Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Yeah I needed the 5.30x12 on 4 lug rims...they weren't on sale when I looked...now to get these wheels off the trailer...

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

She looks purty good in the pics link. Get those tires mounted and put that baby on the water.

 

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Ok, so just to make sure...to pull these wheels off the trailer, I should hitch it to the truck, right? I'd be afraid on the block or jack it may be unstable. Am I thinking right? May be a stupid question...

 

[rheagler]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

There are no stupid questions Sure, if you have the room to hook it to the truck it will make it much more stable than on the tongue jack or stand...

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Hooking up is a good idea, especially if the lugs are rusty and tight. Much more stable while breaking the lugs loose.

 

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Thanks guys, that's what I was thinking

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Better to ask than dumping the trailer off the jacks/stands. Nothing wrong being careful.

 

[rheagler]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Better to ask than dumping the trailer off the jacks/stands. Nothing wrong being careful.

Dumping the trailer off the stands can be embarrassing. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Dumping the trailer off the stands can be embarrassing. I'll just leave it at that.

Seen worse, and can't possibly be as bad as 'dumping' a Holiday off the trailer into a field

Or letting your Islander break dance in the driveway

Happens, but definitely do all that's possible to avoid it

 

[Gibbles]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Very nice looking Chief, looks like a good boat!

I'm sure you have seen how easy these things are

 

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

So, i was definitely sweating a little last night, hooked up to truck, jacked up the side and pulled the wheels off. Then of course i needed to pull the truck out and leave the jackstands under . . . that's where the fun began . . . as i had to jack up the front of the trailer, i hear the trailer creak a little . . . then i get to just about off the ball and it starts to shift . . . at this point i'm thinking it's getting dumped on my wife's van . . . so i very carefully slowly rotated the crank another turn til i wasn't on the truck anymore . . . phew, pulled the truck out and slowly lowered onto the block . . . holy crap that was scary!

 

[Stevens520]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

So, i was definitely sweating a little last night, hooked up to truck, jacked up the side and pulled the wheels off. Then of course i needed to pull the truck out and leave the jackstands under . . . that's where the fun began . . . as i had to jack up the front of the trailer, i hear the trailer creak a little . . . then i get to just about off the ball and it starts to shift . . . at this point i'm thinking it's getting dumped on my wife's van . . . so i very carefully slowly rotated the crank another turn til i wasn't on the truck anymore . . . phew, pulled the truck out and slowly lowered onto the block . . . holy crap that was scary!

Gadzooks man!! I don't think I have the cajones to do that! When I did my trailer tires, I left it hooked up to the truck and took the tires/rims to the shop in my car. Was a hoot trying to fit them in a little honda.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Gadzooks is not used nearly enough in our common every day language. Well done Steve

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

When we were yakkin' about hooking up the trailer to pull the tires I had a thought about how you were getting the tires to the shop. He's gonna toss 'em in the car and leave the truck hooked up. Anyway it worked out OK. Gadzooks, indeed.

 

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Yeah, I have 3 little kids and my wife works til 8 so i dont' really get out to do that stuff until after then . . . and she needed her car today so it wasn't an option. Tonight, i'm switching and taking the other two and not bother with the hook up. i'd rather deal with dropping the hitch than the boat Besides that, i want to get the boat on the lake this weekend so no time for waiting until the weekend to do this tire nonsense I was definitely sweating bullets for a few minutes though while i stopped to think about what to do

Lesson Learned = Don't do that!

Gadzooks man!! I don't think I have the cajones to do that! When I did my trailer tires, I left it hooked up to the truck and took the tires/rims to the shop in my car. Was a hoot trying to fit them in a little honda.

 

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

So, for those of you who have painted your boats, I need to get some paint on my cabin top, it's down to the aluminum in most places and i want to get it painted before winter . . . any paint suggestions? I'm not looking to spend a ton of money, however I also don't want it to go uncovered. Was thinking some rust-o-leum or something to get it covered. Thoughts?

 

[rheagler]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Most important thing with the paint is to prime with self etching primer. Rustoleum has it in spray form. I scuffed the aluminum slightly with 220 paper, wiped it down with lacquer thinner and sprayed the primer. For top coat I used a oil based industrial coating (paint). Many have used Rustoleum, or the oil based paint from Tractor Supply. In my opinion any good quality oil based paint would be fine. The prep is most important though, especially the cleaning. Have fun and good luck this weekend!

 

[airshot]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

While many of you may cringe at this suggestion, I have always used "krylon" spray paint in the rattle cans found at walleyworld. This stuff covers well dries fast and has shown no sign of age or discolorization in over three years on my aluminium boat. I was not down to bare metal so a light sanding and finish coat was all I needed, but I have had excellent experiences with all my "krylon" paint jobs.

Airshot

 

[lakeerienewbie]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Well, I learned the importance of storing bow-up...and that the bilge pump works . Had it down while I had the tires off for a couple days and we had some apparently heavy rains.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Got my first boat . . . and it's a Starcraft!!!

Well, depending on how much water, mother nature may have just helped leak test the Chieftain for you