1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

[bananaboater]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

OK, so I have been stewing on this for a bit. I love the idea but we don't drink nearly enough soda around my place and we take our water straight from the tap. I know, crazy right!

Not at all, makes sense to me.

We drink wine in boxes and the plastic bladders are heavy weight and obviously sealed. I took one apart, blew it up and turned the spigot off (after we had consumed the contents of course) and realized it might be good flotation for something like a canoe or kayak. Small, conforms to odd shapes and if protected from sunlight long lasting. And if one failed you would of course have to buy more wine. Might work to fill in the odd corners.

Albert

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

J I have been following this thread from the begining and by far that is the most cost effective way of developing a cheap replacement for floatation. Some of the thing you have accomplished and how you've done it would even make Mac guyver say "why didn't I think of that" and whats even better your doing it outside and in the winter classic! keep it up it just goes to show all what can be done with a couple of trees and some inginuity

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Nice work Jas, don't know if I would of had that much patience with pulling that wood from those stringers...kudo's dude!!!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

J I have been following this thread from the begining and by far that is the most cost effective way of developing a cheap replacement for floatation. Some of the thing you have accomplished and how you've done it would even make Mac guyver say "why didn't I think of that" and whats even better your doing it outside and in the winter classic! keep it up it just goes to show all what can be done with a couple of trees and some inginuity

Thanks a bunch FF! Appreciate the comments!

The main thing on using bottles and such for flotation would be minimizing the rattles - I have a few thoughts on that.

Nice work Jas, don't know if I would of had that much patience with pulling that wood from those stringers...kudo's dude!!!

Ahhhh, you'd be all over that! Thanks buddy!!!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Well, starting tomorrow, it looks like rain in the forecast for a solid week around my place. It would be a great time for me to have it over at the welders shop. Hopefully I can get it cleaned up a little and ready for him before the skies open up. I sure can't tow it down the road as it is - with all the little Styrofoam pieces in there it would look like a snow blizzard flying around behind me!

Rock on!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

So, yesterday was trash/recycling day and 5 big bags of wet, nasty foam went out to the road which was good. I turned my attention to the recycling bins and started madly searching for anything in there that might float! You might have thought I had the winning lotto ticket in there or something! Check out what I found...

Score! I know that is so completely nerdy to post a shot of what I found in my recycling bin but I was excited! Hey, free stuff is good! I know some of you fellas are thinking "loser" - you'd prolly be right, and I've been called worse, hah!

I also got in some vinyl samples...

The pair on the left is from Bristol and of course the right is from Bry-Tech. I am thinking that the pleated would be nice on my side panels with the plain recovering my seats.

So here is the scoop...
The cushion underneath is from the Islander cabin. All of those cushions are in really good shape! I did a real quick wipe down job on them and they are looking really good, totally usable. I think if I put a little more elbow grease into them I can get them squeeky clean and looking new again! Man, do I love saving money!!!! Really, the only thing that would need to be done would be to replace the zippers on them as those are pretty well shot. I am thinking that should be pretty reasonable to have fixed.

Question, anybody have a good quality vinyl cleaner recommendation?

So back to the vinyl samples...
The pair on the left matches my cushions grain pattern just a little better than the set on the right, but, is more expensive. The grain pattern doesn't matter all that much because all of those old cushions will be in the cabin and all of the new work will be out. So, price wins in this scenario. But, if Bristol can price match I'll probably jump on em. We'll see what we can do...

Cheers Guys!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

OK, so I did some checking around on aluminum and the weld job that will need to happen to close up what the OMC did to it. First off, I had a heck of a time finding anybody in the area that even carried 5000 series aluminum. A couple of places didn't even know what I was talking about. I knew that there was a place a bit out of the way that would have it so I called my welder who is just a couple of miles up the road from me. He has a big sign out front that says something like "aluminum welding" "no job too small". I gave him a ring he said he could do it if I brought him the material. He charges $5 per inch. OK, so quick math, 20" x 20" piece, 80", times $5, so that comes to, oh say, $400

Let me think on that, um no.

I was just about to come up with something on my own (old traffic sign, 3M 5200, JB Weld, stainless bolts) but I figured I'd make one more call to a guy that I have used before a couple of towns over. He has done great work for me in the past and reasonable too.

He said $12 for 5052 Aluminum, 20"x20"x.125" and another $30 to weld it in place, $60 at the most if it takes a full hour.

