1979 Starcraft Fishmaster 18 restoration

[jbcurt00]

YB, please.remember iboats is an online retailer and dont post competitors

 

[Watermann]

What did the inner side of the transom skin look like? Most of these boats have corrosion, in fact I've not seen any that didn't have pitting that needed repaired after the corrosion is removed. It's almost impossible to do a good cleaning job with the splashwell still in the boat.

 

[ezmobee]

Dang I woulda killed for those flip down seats when I was doing the stern seating in my SS.

 

[ybstuk]

What did the inner side of the transom skin look like? Most of these boats have corrosion, in fact I've not seen any that didn't have pitting that needed repaired after the corrosion is removed. It's almost impossible to do a good cleaning job with the splashwell still in the boat.

It looks pretty decent IMO. It's got some white corrosion, but nothing that looks like it's penetrated or compromised the thickness of the transom skin. I'm going to clean it up somehow - perhaps wiping it down with some chemical to get most of the corrosion off - but it's not a lot. I'll try to post a pic when I can.

 

[ybstuk]

Dang I woulda killed for those flip down seats when I was doing the stern seating in my SS.

I definitely got lucky stumbling on these... same color combo that I'm planning and everything...

 

[Watermann]

Seeing all the dark black soggy rotten wood you had there will probably be more corrosion and pitting than you think. After cleaning it's a good idea to fill the pitting, prime and paint the inner skin to keep it from happening again.

The transom cap, yours doesn't look like it's all that bad to me, just maybe where the motor sat, is it cracked or broken? There are a couple options out there for creating a new cap but I'll have to dig around to find the threads.

 

[ybstuk]

Seeing all the dark black soggy rotten wood you had there will probably be more corrosion and pitting than you think. After cleaning it's a good idea to fill the pitting, prime and paint the inner skin to keep it from happening again.

The transom cap, yours doesn't look like it's all that bad to me, just maybe where the motor sat, is it cracked or broken? There are a couple options out there for creating a new cap but I'll have to dig around to find the threads.

I'll clean it up and take a much closer look before calling it good. Painting it is a great idea, so it doesnt happen again, or get any worse.

The transom cap broke right at the motor, from the flexing transom, so it's in three pieces, and not very pretty. I'm hoping to get a nice one-piece replacement to put back on. I've got some time, so I'm looking for the best cost-effective option. Appreciate any information you happen to find, thank you!

 

[Watermann]

My SS had no black rotten soggy wood in it, it was all dry rot and this is what my transom looked like after I cleaned that white corrosion off and before I filled the pitting.

 

[ybstuk]

My SS had no black rotten soggy wood in it, it was all dry rot and this is what my transom looked like after I cleaned that white corrosion off and before I filled the pitting.

What did you use to clean the white corrosion off? I don't think I can get any tools in there (wire wheel, etc.) Thus, I'm looking at cleaning it with some sort of chemical/cleaner...

 

[Watermann]

Here is one of the members transom cap fab jobs.
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...epair/604786-fm161-1985?p=6319129#post6319129

 

[ezmobee]

For your transom cap you could keep the curved parts and just overlay or replace the straight portion with some aluminum angle. 5200 all the overlaps and seams.

 

[Watermann]

What did you use to clean the white corrosion off? I don't think I can get any tools in there (wire wheel, etc.) Thus, I'm looking at cleaning it with some sort of chemical/cleaner...

Remove the splashwell, most of us have. Many times when the boat has been used with a rotten transom not just the splashwell cracks but the knee brace as well so inspect it closely.

I used a fine wire wheel on a large drill with a side handle and cleaning vinegar to remove corrosion. Corrosion is alkaline and the acid helps to neutralize it. Some guys have used POR15 metal prep too.

 

[ybstuk]

Remove the splashwell, most of us have. Many times when the boat has been used with a rotten transom not just the splashwell cracks but the knee brace as well so inspect it closely.

I used a fine wire wheel on a large drill with a side handle and cleaning vinegar to remove corrosion. Corrosion is alkaline and the acid helps to neutralize it. Some guys have used POR15 metal prep too.

Thank you - I'll check that out and see if that's the route I want to go. The knee brace has broken. Of the 6 bolts that hold to the transom, the top 2 broke away from the knee brace. Thus the reason I went with the 4.5mm stainless on the inside of the transom, as i'm going to tie it to the knee brace with the 4 remaining holes, as well as some other support to tie the top two holes to the knee brace as well (angle iron?).

I do have some POR15 metal prep from a previous job - perhaps i'll give that a try.

 

[Watermann]

Angle AL (no iron) will work fine to repair the knee brace although working under a splashwell makes it much harder than with it out of the boat.

 

[slack57]

what do you fill the pitted spots with ?

 

[Watermann]

what do you fill the pitted spots with ?

I prefer Marine Tex epoxy but some guys use JB weld and apply it with a bondo spreader. It helps to have the surface and epoxy warm. Once cured sand smooth.

 

[Woodonglass]

There's also another product called PC-11. It's practically the same as Marine Tex. Sold in most Ace Hardware stores.

 

[ybstuk]

Watermann - I cleaned the inner transom skin last night. I do have some pitting from the corrosion. After I paint the exterior, I will flip it back over, and fill the pitted areas, and apply a coat of primer & paint to protect it in the future. Thank you for the heads up.

I did a leak test and only found one additional leak. And I'm not sure how to fix it yet. It's coming from the front keel piece. (where the algae is in the pic below) It could be any of those rivets, but it's hard to tell.. May have to clean it all up really good, and seal it with something rather than fix a rivet or two...

 

[Watermann]

Keel plates often leak on these boats as they take a lot of abuse over the years being they are the first thing to hit shore when landing the boat. It's also where 3 pieces join and there should be a sealer on the inside. On my boats I cleaned up the keel seam well and got rid of what ever loose non-functioning sealer was there. There will be some brown ugly looking stuff that SC used on the seams. If that stuff is tight and not coming off then don't mess with it, clean well and apply gluvit epoxy over it. My SS got a nice healthy dose of gluvit in the keel seam as did the Chief and SN. No leaks.

 

[ybstuk]

Yep - the inside of that seam is covered in the "brown ugly stuff". It looks tight, but I'll have to inspect it closer. I have heard good things about gluvit.