aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Ugh! More bad news.

It turns out that my battery acid hypothesis is true. Last night I went one round with the shop vac and brush and got my first really good look at the hull. In both places where batteries were stored on the boat, there appears to be acid damage to the hull. It's not horrible, but not great, either. It has not corroded through, but some thickness has been "eaten" away. In both places, it's an irregular a pock mark adding up to about the size of your palm.

I've done some quick searching on the forum, and here is my first crack at a plan to deal with this.

1) neutralize with baking soda and clean thoroughly - thanks for that tip, Bob VT.
2) Use Marine Tex to build the thickness back up from the inside, overlapping onto the solid area surrounding the damage. Doesn't have to be pretty - it'll be under the deck
3) (maybe this is overkill), Rivet new aluminum over the patch - again from the inside) to add strength to the repair.
4) Gluvit the repair along with the rest of the seams and rivets.

I'll attach pics when I get back to it. Oh, and another question: Is there any reason I shouldn't use a power washer to clean out the hull? This may be an ignorant question - so feel free to treat it as such.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

If you just want to build it back up and it is the sixe of your hand..... I would go with the gluvit.... a few coats. The gluvit retains a certain amount of flexibility and should protect the area just fine. If there is any flex to be had there the marine tex could break and crack.

 

[sschefer]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

I'm with Bob and forget the patch too. Gluvit will do the trick.

 

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Here are some pictures of the damage I've come to know as "The Acid Trip".


damage under the console:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Sh8usu_dTxnf51CXizE-kA?feat=directlink

under the splashwell:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/akMJAr6h6bS-I-L2wyYtEg?feat=directlink

A shot of the hull:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sNOFE1HFUx2dTzKCGnoxrQ?feat=directlink

as you can see, the hull is totally filthy - the photos were taken after I powerwashed it last night. So, the 60 bucks it cost me to rent the powerwasher might have been better spent on materials. Probably will save me a little elbow grease in the end. It did help blast some stubborn foam out of some hard to reach places - and it was just the ticket for clearing out the channels in the keel that are supposed to let water drain through to the stern. every single one of those was jammed with dirt.

Last night's job didn't require dry weather - I just threw on an old set of waders and my beat up wading jacket and had at it with the power washer. This rain is freakin' killing me, otherwise.

 

[halas]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Is there a difference between the gluvit product for rivets and a basic water proof two component clear resin? Could one save money and just use resin on sealing the rivets (mix a little extra when glassing the back sides of the uninstalled floor panels)? I wonder if anyone tried that.

 

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

halas, I think the consensus is seal rivets/seams w/gluvit because it retains some flexibility when it's cured. Standard epoxy resin is more likely to crack away from the hull should it flex.

More hull fun today. I gave the hull a serious cleaning this afternoon in anticipation of the warm sunny day we're supposed to get tomorrow. I took a suggestion from a recent thread on cleaning paint off aluminum and used oven cleaner and steel wool. This was seriously unpleasant, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't come away with a few burns from the stuff. Try as you might, if you are squatting, kneeling, crouching, sitting inside the thing you're cleaning - you're going to get some on you. I'd reached a point of no return and was determined to get it done - plus I was on my last set of crappy work clothes - like an idiot, I pushed on through instead of changing clothes. So, after 6 cans of store brand oven cleaner, about 30 steel wool pads, and two thorough moppings w/soap and water followed by vigorous rinsing, the hull looks like this:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpprovost/Boat?feat=directlink#5320971913114849522

It worked pretty damn well. The lesson learned here is that it's better to go straight for the elbow grease than to try and cut corners. The power washer did little to clean up the rivets and seams. If you have one, great. Use it to rinse your tub out after you've scrubbed her down through the method of your choice. Every penny counts on this job, the $ for renting the washer would have better spent on something else. Lesson learned.

If it's warm enough tomorrow (supposed to be in the 60's), I'm doing the Gluvit. If not, I have a ton of work I can do inside.

 

[North Beach]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Good Job Matt! Now it's startin to look like it's sposed too. Are you just gonna gluvit the acid trip areas?

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Good Job Matt! Now it's startin to look like it's sposed too. Are you just gonna gluvit the acid trip areas?

lol....Some repairs I've seen look like they were performed under the influence of hallucinagentics...check out my grooooovy repair.......

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Good Job Matt! Now it's startin to look like it's sposed too. Are you just gonna gluvit the acid trip areas?

lol....Some repairs I've seen look like they were performed under the influence of hallucinagentics...check out my grooooovy repair.......

Don't forget the tie dyed t shirt you should be wearing!!

 

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Yeah, I'm going to go with just the gluvit for the acid trips. I'll build those areas up with a few coats to gain some thickness back. I think BobVT and sschafer advised to go that way. I was wondering about Marine Tex and aluminum patches, etc - but if the gluvit will do 'er, I'm all for it.

I've got my tie-dye shirt, bandana wrapped in "Hendrix" style, and I've been throwing the two-finger peace signs all morning (which is a nice change from the one-finger salute I had for whoever doused my girl in acid in the first place).

Just nursing some coffee and getting ready to have at it. Full report to follow.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

I thought you were from VT...... Ben & Jerry's...... Phish........ when you start talking Jimi Hendrix now you are in my time zone!!

