Monmouth's 1979 Starcraft Kingfisher Rebuild

[Monmouth00]

Sounds like a plan to me! Win, win, win all around. And your kids always wear their PFDs, right? I make "the boy" wear his all the time. Well, he likes wearing it, even when it's stifling hot. :joyous:

ALL THE DAMN TIME. I don't care if they complain or not. They wear it no matter what. I think it's actually law in NJ - they have to wear it if they're under 13.

I also carry float cushions and a throw bag.

Regardless, I sell aviation life vests to commercial airlines and offshore helicopter operators around the world. I'm not about to be a hypocrite!

 

[BWR1953]

Cool beans.

 

[Watermann]

You've got the deck laid in with vinyl on, guess I have to imagine what that was like doing it all in one piece no less! It looks really nice, and yeah that Nautolex vinyl is at least to my eye beautiful.

I understand about the lower speeds and small lakes, I just fish big water at times and go 40+ MPH over chop and boat wakes so my perspective is a bit different.

So the screws, depth of the screw means really nothing as there's only going to be at most on the ribs, .090" thickness of AL which means there's only a couple screw teeth to hold onto it. Once those teeth let go the screw is not going to hold any longer, that's why most of us go back with the LF rivets. The deck supports are even thinner.

I used the finish washers and no they do not cut that vinyl, the center being in set bottoms out and keep the washer from being a cookie cutter.

 

[Monmouth00]

Thanks, Fellas! The encouragement and advice has been incredibly helpful.

We got 6" of snow last night, which means that I won't be screwing down the floor today. Bummer. I had momentum, and the weather robbed me.

I've been painting interior parts when I can steal a few minutes in the garage. Cleaning thoroughly with scotchbright and MEK, then two coats SEP, then two coats of either the Rustoleum Professional or the Duralux. I'm not a patient person, so doing a coat, and waiting 6 hours before I can flip and apply another coat is killing me.

The Boy wanted a red and grey color scheme, so we're sticking with it. I'm trying to break up all the grey with some red highlights. It's called "Regal Red" which is a bit darker. It's still pretty freaking red though, so I'm trying to use it sparingly.

I cleaned, primed and painted the end caps and the transom cap to match the black rails.

A neighbor dropped by while I was shoveling snow this morning, and mistook the boat for a brand new one, so I must be doing something right. For a guy who never wanted a boat, my pride of ownership is growing!

 

[Monmouth00]

You've got the deck laid in with vinyl on, guess I have to imagine what that was like doing it all in one piece no less! It looks really nice, and yeah that Nautolex vinyl is at least to my eye beautiful..

It worked really well! Four of us grabbed the floor, supporting it on either side of each seam, walked it in from the back, and just dropped it in! No problems.

I didn't have any pictures of the install because everyone had hands on the floor. But, trust me, if I had to do it again I wouldn't change the method. No gaps in the floor to lose hooks, weights and shiners. Plus, less flex when I'm walking around.

 

[66Holiday924]

Something I've learned from my short experience on this site and with my own project is that there isn't really a right or wrong way of doing any of this stuff. It's your boat to build however you want. If something doesn't work or fails after a few years you can put it back together a different way, and see how it works out. Just keep it safe, legal, and have fun.

 

[nrf414]

Deck looks awesome! Nice work. Moving right along!!

 

[Monmouth00]

Something I've learned from my short experience on this site and with my own project is that there isn't really a right or wrong way of doing any of this stuff. It's your boat to build however you want. If something doesn't work or fails after a few years you can put it back together a different way, and see how it works out. Just keep it safe, legal, and have fun.

Truth be told, I don't have any idea what I'm doing.

If nothing else, I'll be an example to everyone else of what not to do.

I haven't done anything remotely like this before. I've never restored anything. I basically have way too much confidence for my skill set. Everything I've done I've learned from the internet.

Yep, I'm basically a chimpanzee with a tool set.

That being said, I'm doing my best to draw from everyone else's experiences. I've researched, I've been open to opinion, Everything I'm doing makes sense to me, and has been cross-referenced, and will result in a fully functional boat. I'm confident it won't sink under me, and really, that's good enough to me. It's not going to be perfect, but it it will be good enough for me. There will be no SOTY award for me, but that's not what I'm going for.

Follow along. Please answer questions when I ask. I'll give advice when I can (based on limited experience.)

Everyone on this site so far has been awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better resource. I'd still have a leaky, ugly boat without you guys. On behalf of all the newbies - keep it up. I hope I can too.

Cheers, iboats.com community.

