66' starcraft sportsman

[Green Bananas]

I just purchased a 1966 StarCraft sportsman 16 foot. It has a 35 hp Mercury engine with tilt and trim. This is my first boat and my father and I are hoping to restore/rebuild it. Having no idea where to start I was thrilled when I found the iboats website as it has a ton of information. I have reviewed a lot of the previous threads regarding rebuilds and restores. I am currently in the demolition phase and am removing the old rotten plywood floor. One of my first questions is I noticed that there are no other StarCraft Sportsmens rebuilds on this website. Is there a reason for that? Was it just not a popular boat? Is there some inherent problem with this boat and maybe rebuilding it is the wrong idea. Anyone have any thoughts on why there are not more sportsman rebuilds from this particular boat model?

I have found very little information on what this boat originally look like other then two sport craft ads from 1966 that I found on eBay. Based on this old ad's picture, I was very surprised to find out that my boat has nearly all of the original stuff except for the bow railing has been changed to accommodate a trolling motor.

Does anyone have any general thoughts about this particular boat model?

I am sure I will have many specific restoration questions as time goes on. For now I am currently just doing a demo and that is pretty self-explanatory.
It does look like the boat have been probably restored once in the past. There is white Styrofoam underneath the plywood deck. I believe Styrofoam is considered a closed cell phone. Is that accurate?. If so then I can simply reuse it if it is in good shape.

That's all for now. Thanks In advance for any of your answers.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Hello and welcome to the Iboats Dry Dock, Tin Division, Green Bananas...
Don't you worry yourself none about not finding any boats like yours right off...
You are about to be welcomed into a very exclusive club known as the Starmada by a bunch of tin folk that will gladly and completely have your back when it comes to the restoration of your fine craft...
Me, I'm just a closet tinner for now, so I can only cheer you on your journey.
Best of luck and have fun!
GT1M

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

It does look like the boat have been probably restored once in the past. There is white Styrofoam underneath the plywood deck. I believe Styrofoam is considered a closed cell phone. Is that accurate?. If so then I can simply reuse it if it is in good shape.

That's all for now. Thanks In advance for any of your answers.

Gotta love auto-correct.....
Not closed cell foam, but if it's dry & in good shape you could re-use it. There are better alternatives that are closed cell that won't become waterlogged if exposed to water. Styrofoam will absorb water. The pink/blue/green rigid insulation sheets available from HD/Lowes are often used.

Post up some pix of what you're working on. Didn't see any pix of the Sportsman in the SC brochure for 1966 either

Lots of good tin boat building info in the Starcraft Owner's group forum

Welcome to iboats dry dock, tin division......

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Looks like it's rated for up to a 60HP motor, but if the 35Merc w/ T&T gets you where you want to go, keep using it:

And w/ a 81" beam, it should be a really stable platform.

Looks like an early center-console type fishing rig:

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Almost all aluminum boats are worth restoring, because they're easy to work on and cheaper to work on than f'glass boats. If your boat doesn't have huge gaping holes or dents in it it's probably worth it.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Welcome to iboats. I like the proto-center console set up in the brochure, funky.

 

[Brenn]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

congrats on your boat,would love to see pics of it

 

[bigmcgiv]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

congrats on your boat,would love to see pics of it

so would i. i wonder if you can make a smoke plexiglass around the console as a windsheld kia make i like a old view finder.lol

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Just because there isn't a lot of info on the internet about your boat doesn't mean it isn't a good boat, it may just mean it's a rare boat and may be more desireable than you realize.

 

[Green Bananas]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Thanks to everyone for the quick replies and the welcome to the forum.
I took a number of photos today and will post them when I can figure out how to do it.
The old ad you posted with the boat pic is the only thing I could find on the net. Amazing how much original stuff (console, floor, front storage compartment) was still in this old boat!

Today we gutted the inside and it cleaned up pretty good with initial scrub out. An initial leak test showed two small leaks. One at the bow keel and another at the stern bottom seem just a little to the port side. We did not fill the boat up past all the bottom seams as the ones on the port and starboard side were only partially covered with water. I was concerned about having too much water weight inside the boat and causing damage. In either case, I was very happy with only finding 2 small leaks so far.

