Ballpark Costs - Renovating an 18-20 StarCraft Aluminum Hull

[timbobber]

Even though most deck boats are 'glass, aluminum was used occasionally in the 90's. I don't think any are built now.

If you're interested in seeing more, Google "Lowe deck boats" or "Grumman Sport Deck" for some more pics. Note that some of these are VERY nice. Seeing what can be done with them hooked me.....

I think I found one but in good shape with a 2018 90hp 4 stroke.

 

[timbobber]

I think I found one but in good shape with a 2018 90hp 4 stroke.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Here's another one but at 23' apparently - not sure what to make of this one!

redneck engineering of a houseboat

 

[Scott Danforth]

Thanks, I think I needed the straight talk. My operative model for this proposed project is the canoe project I finished this past spring. I dropped $150 into the canoe, refinished all the wood and fashioned a seat, and I was in business and it's needed nothing since and there's really been nothing to give us trouble.

The model you're talking about has a real budgetary impact beyond just refinishing some seats every ten years like I will do with the canoe. From the rubber of the trailer tires to the bimini top, it's all replaceable stuff that can't just be refinished and recoated and call it seaworthy for another five years. It's sinking in that there's going to constantly be projects to keep it ready to go and some of those are going to cost some real bucks.

A workable model in the interim to get out on a powered boat, might be to drop $2000-3000K into a 14-16' v-hull with trailer, and OB tiller setup, improve it as I go, but just keep it simple for two or three years while I save up the funds (I just hate debt!) for something bigger. Then sell the little boat off and put it towards the big boy when the time comes.

agreed, canoes have no propulsion and minimal hull stress. you also dont spend 3 hours cleaning/maintaining a canoe every time you use it.

2-3k for a small aluminum utility with a running outboard would be a great start. best time to buy is after labor day when everyone is selling to not winterize so they can buy something new in the spring.

 

[ahicks]

The more I look into these things, the more I like them. And based off of what you actually ended up getting, $2,500 seems like a reasonable price. I'd be interested in keeping a boat like this in a slip but yearly towing and occasional towing to other bodies of water would be nice and it's awesome that they can be hauled with what I already have.

Did you put airbags or a weight distributing hitch on? Does the trailer have brakes?

And how would this handle bigger water like a good sized river?

I have 2 of these. One in Mich, the other in Florida. The 19' you know about. The other boat is a 22' Lowe with a Honda 90 and a pretty decent chart plotter. That boat is used routinely in the Gulf on the Florida West Coast (north of Tampa). Obviously you need to watch the weather. That said, the hull design is exactly the same as many "bay boats" that are very popular in that area to this day. Many of those are alum. as well. They are desirable for their shallow draft and being 8' wide, their stability. So on open water, they aren't terrible, but they can darn sure be rough in the chop, say over 24". 18" or so they're fine. You can go as fast as you want. By time it gets up to a 24" chop, you'll be slowing down....

Nothing fancy to pull. My trailers both had brakes originally, but neither do now. I did install a class 3 hitch, but more just 'cuz (piece of mind).

One pic that I saw was one of these that had been converted into a cat fishing rig. Barely recognizable as a Lowe deck boat. That had little in the way of seating, but oh wow, was there a lot of room to move around. All of the in floor storage doors (they're everywhere on these) were done in diamond plate.

Speaking of floor storage, there's a 30 gallon belly tank for fuel too. With the way the Honda uses fuel, that's like a year's supply.... -Al

 

[timbobber]

I have 2 of these. One in Mich, the other in Florida. The 19' you know about. The other boat is a 22' Lowe with a Honda 90 and a pretty decent chart plotter. That boat is used routinely in the Gulf on the Florida West Coast (north of Tampa). Obviously you need to watch the weather. That said, the hull design is exactly the same as many "bay boats" that are very popular in that area to this day. Many of those are alum. as well. They are desirable for their shallow draft and being 8' wide, their stability. So on open water, they aren't terrible, but they can darn sure be rough in the chop, say over 24". 18" or so they're fine. You can go as fast as you want. By time it gets up to a 24" chop, you'll be slowing down....

