1976 Starcraft Islander

[falkenman]

Death Boat part 2- (Update to The '76 Islander remodel from a year ago).

I decided to use a H.P. 302 (from a older Scarab), teak, special composite materials and parts from whatever we could find.
Pre-Alpha drive and Gimbol housing. Most parts are new Bayliner, Mako, Sea Ray etc...Also I used Coosa board inside and one big board on the transom. The rest is marine grade epoxy treated 3/4 ply on the floor only.All glass had to be re-made with tempered, tinted new glass (about $550.00).

In the spring I will Awlgrip the hull and change the canvas..

I am looking for a nice teak swim platform to add to it that I could modify to fit and some trim fittings...


https://imageshack.com/user/falkenman

 

[jbcurt00]

I couldnt find a topic about your Islander from a year ago, did you start one?

Aluminum Islander?

I/O Islander shouldnt be hard to find a swim platform that will fit. Ebay has them all the time and I've seen them on craigs.

If you can post pix into your posts from your image shack acct, it'd be helpful. Some cant load 3rd party sites, and keeps me from having to dig thru all the pix to find 1 showing whatever you are posting about.

Uh, why death boat?

Pix help:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/forum...pload-tutorial

 

[GA_Boater]

That's because he never started one.

 

[Watermann]

I checked out your pics on the image shack, looks like some fine work you've done on your Islander :thumb:

 

[sprintst]

That's some nice work you've done there.

 

[falkenman]

Its the "Death Boat" because it sounds like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cXOm6HpIOM

FYI its now much milder sounding with the non-threw hull exhaust.

 

[oldhaven]

Very nice looking remodel. I like your attention to detail and the combination of complimentary materials Any thought good or bad on the Coosa board, especially as used for a transom? I assume you got a 1 1/2" thick piece for that?

Ron

 

[rtek816]

Hey Falk, Any pictures of the through hull exhaust? is it selectable (through hull/ through prop)?

 

[falkenman]

No Title

Coosa was easy to work with and light. I used the 1 1/2 single board for the transom and 3/8. 1/2 inch boards for the interior that were then covered with a marine teak ply. This was to save weight. I have some friends at a hi end custom boat builder shop in Florida and they swear by the product on their mil sport fishermen.Although its expensive, I would say that the most important area to use a composite is the transom. As much as you west system and treat plywood, eventually it will fail. The floors are a much easier replacement so I opted for a marine ply- first treated with coopernol, then west system 2xs. I asked some friends I have at a hi end custom boat builder shop in Florida and they swear by the product on their mil sport fishermen.

Coosa is a weird product, it cuts well and you can shape it and it seems extremely strong. In my experience when screwing into it - you should definitely seat the screws with 5200 or an appropriate glue/sealer.

Sorry I changed the threw hull exhaust because it simply does not fit this sort of boat and the noise was obnoxious. If I was to keep a option, I would use silent choice or something like that.

 

[jbcurt00]

Doesnt cupernil have copper in it? Or at least it did..

 

[falkenman]

No Title

You can use a oil or stain that is penetrating...I prefer an oil based one that will draw the west system into the pores of the wood. You can also wipe alcohol on the raw wood and it will help the product penetrate.

 

[oldhaven]

Coosa was easy to work with and light. I used the 1 1/2 single board for the transom and 3/8. 1/2 inch boards for the interior that were then covered with a marine teak ply. This was to save weight. I have some friends at a hi end custom boat builder shop in Florida and they swear by the product on their mil sport fishermen.Although its expensive, I would say that the most important area to use a composite is the transom. As much as you west system and treat plywood, eventually it will fail. The floors are a much easier replacement so I opted for a marine ply- first treated with coopernol, then west system 2xs. I asked some friends I have at a hi end custom boat builder shop in Florida and they swear by the product on their mil sport fishermen.

Coosa is a weird product, it cuts well and you can shape it and it seems extremely strong. In my experience when screwing into it - you should definitely seat the screws with 5200 or an appropriate glue/sealer.

.

Thank you for your description of Coosa, and for sharing your experience with it.
I looked into the Coosa site after seeing your boat and was impressed that it is around 1/3 lighter than the equivalent plywood. It is not very attractive by itself, but you solved that by laminating thin ply over it and it looks great. I did some google exploring and most users seems to put an epoxy and fabric skin with paint or non skid over it when used as decks, mostly for impact resistance. I hope to keep my project Starchief as light as possible above the waterline, and I will think about this for the transom, and possibly the side panels and cabin bulkheads and locker covers. It is expensive, but should last almost as long as the aluminum. It does not absorb water so may prevent the corrosion problems that wet ply creates. I am dealing with some of that now. I am not sure about 1 1/2" for the transom, unless it can be special ordered as a suitable size. The stock sized pieces are either too small or I would have to get a full sheet and that is way more than I need and hugely expensive. I might be better to order 3/4, 1/2 and 3/8 and laminate my own, using the leftover material elsewhere in the boat. I don't think it is a bad idea to use the heavier ply for the decks, since that weight is down low by the waterline and probably not a bad idea for ballast. I will have a belly tank that will help there. It is the weight above the waterline that I feel can be reduced to advantage for stability and also speed.

Thanks again for the excellent information and the ideas, and I will follow along with your remaining work. You have quite a head turner there.

Ron