Couple of quick thoughts followed by a lot of questions. Please excuse the length of this post but since I am new to all of this and just starting I have a ton on my mind.

My dad and I believe the floor we removed was the original floor with original Styrofoam underneath. Considering it?s 47 y/o age that is pretty impressive to say the least. Floor was shot but Styrofoam was in pretty good shape. I thought Styrofoam might be closed cell but one of your replies was spot on. I submerged a 12 gram piece of Styrofoam overnight and when I weighed it in the morning it had doubled it?s weight even after wiping the outside off.
My goal with the boat is to make a nice fishing boat that can double for taking the family around a lake. I think this boat will serve that purpose very well. Not looking for top speeds, but maybe I will want to get a bigger engine down the road. Being my first boat I think any decent speed will feel pretty fast.

One of my first questions is do I keep the original set up for the sake of ?restoration? or do I just make the boat what I want it to be. For example, the original set up had a small storage area in the bow. If I ditch that, then I have much more room up front for a pedestal fishing seat. I?d like to have a seat in the front and the back. Secondly, do I keep the console in it?s prior fairly forward position or do I move it back 1-2 feet. Moving it back would give more room up front and space out the two fishing pedestal seats better, but it might affect how the boat moves through the water (too much weight towards the stern). I was going to put two small removable seats in both stern corners for the kids for just cruising around. Anyone restored a boat one way (back to original set up or to a whole new setup) and wish they did it the other way?

 

[Green Bananas]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Now for a laundry list of questions about specific steps. Here is my basic plan of attack with specific questions for each step.

-Powerwash inside. Citrus cleaner to seams/rivets. Powerwash again.
-Glu-Vit to all inside rivets and seams below the deck: Is a 2 lb/qt size bottle enough for this 16 foot boat? Where do you suggest buying it? Any keys to application? Number of coats recommend?
-Make motor mount for motor storage. Any good plans on the net or pics of yours you could share?
-Remove motor, steering cable, throttle cables, power trim. Any pearls to share on this? Seems somewhat daunting in regards to number of connections and where to best disconnect things.
-Motor to barn for winter storage
-Remove boats external hardware
-Paint boat as follows:
-Sand paint with 150 grit (by hand or orbital?). Paint is in pretty good shape on the outside.
-Clean exterior
-Paint brand selection. Is Rust Oleum sufficient? I plan on using a sprayer that my dad has. I don?t want to break the bank for paint but I want a paint that will last at least 5 years too. Thoughts on paint brands?
-Rust Oleum self etching spray primer. Only spray exposed aluminum or entire boat? How many coats of this primer?
-Rust Oleum metal primer. Do I use the one for light rust/clean metal (makes the most sense) or heavy rust metals? How many coats?
-Rust oleum finish paint. How many coats?
-Transom. Seems in great shape. Do not think I need to replace. The exposed part on the top has old paint that needs to be scraped, sanded and resealed. Plan on using same resin as floor. Thoughts? Could also cover with Durabak 18 (overkill?).
-With boat off trailer, wire wheel trailer, self etch primer, rust oleum primer and rust oleum paint. (Check bearings/grease/tires later. Seem good now).
-Reinstall hardware. Advice of good products for polishing old hardware?
-Closed Cell Foam to floor. Is spray in foam bad compared to the pink or blue sheets from the box stores? Leaning towards pink or blue sheets.
-Replace floor with exterior plywood ?? thick. I need to coat with some sort of resin right? Seeing as the original floor was shot but still functional nearly 5 decade after installation, I can?t imagine going crazy with the water proofing (ie. Resin plus figerglass coat). Can you give me details/product names used for coating the plywood?
-Cover the floor. Any thoughts on vinyl vs carpet vs other (ie. Durabak 18 seems perfect). Leaning towards Durabak 18.
-Recover the internal sidewall vinyl vs Durabak 18. Place port and starboard internal sidewalls.
-mount motor
-Run wiring for console, throttle, fish finder, electric for lights, electric for trolling motor, trim to motor lines, etc.
-Place two pedestal seats, console, and remaining seats.
-Connect steering cable (may need to replace) and all electrical. Replace steering wheel (pretty old and cracked) vs place wrap over it. Suggestions on steering wheel covers/wraps?
-Clean/repair bimini top and associated poles (need to buy a piece for end).

