1984 Starcraft 16ft Glutton for Punishment [Splashed July 2019]

[SHSU]

I'd have to find it again. It was mentioned to use the cleats if possible as it provides better control. That said, I'd still prefer to reinforce the bow eye and cleats if possible.

When you look at the bow eye during your rebuild, I don't think there is much reinforcement that you can add to it that will increase its strength; other than increasing rivet size or something similar. As for the cleats, I have seen people put 1/8th aluminum plates behind the cleats to add strength; however, I don't think I have seen anyone reinforce the gunwales. I would be very interested in that.

My plan is to simply fill the old holes on gunwale. Float the top with JB weld and then put vinyl carpet over the top. Using a backing plate for the cleats, but nothing else.

Do you have any suggestions or ideas on how to beef up the gunwales?

 

[Watermann]

When I replaced rivets I didn't take the boat off the trailer, I just pulled it back to expose the rivets I couldn't get to or rolled it up on it's side.

 

[SHSU]

When I replaced rivets I didn't take the boat off the trailer, I just pulled it back to expose the rivets I couldn't get to or rolled it up on it's side.

Did you have to take the chines off? Will have to look at that again. Thought I needed to in order to get to all the rivets.

 

[Watermann]

Did you have to take the chines off? Will have to look at that again. Thought I needed to in order to get to all the rivets.

Just the center keel strip needed to come off and another forum member dozer II had done that prior to me buying the boat from him. They used rivets that were bad and too short to form a bucktail on the inside. The center strip was also full of salty sand. The outer chines were fine to stay put although I did replace a bunch of the rivets in them but no need to need to remove them from the boat. There aren't any rivets under the chines, their rivets do go through 3 layers where they cross the ribs..

 

[SHSU]

Just the center keel strip needed to come off and another forum member dozer II had done that prior to me buying the boat from him. They used rivets that were bad and too short to form a bucktail on the inside. The center strip was also full of salty sand. The outer chines were fine to stay put although I did replace a bunch of the rivets in them but no need to need to remove them from the boat. There aren't any rivets under the chines, their rivets do go through 3 layers where they cross the ribs..

Thanks, I looked at it again today and noticed what you said, but didn't take a look at the keel. I will have to take a look at that one. As for the length, I have 3/16 x 1/2 so it should be long enough. The couple we did near the bow they fit perfect so it should be good. Thanks for the heads up.

Read through several of Dozer's threads and surprised you would have had to replace any rivets from seeing some of the restores he did. LOL, but I guess we all have our off days

 

[Watermann]

Thanks, I looked at it again today and noticed what you said, but didn't take a look at the keel. I will have to take a look at that one. As for the length, I have 3/16 x 1/2 so it should be long enough. The couple we did near the bow they fit perfect so it should be good. Thanks for the heads up.

Read through several of Dozer's threads and surprised you would have had to replace any rivets from seeing some of the restores he did. LOL, but I guess we all have our off days

Yeah I worded that a but sloppy, dozer had pulled the center keel strip off and replaced all the rivets in it so I didn't have to worry about doing it. He did a great job and it was leak free when tested.

 

[SHSU]

Yeah I worded that a but sloppy, dozer had pulled the center keel strip off and replaced all the rivets in it so I didn't have to worry about doing it. He did a great job and it was leak free when tested.

Ah, that makes sense. I noticed similar with mine as well having minimal bucktails along the keel/three sheet areas. I guess Starcraft only used one length of rivets and didn't switch when the thickness increased.

 

[EchoNovember]

Looks like I'll be keeping an eye out for that issue, and replacing those rivets preemptively. Last thing I want is to crash into a wave or wake, have the hull flex, and pop a rivet or three.

Dumb question, what creates the watertight seal between the layers of aluminum at the joints?

 

[SHSU]

Looks like I'll be keeping an eye out for that issue, and replacing those rivets preemptively. Last thing I want is to crash into a wave or wake, have the hull flex, and pop a rivet or three.

Dumb question, what creates the watertight seal between the layers of aluminum at the joints?

Along the sides, Starcraft put a thin rubber gasket and the rivets drew it tight against it. Plus the rivets expand in the holes, when properly installed, to create a seal there. For the bow area, they used a lot of epoxy (Similiar to gulvit/coat it). The strake/keel only have holes where they are attached to the hull. So the water tight seal of the rivet should handle that, but we wouldn't have to replace them if they weren't perfect.

 

[SHSU]

When I replaced rivets I didn't take the boat off the trailer, I just pulled it back to expose the rivets I couldn't get to or rolled it up on it's side.