Nothing fancy to pull. My trailers both had brakes originally, but neither do now. I did install a class 3 hitch, but more just 'cuz (piece of mind).

One pic that I saw was one of these that had been converted into a cat fishing rig. Barely recognizable as a Lowe deck boat. That had little in the way of seating, but oh wow, was there a lot of room to move around. All of the in floor storage doors (they're everywhere on these) were done in diamond plate.

Speaking of floor storage, there's a 30 gallon belly tank for fuel too. With the way the Honda uses fuel, that's like a year's supply.... -Al

Wow, you've got the best of both worlds in two different worlds! How does the 19' handle and work out for your vs the 22'? I imagine towing the 22' with the Pilot is a little rougher. The shallow draft is an added bonus, that would be really great for the kind of pull up and dock in a shallow area and just float around for a while I like to do when I rent a pontoon.

My minivan is rated for a class 3 and I wouldn't go with anything less. I can't believe you can get into one of these for under $8,000 if you redo it yourself. I bet if I'm patient and give it a year or two and am willing to drive a few hundred miles to pick it up, I could snag one too at similar price point as you did. Cash is king and a project boat is a different animal than a ready boat, as I'm learning on this forum.

 

[timbobber]

agreed, canoes have no propulsion and minimal hull stress. you also dont spend 3 hours cleaning/maintaining a canoe every time you use it.

2-3k for a small aluminum utility with a running outboard would be a great start. best time to buy is after labor day when everyone is selling to not winterize so they can buy something new in the spring.

Thanks for the tip about after labor day. I was thinking I could get get one in the dead of winter when the demand is near zero but I imagine the supply isn't what it is after labor day. I saw a 14' vhull with unknown but somewhat newer engine with problems but with trailer for $600 near me recently. It was the kind of project I'm looking for where I can sink a $1000-1500 into it and still come out ahead.

There's way more to learn about boats than I'd thought so the notion of buying a little one to learn while I save up for a bigger one isn't the worst approach.

 

[Scott Danforth]

once the seller winterizes the boat, the prices go up

you have that little window between labor day and end of October in any state that gets snow where the price will be the lowest.

 

[timbobber]

once the seller winterizes the boat, the prices go up

you have that little window between labor day and end of October in any state that gets snow where the price will be the lowest.

Cool, that's a great tip that I had no idea about. Would that even apply to a jon boat or vhull with a 10-20hp on the back of it?

 

[ahicks]

Wow, you've got the best of both worlds in two different worlds! How does the 19' handle and work out for your vs the 22'? I imagine towing the 22' with the Pilot is a little rougher. The shallow draft is an added bonus, that would be really great for the kind of pull up and dock in a shallow area and just float around for a while I like to do when I rent a pontoon.

My minivan is rated for a class 3 and I wouldn't go with anything less. I can't believe you can get into one of these for under $8,000 if you redo it yourself. I bet if I'm patient and give it a year or two and am willing to drive a few hundred miles to pick it up, I could snag one too at similar price point as you did. Cash is king and a project boat is a different animal than a ready boat, as I'm learning on this forum.

They're both like big beach toys. As you say, pulling up on a beach or sand bar is VERY easy, much like a 'toon. Both boats sit kinda low in the water, and with the front end beached, you can just walk up and sit down on the front deck pretty easily. Handling is a non event. Because of thier low profile and light weight, they're very easy to load and unload on their trailers. The bigger boat trailer has guides that are a help as that boat is often used where currents are an issue.

Pontoon guy from WAY back here. Have lived on a lake in Mi. for 45 years, and have had a 'toon most of that time. From the Fl place, we were trailering 10 miles to get to boat landings on rivers about 5 miles inland from the Gulf. The time it took to get to the Gulf, or ANYWHERE with the pontoon became an issue, so mentally, I started shopping around for something else that might work out for us.

I wanted a trailerable boat that would handle 6 adults comfortably. Something we could putt around and cruise with like we did with the 'toon, but something with some "go somewhere" when we wanted to for adventures in the Gulf. I came upon the deck boat solution, but they are SO heavy, and I didn't want to own a big tow vehicle. Then I noticed these alum. boats, and being the DIY'er that I am, that's the way we went.

