'79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

[LonLB]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Be glad you were in your garage!!! Not sure where you are in MI, but here in st joeseph county it was flippin' COLD. I put in several hours outside today. Trying to get the interior stripped before I get it in the garage.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

"Hey Roz, I'm headed over to work on the boat."

OK, lets see. I have my tools, got the heater if I need it, have some whitetail back straps for the grill. Anything else? Nope, I am off.

DUDE BRING YOUR CAMERA!!! MIKE THE CAMERA MAN, DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA!

Ah rats, I don't think ya heard me.

Sounds like good progress buddy!

Hey I found this for your SS if your Merc doesn't work out...

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/2138872258.html

Too big?

I know of a boat up north it would be perfect for

 

[fshngho]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

DUDE BRING YOUR CAMERA!!! MIKE THE CAMERA MAN, DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA!

Ah rats, I don't think ya heard me.

Sounds like good progress buddy!

Hey I found this for your SS if your Merc doesn't work out...

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/2138872258.html

Too big?

I know of a boat up north it would be perfect for

Yeah right, this is coming from a man that couldn't find his camera and had to use a cell phone, at his own house. Uh, wait,..cell phone..??? Mike, you own a cell phone don't ya?? Tsk, tsk. Well just shot that excuse all to heck.
You ARE working on the transom and a 175 hp WOULD push you along very nicely.
Nice work HA, glad the motor is well so far.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

DUDE BRING YOUR CAMERA!!! MIKE THE CAMERA MAN, DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA!

Ah rats, I don't think ya heard me.

Sounds like good progress buddy!

Hey I found this for your SS if your Merc doesn't work out...

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/2138872258.html

Too big?

I know of a boat up north it would be perfect for

LOL I hear ya...last time I forgot the beer AND the camera. Talk about labor problems, I had a disgruntled workforce

I'm just glad that I was able to get some work done. If you guys needs some photos as proof I can arrange that

Yeah right, this is coming from a man that couldn't find his camera and had to use a cell phone, at his own house. Uh, wait,..cell phone..??? Mike, you own a cell phone don't ya?? Tsk, tsk. Well just shot that excuse all to heck.
You ARE working on the transom and a 175 hp WOULD push you along very nicely.
Nice work HA, glad the motor is well so far.

Yeah I did think about taking some crappy cell phone pics but didn't think it would do justice. I'll get some high-resolution photos of some rotten transom for you guys, will that help?

BTW the transom did have some rot on the port side corner. I'm awfully glad I'm replacing it since the previous "restorer" used 6 pieces of plywood, unsealed, rather than 2 cut to fit and bonded together.

It couldn't have lasted more than 5 years the way it was, so this work is well worth the effort

Hope 2011 is going well for you guys so far, I'm off to help a buddy get some lumber and hopefully work on the boat some more this afternoon.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Sounds like your getting a lot done. But my jaw dropped when I read that you forgot the beer. I'm sure your helpers were pleased with you. lol. Just kidding. Can't wait to see the pics.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Here is the transom ready to be removed, I got rid of TONS of sillycone that somebody thought was the answer to all problems apparently.

A fair amount of corrosion, time to get the wire wheel going and clean things up a bit.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

This portside corner had areas that were holding water and soft. This makes me very glad that I am replacing it with properly sealed wood.

I think I'm going to opt for marine grade and epoxy resin this time around but we'll see.

My perfect template turned out to be many pieces of wood, not even bonded together or sealed at all. The shelf life on the rig the way it was could not have been too long stored outdoors here in Michigan.

I'm looking forward to doing this correctly so it won't need to be redone anytime soon.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Great progress partner! It's good to see you working on the rig again rather than all that silly fishing

Hey, take a gender at that auraco ply, I am really happy with it. I ran marine grade for the Islander transom but the next project I'll go with the auraco, 1/2 the cost, great quality stuff

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Here's the old Merc sans lower unit, you can see the manual out on the gunwale. It's a seloc that covers the basics. If the compression is good and I am keeping it I may invest in a real Merc manual.

You can see the drain pan from the lower unit lubricant. It came out bluish and clean so I'm assuming not too many gears have been eating each other up inside the works.

My buddy who is letting me keep the rig at his garage is also interested in working on outboards so he has lent a hand and has been reading up on the procedures.

Here's the 2-blade speed prop, minus some paint and some chunks of aluminum

And the rest of her over on the work bench.