So after looking at it again and again and again and mulling it over, I decided I would take the boat off the trailer to do these last rivets. Because of the placement of my bunks and their widths (5 1/2) I can't get to all of them in a way that would allow me to properly buck them. Thus we didn't do any riveting this weekend and went shopping instead.

With Gander Mountain going out of business, the admiral and I decided to swing by and see if they had anything worth while. Lets just say we walked out with about $2,000 worth of stuff for about $750. We spent about 3-4 hours scrounging through everything. Spent a lot of time on my phone checking prices online to make sure the deals were really as good as they looked. I am going back sometime this week to see what else I might scrounge up.

 

[EchoNovember]

So after looking at it again and again and again and mulling it over, I decided I would take the boat off the trailer to do these last rivets. Because of the placement of my bunks and their widths (5 1/2) I can't get to all of them in a way that would allow me to properly buck them. Thus we didn't do any riveting this weekend and went shopping instead.

With Gander Mountain going out of business, the admiral and I decided to swing by and see if they had anything worth while. Lets just say we walked out with about $2,000 worth of stuff for about $750. We spent about 3-4 hours scrounging through everything. Spent a lot of time on my phone checking prices online to make sure the deals were really as good as they looked. I am going back sometime this week to see what else I might scrounge up.

I picked up a few wristwatch castable fishfinders. The Humminbird Smartcast RF35. Normally $80-$90, I snagged three at $48/ea. The castable transducer is a sealed unit, and replacements are $40/ea, so I saw it as getting replacements with extra watches (which have replaceable batteries) for $8 instead of $40. Since it broadcasts one of two channels, and doesn't pair, the admiral, myself, and our first mate can all wear one to see what the single transducer is seeing if we wanted to.

Gonna go back and see about getting boat safety gear, too. Grabbed a rope throwbag for $10. Want to get an airhorn and other stuff as well. Spent too much on fishing gear already... Gotta try to get stuff for the boat or the range.

 

[SHSU]

I picked up a few wristwatch castable fishfinders. The Humminbird Smartcast RF35. Normally $80-$90, I snagged three at $48/ea. The castable transducer is a sealed unit, and replacements are $40/ea, so I saw it as getting replacements with extra watches (which have replaceable batteries) for $8 instead of $40. Since it broadcasts one of two channels, and doesn't pair, the admiral, myself, and our first mate can all wear one to see what the single transducer is seeing if we wanted to.

Gonna go back and see about getting boat safety gear, too. Grabbed a rope throwbag for $10. Want to get an airhorn and other stuff as well. Spent too much on fishing gear already... Gotta try to get stuff for the boat or the range.

Ya, we got a lot of boat stuff. I will take a pic to post up. I can't believe some of the stuff we got at the prices we got. Was one of those, I can pay this now or pay a lot more later. :decision: No brainer

 

[EchoNovember]

Yeah, I do regret not buying some of the things I saw on sale last time I was there. Especially the safety/emergency items.

 

[82rude]

Im just starting to tear into my 76 ss160 and do the gluvit routine and a new floor.Just want to get a couple of years more out of it then a brand new alumacraft 165 classic might be in the offing.I dont have the room or a garage big enough but im curious if anybody has ever thought of just flipping the old girls upside down and aluminum welding every rivet ?Good job so far guys you have more patience than me i have to admit.Sorry i have not read all the posts yet but what do you think of 3/4 in ply for flooring?

 

[ezmobee]

what do you think of 3/4 in ply for flooring?

I used 3/4" in both my Jupiter and SS restores. I really like how solid it is.

 

[SHSU]

Im just starting to tear into my 76 ss160 and do the gluvit routine and a new floor.Just want to get a couple of years more out of it then a brand new alumacraft 165 classic might be in the offing.I dont have the room or a garage big enough but im curious if anybody has ever thought of just flipping the old girls upside down and aluminum welding every rivet ?Good job so far guys you have more patience than me i have to admit.Sorry i have not read all the posts yet but what do you think of 3/4 in ply for flooring?

Welcome aboard

On your Aluminum welding question, I was talking with a welder about doing that. He suggested not to do it. These boats were designed to be riveted, not welded. So switching the fastening mechanism isn't ideal.

As for the deck, I am still mulling that one over. I have seen people use 1/2 and others use 3/4. I am a big boy, so will probably go with the 3/4 unless I decide to provide some form of bracing underneath to support my weight... As EZ stated, he went with 3/4. If you read his threads he had to account for the extra 1/4 when reinstalling everything. Not a big deal if you remember that from the get go and plan for it.

 

[SHSU]

Yeah, I do regret not buying some of the things I saw on sale last time I was there. Especially the safety/emergency items.

