1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

[sschefer]

I bought this boat for 2500.00 from my brother after he decided it was too much work to fix it. He bought it off Craigs list from a guy who said he ran it into a rock at Clear Lake, CA. There's some goofy stuff about this boat that makes me wonder if it wasn't an insurance total and sold at auction at some point.

There's a 8" gash in the bow that stops about 6" from the gas tank. I know welders that fix it whithout tearing everything out but there are other dents and dings in the bottom also. I figured I'd give the welders a break and pull the gas tank out.

In order to do that you have to pull out both consoles and half the deck so I figured what the heck, if I was going to go that far I might as will just fix everything.

I was so proud of myself, the sawzall was sitting right there and I never used it once. That is definitly a first for me. I love sawzalls!

I was suprised to find the inconsistencies in the craftsmanship. Somethings were first class and others were just bad design and shody assembly.

The pics are before, as of today and the gash.

FYI - The Monark is a Star Craft. In Canada there is a website saying that the MonArk is now called the Legend. The Star Craft website say's they still make MonArk. I don't really care cuz when I'm done it's going to be called "paid for" or "all mine", (haven't made up my mind yet).

 

[Stoutcat]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Hi Sschefer!

Not exactly sure what your concerns are, but here are some thoughts anyway...

* As for the history, as long as you have valid paperwork, I'd let that pass.

* As you probably know, welding aluminum is tricky stuff. Be sure you find someone who's good.

* Good idea on fixing everything. If you've got the time and resources, go for it!

* Congrats on the Sawzall restraint... For major renovation, I tend to think of that as the "Almost Tool of Last Resort" preceded only by the "Absolute Tool of Last Resort" - the chainsaw.

* I was looking at the foam... Is it dry?

* Where the boat hit a rock - how are the stringers and wiring? OK? Any chance that the boat sunk or took on significant water?

* You mentioned a difference in the quality of the components... Is there a chance that some of the boat has been hobbled back together?

* I (we) used to own an 18' Starcraft, and now we own a 1957 14' SC... Excellent boats.

Keep us updated...

Alan and Suzie

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

1. I'm not really all that concerned about the history - I have good paperwork.
2. Aluminum Welding - The boat is going to Jetstream in Yuba City, Ca. They are the best in my area.
3. Fixing the quality problems - There was definitely some evidence of poor owner repairs but the problems were factory induced. I tend to overbuild in anticipation of the worst. Structurally, the hull is built like a tank, the trim is where it all falls apart (so to speak).
4. The foam - That's factory, it is dry, the stringers are straight and the water mark on the bilge is normal. No evidence of a sinking or any large amount of water. The wiring has been hacked in several places. It's all getting replaced.

This boat will have a new life when I get done with it. It will be a lot of work and I have a backup for opening day just in case.

Thanks for the comments -

Steve

 

[fixb52s]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Looks like you are on your way to a nice boat. That gash doesn't look bad. A good welder should fix that up just fine and it sounds like you found a good one.

Aluminum boats are a heck of a lot easier to fix than a glass one. As long as the shell is good and the stringers are straight like you said, it should be very straight forward. I doubt it was sunk but I am sure it took some water with that gash. As long as everything is dry when you reassemble it, you should be using it for years.

As for the poor craftmanship, this could come from the different materials and building areas of the boat. One line might build the hull where another one does the rest. The hull, the most important, is what really counts. Like you said, you can replace the bad stuff and really have a solid boat.

Keep us updated on this because it is a nice break from all the glass rebuilds.​

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Thanks for the coments and encouragement fixB52's.

 

[Stoutcat]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Sschefer,

Sounds like you've got a superb boat there!

Enjoy,

Alan

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS - Update

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS - Update

The holiday weekend was fairly productive. I have the rail and bow caps off and 99% of the pour in foam removed as well as all the wiring and controls. The motor should come off this week when the lifting ring I ordered gets here.

I took the precaution of blocking up the motor from the bottom before I removed the rail tops and bow cap. It was a good choice. Once those were removed there was very, very little structural integrity left in the boat.