Can't wait to splash this thing and make you all proud.

With thanks,

Monmouth00

 

[nrf414]

Truth be told, I don't have any idea what I'm doing.

If nothing else, I'll be an example to everyone else of what not to do.

I haven't done anything remotely like this before. I've never restored anything. I basically have way too much confidence for my skill set. Everything I've done I've learned from the internet.

Yep, I'm basically a chimpanzee with a tool set.

That being said, I'm doing my best to draw from everyone else's experiences. I've researched, I've been open to opinion, Everything I'm doing makes sense to me, and has been cross-referenced, and will result in a fully functional boat. I'm confident it won't sink under me, and really, that's good enough to me. It's not going to be perfect, but it it will be good enough for me. There will be no SOTY award for me, but that's not what I'm going for.

Follow along. Please answer questions when I ask. I'll give advice when I can (based on limited experience.)

Everyone on this site so far has been awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better resource. I'd still have a leaky, ugly boat without you guys. On behalf of all the newbies - keep it up. I hope I can too.

Cheers, iboats.com community.

Can't wait to splash this thing and make you all proud.

With thanks,

Monmouth00

Well put.. me too.

 

[66Holiday924]

I'm pretty sure it is a learning experience for everybody on here. Even the guys who have done multiple boats are always looking for new products and ways of doing things. We all learn from each other and through trial and error. I am not a professional either. I'm learning that some of the "professionals" aren't even professionals. I've had conversations with them and they reveal a lack of knowledge about certain things, or give low quotes which couldn't possibly cover the quality of work that you would expect.

 

[Monmouth00]

We had 6" of snow on Sunday, and it's 74 degrees outside today. Of course, I'm stuck in the office, when I could be working on the boat. And, it's supposed to rain again this weekend.

This is all putting a serious dent in my timeline, folks.....

 

[BWR1953]

We had 6" of snow on Sunday, and it's 74 degrees outside today. Of course, I'm stuck in the office, when I could be working on the boat. And, it's supposed to rain again this weekend.

This is all putting a serious dent in my timeline, folks.....

Yup, life and weather keep interfering with our boat stuff!

 

[Monmouth00]

So, I love the Duralux paint, but it's giving me absolute fits. Before any of you say it - I know, I know, I should have thinned it.

But, it goes on like peanut butter. The stuff is THICK!

This is the third or fourth piece I've painted, thinking I did a good job, only to look at it in the morning to find that long, slow, syrupy drips have formed on surfaces that aren't perfectly horizontal. Not to mention pooling in corners.

Painting is frustrating beyond belief to me. I have no patience for it.

Looks like I've got a lot of wet sanding in my future.

 

[Watermann]

Painting isn't easy but it sure looks that way when other do it. HVLP gun is the only way for me.

 

[Monmouth00]

3\4 inch plywood is thick enough for bench tops, right?

Im planning on mounting seats to the top of each.

The benches will be 4' long at most.

Do I need support underneath?

Thanks!

 

[MD28]

Ditto with the hvlp spray gun. I am right with you when it comes to painting. I have nearly no patience with it and always apply too much leading to runs and more nightmares. I painted my trailer first to get the techniques down and am fairly happy with the results. I will never try painting metal with a brush again.

 

[MD28]

What kind of span between the support for the bench’s are we talking about? 4’ without a support with two seats on it would likely sag but it’s hard to say without knowing what it is you have in mind. Maybe add some angle to the bottom side if you don’t want any uprights for support under it?

 

[BWR1953]

3\4 inch plywood is thick enough for bench tops, right?

Im planning on mounting seats to the top of each.

The benches will be 4' long at most.

Do I need support underneath?

Thanks!

If you're talking about this front bench, 3/4" should be plenty.

 

[Monmouth00]

If you're talking about this front bench, 3/4" should be plenty.

Right, the front bench, the rear bench, and the console bench.

I'm going to use the 3/4". None of the benches is more than 14" wide. With it supported by the aluminum benches, I can't imagine it will sag. If it does, I'll use the angle AL as suggested.

Gotta get the benches in to get them measured, then cut and seal the tops....

 

[Monmouth00]

Ditto with the hvlp spray gun. I am right with you when it comes to painting. I have nearly no patience with it and always apply too much leading to runs and more nightmares. I painted my trailer first to get the techniques down and am fairly happy with the results. I will never try painting metal with a brush again.

Everything I've painted with the Rustoleum professional has come out great, but that Duralux is so thick.

If I ever do it again, I'll go after a paint gun, and make sure to thin it out.