I only have about 6k into the 22' boat. It was in need of an interior and some TLC, but the rest was fine. I swapped a 120 Johnson that was on it and replaced it with a 90hp Honda fixer upper that hasn't run in a couple of years. Working on mid size Honda's is my hobby. They're how I finance my toys, so the motor was just an exercise in a general, but very thorough, freshen up. It just kind of hums on the idle. Often difficult to hear for these old ears, so I have to reference the tach to see if it's running. 4 stroke chosen for it's ability to idle reliably for hours.

With some patience, and a willingness to do a road trip, they're out there. To find one, try searchtempestdotcom, doing your search in "boats" AND "boat parts", for the word "deck" in the title, a upper dollar limit, and the max range you're willing to drive.

If you find something and have questions, be happy to share my experience. Just post a note here or shoot me a PM.

Good hunting! -Al

 

[timbobber]

They're both like big beach toys. As you say, pulling up on a beach or sand bar is VERY easy, much like a 'toon. Both boats sit kinda low in the water, and with the front end beached, you can just walk up and sit down on the front deck pretty easily. Handling is a non event. Because of thier low profile and light weight, they're very easy to load and unload on their trailers. The bigger boat trailer has guides that are a help as that boat is often used where currents are an issue.

Pontoon guy from WAY back here. Have lived on a lake in Mi. for 45 years, and have had a 'toon most of that time. From the Fl place, we were trailering 10 miles to get to boat landings on rivers about 5 miles inland from the Gulf. The time it took to get to the Gulf, or ANYWHERE with the pontoon became an issue, so mentally, I started shopping around for something else that might work out for us.

I wanted a trailerable boat that would handle 6 adults comfortably. Something we could putt around and cruise with like we did with the 'toon, but something with some "go somewhere" when we wanted to for adventures in the Gulf. I came upon the deck boat solution, but they are SO heavy, and I didn't want to own a big tow vehicle. Then I noticed these alum. boats, and being the DIY'er that I am, that's the way we went.

I only have about 6k into the 22' boat. It was in need of an interior and some TLC, but the rest was fine. I swapped a 120 Johnson that was on it and replaced it with a 90hp Honda fixer upper that hasn't run in a couple of years. Working on mid size Honda's is my hobby. They're how I finance my toys, so the motor was just an exercise in a general, but very thorough, freshen up. It just kind of hums on the idle. Often difficult to hear for these old ears, so I have to reference the tach to see if it's running. 4 stroke chosen for it's ability to idle reliably for hours.

With some patience, and a willingness to do a road trip, they're out there. To find one, try searchtempestdotcom, doing your search in "boats" AND "boat parts", for the word "deck" in the title, a upper dollar limit, and the max range you're willing to drive.

If you find something and have questions, be happy to share my experience. Just post a note here or shoot me a PM.

Good hunting! -Al

I think I'm coming around to the idea of one of these beauties. The 19' would be ideal and I don't think I'd mind dropping some $ into a boat that literally does everything I want. And with a kicker mounted next to the big boy, we could hit the smaller, quieter lakes we have come to enjoy on the canoe. The more I go around in my head about the different kinds of boats I can get, each one comes with a major compromise. Either I buy a truck, or we can't ski, or it's cramped and cheap.

I've been looking around and I think you got a great price. I know COVID has jacked up prices but still, I'm see one that sold in Cedar Rapids in the blink of an eye for $6,300 in decent shape. Hoping I can find something for under $4K that needs some love and care without getting up in cost to what one of the 2000's alum deck boats cost by Lowe, which is around $12-15K.

Thanks for the offer to share your experience. I'm getting my car set up to tow next month and will have the cash set aside after Labor Day.

Do you think these boats would come up for sale throughout the fall and winter?

 

[timbobber]

They're both like big beach toys. As you say, pulling up on a beach or sand bar is VERY easy, much like a 'toon. Both boats sit kinda low in the water, and with the front end beached, you can just walk up and sit down on the front deck pretty easily. Handling is a non event. Because of thier low profile and light weight, they're very easy to load and unload on their trailers. The bigger boat trailer has guides that are a help as that boat is often used where currents are an issue.