I went back last night and snagged some more stuff. Still debating on getting a stainless steel kicker bracket. They are offering a panther kicker stainless steel 550020 for $140. I just don't know if I would buy a kicker... But seems like almost to good of a deal to pass up. They also have the 550010 for like $50-70. So decisions decisions....

What do ya'll think?

 

[SHSU]

So I reached out to the guys at Fasco about Steel Flex as I am now heavily leaning towards using it for everything on my boat. Figured I would share their response to some of my questions about their products.

For Reference:

Fasco 9XN: Neutral Steel Flex (Add Color to)
Fasco 9XS: Super Steel flex
Fasco 9XW: White Steel Flex
Fasco 9XN 2000: Neutral Steel Flex with Teflon (For supper slick bottom)


__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________
How does 9XS compare to Gulvit?
9xs Has extra chemical resistance

[FONT=&quot]Can I use 9XS like I would Gulvit? Inside and outside?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Yes[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Do you recommend a primer or do I need a primer?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]No primer needed just good preperation of surface.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Can I apply 9XN 2000 over 9XS? If so, what kind of preparation would I have to do? Do you have application instructions for creating the best bond? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Use steelflex White or Neutrasl instead if your gonna coat over it anyways[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]How many coats would I need to properly cover my structure? Looking to do a white bottom coat and then a blue side hull color.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2 Thin coats , second coat put on while first coat is tacky[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Can this product be used to seal wood? Transom/Floor Is it recommended for this application?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To seal anything basically, Just wont stick to plastics. I used 9x2000 on my lawnmower grass no longer sticks to it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]How much product of each should i purchase? 9XS and 9XN 2000[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]They both do between 100 and 120 square foot[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What is shelf life of product?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Will be years, only thing is if its sits a long time you will want to mix each part seperatly before combining the 2 parts.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]9xN or 9XW would be better to coat first before 9xn2000[/FONT]

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

I followed that up with a question about the difference between 9XS vs 9XW/N.

[FONT=&quot]Fasco response: The 9XS is chemical resistant, whereas, the 9XW/N are not.[/FONT]

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

My follow up and their question based on the above question and answer:

[FONT=&quot]So is 9XW/N comparable to Gulvit or should I still look at 9XS for the interior? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Yes, the 9XW/N is comparable to Gluvit. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What kind of chemical resistance are we talking about (Fuel, Saltwater, etc...)? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]All chemicals without the additive for fuel.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]What kind of application would I use 9XS over 9XW/N in a boating application?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You will use the 9XS with tanks or anything else you want chemical resistance. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have read people people saying that Steel Flex will chip over time. I am keeping in mind these are flat bottom air boats so I wouldn't be going over anything like they do, but want to validate that it wont chip off through normal wear and tear. I do expect over time wear to occur where it will meet the boat bunks and keel support. With that being said, will steel flex "Flex/move" with the hull when in use? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]If you put the superslick on too thick, it will chip away. Normal wear and tear, the superslick should not chip away as long as preparation is done correctly. As long as the coating is thin, then it will flex/move with the hull. [/FONT]

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________

So that's all the info I got from Fasco. I am very encouraged from their response and timeliness in getting back with me. I feel pretty confident I will be moving forward with this product.

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Updated Questions and Color Chart

Can Fasco be thinned for rolling application?
[FONT=&quot]You can thin the 9XN with 5% Xylene if you like

Color Chart for Fasco Steel Flex pigment:[/FONT]


Max amount of pigment per gallon:
[FONT=&quot]Do not to use more then 6 oz per gallon.

Instructions on pigment and epoxy containers. (I know the pigment bottle says you can do 8oz and fasco rep says only do 6oz per gallon. I don't know why they are different)

[/FONT]

 

[EchoNovember]

I went back last night and snagged some more stuff. Still debating on getting a stainless steel kicker bracket. They are offering a panther kicker stainless steel 550020 for $140. I just don't know if I would buy a kicker... But seems like almost to good of a deal to pass up. They also have the 550010 for like $50-70. So decisions decisions....

What do ya'll think?

I thought our splaswells were wide enough to accommodate a kicker. I was planning on getting one and mounting it all the way to the side and calling it good. That was before I realized our trolling motor was overpowered, though.

 

[SHSU]

I thought our splaswells were wide enough to accommodate a kicker. I was planning on getting one and mounting it all the way to the side and calling it good. That was before I realized our trolling motor was overpowered, though.

Ya, but like you said you will be in a lake where at least you have some land. I don't plan on going offshore, but will defiantly be going a ways from the ramp. A trolling motor wont cut it for me to get back if it comes down to that. LOL. Maybe some oar locks and me standing up front with admiral and first mate rowing.....