1974 16' Starcraft SS Restoration Project

[AFK31911]

I'm happy I found this wonderful website because I just picked up a 1974 16' SS that is need of a lot of attention. I have always wanted to restore an older aluminum boat and was always drawn to the Starcraft. With 2 kids in daycare, the only way I will get us all on the water is to restore an older boat. Save some coin and have a fun project to work on with the kids. Win, win I'd say.

Anyway, my plans are to gut the boat and rebuild her. The floors are rotten as is the transom. Just about all of the deck hardware is pitted pretty badly as well. I am in the process of making a spreadsheet detailing the look I want and the right components to use. So far my plans are to sand it down, prime, and paint it with Rustoleum marine paint. I'd like to paint 2/3rds of the sides black, the remaining part of the sides and the bottom white, and the top deck and interior gray. Gray and white seats, Gray Carpet and vinyl as well. All of the deck hardware will be replaced along with the steering cables and wiring. I don't see any rivets that need attention........yet. The boat came with a 2003 15HP Mercury 4 stroke that has controls, no tiller. The motor works fine, so I figured that alone was worth the $900.00 I paid for the rig. This will be an ongoing project for the next year or so, I'm in no rush. My plans are to get it stripped down to the ribs on the interior and service and winterize the engine before the weather turns too cold. I might be able to do a little work on some of the components I removed over the winter, but the bulk of the work will resume in the spring. I'm sure I will be asking questions along the way and I'm sure there are many people here that have the right answers. I'll try to post pics along the way as I progress.

 

[dozerII]

:welcome: to the Starmada, from the looks of the pictures the hull is in very good condition, all the wood components not so much:facepalm:. What are your plans for the motor? are you going to stay with the little Merc or sell it and upgrade to a little bigger and better o/b?

 

[AFK31911]

Thanks for the welcome. I believe I am going to keep the little Merc for a kicker and find something in the 45 - 75 HP range. I have some places to boat that have a 15HP Max and some other places I can use a bigger motor. I'd like to try and have the best of both worlds if possible.

 

[Decker83]

:welcome: aboard.. Nice SS you have.. There are some great people here to help out with question and advice..
That 4 stroke will make a great kicker for you.. Take lots of pics and measurements as you tear her apart..:rockon:

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome to the Mob. AFK

Looks like you got a good set of project bones. Good hull and bad wood is what many of us start with. Glad you are planning on a more powerful main motor. The Merc will a good kicker.

 

[AFK31911]

Thanks all for the welcome. I had a chance to start ripping some things out while taking pics along the way. The boat has definitely been redone at some point and whoever did it, didn't do a very good job. I have already removed all of the deck hardware except for the bow rail, removed the carpeting, all of the bow seating and storage, and the port side of the cockpit with the windshield attached. The floor is very soft, but it looks like I will be able to get it out and use it as a template. I'm interested to see what is underneath. Hopefully I'll be able to get an hour or so on it tomorrow. I started removing the steering wheel and related hardware, but the skies opened up so I called it a night.

 

[Watermann]

Welcome aboard AFK :wave:

Ah yeah we all love to see these old tinnys come back to life better than new. Looks like you have a nice little SS that deserves a second chance at life on the water rather than like most of these old boats that languish out in a field.

Pacing yourself gives you time to shop for parts and stockpile them for when the time comes.

 

[Tnstratofam]

:welcome: to the Starmda you've come to the right place. Lots of good restoration and resto mod projects to read up on. A 70 or 75 hp motor moves these 16 footers real well. One important thing to remember is not to use any pressure treated wood in your aluminum boat. The chemicals used in pressure treated wood can cause severe corrosion.

 

[StarTed]

Glad to see your project join the tin works.

Looks like your start has lots of potential.

 

[AFK31911]

Thanks for the encouragement folks. I agree that pacing myself will be the right way to go here. I am in no rush to get this done, so it gives me time to sort through the vast amount of information on this sight and develop a good parts list and plan of attack.

 

[Crusader002]

Currently working on a 73 myself. Grab some sharp drill bits, a punch, and your BFH. Those will be your best friend come rivet removal time. Here is to finding only a few surprises once you dig a bit deeper!

 

[AFK31911]

Well, a little more got done today. I removed the helm and never realized that someone used about half of a tube of caulk next to the starboard side windshield. I'll have to see what that's all about later. Obviously the plywood that someone else had installed is shot. They used stainless screws in some areas and pot metal ones in other areas. The SS screws still look new and the others are a rusty glob. I was rather surprised to see a lot of water under the floor, I have only ripped up the front two pieces, but no foam so far. I think there is just a bunch of crud and leaves under the floor and in the bilge area so the water won't drain completely. I did raise the front of the trailer so the bow is pretty high and a lot of the water came out, but not all of it. I can't wait to see what is under the rest of the floor. One good thing though is that there was no water on the driveway under the boat while it had all of the standing water in it.

I do have a couple of questions, and I can get closer pics tomorrow if needed.

