'79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

[ezmobee]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Deck screws are great. Do yourself a favor though and don't use the gray ones. I did and those are just regular phillips heads. The dark green ones at Lowes or better yet the tan ones at HD are a special head and come with a bit. MUCH MUCH better grip and less likely to strip than those damn gray ones.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Got an estimate on how much{sizes & quanity} of foam she handled? Wondering if I bought enough.

I have 25 noodles and one of the 4x8' sheets of the thick pink stuff. It should be enough for the 16' rig, the 18 footers require lots more foam since the hulls are bigger in every way. I'd check EZ's thread to get a better idea what you will need.

Btw, lol, I could hear your box trailer's sigh of relief

Me too LOL, That trailer didn't know what it got itself into when I put the carpeted bunks on it and started backing it into muddy lakes and rivers


Thanks for the tip EZ, I haven't bought any screws/bolts yet so I will keep that in mind.

I managed to sell the trailer for $100 and I'm happy to report that I have one trailer for each boat now...the downside is that my yard is empty and I will need to start mowing the grass now(or buy a hungry goat)

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Also, forgot to mention...I am currently lacking a trailer for the AeroCraft while it gets a new axle(turns out the hub was shot in addition to the bearings) so I should be able to work on the SS with no fishing distractions from the little boat

Had some issues with my bank putting a hold on a check so haven't picked up the resin or fasteners yet. I also need to build my ski locker endwalls out of aluminum prior to installing the deck so I get to rivet some more too

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

So I didn't win the 6hp Johnson lotto...nice older lady already sold it to a lucky person

I promise I'll have pictures soon, this thread has been getting pretty boring lately

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I got some waterproof LED trailer lights last night for $53...pretty good deal. Check advanced auto parts if you need some. Also got a nice rubberized 12V accessory to install for spotlights, cell phones and ipods.

I'm pretty good on foam with the one large thick pink sheet and 25 noodles. I go them all test-fitted last night and it's looking pretty good.

I will be getting her wet to check for leaks this weekend if it warms up a bit. It's been in the low 40s again and they are calling for snow flurries for the Tiger game this afternoon

No pics...my PC decided to crash and give me the blue screen of death...and I haven't uploaded them to the mac yet.

 

[erikpn]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

So I didn't win the 6hp Johnson lotto...nice older lady already sold it to a lucky person

I promise I'll have pictures soon, this thread has been getting pretty boring lately

I once found an ad from a guy who had a running honda 9.9 until he changed the spark plugs and couldn't get the motor running again- and then he decided to give it away for FREE.

I bet he just didn't know he needed to gap them, or mixed up the plug wires. I made a run for it but someone got to it first even though I was there within the first 15 mins.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

to the mac yet.

Hippie

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Hippie

LOL The mac is Roslynn's...I'm the proud owner of the billy gates special.

The mac is like my old '55 Johnnyrude...no hiccups, issues or problems from viruses or otherwise. Runs like a dream.

The PC is like my older merc, finnicky, riddled with issues and unreliable at times

 

[bananaboater]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

LOL The mac is Roslynn's...I'm the proud owner of the billy gates special.

The mac is like my old '55 Johnnyrude...no hiccups, issues or problems from viruses or otherwise. Runs like a dream.

The PC is like my older merc, finnicky, riddled with issues and unreliable at times

Ahhhhhhhh MAC, like eating a homemade cheeseburger!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I picked up some self-tapping Rustoleum rust-resistant deck screws. 2.5" for the stringers, 1 5/8" for the ribs. Don't want those sharp things anywhere near the bare hull on the inside. These might even be too long.

Two pieces of aluminum sheet that will be bent into a wide U shape and contain my ski locker on the ends. This will be riveted in place. I got some more rivets too. Can't wait to get going on that

This is one of the foam mock-ups I'm considering.

That piece of pink foam on the port side probably isn't going to stay there. I feel like I might get some squeaking from that idea. Could work though we'll see. I think I have enough to float the rig and I hope I never confirm this.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I managed to get my new bow deck cut this morning, and had some help getting all the sawdust cleaned up

Yes that is my 5.5 Jonhson on my buddy's 14' Cadillac boat. We went fishing yesterday afternoon and my progress was delayed.

I cut it too large on purpose so I can make small adjustments to get a perfect fit. I may be trimming/sanding the sides so that it doesn't actually touch the hull where the side chines are molded in the aluminum.