 

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Bob, vermonter all the way. I was at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ben and Jerry's plant in Waterbury, oh, 25 years or so ago - right around the time my boat rolled out of the Starcraft facility all brandy new. Phish, yeah, it's true. Not a die hard fan but I got to see them in some very small venues when they were coming up - not the famous Necter's, but a small place called The Front in Burlington. The good ol' days.

Today's progress report: I got the Gluvit phase done. For a minute there, I wasn't sure I'd have enough with just a quart. I had about an inch of material in the bottom of the quart can when I was finished - so I went back through and touched up some spots, and dumped the remainder down the center seam up in the bow. This ain't the greatest pic, but here's the Gluvit phase:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpprovost/Boat?feat=directlink#5321354495015090418

That took me through 1:30. With the great weather today, I decided it was time to make some sawdust. I used the old floor panels to pattern the new pieces and cut out the new floor. For the most part, the old panels were ok, but the one piece under the console was mostly in the grave. when I removed it, I was careful to leave as many edges intact as I could so I could reference it correctly on the new sheet of ply. As you can see from the photo, there was a good bit of edge missing at some key spots (the aluminum square you see is one of the four that were located between the underside of the factory floor and the factory foam in certain places):

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fyb2BOjRChQeUxNqWYzf0g?feat=directlink

I found the centerline at the intact bottom edge. I used the good edge of the new ply to find that mark on the top edge.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/t-IMN7yLymBwlPgnOdcjJg?feat=directlink

I had cut the piece that follows toward the bow before I got to this. I marked the center line on that piece and lined it up with the center line at the top edge of the mystery piece. I transferred the edges from the good piece at that seam to find the edges on the mystery piece.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oUh-8JwpJ7xazfVqgWxsYA?feat=directlink

Given that this is a curved edge, I couldn't use a straight edge to transfer the line from the last good edge on the rotten piece up to the top. Well, I did use a yard stick, but I put it on it's end, anchored one end at the last good edge of the rotten piece and bent it in to meet the edge of the following piece - traced the inner edge of the yard stick to get my curve. Followed the same procedure on the other side.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T68CDHcKtYUuWT1-hlxtnw?feat=directlink
Probably more info than some of you want to wade through - but I though I'd share what worked for me with anyone finding themselves in the same situation.

a few more cuts and we had a new dance floor!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pd2NqUjWiDTiOgAcr8imNA?feat=directlink

While I had everything laid out, I thought this would be a good time establish the layout of the new console, bench, and tank. I made cardboard templates of these pieces in the size I plan to make them. The straight edge you see toward the transom is where the splashwell ends. The additional piece you see at the bow is the casting deck that is raised up about 14" from the deck in the bow. It makes it look as if I used a certain body part to model the floor after, which I did. It's a 1:1 scale.

Kidding aside, I'm glad I took time to do this. Now I feel pretty settled with my dimensions and placements of the fixtures going in.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bTMm_g72olNJ0uyQtmiMpg?feat=directlink

One more shot here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ny6IDXOWIloH25nUFfhVjQ?feat=directlink

Overall, I'm pleased with today's progress. Some cold damp weather is coming, which will slow the curing of the Gluvit. The boat is buttoned up with a tarp. The good news is that I'm on to making the console and bench - and I won't mind a few days of not squatting/crouching/kneeling in the tub. My everything is killing me.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Nice Mat...
I wish my wood came out that perfect...I burned through a lot of sheets of ply before getting it right..errr close!

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Forgot to tell ya..I feel for ya on the aches..I've had Starcraft back for the last couple weeks!!!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Well if it's cool and damp.... be prepared for a long drying time maybe 48 hours for the gluvit.

Wow the exterior looks perfect and your plywood skills are great.

 

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Thanks guys. One of my other hobbies (obsessions) is building furniture. I learned that trick to fair a curve when I was cutting some curved aprons for a mission style coffee table. Man, that was ten years ago.

I realized that I hadn't put a shot of the boat from the outside into that album. For those who missed it, here she is

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gq-pkgL1IzymhKCxRES5TQ?feat=directlink

I'm not crazy about red. I'm thinking about going with dark blue - I think boats that color look pretty sharp. NB, I have some plans for those emblems, but I don't want to reveal them until I'm done.

 

[North Beach]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Good job Matt. And now we know why you're not painting the bottom If my bottom paint had looked that good, I'd have concentrated on the other stuff and let it ride for a while.

Keep posting up the pics and details. It helps all the folks who are a step or two behind you on their project.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Looks good. You're doing great work. And I love the red.

 

[matthewp]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Thanks for staying tuned on my progress, guys. I have a question about my plans for building the console, bench, and tank cover.

I'm currently planning to build them from the same ply I'm using for the floor. Epoxy the inside and edges - epoxy and glass mat the outside. From there, I'm planning to prime and paint. As great as gelcoat looks (when done right) - I ain't touching the stuff.

Sound like a good plan? I'd like to get the surfaces as smooth as possible and I'm wondering how hard/easy that would be with the epoxy/glass mat method. I read a suggestion somewhere in NB's thread about applying a second coat of epoxy in a certain method as a "smooth coat". Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[sschefer]

Re: aaaand so it begins - starcraft rebuild

Hey, Matthew, it's comming along nice. It's too late now but on your next one try the MEK method followed by a cup brush in the bilge areas. I think it's a lot faster and easier than oven cleaner.

Don't even consider a reply telling me there won't be a next one. Ask North Beach about my psychic (sp) abilities.