I noticed that someone used sheet metal screws in a couple of spots to attach a stringer to the ribs. It is obviously corroded and the screws are very rusty. I want to remove them, clean the area up and replace with rivets. You can see the brown rust around the screw in one of the pics below. What should I used to clean up the brown area? I am thinking just some sandpaper and then an aluminum rivet to reattach.

I also took a pic of the current steering linkage in the splash well area. I am going to replace the entire steering system because all of the sheathing around the cable is cracked. Anyway, do I have to re-use the swivel bracket, for lack of a better term, if I update the steering linkage to a modern rotary setup?

Finally, does anyone know where to get the boot that attaches to the hole in the splash well where the steering cable comes out from the gunwale?


I think this stuff is just glue from old carpet, we'll see what it looks like after a good pressure wash.


Nice half tube of caulk next to starboard side windshield


front-most piece of flooring removed. Surprised by the water


2nd piece of flooring removed. All-in-all, not too bad. Notice the rusty screws in the stringers


Nice wavy floor


Old steering linkage

 

[g0nef1sshn]

The 3m paint ytripper disc used took almost every thing off i needed. Paint stripper also helped. As for the rusty screw holes, if rivets wont bite the new size holes try off setting new aluminum plates (scabs) to bite down when the time comes.

Or add angle on new holes. Million ways to skin a cat. Hopefully it isnt every rib past that. Worst case, lower the stringers or raise them a hair to accomodate new bite holes?

That will also thow off the original console holes and placements though.

 

[Watermann]

Looks double decked to me. The rust is an issue that I had on my SS because SC used steel mandrels and then left the spent ones laying in the boat after installation. I found a product that does a good job of cleaning up the mess. Rustoleum rust dissolver and a SS brush with very little elbow grease and it was clean shiney AL once again.

Take a look at my thread and see if it's something you might want to try out, here's a link to the page. http://forums.iboats.com/forum/owne...79-starcraft-18-v5-ss?p=10161640#post10161640

Motorwell boot is what you're needing. http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Parts-Ac...ched.1--session_id.836521985&q=motorwell boot

 

[AFK31911]

Got a little more done today. More deck hardware was removed, the rest of the floor was ripped up, and the inside was pressure washed. I had to remove what looked like drywall screws from the ribs that were rusty globs, that was fun. I think they rusted so bad that the rust dripped down and stained the bottom of the hull. I also found what looks like tar in the very back where the transom meets the hull. I still have to leak test the boat. Hopefully I won't have to try to remove the tar-like stuff.

I fired the motor today using a large trash can filled to the point where it was just over the cavitation plate. It fired right up and idled great, but no water was coming out of the weep hole. I had already ordered a new water pump so I decided to install it. After re-installing the lower unit I still could not get the water to come out, but I noticed a little water coming from an alternate location. I figured there might be a small blockage in the tube so I blew some compressed air through the weep hole. The exited under water through the center of the prop I believe, not under the cavitation plate where it is supposed to suck it in. As a side not, the old water pump was in decent shape save for a couple of plastic washer that were pretty beat up, but the impeller was in one piece. I posted a pic and a video below to show the alternate place that I saw some water coming from. After I blew the compressed air in, I tried starting it again and the water spit and sputtered out of the weep hole, then stopped. I am going to more research on this, but does anyone have any suggestions?

Hull before pressure wash


Hull after pressure wash


Tar-like stuff


Alternate water exit video

 

[Watermann]

With the cover off make sure the motor is not getting hot while running. Use a piece of weed wacker line to poke into the tell tale while the motor is running and see if you can get an obstruction to come out.

 

[AFK31911]

I pulled the thermostat, it's a little crusty but the spring works, it's not seized. Can I put the housing back on and run the motor without the t-stat to check for function?

 

[mbroughton02]

My SS has the same "tar like stuff" in several places. Pretty sure it's from the factory. I did not attempt to remove it.

If you want to get the rest of the old carpet glue out, I tried a few methods before finding one that worked- Jasco premium paint & epoxy remover, brush on and let sit for about 3 minutes, then hit with pressure washer. Be sure to aim water away from yourself, otherwise you'll get blasted with paint stripper. Not good. Repeat several times.

Goof off professional strength adhesive remover will remove small remnants but not big globs of the carpet glue.

 

[Watermann]

While you have it open I would back flush the motor with a hose. You can it just won't get warm is all. I think the tell tale would still spurt even if the T stat was stuck, the water would be super hot tho.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

I second dont remove the tar stuff. Looks sloppy but probably from the factory and probably good stuff to have there. Try and keep the paint stripper off it too. The rust stains in the hull could be from the steel mandrels left over during its construction. I found several under the knee brace of mine rusted into a clump I thought were old nails. Another member showed me a pic of the mandrels under a rib he removed I believe. there could be loose ones under those ribs where that rust starts. Maybe a pressure washer from one rib end blasting to the other side can help get whats in there out?