1974 Starcraft SS16 Restortation

[FIGMO]

Yeah the transom wood should be flush to the top of the AL transom skin so the cap will cover it and the OB motor will line up with the holes..

Hello Watermann,

It was too high, so I cut it down a bit. Now it fits properly. Some pictures:


You can see it was sitting to high on the ends as well it was about 1/4" higher than the transom. So we took and out and cut it down to size. Now it fits properly.

If you look you can also see the plastic cut out on the inside of the transom to stop the epoxy from being scratched. I can't remember who posted that, but it was a good idea.


The transom cap fits now with no issues.

 

[FIGMO]

Some of the transom work I did, it looks like there isn't any epoxy on the inside because I gave it a light sanding in order to paint it. This was recommended by West System, using 80 and then 220 grit sandpaper to get a mechanical bond with the primer and paint.


Before the sanding.


and after the sanding. As previously stated I did this very lightly and carefully after putting on 2 good coats.


This was pretty cool. When I cut the ends down because they were too high, the saw passed through one of the screws I filled after bonding the two 3/4" halves together.


You can see that the syringe trick worked to fill the void after removing the screws. I also noticed that I seem to have gotten a pretty tight seam between the two.

 

[FIGMO]

Okay one more transom post for today. For some reason my knee brace does not sit flush against the wood? I know my welder, John, placed the reinforcing brackets to the inside of the original flange, so that does account for the gap. Plus he left the original flange in place. When we riveted the knee brace to the hull, we used the original holes. So that should not account for the gap either. So I am left scratching my head..

Here are some pictures of the gap, plus my work around in order to get the knee brace flush to the transom wood.




Currently putting a few coats of epoxy on this piece.

Two questions for gang:

1. Ideas for doing a straight drill job through the transom wood (other than buying that really expensive tool).

2. Do I have to put epoxy in the drill holes, or can I use 5200 to fill the drill holes when I put the bolts and screws in?

 

[MNhunter1]

Two questions for gang:

1. Ideas for doing a straight drill job through the transom wood (other than buying that really expensive tool).

2. Do I have to put epoxy in the drill holes, or can I use 5200 to fill the drill holes when I put the bolts and screws in?

If you still have the original transom, stick a bolt into the holes and see how they were originally drilled. My Nova was 90 degrees, so I just marked the holes on the appropriate side, pulled the transom, and drilled them through with a drill press. My SS was drilled at an angle in relation to how it sat in the boat. I would have though they would have both been done the same, but apparently were not. I used the manual drill press adapter thingee that WM had recommended some time ago that attaches to a handheld drill and used the original transom to adjust to the correct angle, locked it down, maintained the right orientation, and drilled the transom in place. Best to start with undersized bits and work up to the correct size. This allows you a bit of adjustment as well.

Some will over drill the holes, fill with epoxy, and then drill them back out to ensure a complete seal of the transom. I've always just lathered the hardware up with 5200. Keep the through bolts from spinning out all the 5200 and just turn the nut when fastening. I don't believe they sealed the transom, nor utilized any sealant on the hardware from the factory, so either way should be better than new and last a lifetime if done correctly.

It's all coming along very nicely! Great work!

 

[FIGMO]

If you still have the original transom, stick a bolt into the holes and see how they were originally drilled. My Nova was 90 degrees, so I just marked the holes on the appropriate side, pulled the transom, and drilled them through with a drill press. My SS was drilled at an angle in relation to how it sat in the boat. I would have though they would have both been done the same, but apparently were not. I used the manual drill press adapter thingee that WM had recommended some time ago that attaches to a handheld drill and used the original transom to adjust to the correct angle, locked it down, maintained the right orientation, and drilled the transom in place. Best to start with undersized bits and work up to the correct size. This allows you a bit of adjustment as well.

Some will over drill the holes, fill with epoxy, and then drill them back out to ensure a complete seal of the transom. I've always just lathered the hardware up with 5200. Keep the through bolts from spinning out all the 5200 and just turn the nut when fastening. I don't believe they sealed the transom, nor utilized any sealant on the hardware from the factory, so either way should be better than new and last a lifetime if done correctly.

It's all coming along very nicely! Great work!

Hello MN,

Some excellent and timely advice, as I am just about to head outside and do that.

Thank you very much!

 

[Watermann]

Yeah we try to drill straight 90 degree holes through but it's tough on a transom with a 15 degree angle unless you either use a press with the wood out or a drill guide with it in or out. I would be really careful about drilling for those knee brace holes, it would concern me about the alignment being off with it's changed location.

Your work around for the changed knee brace looks legit to me :thumb:

I agree just 5200 in the through bolt holes, use a screw driver slathered with 5200 and run it around the entire inside of the bolt hole and scrape off some around the outside of the outer and inner hole works to seal the heads/washers.

 

[Decker83]

If you have some pieces of hard wood and a drill press, you can drill some holes in the hard wood and use it as a guide.
You will need a couple of pieces of the hard wood because the holes may wear out after a few drilled holes.
I took some pipe cleaners and dipped them in spar varnish and coated all the holes in my transom. Then did the 5200 on the bolts like the others have already said.

 

[FIGMO]

Yeah we try to drill straight 90 degree holes through but it's tough on a transom with a 15 degree angle unless you either use a press with the wood out or a drill guide with it in or out. I would be really careful about drilling for those knee brace holes, it would concern me about the alignment being off with it's changed location.

Your work around for the changed knee brace looks legit to me :thumb:

I agree just 5200 in the through bolt holes, use a screw driver slathered with 5200 and run it around the entire inside of the bolt hole and scrape off some around the outside of the outer and inner hole works to seal the heads/washers.