And I got the notches cut to allow for the ribs. Time for epoxy resin.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

It must suck to be distracted by fishing all the time HA..
Nice work on the decking..

p.s.
I drug home the 14 ft'r today..what a site on the B-Tickets big old DA trailer..
Guess I'll be on the look out for another trailer..eeeek

 

[jasoutside]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Looking good Huron - hey you had an awesome day to work on her today!!! So, what did you decide to go with for epoxy?? Cheers buddy!

 

[bananaboater]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Progress and fishing. Can't get much better.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Looking good Huron - hey you had an awesome day to work on her today!!! So, what did you decide to go with for epoxy?? Cheers buddy!

I am going to order some epoxy resin from Clarkcraft dot com.

$114 for 1 gallon of resin and 1 gallon of hardener. It sure beats the local price for West Systems epoxy at West Marine. I can wait a day or two to start on the sealing to save a hundred dollars

I got distracted this after noon from working on the rig to install brakes on the front left and right on my Explorer. Well...once I took a look I realized that the bolt that attached the sway bar to the frame was broken...on both sides

So a few trips to auto parts stores and a few hours later and I'm back on the road. It feels like a new truck but I still have the rear brakes and one rotor to go, then a new windshield and probably a few other things.

I'm trying to get the tow vehicle ready to drive to Virginia in June for Tinstock...in addition to the boat projects...so I've got a full plate

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

It must suck to be distracted by fishing all the time HA..
Nice work on the decking..

p.s.
I drug home the 14 ft'r today..what a site on the B-Tickets big old DA trailer..
Guess I'll be on the look out for another trailer..eeeek

Looking for a trailer for a little tin can...welcome to my world Kev

Progress and fishing. Can't get much better.

Agreed I could use a little more progress and some fishing on the Starcraft for the rest of the summer too

 

[jasoutside]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I am going to order some epoxy resin from Clarkcraft dot com.

$114 for 1 gallon of resin and 1 gallon of hardener. It sure beats the local price for West Systems epoxy at West Marine. I can wait a day or two to start on the sealing to save a hundred dollars

I got distracted this after noon from working on the rig to install brakes on the front left and right on my Explorer. Well...once I took a look I realized that the bolt that attached the sway bar to the frame was broken...on both sides

So a few trips to auto parts stores and a few hours later and I'm back on the road. It feels like a new truck but I still have the rear brakes and one rotor to go, then a new windshield and probably a few other things.

I'm trying to get the tow vehicle ready to drive to Virginia in June for Tinstock...in addition to the boat projects...so I've got a full plate

Cool, thanks for the tip man! Yah, I know about other projects. As you can tell I haven't really posted progress in a while. I think I will post up my tree fort work just so I can have something there.

Rock on!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

OK so I'm going to try to impose a "no fishing from any boats other than the SS" rule for the rest of April or I will never finish this dang rig

I need to order my epoxy from Clarkcraft but my company blocks us from the checkout page for some reason.

Tonight will be spent doing a dry run with the consoles, bow structure and windshield(thanks to Ezmobee for making me aware that this is a good idea).

I've been contemplating rivetting the consles and bow aluminum together with aluminum...or I could use new stainless bolts and lock washers or the locking nuts. Any ideas on this?

My goal is to make sure that vibrations and such don't loosen the fasteners. Some 5200 on the bolts would work, but I've heard rivets are even better for holding tight.

 

[bananaboater]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I've been contemplating rivetting the consles and bow aluminum together with aluminum...or I could use new stainless bolts and lock washers or the locking nuts. Any ideas on this?

My goal is to make sure that vibrations and such don't loosen the fasteners. Some 5200 on the bolts would work, but I've heard rivets are even better for holding tight.

I vote for rivets, that is what it came with, right? Be sure they are the right length and well set. I had to drill some of my new ones out because they just didn't feel right. You could even use small aluminum/stainless washers if going through thin stuff.

Albert

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I got my two brackets that connect the bow structure to the consoles wire wheeled and cleaned up today.

They had quite a bit of rust due to non-stainless fasteners. Even though they won't be visible once I'm done I can't stand to have any rust blemishes on my boat.

The consoles got worked over and cleaned up to get prepped to paint. They will need some zinc chromate on the bare aluminum since I plan on stripping more yellow paint off.

I did a little test fitting and temporarily attached the bow structure so I can get the consoles in place. You can see that I still need to strip some rust off on some of these pieces.

I also need to cut two pieces of ply for the console fronts and I may have a good template from the carpet remnants. The wood was rotten but the carpet is intact.