured after all this time the rubber would be pretty much set in place. All four pieces of rubber rubrail are in real nice shape so I'd hate to mess that detail up. Wonder if I can remove the nuts from inside the boat and pull the aluminum trim, keeping the rubber in place, and then put the nuts back onto the bolts to hold everything in place as a unit? Or is the hull side of that aluminum trim slotted for the bolts to slide for assembly purposes?

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[barato2]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

IIRC, you have to pull the rubber to get at the rivets holding the aluminum channel in place. the nuts and bolts just hold the end trim down and "pin" the ends of the rubber in place. my rubber shrunk lots once i pulled those end caps off. i'd either pull the whole 9 yards and plan on stretching the rubber with some heat to get it back in place, or just leave it all in place and mask around it.

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

You are right, barato2. After I posted the above "not so brilliant idea", a trip outside to view the boat showed what you remembered. How could I have spent all that time in the boat and not seen that? I had planned on taking all of the rubrail off the boat though I'm not sure of that decision at this time. We will see what happens when I get to that point. Oh!...the suspense!...

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[barato2]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Joe----on "not so brilliant" ideas----i was all set to put my fuel tank inside the center console til one of our members who thinks ahead better than me and knows the USCG regs pointed out that i was designing a recipe for a fire or explosion. he was right, and i had to do a major left turn on my plans. so don't feel bad, we all help each other out here and we've all had a few ideas that turned out to not be so great. :watermelon:

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

After 63 years I can firmly state that I've made LOTS of major left hand turns (of course, I am left-handed) while heading down a SureFire Trail or two. Comments from folks like yourself are very important and greatly appreciated. Keep 'em coming! This idea of strangers sharing thoughts and tips to help one another succeed is priceless. Between the thread and the boat, this experience is a real HOOT.

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Today I cleared the top bow area. First I removed the horn base which was a chore in itself for such a little item. The first very long bolt came right out without a problem...the second bolt was another thing altogether. The nut was rusted on the bolt and would not budge and the top of the mounting bolt was so rusted and soft that a screwdriver just would not work. After awhile I decided to get the Dremel out and, using a fiberglass cutting wheel, I cut the screwdriver slot right down to the bolt (marred the horn mount a bit). After snapping of the bolt head, the horn mount lifted off and the remainder of the bolt with the rusted nut fell clear. If I use the same horn later, a little JB will fix the horn mount. Next the bow grab rail was removed as a unit by unbolting the four bases and the ends from the top bow sheetmetal. Then the two rope tie downs were removed. And the bow light was removed from its bow position.

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Rusty hardware is a pain. I'm still trying to get my bow light off. Two screws come right out. The buried one in the deep hole has been fighting me for over a year. I'm trying to not be destructive, but patience is starting to wear thin.

The tie down is different. I like it, Joe.

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

Hi GA, time spent on that horn mount (middle photo) trying to get it off was at least an hour for that last bolt. Then I saw the Dremel Tool...

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[barato2]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

i suspect many of us, knowing what we know now, would resort to the cutting wheel a lot sooner on the next boat!

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

...NEXT boat!.....:faint2:

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[barato2]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

yeah, go on and kid yourself, you'll have a cabin boat within 5 years......

 

[piperjoe]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

This afternoon I removed the screws and drilled the rivets holding the bow seat area top aluminum trim piece. Pulled the trim and stored it in the garage. Went back and used a nailset and my hammer to "encourage" what was leftover from the drilled rivets to clear the holes and fall through. Looked under the bow top sheetmetal and one of the wood support pieces is a good candidate for replacement along with the bow seat area wood; most likely I'll replace all three wood items with new wood. Still considering removing the side rubber bumpers and associated aluminum. I understand the rubber will shrink unless hung up and weighted...that should look real interesting to any neighbors who happen by when the garage door is open...

Safe boating,

Joe

 

[InMotion]

Re: 1973 Starcraft SuperSport 16ft. restoration questions

I understand the rubber will shrink unless hung up and weighted...that should look real interesting to any neighbors who happen by when the garage door is open...

Safe boating,

Joe

lol!.... Ya... no doubt that they find the whole "yard sale of boat parts" interesting as well!

My neighbors thankfully, find the whole "boat building pain and gain" thing amusing... so when I am testing the horn accidentally at 4:00am... they just chuckle and know that it's the idiot neighbor working on another boat and not someone stealing their car!

Nice progress there Joe... you are about 90.4% done moving backwards.... Another 9.6% and you can officially begin moving forwards with "new stuff"!!!

Glad you're enjoying the process... we're enjoying the read!

Jim