Let me think on that, um yup.

I'll just need to find time to haul it over to him.

Finally got out the shop vac tonight and got her cleaned out just a bit too.

Cheers!

 

[jcupo6]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Wow! What a price difference! Good thing you called that second guy!

 

[wvmedic]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Jas, glad to hear you are getting her buttoned up.

Jeff

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Jas, glad to hear you are getting her buttoned up.

Jeff

Yah, I am pretty pumped - it sort of signifies rounding the corner from the demolition phase to the rebuild phase, sweet!

(though, I still have A LOT of clean up work to do)

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Well, it's raining pretty good around here today so I pulled off the cover and put the boat on "rinse" cycle. She'll go to the welder on Monday or Tuesday to get the back end sealed up.

Picked up some cool gear this week, I'll post up some photos when I get a chance.

Well, I suppose I'll tackle the the 09' taxes today.

Hope it's sunny and dry where you are!

 

[bankfisher]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

JAS....

I do have the two pieces of rub rail insert. I am not going to use them. They are about 7' long each, I have 2. if you want them PM me your address and I will get them sent to you.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

JAS....

I do have the two pieces of rub rail insert. I am not going to use them. They are about 7' long each, I have 2. if you want them PM me your address and I will get them sent to you.

BANKFISHER YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!!! THAT RIGHT THERE IS IBOATS IN ACTION!

PM your way buddy!

 

[timfives]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

Loved the way you switched the trailers!! don't worry my family things i've gone mad with my restore, so your in good company.

Keep up the good work.

T

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

OK, so I put off my taxes till tomorrow and ignored the rain...

...loaded up the old Islander dog house, nasty carpet and the lower hull sections of Thumper into my trailer - off to their final resting place...

I got these two MerControls and cables for $80 off clist, yah both of em for $80! They should clean up just great!

Now, last week was my birthday - 1976 which just happens to be the same birth year as this Islander so I thought I'd pick her up something special...

...eBay, cheap, shhh, don't tell her...

...check this out...



The video doesn't really do it justice, it's really loud, great tone too!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

I also did a quick dry fit of the 28 gal aluminum tank to see if it actually works, check it out...

The fill tube sits just barely proud of where the deck will be. Maybe about an 1/8". I have a couple of ideas to deal with that.

OK, if you are a Starcraft purest, or claim to be one (Huron), please accept my most sincere apologies. I have been thinking about it for a while now (as I mentioned earlier) and have decided to take off these gunwale ridges. SORRY! First step is to take off the aluminum rails so I drilled out all of the rivets and slid them off. I then pulled off the inner aluminum gunwale piece.

Before...

After...

More to come on these...

Cheers guys!

 

[jcupo6]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

I think it looks better without the ridges.

Nice score on the controls and horn, they are gonna look sweet installed!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

I think it looks better without the ridges.

Nice score on the controls and horn, they are gonna look sweet installed!

Thanks jcup! I am a long way off from installing that gear but the price was very right so I grabbed em. Yah, those ridges are a pain in my but (literally) getting in and out of that boat. It'll should be about 100 times easier with them out of the way.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

The tank looks like it will work awesome. Horn is great (ya old bast@rd, 1977 here ). I don't mind the removal of those panels. I don't think I like them much either. Just cut them down following the line of windshield supports and it should look great.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1976 22' Starcraft Islander Rebuild

The tank looks like it will work awesome. Horn is great (ya old bast@rd, 1977 here ). I don't mind the removal of those panels. I don't think I like them much either. Just cut them down following the line of windshield supports and it should look great.

Thanks EZ! I am really glad that tank is going to work for a few reasons...

1. Simplicity - one less gauge/wiring set/plumbing set, half as much stuff that needs to be rebuilt, and half as much stuff that can go south on me when I least expect it.
2. Cost - again, one less gauge/wiring set/plumbing set.
3. Storage - if I would have had to go back to those dual 17 gal tanks they would have had to sit above deck under the helm seats eating up super valuable storage space. Now I can consider things like a live well and dry storage for those seat platforms, sweet!

Yah, I'm getting older and grumpier by the second! I found myself wandering around out by the road the other day - in my bathrobe mumbling and complaining about the cost of cigarettes, and I don't even smoke! Shoot in a week or two I'll find myself sitting in a Saturday afternoon bingo session spouting of about my prostate issues, ahhhh!