This weeks goal is to get the motor off, pull the splash well and pull the transom board. The transom board is in good shape but it's 18 years old so as long as I have it down this far it would be dumb to not replace it. I sure don't want to find some dryrot gremlin lurking then when I hang the 475lb F150 Yammie off it this spring.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Update: The motor came off two weekends ago. Once I got the Merc lift ring the rest was easy. I built a rolling stand for the motor that worked out great. I hooked the 2 ton engine host to it and lifted it straight off the boat, rolled it over to the stand, bolted it up and rolled the 100hp Mariner to the back of the shop, (the F-150 Yamaha is being delivered the second week of January). I then pulled out the splash well and transom board.

The Transom board was in three pieces. It was done that way to get the most out of a single sheet of plywood. I got two sheets of 3/4 Super Ply and made a new one that's all one piece except for the fact that it's two sheets laminated together. I also used resin glue to glue it up and gave it a good coat of GluVit. The extra Super Ply won't go to waste since I'll be using it to reinforce the rail caps. I'll be hanging down riggers off them and this will give it plenty of extra strength. As a side note, a down rigger is like pulling a water skier for a really long ride. Stock rail caps on all but boats designed for them won't hold up. I've seen them ripped out when a ball gets hung up on a rock. By the way, I used Super Ply because of the addtional weight of the new motor. Super Ply has no voids and is glued up with resin glue that's fully waterproof. Roseburg lumber makes it and you have to special order it. Yes, it's expensive but a lot less expensive than having a motor pulled up off the bottom of a lake.

When I pulled the old transom out, the stringers took on a bow that I was a bit concerned about but since it's an OB I didn't let it bother me too much. I sanded off all the oxidation and minor corrosion on the inside of the aluminum portion of the transom and cleaned up all the riveted seams in the area. Then I patched all the holes from transducers and what not that had been mounted and dismounted over the years. There were also two aluminum pieces that were acting as trim tabs that hung off either side of the transom. Those went to scrap and the holes were filled. Those will be replaced with hydraulic trim tabs.

Once all the holes were filled with Marine Tex and it had hardened, I heavily coated all the riveted seams and patching in the transom area and the entire new Transom with GluVit.

Last night I put the new transom in, pulled the sides together about halfway up the length of the hull with a ratchet strap and got a couple of preliminary bolts in. When I took the strap off the stringers were straight again. That made me happy!

The next step is to get the splash well cleaned up and prep'd for paint and then get it back in so I can put the re-inforced rail caps back on. Once that is done it will be off the welder to get the gash in the bow sewed up.

Check back often if this interests you. This is a first class rebuild, I'm not skimping even though the boats dollar value will probably be less than the eventual cost. I'm not posting a lot of pics right now. Later, I'll put them up on one of my web servers (yep, I'm an IT guy) and post a link to them.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Update: Past couple of weeks have been productive. I finally got my Truss Head Machine screws. If you need these you can order them from Fastnal and have them overnighted to your local store and they will deliver them to your house.

The transom is completely in as well as the splash deck and rail caps all the way up to the bow plate. I ordered a 21' x 8' roll of Cabela's premier marine carpet (gray). It was half the price of the Redrum at West Marine so I'm a little skeptical. It will be here on the 6th and if it's not up to par it will go back.

Things to note: When the rail caps are off the boat is really weak but once they are back on the whole boat becomes a cohesive piece (more or less) and is very sturdy. Replacing the 1/8" rivets with 3/16" rivets seems to have tightend it up like I want. Also replacing many of the rivets in areas such as the transom knees and the splash well with 1/4 and 3/16 truss head machine screws and nylon insert lock nuts seems to have helped. I also used a rubber membrane that's used in roofing in between all of the fastened joints and this not only creates a water barrier but also snugged up any "loose fits" that were present before.

Next step: Setup an appointement with Phil at Jetstream in Yuba City and have the hull gash repaired. While this boat is out of the shop I'll pull my 14' in and finish it. I gotta have at least one fish interceptor ready for spring. Going Steelhead fishing this weekend!

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Well, the boats been up in Yuba City for 3 weeks now and will be ready next week. I got the almost final bill today, $550.00. I'm extremely happy with that number considering the extent of the damage and the amount of work involved.

I've got all my carpet, lino and vinyl now as well as all my Interlux Paint. The paint scheme is the same as the new Starcraft aluminum boats that can be seen on Starcrafts new website. Starcraft say's I can get the new graphics if I want them.

Ordered the new SeaStar Pro Hydraulic Steering, the CMS PL-65 with guages, Smart Tabs and a pneumatic staple gun with stainless steel staples. I wanted a new Senco stapler but ended up with a Fasco because stainless steel Senco staples are hard to find and the Fasco uses a type 50 staple. In a worst case scenario, I can get galvinized from Home Depot.

After yet another in-store issue with West Marine where they've restocked a defective return, I've started ordering everything possible online. I still order through either West Marine, Cabela's, Bass Pro or Overtons but I'm sick and tired of buying off the shelf only to find that I'm not the first person to have to return it.

To date, I'm sitting at around $5000.00 for this project. The rest of the things I need should bump that up by about $2000.00 and I have about $3000.00 worth of stuff that I already had. I expect that by the time I'm done I'll have the equivelant of a brand new boat 25,000.00 boat for around $10,000.00. If I count the new engine that will double but that was optional so I can't really throw that in as a cost to float my boat.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Latest update:
Got a call this afternoon from Phil Taylor at Jetstream Concepts and he say's the hull repair is done and looks great. I'll go get it tomorrow.

I've ordered and received almost everthing I need now. I got the Teleflex SeaStarPro steering and the CMC PL65 Jack Plate in yesterday. I couldn't wait so I mounted the hydraulic ram on the motor. It's a perfect fit!

Some of you might wonder why I went with steering and jack plate that are rated up to 350 hp when I only have 150hp motor. For the Jack Plate it was that it is less prone to binding and fully hydraulic. For the steering it was a positive 5 turns lock to lock on the SeaStarPro that is supposed to eliminate that nagging 1" lag (slop) and the low speed drift. And finally, because they are portable and I can move them to my next boat if I want. It won't matter what size motor it has on it, it will still fit.

There's something about shelling out 2 grand and getting packages that make the FedEx driver grunt bringing them down the driveway. Make's you feel like you actually got something for your money.

Once I get the boat back, I'll flip it over and start prepping it for paint. Picture documentation will begin now so you can all see my mistakes and perhaps not make them yoursleves.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

What a nice boat!! More pictures please!

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

What a nice boat!! More pictures please!

Picture taking begins tomorrow. I decided not to bore you all with the transom rebuild. There's enough of those on here now. It was by the book so to speak. 2 pieces of 3/4" Super Ply laminated together the coated with a thinned coat of GluVit for saturation an a final full thickness coat to seal it up.

That was something that I tested on some scrap first then held it under water with a lead weight at the bottom of my pool for a week. When I took it out and cut it open I found no detectable moisture. I figured that if it could be submerged in 9 feet of water for a week and still be tight it would be O.K. on my transom. Time will tell. LOL.. In any case it was tons better than the 6 piece transom that was in there from the factory and that wasn't in bad shape at all.

I should get some pictures of the repairs up tomorrow night after I get back from my little 300 mile journey to go get it.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Pic's are wanted so pic's you shall have.

This first shot is the night I got her home for the first time.

Here's the damage... Yikes, I almost said no way..

I started tearing into it hoping I could get to the gash without tearing everything out. Then I found the wet deck.

So, the end result was to rip everything out..

Getting the engine off was easy once I got the Merc Lifting ring and a 2 ton hoist.

When I ripped out the transom it was in three pieces. I guess that's the way it works out if you use just one sheet of plywood. That's a total of 6 pieces in all. I used two sheets of 3/4 Super Ply and it's now just two pieces with a sheet of Carbon fiber in between. The outside is coated with one thinned coat of GluVit and a second full weight coat. The clamps are holding it down tight while I bolt it back in.

See next post for more pics...

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

The hull on these boats is hardened aluminum. I attempted to fix it myself but got scared I was going to crack it. I ended up taking it to Jetstream Concepts in Yuba City, CA and let Phil Taylor work his magic. This is a picture before Phil got it.

And now after.