Hello Watermann,

I took MN's advice and used my drill press. It was a bit tricky, but it worked out beautifully. Thanks MN for the advice! :encouragement:

All the holes lined up perfectly, and the knee brace was 90 percent good. One of the bolts ended up a bit too close to the side so I had to grind it down a bit. Not much just a bit for the nut to fit properly. The only holes I have left to do are for the splash well drains. Doing those tomorrow. My back is killing me right now, I think its time for a hut tub session.

I have some pics of the splash well work as well. It has been sprayed with SE primer, and is now just waiting.


Filled a bunch of dings with JB weld M, and sanded everything with 80 grit SP.


It was pretty fugly back there.


Looking much better now.

 

[FIGMO]

Missed Decker there. Thanks to all you for advice on this project, this is an excellent site for getting help. It is also very inspiring to see how other people's work turns out. It provides to the motivation to stick with it and hopefully turn out something that a person can be proud of, especially knowing that you did it with your own two hands.

I will catch you Gents on the flip side.

 

[FIGMO]

Hello Everyone,

Some progress over the last couple of days. I have all the flotation foam in the boat now (took about three days on and off). I am thinking of putting the deck boards down before I start painting, but I will have to figure out where things are going to go before I can do that. Primarily concerned about the location of the seat pedestals and where the batteries are going to go. I will likely work that out tomorrow, I already have some ideas.

I was given some flexible conduit from a friend that is an electrician. I am thinking of running that under the foam along the center of the boat. I have retainers that I can fasten to the ribs in order to hold everything steady. Thoughts on doing that...

Some pictures:


Following advice from the community, I cut the ridged foam into triangles in order to fill the sides of the hull. I cut rectangles to fill the center. That left me with about a two inch gap at bottom center for water to drain and for air circulation. It will also allow me to run the conduit if I decide to take that approach.


I figured that there was about 240 separate pieces in the hull. It accounted for almost 7 full sheets of foam (2' x 8' x 1.5").


I had to take one layer off in the bow as it was causing the front deck portion to lift.


This is the conduit I was planning on using for the cables running from the batteries in the front to the boat motor. I figure I would require about 14' of cable to reach the motor comfortably. This stuff is pretty good, even though it is currently coiled, it can be flexed so that it remains in a relatively straight position. I think it might save the wiring from chaffing and wear. Thoughts?

 

[Watermann]

I would keep all the wiring up in the gunnels, you can access it much easier if needed and you don't have standing water that could get in.

Nice work on the foaming, looks great! :thumb:

 

[knezzer]

wow that's looking awesome !

 

[No-AH]

I personally wouldn't run anything below the flooring, conduit or not. I'm with Watermann on this one. Run your conduit aft to stern and aft to bow separately, just fasten the conduits under the gunnels with nylon ties [I used fine SS tie wire in mine]. I also left a pull line in them for future wiring.
Looking good so far M8, keep up the great work!

 

[MD28]

Really nice work on the foam! And yeah run the wiring high and dry in the tops of the gunnels. Easier to work on too if there is any issues down the road.

 

[FIGMO]

Hey Gents,

As always I really appreciate the feedback on this project. Its great to have the help!

I bow to your sage (not the herb) advice, I will run it up underneath the gunnels.

Over the last couple of days I have been putting the epoxy on the deck boards, it takes a long time to dry. I made a support for the bow area, and an facing to act as an enclosure for the upper deck. I also Jerry-rigged a support for the stern to stop the foam from sliding around.

I met up with Budski on the weekend and he took me to see a friend of his for pedestal mounts. It was an awesome deal, I think I saved about 250.00

Thanks Bud!! eace:

Some pictures:



So I came up with the idea to put a triangular piece under the bow to reinforce it. There are screw holes in the top of the trim in the bow to help hold this in place, plus I can drill down into the facing to help bear the weight.



I will drill into those two brackets to help hold the front of the board in place, and help stop it from sliding around.




How it will look under the bow without my explanation.



The explanation. I am not yet sure how big I want to make the opening for the storage area. I was thinking I could use this for the anchor. Provided the anchor is properly secured to the raised deck and reinforced. I was also thinking I could put both plug ins to one side, and then run another board, on end, inside so as to stop things from crashing into the wiring. Open to ideas on this venture!















Last, but not least, my most excellent pedestals and mounts. Now I can figure out where the seats are to be mounted so I can get the supports in place.

 

[FIGMO]

Grrrr, forgot to add these pictures so that you can see what it will look like when its mounted. Still using the old seating as a template for my casting deck.

 

[baldwibr]

Nice work, it looks great! I'd make your bow reinforcement piece wider. If you're putting a trolling motor on there, it puts a decent amount of force on that piece.

 

[FIGMO]

Nice work, it looks great! I'd make your bow reinforcement piece wider. If you're putting a trolling motor on there, it puts a decent amount of force on that piece.

Hey Bryan,

I am even beginning to think that I might make both out of 3/4 " instead of 1/2 ". I just hate wasting wood. I suppose I could use those pieces to make braces between the deck boards.

 

[Watermann]

I used 3/4" ply on my bow deck and there were 2 support brackets I solid riveted on either side as well due to the TM weight and thrust. The motor alone weight 90 Lbs and has 80 Lbs of thrust so to be sure it's rock solid is a great idea.

 

[FIGMO]

I used 3/4" ply on my bow deck and there were 2 support brackets I solid riveted on either side as well due to the TM weight and thrust. The motor alone weight 90 Lbs and has 80 Lbs of thrust so to be sure it's rock solid is a great idea.

Agreed, I will remake those two items in the bow out of 3/4 inch. I can use the existing ones as templates. Too hot here to work on the boat, and will be for the next four days. Its going up to 37 degree Celsius, and its super humid.