I realize this post is crazy long. Please feel free to answer/comment on only 1 or 2 things. I certainly do not expect you to spend hours addressing my entire laundry list of thoughts and questions. I hope to post pics in my next post. I just need to figure out how. It is great having such helpful and friendly folks as yourselves guide my dad and I through what promises to be a lengthy but very memorable restore!

 

[Green Bananas]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

 

[Watermann]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Welcome aboard the iboats dry dock and to the Starmada Banana. I can say one thing for sure, slow down and live the rebuild one step at a time, focus on the tear down, hull repairs and study up on the zen ways of tin boat rebuilding. Your boat can be anything you want it to be within reason but the main thing is that you do it right and that will include transom replacement too.

When you get to the point of rebuilding, a bunch of your questions will have already been found reading here or answered in your thread.

 

[Green Bananas]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

 

[Watermann]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

The best way to do photos on here is to open up a photo bucket account and directly copy and paste the img code into the post like this.



Take a look at the transom wood in the right corner, it's delaminating and will need replaced.

I can't believe how many screws attach your splashwell to the transom.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Since you have to pull the motor to replace the transom (yes it has to go before it finishes falling apart), here is a plan for a motor stand: http://forums.iboats.com/non-repair-outboard-discussions/building-o-b-motor-stand-instructional-266570.html

I'm with Waterman, concentrate on the teardown. You are a long way from needing answers on most of your questions.

 

[pckeen]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

As you teardown - particularly as you take components off, try and save as much as possible to use as a template. In addition, photograph everything - especially wiring - much easier to put it all back together later (perhaps months or years later), if you have a map in the form of photos.

 

[Green Bananas]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

GA boater thanks for the motor stand plans. That will be very helpful.

pckeen - pics and video (gotta love smart phones) already taken and downloaded to computer

I will look into the transom more. I agree there is some surface delamination but it feels rock solid. I will have some boat repair places take a look and give me their opinion as well. Seems like the transom could be replaced later if it starts to structurally weaken. Visually it may not look great but I think that can be fixed and I'm not convinced there are any strength/structural problems right now. I want to do what's best but that doesn't necessarily mean ripping out and starting over (at least in my mind).

Three specific questions.

Citrus cleaner. Is that a good product to degrease/clean the inner hull before applying glu-vit?

Glu-vit. Is that the best product for sealing inside seams and rivets? Is one 12 oz can enough for my boat?

Rust-oleum paint. Is that a product that will give me years of life or in 3 years will I wish I used another product?

Thanks again.

Oh one more. Watermann, I've never heard of photobucket. Is that within iboats or a separate outside entity? If it is in iboats, then where do I find it at? Thanks.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

Bananas - That's a solid motor stand and good for large motors too.

For hull cleaning, I can't recall anyone using a citrus based cleaner, but I wouldn't be surprised - Plenty of different degreasers have been used. I can only suggest trying it on a spot or two to see if it cuts the grease. Multiple pressure washings and get the limber holes - drain holes at the lowest part of the ribs cleaned out. They get jammed with all kinds of crud and block water on the way to the stern for drainage.

Gluvit or or Coat-It (a little less cash, same results) - I think a quart size would be better. A Sportsman is a wide, beamy boat, 20" wider than mine and will take more because of that.

Rusto is good paint, especially when a hardener is added. Good prep is the key! You need a light dusting of self-etching primer on any bare aluminum, followed by primer. At least two top coats, allow plenty of cure time and Rusto is very durable.

Photobucket.com is the site for picture storage.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 66' starcraft sportsman

I don't believe I have ever seen a "Sportsman", it's cool!!:thumb: