Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Finally got the pics posted for my resto project. I have one side of the boat stripped using zip strip. I also have a 50 hp Johnson I'm mounting to it. The tri hull in the background was a my first attempt at buying a "cheap" boat. Like a lot of guys on here I bought it really cheap thinking I could carpet it and throw in some seats. I had no idea of the rotten wood and foam that awaited me. After drilling some core samples I junked the boat, kept the 50 hp Johnson and looked for 4 months before finding the perfect aluminum boat candidate to use the motor on. And so begins the resto!!!!!!
 

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yooperangler

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Messages
721
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Nice looking project. Curious that I see 3 knee braces and no splashwell haven't really looked at the 50's jets but definitely different than the restos I have seen. Welcome and post some pics of the progress before the angry mob shows up:)
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Yeah there are some differences from the later Jets : no factory splash well and boat is not made from "lakestrap" aluminum. It also looks smaller than the later Jets (it measures 14' 2") but says "JET 15" on the data plate.
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Thanks yooper. Not much info available on Starcrafts this old....I'll keep the pics coming....
 
Huron Angler

Huron Angler

Admiral
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Apr 7, 2009
Messages
6,025
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Welcome to the Starcraft fleet jtrom:)

Nice old Jet you've got there...nice to see she came with the windshield hardware so you can make it original.

Not much info on the pre-lapstrake hulls, just a few snippets.

Looking forward to seeing what you've got planned for the rig.
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Progress pics as of today.
 

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Stonedcrow

Cadet
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
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Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Nice boat! I beleive I just bought the same model. If there is a data plate, I cant find it. Would you happen to know the capacity for this boat? max horse, persons, weight, etc? Any help would be appreciated.
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Hey stonedcrow....my data plate is on the inside of the transom, but it did not show max horsepower rating. For that I looked at the "classic Starcraft" brochures which shows specs for every year Starcraft..Just google it or check the Starcraft section on here. My boat is rated for 10-50 hp (altough my 50 hp looks awfully big for this little tinny.....)
 
S

Stonedcrow

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Aug 10, 2011
Messages
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Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Thanks, will do. Wow 50! and I was thinking the 35 that came with mine was probably max for the boat. Damn, now I need a bigger motor.
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

These came with a 35 hp Lark back in '59....and I heard they perform well....50 is overkill
 
S

Stonedcrow

Cadet
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
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Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Thats good to know. Must be the orig motor with mine, it came with a 35hp lark, although the motor is a 1957 model. I was just joking I love the look of the motor and it looks great on the boat Id hate to change it. I'll deffinately be watching your resto (so I can steal any good ideas) I probably wont be doing anything major to mine until early next year. I plan on using it pretty much as is as, much as possible this year.
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Well everything I'm gonna do to it I am stealing from other people on this forum...lol... Check out Lakelover's resto thread, its really imformative. Just curious, how fast is your boat with that 35 hp?
 
S

Stonedcrow

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Aug 10, 2011
Messages
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Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Ill let you know when I know. Its at the enginge shop right now. The motor is in good shape but hasnt been run since 96. I decided to have the experts go through it just to be safe. Talking to folks around here who've had similar boats and motor setups, as well as talking to the mechanic, Im told that 25 mph should be no problem, probably in the high 20's to low 30's. But Ill let you know when I know.
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Finally got the entire hull stripped 4 gallons of Zip Strip later. Now it's time to water test, rebuck rivets and apply the Coat-it.
 

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Stonedcrow

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Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

That looks like a nice strip job to me. Just Zip Strip? Any other tricks?
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Stonedcrow said:
That looks like a nice strip job to me. Just Zip Strip? Any other tricks?
Click to expand...


I used a paintbrush to apply the stripper on thick brushing in one direction. Then used a PLASTIC scraper to scrape up the paint. Took multiple coats of stripper.
I used Scotchbrite pads on the stubborn areas. Don't be afraid to put stripper right on the pad. Also used a coarse brass wire brush and cup brush on the rivets using a lowpower drill. NEVER use a high speed grinder on aluminum, no matter what kind of brush you are using...will eat right through. Be forwarned stripping an old boat like this is a LOT of tedious work.....
 
Huron Angler

Huron Angler

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Apr 7, 2009
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6,025
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Looking good jtrom, I really like the non-lapstrake aluminum on that hull.

Nice progress, I agree that stripping paint is quite the tedious way to kill some time.

It makes working on the trailer seem like a fun alternative sometimes:D
 
J

jtrom

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
220
Re: Jtrom's 1959 starcraft Jet resto.........

Huron Angler said:
Looking good jtrom, I really like the non-lapstrake aluminum on that hull.

Nice progress, I agree that stripping paint is quite the tedious way to kill some time.

It makes working on the trailer seem like a fun alternative sometimes:D
Click to expand...



I know what you mean....I started tinkering with the motor just as a "break" from stripping paint. I'm glad I pushed through it and got her done!
 
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