Pontoon guy from WAY back here. Have lived on a lake in Mi. for 45 years, and have had a 'toon most of that time. From the Fl place, we were trailering 10 miles to get to boat landings on rivers about 5 miles inland from the Gulf. The time it took to get to the Gulf, or ANYWHERE with the pontoon became an issue, so mentally, I started shopping around for something else that might work out for us.

I wanted a trailerable boat that would handle 6 adults comfortably. Something we could putt around and cruise with like we did with the 'toon, but something with some "go somewhere" when we wanted to for adventures in the Gulf. I came upon the deck boat solution, but they are SO heavy, and I didn't want to own a big tow vehicle. Then I noticed these alum. boats, and being the DIY'er that I am, that's the way we went.

I only have about 6k into the 22' boat. It was in need of an interior and some TLC, but the rest was fine. I swapped a 120 Johnson that was on it and replaced it with a 90hp Honda fixer upper that hasn't run in a couple of years. Working on mid size Honda's is my hobby. They're how I finance my toys, so the motor was just an exercise in a general, but very thorough, freshen up. It just kind of hums on the idle. Often difficult to hear for these old ears, so I have to reference the tach to see if it's running. 4 stroke chosen for it's ability to idle reliably for hours.

With some patience, and a willingness to do a road trip, they're out there. To find one, try searchtempestdotcom, doing your search in "boats" AND "boat parts", for the word "deck" in the title, a upper dollar limit, and the max range you're willing to drive.

If you find something and have questions, be happy to share my experience. Just post a note here or shoot me a PM.

Good hunting! -Al

What do you think of the Suncruisers with Aluminum Deck? Here's one for sale at $5,500. She's 22ft.

 

[ahicks]

They will in the southern and coastal states where boating is year round, but most are mothballed, not to be seen or heard from again until the weather breaks. August through October is prime time for finding the deals. Other than that, you see them here and there. You just have to keep searching until one of them follows you home!

 

[ahicks]

Suncruiser is another of the OMC boats. Just like the Lowe and Grumman I have. This is the later model hull. Don't know what they mean by "interior replaced by wood'. That might be a mess that would need cleaning up. These have a plywood "shelf" that runs across the back and up both sides (helm forward) for you upholstery to sit on/fasten to. I use the WISE cushions only, (without bases) sold for pontoon boats, available in several sizes and colors. I use the "shelf" as a base for the Wise cushions. For best price check out Amazon during the off season. The cushions go for about 1/2 of the price they demand now/prime time.

If you can swing it, that might be a great deal!

 

[timbobber]

It's a little big for my taste and as a starter boat. The other pictures of it show it has 1x3 slats on plywood boxes where the seats used to be. It's quite the project boat. Were it 19ft, I'd be interested. As to timing, it's still a little too early for me but after labor day I should be ready to strike.

I'm seeing lots of boats overall right now that are not priced to sell but perhaps are 'COVID testing the price waters'. But the ones that are priced to sell are selling really face right now.

Thanks for the tip about the cushions! I really don't want to go and buy a readymade boat - aluminum at least holds the promise that I can do the work myself and source my own parts without breaking the bank and getting into a nice boat than I would otherwise be willing to pay for.

 

[ahicks]

22' boat does have a bigger feel, no doubt. Doesn't seem like it should, but it does. There's more boat out in front of you when sitting at the helm. I could see where that might be a bit overwhelming for a low time captain. Being used to 24' pontoons (an incrdible amount of time behind the wheel of one of those over the the last 45 years), transition to the 22' deck boat was pretty easy here. These handle WAY better than a 'toon!

1x3's maybe there to support patio furniture cushions of some sort? That might work OK if you could secure them some how. Would make for a pretty comfortable, low cost, and very creative solution? Over the years, have seen a lot of that kind of creativity when it comes to pontoons. See no reason why you couldn't get away with that on a deck boat. You just need to keep in mind the deck boat might be traveling at 2-3 times the speed of a 'toon occasionally!

No hurry. Keep reading, saving, and asking questions until you feel REAL comfortable making this call..... -Al