The first order of the day was to clean up all that old glue and gunk left behind after ripping out the carpet. I used MEK to clean it up.
Here it is before MEK..

And here it is after... Is there any doubt that this is the magic ticket. It took me 1 gal of MEK, 12 terry cloth rags and 4 hours of wipe on and wipe off.

After this I hit all the seams and rivets with a good dose of Gluvit. Here's a trick to remember -- If you want to use a product like Gluvit and the temperature is a liitle on the low side then take a couple of cheap electric heaters and put them under your boat. Aluminum is a fantastic dissapater of heat so in no time your entire hull will be warm at toasty.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Wow, great work thus far.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Wow, great work thus far.

Nice job ! Hope mine turns out that well.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Thanks. This will be our 5th season with it and we've gotten quite a lot of use out of it. Yours is really the layout I'd prefer and someday I'll move up but for now I'm just glad to have a boat. Keep up the good work.

 

[Russdog]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Great job! I'm at the beginning stages of a similar project (hopefully floor and transom only, see my thread 2/14) that I'll hope to share with the group. A couple questions:

How do you get the rail and bow caps off, I'd like to repalace all carpet.
Do you tie in the floor to the side rails, I read alot on fiberglassing them, is this applicable for aluminum boats?
If I need to take the transom out should I clamp the sides together first in order to maintain it's form?
What resin should I use to coat the floors?
How do you tie together floor pieces (when it's too large for a single 4x8)?
I'd like to refrain from tearing out/replacing the consol, windows, glove box, stero, any suggestions?
Would you mind me shooting you questions as they arise via private messages?

I'm hoping for a spring completion, we'll see.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Q. How do you get the rail and bow caps off?

A. First take off the nose and transom corner guards. Next slide out the rubber rub rail inserts. Next locate the 1-1/2 stainlless machine screws tha hold the rub rail to the permanent gunwale rail and take them out. You'll have to drill out the ones with stripped heads. Make sure you hold the nut up under on the inside of the gunwale rail. Remove the rub rail. Don't remove the sheet aluminum rail caps unless you are prepared to perform a hull alignment. Odds are good that your boat will go out of whack when you remove them. Mine did but I knew it would so I was prepared to deal with it. I made up a laser jig with 3 lasers setup in an isosceles triangle and just moved it along as I went. If the triangle kept its form (all three corners touch) then I was good. If not, I pulled, pushed, clamped and wiggled until it was back in. You only have to do that with the first half of the rails from the transom forward. The bow section has a much better foundation and will hold it's own.


Q. Do you tie in the floor to the side rails?

A. More or less, they are tied in at the stringers and gussets which ties them into the side. You don't need to tie into the top rail, the rail caps do that for you.


Q. I read alot on fiberglassing them, is this applicable for aluminum boats?

A. If you run in Salt or Brackish water then I would but you don't need glass just a polyester resin. Mine is a freshwater boat so 2 coats of Spar Varnish which is a 1 part polyurethane resin is what I prefer.


Q. If I need to take the transom out should I clamp the sides together first in order to maintain it's form?

A. No, the aluminium skin will do that for you. If you clamp it, you might bow the transom skin and when you bolt it in the bow will be permanent. But this means you will be removing the rail caps so when you put them back on, use a string line down the center of the boat and do both sides at the same time working from side to side and stern to bow. Drill new holes if the old ones don't line up exactly where they should.


Q. What resin should I use to coat the floors?

A. 2 part polyester. Or 1 part polyurethane (Spar Varnish)

Q. How do you tie together floor pieces (when it's too large for a single 4x8)?

A. Looking at the grain of the wood, the decking is laid in from side to side not fore and aft. Use 2" .020 inch aluminum underneath the edges to tie the pieces together. I'll have pic's of this soon.

Q. I'd like to refrain from tearing out/replacing the consol, windows, glove box, stero, any suggestions?

A. You can't replace the deck properly without removing the consoles.


Q. Would you mind me shooting you questions as they arise via private messages?

A. Yes and No, if I send them as a PM and someone else needs the same answers I'd have to do this all over again and it defeats the purpose of this forum.

Hope this helps you.