Here is the impellar, looks like it's in good shape to me. I will probably buy a new one and keep this as a spare since they are pretty cheap.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Great progress partner! It's good to see you working on the rig again rather than all that silly fishing

Hey, take a gender at that auraco ply, I am really happy with it. I ran marine grade for the Islander transom but the next project I'll go with the auraco, 1/2 the cost, great quality stuff

Yeah if I don't use marine-grade then aruco it will be for sure. That's what I ended up with on some of my bow pieces and was pretty impressed as well. I have not been ice fishing yet this year, so far so good on avoiding distractions

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Be glad you were in your garage!!! Not sure where you are in MI, but here in st joeseph county it was flippin' COLD. I put in several hours outside today. Trying to get the interior stripped before I get it in the garage.

Yeah that cold front hit us pretty hard here too...went from 40s and sunny to the teens and windy pretty darn fast

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Just a couple questions...can anyone tell me if that impellar is ok even though it looks like the blades are bent a little? Probably normal but looks a little off.

Also should I be looking at getting a 3-blade prop or just get this one cleaned up at a prop shop?

I'm also having a hard time deciding what to go with for my side panels on the boat. I could use some more nautolex vinyl over some 1/2" plywood, or leave them open and put the vinyl directly on the bare aluminum. This option would leave room for rod holders under/above the side shelves.

I've been busy helping my buddy with a little home remodeling lately, hoping to get the rest of that transom pulled so I can start on the new one.

With this winter cranking into high gear I sure am glad to have the rig stored where I can have room to work on her, last year I should've had this stuff done but just did not have room to work in my tiny garage.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Replace the impeller regardless.

Throw a post up in the prop forum and try to get an idea of what a typical prop for your boat would be (3 blade). Either look for a used one or buy one of the Solas Amita props on iboats which are <$100. Once you have your motor checked over, install a tach and take it for a WOT run to see where you are RPM wise. If you're out of your target range, buy a different prop accordingly and either sell or keep the other one for a spare (kinda pointless as the 2 blade would make a fine spare).

That's just what I'd do.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Yeah I'd like to relegate the impeller and speed prop to the spare parts bin.

Getting new gaskets, a new impeller and new spark plugs shouldn't set me back much

The prices on the carb kits aren't bad either...about $70 for two kits.

 

[fshngho]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Mike, a speed prop has its place, and yours is in the spare parts bin. The impellar however is to thrown in the trash bin. DO NOT keep it for a spare 'cause you may actually use it and we don't want that. The impellar is cheap enough to get a new one. I would save the cup or reuse it if its good. As a suggestion, once you know what pitch you want, get a used SS prop. Around here we "intoduce" ours to shallows and stumps and a SS will hold up but an aluminum one may leave you stranded. A SS performs better too, no flex. Just MHO.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Gotta disagree with you on the SS prop Dale. Have you seen the places HA boats? That dude goes EVERYWHERE! I think the forgiveness of an aluminum prop is in order. May save his lower unit someday. I'd definitely stick with aluminum and carry a spare.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Can't help ya on the OB sorry man. Now, if you had an IO.....

Uh, well, um, I wouldn't be able to help ya on that either now that I think of it.

For your side curtains/panels...

I'd put them back in. I think it would give your rig a much more finished look to her.

You know, something has crossed my mind though.

What about a spring loaded or hinged curtain? You know, just swing it down and rod locker behind it sort of a deal? It probably wouldn't work all that well as seats would be in the way though.

Just thinking out loud, eh!

 

[mark1961]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

Gotta disagree with you on the SS prop Dale. Have you seen the places HA boats? That dude goes EVERYWHERE! I think the forgiveness of an aluminum prop is in order. May save his lower unit someday. I'd definitely stick with aluminum and carry a spare.

Agreed, much easier (cheaper) to repair an alloy prop too if it does happen to get damaged.

 

[LonLB]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

I'm also having a hard time deciding what to go with for my side panels on the boat. I could use some more nautolex vinyl over some 1/2" plywood, or leave them open and put the vinyl directly on the bare aluminum. This option would leave room for rod holders under/above the side shelves.

On the port side I'm going to box it in. Adding a couple inches to it. By that I mean a box that sticks into the boat from the gunnel 2"
Then I was going to mount rod holders on the inside, and maybe even on the door itself.

As for the starboard side.....I don't know.

I was going to do an In floor rod storage but my boat has a bunch of crossmembers running across the bottom, so I ditched that idea.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: '79 Starcraft SS 16 restoration

For the price of the impeller, I'd replace it while you have access to it. Two of those fins look too bent. I don't see cracks though, which is good. I would take your 2 blade prop and use it as a spare prop. I can't comment on the difference between aluminum and stainless because I just took my stainless off and put on a new aluminum and found no difference in performance. Although both props are the same diameter and pitch, they both pretty well perform the same.