1979 Starcraft 16’ SS Refresh

[Moserkr]

1 coat of paint down! 1 to go. I think it looks decent and is sticking!! Admiral says it looks great so thats what counts the most. Pics of each side, and my “wind block” lol. Minimal bugs and some stuff blowing around, but otherwise perfect day to paint. We have pretty bad pollen up here - so much that theres a coating of yellow everywhere. I did spray water down outside the garage and driveway after blowing everything away. Hoping it helps keep pollen and dust down.

Back to watching paint dry....

 

[Watermann]

The comment about the Rusto AL primer is that it was not oil based like the paint I use, it's latex based and I didn't want to have them mixed in my one day mad man paint job using chemical bonding between all 4 layers. You'll be fine with the day between as far as primers go they're rough and the adhesion is more mechanical than chemical with the 2 hour tacky coats.

 

[SHSU]

So purty!!!!!

I don't envy you painting in the garage. Remember those days. Glad they are done. lol

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

Good to know @Watermann. I put the spray aluminum primer first, and the can of metal primer an hour later. Dried overnight then sanded lightly and painted 1st coat. ~24hrs later I did the 2nd coat the same. Never crossed my mind of there being 2 different kinds of adhesion but makes sense. Is one any better than the other?

Haha @SHSU I think it turned out perfect! Even though working in a small garage with only a foot of space around the boat is not fun, I actually had a good time getting it painted.

Second coat of paint is on and tape is off!! Waited about 2 hrs to pull the tape and Im happy with 99% of the lines. The 1% that are messy are around the rivet crossings and blue paint should cover up any imperfections. If I have extra paint white paint leftover, maybe Ill put another layer on the sides to help hide any of my primer brush marks. Should have used a roller... But, overall Im stoked! I did take a pic to show how easy you can see the patches of coat-it on the belly - it looks like drips/runs but its not lol.

Yesterday evening, while the first coat of paint dried, I fought off some skeeters and put lights on the trailer. Ran the wires but have not had time to connect them. Shouldnt take long to wrap that up when I get a chance. Will do that and other projects while the paint cures. Figure at least a few days and the weather will be warm and dry so thats good.

 

[Watermann]

Always nice to see one of these old gals sporting a new dress. Nice work and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the process, that makes it much more memorable.

 

[SHSU]

Very pretty!!! Will look even better once you get the blue painted as well.

Trailer lights look really good. One thing I wish I had taken into account was easier swap out. I used fairly cheap Amazon specials and had to replace one light twice. While not terrible with current setup, almost think doing some kind of connector would have been better then hard wired. Then again, my reliability side kicks in... Hardwire is less likely to fail then some connector.

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

Thanks @Watermann I agree her new dress looks nice. Actually a lot brighter than I expected and i like it.

Thanks @SHSU Im very happy with how it looks and stuck. The blue will definitely complete it, looks a little weird only half painted. At least the rest will all be done on the trailer.

Call me lucky but Ive had good luck with LED lights from the online jungle. They werent the cheapest but they are supposed to be and do look waterproof. On the old trailer the LEDs never had an issue going underwater and were very bright. I went with one company for all the lights on the new trailer so we will see how it turns out. I do put silicone on all my connectors to keep out water and help hold them together well. Worked for the last trailer... Put in an hour on it today but its still not done. Also got side tracked pulling the stern ratchet straps off the old trailer. New trailer will get holes drilled for their placement once the boats back on it.

 

[Moserkr]

Got the trailer wired this week, so its all set minus the axles. Will do some googling to get educated beyond just adding grease. Boat will be back on it saturday at the latest when my friend comes help flip it. Until then...

Ive ordered 90% of the remaining items to finish the project. Trying to work at break-neck speed for the next month to finish it. Two things I got came from our host here, iboats. The fuel filter/water separator and 10 yards of wise global white vinyl for the seats. Thank you to them for hosting this great site! Couldnt have done it without em or all you guys here. Im hoping the global white color matches my casting seat from wise. If it doesnt, at least I ordered enough to reupholster all the current seats too. But i will have mismatched seating for a little bit. Easy fix eventually.

One thing that hasnt made the cut due to the budget is tracks for my downriggers and fishing gear. That will be added onto the build as time/money permits.

Plan will be to finish up the core of the build in the next month that i need to do in order to get me splashed! Little things like extra electronics and the seats can be done as time permits. If I can get on the water again though to go fishing, Ill be stoked!!

 

[SHSU]

Can't wait for the splash and the christening of fish blood on your decks!!

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

@SHSU Just bought my fishing license halfway through the year lol. Cant wait either!!!

Buddy got off work training earlier than he thought so today turned into a boat day!! Enlisted the help of 2 neighbors so there was 4 of us here to flip the boat back over. Real easy, took 2 minutes. She is back on the trailer now!!! Also was able to sand down all the remaining putty. I have to redo a few spots but shes ready for the next steps. Trim, transom, floors n foam, gas tank support fab, consoles n SW, and then finish painting is whats next.

After that its gunnels, motor, and electronics which means i can almost feel the water... consoles and SW also go prepped today with a coat of black inside paint after being sanded smooth. I want the underside of those to disappear if anyone happens to looks into the abyss of the boat.

Went to HD today and got wood for the gunnels and mahogany wood for the consoles to match the original bow piece.
Im excited to work and it pushes me harder to finish. Cant wait for tomorrow!!

 

[Michigan Lakes]

Coming along fast now! Looks great on the redone trailer.

