Dad's old boat 1968 Starcraft Jupiter/ Merc 650

[oldrem]

Good story. Sometime I'll elaborate how I put my life and my best friends at risk forgetting the plug. Scary stuff.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

I agree oldrem, with the past learning experiences I don't care if the boat is on fire on the launch ramp, I check the plug first.

 

[GA_Boater]

You're in the Starcraft section now.

The dues are pretty stiff and that's what started the cry for help earlier. Pics of your tinny are the dues, so you're paid in full.

The styro bits block everything under the deck. When you're cleaning up before laying in flotation, use a pressure washer to clear the drainage channels (they have a name and it escapes me :doh in the lowest part of the ribs. Fish hooks, change and styro bits will be blowing out. Hit from the rib ends, too. When you're done, do it it a few more times until only water is blowing out. I was soaked by the time I finished.

 

[oldrem]

You're in the Starcraft section now.

The dues are pretty stiff and that's what started the cry for help earlier. Pics of your tinny are the dues, so you're paid in full.

The styro bits block everything under the deck. When you're cleaning up before laying in flotation, use a pressure washer to clear the drainage channels (they have a name and it escapes me :doh in the lowest part of the ribs. Fish hooks, change and styro bits will be blowing out. Hit from the rib ends, too. When you're done, do it it a few more times until only water is blowing out. I was soaked by the time I finished.

Last 2 times I did mine I wore my fishing rain suit - made it a lot more tolerable staying dry when temps weren't cooperative.

 

[BWR1953]

Yes, by all means, clean out the limber holes with a pressure washer. When the boy did it on our KF, he was happily soaked. :lol:

 

[GA_Boater]

That's it - LIMBER HOLES!

Thanks, BWR.

oldrem - You prepared better than i did.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

You're in the Starcraft section now.

The dues are pretty stiff and that's what started the cry for help earlier. Pics of your tinny are the dues, so you're paid in full.

The styro bits block everything under the deck. When you're cleaning up before laying in flotation, use a pressure washer to clear the drainage channels (they have a name and it escapes me :doh in the lowest part of the ribs. Fish hooks, change and styro bits will be blowing out. Hit from the rib ends, too. When you're done, do it it a few more times until only water is blowing out. I was soaked by the time I finished.

Rasberry roots already had me thinking to give it the old 3200psi elbow grease. Lots and lots of roots, through the foam, under the foam, around the foam not much fun seeing them under the ribs.I found two items I can't identify under the ribs. They look like curled up sun glass lenses, very thin and they were both in the bottom v drain spaces. I don't have a picture right now, they weren't some type of manufacturer drainage assist were they? I'm still wondering about the rivits in the first rib in the bow. If I replace the four rivits, how in the world am I going to get the rib back in place? It is raised off the bottom of the hull a bit and just inserting another rivit I don't think would reach it, I don't believe it would pull the rib back down. Is it like that from the factory?

 

[GA_Boater]

The only thing under the ribs is the hull and air inside the hump. A pic if you can.

Rib flanges are flush against the hull except for the for and aft limber holes. Looking from the outside, is the hull bowed out? And from the inside, does the rib match the curve of the other ribs? Maybe the boat hit something?

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

I haven't noticed any damage as of yet they are the same shape and the rib had a bunch of gulvit, if that's what they used back in 68, plastered to the front of the rib. It was very damp and gooey so I removed it to clean for new gilvit. I don't have a better picture but I will get one tomorrow. I will get a picture of the mysterious object also. If it hit something I was in it when it happened. Large waves, Lake Erie, another story.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

Only one I have right now

 

[Watermann]

Welcome to the Starmada :wave: and from the abyss that is the general resto forum.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

Thank you Watermann, I think I am in good company here.
Busy day, started out with buying plywood and foam sheets, got home unloaded, pulled the Jup out on a hill bow up and started to work cleaning. My way better half went "shopping " she bought new boat seats, carpet for the floor and vinyl!!!!!! She is way ahead of me! Just finished up at 2330.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

Ga_Boater this is the mystery object and the bow rib I was asking about, to get it back down, I think maybe a ratchet strap hooked onto the ends of the rib? I dunno. Where do you all suggest to find these rivits, maybe they have longer ones to help pull the rib back down?

