'79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

[Chaz1]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Man am I glad I found this. I have the identical boat, color and all. Powered by a '72 65hp Johnson. Believe it or not I am also getting ready to the exact same restoration as you are doing now so I am following with interest. I am also using two kerosene heaters to keep my garage warm enough to work.

As far names go, my girlfriend and I call our yellow SS....."Ole Yeller" Thanks for posting all this info. It's a great,great help to me. If I can figure out how to do it I'll try to post some pics as well. Good luck and keep up the good work!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

86 century, I think any SS that was stored uncovered for one winter up here in michigan has this issue with the rotting. I can't wait to get this one back together, that rotten wood is nasty and it looks like something lived in there at some point.


Kev I like the beatles reference, good song. Thanks for the encouragement


Chaz if you host your images on photobucket you can copy and paste the image link directly into the iboats text box. That's what most people do, there are some threads that explain it in further detail.

It's cool that you have the same boat, the yellow ones are pretty rare. I would love to see some photos. Check out ezmobee's thread, his 18' SS is almost the same boat and he's in the middle of a resto now.

Do you take it on the finger lakes or ontario? I lived in Syracuse and Ithaca for a bit. Nice area.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Some photos of the rotten vinyl-covered plywood from the port console. The previous restorer simply covered up all the old stuff so I am removing twice as much material. Goes a long way toward weight reduction. I still have only found foam under each gunwale from the windshield to the stern. Not enough to float the rig with the outboard on, so I will be adding some foam under the new deck.

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

wow Mike theres alot more rot than ya think ....bummer!!!

Im sure youll make it like new...just more work .......

How'd that igloo build go??????????

 

[Chaz1]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Usually I stay on the Adironack lakes(Cranberry,Saranac, Star lake) as well as the St.Lawrence river.

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Luv the cardboard box in the shot...'eureka' as in 'look at this' lol...I know I know, that was a rotten thing to pick-up on

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Luv the cardboard box in the shot...'eureka' as in 'look at this' lol...I know I know, that was a rotten thing to pick-up on

LOL Yeah that box was for the cardboard template in case I'm able to rebuild this thing(hopefully) it'll be nice to measure the plywood correctly

I'm gonna look into sealing the wood with something this time around


Vegas...we did some tubing(you know snow tubes) but didn't quite have enough snow to build a proper fort/igloo. We will be building some once we really get dumped on...I will post some pics if we create any real works of art

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I found this steering wheel on ebay that is pretty sweet, any idea if this would fit the mount on a starcraft? I'll have to measure when I get home to make sure.

I would like a full stainless steel wheel but the grips on this one would be comfy

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

they are pretty standard. Has nothing at all to do with starcraft, teleflex maybe. Good luck there Mr. Moneybags

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

they are pretty standard. Has nothing at all to do with starcraft, teleflex maybe. Good luck there Mr. Moneybags

Well since most of the boat is intact I thought I might splurge on the wheel a bit I'm probably window shopping a bit here but it's fun to dream sometimes

But I did rule this one out based on the price
http://www.iboats.com/Uflex_Mahogan...53553103--**********.495768546--view_id.49456

This one is pretty reasonable too, plus it's called the Stainless Steel Destroyer
http://www.iboats.com/Stainless_Ste...3553103--**********.495768546--view_id.167942

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

This yellow wheel would be sweet if it didn't cost $200

http://www.iboats.com/Uflex_Spargi_...53553103--**********.985980632--view_id.49446

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

This yellow wheel would be sweet if it didn't cost $200

http://www.iboats.com/Uflex_Spargi_...53553103--**********.985980632--view_id.49446

I saw a FREEKIN KILLER Blue Carbon Fiber wheel...Woulda cost almost as much as my whole dang boat

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I had a half day of vacation to use before it expires at the end of the year(guess I didn't go fishing enough LOL) so I used it to work on the rig


So I attacked the bow deck, got the carpet up really easily

There is sawdust everywhere under the carpet?!?

You can see the original bow structure peeking out...I sure am glad that it's still intact under there, saves me a headache, some cash and some work

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I got the bow deck out and found a dirty hull and all the original structure for the u shaped bench seating. I may be adding a piece with the pedestal base for fishing like the newer starcrafts.

This is the bow deck, the stains are fron some wd-40 that I sprayed on the seat base bolts. The deck itself is dry and could be reused if sealed properly.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Are you planning to extend your new deck up under the bow seating area (like it probably was factory?)

 

[PaulyV]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Great news HA..Thats a nice find up front. Its nice to see how it was constructed as well.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Are you planning to extend your new deck up under the bow seating area (like it probably was factory?)

I do plan on having the deck run from bow to stern as much as possible for multiple reasons. The previous restorer left it empty under the bow platform, no deck, no foam and no repair work done to the original structure.

I noiced the same thing, it looks like the deck will fit under the aluminum structure and lend it some strength.

I will remove everything so I can get it cleaned up and gluvited...and use stainless bolts to reassemble. Would rivets hold tighter longer with vibrations?

I've removed enought rusty screws from this rig already and I'd like it to be good for 5-10 years before the next rebuild

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Great news HA..Thats a nice find up front. Its nice to see how it was constructed as well.

Pauly I hope it helps you out with your project, I know when I go to reassemble I will probably be looking at my own pictures to make sure I've got it set up correctly

Are you going to rebuild the u-shaped bow seating on your rig too?

One thing I noticed is that with the windshield and the bow benches you can change the angle of the side pieces to be more acute or obtuse before bolting or rivetting it back in. I may modify it a bit to allow for either more storage or more deck space for walking around, haven't decided yet.

With the windshield I may let the sides swing out more on the gunwales to open it up just a bit as well.

 

[PaulyV]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

With the CC where i had it placed, the seat in front of CC had about 18" of floor space where your feet would rest when sitting. That was with 2 pieces of the floor in, the front piece would add about another 14-16" but it tapers toward the bow. I may rebuild the "u" starting at the 18" and perhaps make it a flat area (hinged, to flip open for storage/anchor) and install a floor mount for pedestal. I will then install a grill to the pedestal which can be removed and stored below. Not capable of drawing it here..but its in my head

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Looking Good Mike!