 

[Moserkr]

Thanks @Michigan Lakes ! Working hard whenever I can to get it done. Weathers nice enough to be on the water now...

 

[Moserkr]

Good news is I made some more progress today. Bad news is I found out I lost some paint getting the boat back up on the trailer. Ill get a pic tomorrow but its about a 6” x .5” scar. Oh well, will touch it up later. I hope the paint is actually sticking like it seems to be and that I just moved it too early.

Today i puttied some more holes that werent right, as well as a few more pitted spots on the transom. That required taking the wood off but thats ok - I got all new bolts, nuts, and washers to reinstall on her tomorrow.

Then I started putting the gas tank plan into action. Took measurements and cut a 26”x18” piece of AL as the rest for under the tank. The edges needed to be bent up to kind of sink lower into the ribs. I have 7/8” on each side of the tank that is bent up and will be my attachment points to the ribs. It sits directly between the 2 main stringers. I tried my best to use my HF bender but even with heat it was no match for a 26” long plate of 1/8” AL. Started to bend the bender... I wish I would have matched the thickness to the original AL used to build the boat. 1/8” is extremely overkill. Anyway, ended up using my body weight to brace it with an edge hanging off a 2x6, then hit it with a BFH for the bend. Its working and Ill finish it tomorrow. I try not to hammer too late at night in the neighborhood.

That was my afternoon/evening. Tomorrow will be a long day in the boat yard but could be a big day it all goes well.

 

[Moserkr]

Pic heavy lunch update. Fuel tank tray is in! Took a bit of modifying but the hammer worked. Put foam under it for support and floatation. It was strong enough without the foam with me standing on it so Im not worried about a gas tank bouncing on it. Mocking up where the gas tank tie downs will be, and then need to install the pieces of AL that hold the fuel tank in place. Glue down all the neoprene padding, add foam, and install the front floor!! Looks like I may be prepping for the rest of the paint sooner than I thought. Also included a pic of the paint damage. Back at it!

 

[SHSU]

Like the aluminum sheet flooring for the tank. Only concern is the foam support under it. Overtime and bouncing, wont it compress the foam thus creating less support? I am probably overthinking it since it wouldn't be a point load but that is how my mind thinks sometimes....

SHSU

 

[Watermann]

Like the aluminum sheet flooring for the tank. Only concern is the foam support under it. Overtime and bouncing, wont it compress the foam thus creating less support? I am probably overthinking it since it wouldn't be a point load but that is how my mind thinks sometimes....

SHSU

Maybe the flotation foam will give a little over time but the pressure is spread out well.

I put foam under my tank too but I added 2 cross supports of angle AL riveted in as SC originally used a 2x4 sitting in the center on the ribs that rotted out. I guess at least he won't have to worry about the foam rotting but an AL support would be a good idea.

 

[SHSU]

Figured I was over thinking it!!

lol

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

Thanks @Watermann and @SHSU . Concerns about the support are being considered.

I thought about putting in a center support but the foam seemed pretty stout. I will take a look again this morning before I put the floor on for good. Luckily I will have access to the area but it would be a pita to have to fix that if the foam compresses...

My original thought was that since it held me at 185lbs without foam and hardly moved, foam would be enough. I jumped on the foam and support to compress it before i put it in - its pretty snug. But over time that could change so Ill be out in a minute and take a look first thing.

Yesterday after lunch I added a support in the front for the small front triangle piece of the bow floor. Its only attached to one rib with 2 rivets but will have multiple cross members and floor attached to it. Had to cut a new piece for the tip of the bow and sealed a bunch of edges that were recut so i can install the floor today. Will also try to get to the transom and trim if I can install those too.

One issue with the new fuel tank location are my tie down points. The point towards the bow is solid - i can tie into the main floor beneath the casting deck. The tie down point between the consoles only leave me one option - the stringers. My consoles block me from tying it directly to the floor. Plan is to bolt down some d loops to the stringer and floor for the ratchet straps over the fuel tank. That puts ~60lbs of weight being held down without any bouncing directly to the stringers from half the fuel tank. Only good thing is there will be a lot of structure from the consoles and casting deck holding that area together.

 

[Moserkr]

Went out and bounced on the fuel tank support with my weight to simulate going over wakes. Although it held well, it did have the smallest amount of compression - maybe 1/16” inch movement. Over time, and considering its importance as structure and safety, i figured it was worth the few minutes to add support under it. Should have done it the first time... @Watermann and @SHSU thanks for being the voices of reason. Fuel tank tray is out again, and i cut 6 pieces of angle AL to be supports at each rib. 2 L’s attached together with 2 rivets to make a Z, plus 2 rivets attaching it to the rib, and 2 more rivets attaching it to the fuel tank tray. Lots of rivets... lucky I ordered a bunch. But peace of mind will be priceless. Here it is before it goes in with and without the foam cut to fit, and now fully installed with 3 rib supports. Not 100% sure the middle was attached well but at least the front and back supports definitely went in since i could manually check.

Time to get the d-rings bolted in and lay the floor down!

 

[Moserkr]

D-rings are in and a test fit of the ratchet strap on the fuel tank was done! I did add 1 more rivet to the stringers on each side of the 2 ribs near the fuel tank, so 12 rivets total instead of 6 for added strength. Everything has clearance and feels nice n tight. There will be a piece of neoprene under the ratchet so the metal does not touch the fuel tank. Im happy with it now and its time to put in the crossmembers and floor! Pictures are worth a thousand words and I talk a lot lol.