 

[GA_Boater]

I think they are flotsom or jetsom that wormed their way under the deck. Or some busted sunglasses, not anything from Starcraft.

On the high rib, it does look to me the the hull skin is slightly bowed out. The rib doesn't look bent to my eyes.

This what I would do and others may have a better idea.

• Drill out the 4 rivets closest to the center.
• Using some long bolts that fit the rivet holes, drop the bolts through the 4 holes.
• On the outside, using metal straps across the rib to spread the force, tighten nuts on the bolts.
• Once the hull skin and rib is flush, drill holes about where I marked on the pic, on both sides.
• Use closed end pull rivets slathered with 3M 5200 and snug 'em down starting from the outside.
• Remove the bolts and strap and pop rivets through the last 4 holes.

Like I said, my idea, good or bad.

 

[Watermann]

GA made some good suggestions with the exception of using the blind rivets on the bow area on the bottom of the hull in a location (keel) that will certainly see contact with the bottom and the heads of those blind would shear off leaving you with a leak for sure. Personally I would use solid rivets but if you're not able to go that route the SS machine screws with nylocs sealed/isolated with 5200 would hold everything together great and not be subject to impact damage like a blind rivet head would be and you could just use the existing holes rather than making new.

 

[GA_Boater]

Was trying to keep it simple cuz pounding rivets is something some don't like to do. The stainless machine screws and Nylocs is a better idea for close to the keel.

I knew it could be tweaked, WM. Thanks.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

Thanks guys, we have had a bit of a unfortunate family set back so no progress lately. I did get the leak test finished and the keel above the rib area is leaking along with a few other small areas along the hull and stern. It almost looks as if the factory used some sort of calk along the edges of the keel, is this correct? It is thin and may be part of the old paint job but I'm not sure. I plan on removing the old rivets and replacing them with new brazier ones, I will probably have to order them if I can find the right ones. Why is it that rivets and 5200 are so hard to find unless you order them.

 

[Watermann]

Solid rivets are not something most people need and they require special tools is about the only explanation I can think of for why they are found more so online. 5200 used to be carried at Home Depot by me but now I have to order it online as well.

SC used a brownish red colored sealant on the seams and keel area so don't mess with it if it's not peeling up. Just clean well and apply Gluvit over the top.

 

[GA_Boater]

The keel strip is not sealed, so don't use water drips there as finding leak. If you look at both ends of the keel strip, you will see a factory drainage hole on one end.

Missing/damaged rivets will naturally drip to the keel strip.

 

[Crossfire75 Ohio]

So I did manage to find 5200 and solid rivets at a local marina 15 minutes from me, good people and I will definitely be a return customer. They are a small shop and I wasn't expecting them to have what I needed but they did and they have reasonable prices and a good stock of other goodies to boot. The area of the Jup that I was speaking of is in the bow right in front of the rib that was "weeping" during the leak test, its under water in the first picture. Different name maybe? I dunno. The "V" gap in the bow you can see in the pictures has original seam seal goop from the factory, some of it was gummy next to the rib and I removed it from right in front of the rib when cleaning out the water logged "flotation foam". It appeared that it was weeping as high as I was comfortable filling it with water, the more I added the higher it leaked, and I intend to gluvit this area along with the rivets when I do the rib repair. Don't worry, I blocked up the trailer and tried to get it as level as I could before filling it so I didn't squash the trailer. I was still as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs with all that weight and only the rickety old winch holding it on the trailer. The rollers and trailer creaked and complained a lot but it held. I will be replacing the winch soon as the rope and chain have seen way better days. Good thing I bought a new one for the glasser before I found more trouble than I was willing to tackle at the time.