My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

[bob johnson]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

yeah those storms were like a hurricane today!!!!!!!!!!!!! why did you not concider welding??????faster and easier for cracks..... i like attaching stuff with rivets, but for a crack...welding is the way to go


bob

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

yeah those storms were like a hurricane today!!!!!!!!!!!!! why did you not concider welding??????faster and easier for cracks..... i like attaching stuff with rivets, but for a crack...welding is the way to go


bob

I guess we're sort-of neighbors...I'm over in Orange (but work in Dutchess). That storm came barreling through like it was on a mission! Holy Smokes!

I'm one of those paranoid types when it comes to welding old aluminum...Plus I don't know of a good welder around here. The insides of these are in a bad spot...under the stinking ribs. Plus, I gotta keep reminding myself that I'm building a fishing rig that I intend on keeping for a long time (or until TWOFOOTITUS sets in..whichever comes 1st) so it doesn't have to be pretty :lol:

 

[bob johnson]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

I guess we're sort-of neighbors...I'm over in Orange (but work in Dutchess). That storm came barreling through like it was on a mission! Holy Smokes!

I'm one of those paranoid types when it comes to welding old aluminum...Plus I don't know of a good welder around here. The insides of these are in a bad spot...under the stinking ribs. Plus, I gotta keep reminding myself that I'm building a fishing rig that I intend on keeping for a long time (or until TWOFOOTITUS sets in..whichever comes 1st) so it doesn't have to be pretty :lol:

you realize, unless you put at least 4 rivets in each patch.,....it will be a wasted effort...and then at that you are adding four more stress riser starts.......if you had maybe two places...id go your route...but all those... and all in a line...let a welder have at it... id bet they all came from a poor trailer set up......maybe for a while a previous owner has a keel up on a bunk or set of rollers.....I think the aluminum boats need big flat bunks....to get the longest life.
maybe Ill run over and observe your progress one day!!! ha ha ha.. I was going to lauch at newburg today, but decided not because of the storms... but i did visit Gullys close to sunset and the cops had the ramp blocked and taped off...and i am thinking I saw them roll a gurney with a body bag on it over to a non descript van and they all just sat around for an hour or so with the place on shutdown....


bob

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

you realize, unless you put at least 4 rivets in each patch.,....it will be a wasted effort...and then at that you are adding four more stress riser starts.......if you had maybe two places...id go your route...but all those... and all in a line...let a welder have at it... id bet they all came from a poor trailer set up......maybe for a while a previous owner has a keel up on a bunk or set of rollers.....I think the aluminum boats need big flat bunks....to get the longest life.
maybe Ill run over and observe your progress one day!!! ha ha ha.. I was going to lauch at newburg today, but decided not because of the storms... but i did visit Gullys close to sunset and the cops had the ramp blocked and taped off...and i am thinking I saw them roll a gurney with a body bag on it over to a non descript van and they all just sat around for an hour or so with the place on shutdown....

bob

Thanks for the inputs Bob! I didn't consider adding new stress points (seeds for new stress cracks). If I were only doing patches, I'd be covered since I'm using the existing rib holes. However...I'm also adding the missing bracing for the chine and spray rail. If I keep it those under the ribs as well (as GaB & jb recommend), no new holes (stress risers) in the bottom skin. The downside is that I'd have to trim the rib ends (to fit the angle) and probably won't be able to tap into the upper/lower seam...decisions, decisions! :twitch:

Newburgh is my main launch point! There's no better place to watch weekend warriors trip over themselves at the launch during striper season than Gullys! Unfortunately police tape at that launch is all-to-common...maybe that's what our $14 launch fee is going towards :mad-new:.

If you swing by, bring earplugs...I'm not sure what's louder, my riveting hammer or my compressor :lol:

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

The cherry-picker / garage-opening gantry made the 1-man flip a breeze:




This morning, I built a cradle-style carrier that raised the bow enough to allow it to fit into my garage...thanks to the deadrise! SUPER STOKED!!!



Tight fit!


The BFH just can't get any love. I figured with it in the garage, I'd be able to swing until muscle failure. I got about 100 whacks in and the Admiral shut-down the operation for a 2nd time...claiming that pictures were falling off of the walls upstairs.
B4:


AFTER...squint and you might just see some improvement:


I'm going to try applying some heat with propane when the Admiral is off running errands.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[dozerII]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Making great progress BF. Those are some nasty cracks. If you have a good paint stripping heat gun it will apply enough heat to help with the aluminum straightening with out the chance of an over heat. I used that method for bending the hatch trim on the 201 after melting a piece with the propane torch.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Making great progress BF. Those are some nasty cracks. If you have a good paint stripping heat gun it will apply enough heat to help with the aluminum straightening with out the chance of an over heat. I used that method for bending the hatch trim on the 201 after melting a piece with the propane torch.

Thanks for the tip glen! the hair on my arms prefers that approach as well :flame: :lol:

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

When the Admiral is complaining, hit a little more and then explain that you couldn't hear her over the noise. That works, doesn't it? :facepalm:

You still have a good 3-4" of clearance. Not even a tight fit.

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

dang....now THAT is some serious progress for one weekend!

here's why i think you DO NOT want to weld those patches: they are right next to the seam between AL panels. the factory used some goop between them (remember goodyear Pliobond? smells very similar) to seal joint. when you try and weld next to it, even with a TIG, the stuff tries to melt/catch fire, and it contaminates the weld. i went through this with my Lone Star and will just use rivets n glop next time for anything that close to a seam.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

When the Admiral is complaining, hit a little more and then explain that you couldn't hear her over the noise. That works, doesn't it? :facepalm:

You still have a good 3-4" of clearance. Not even a tight fit.

GaB, I did precisely that when I came-up from the garage...and it went over like a lead balloon. :fish:

My house was built in 1972...weren't cars like 2x the size back then? :noidea:

dang....now THAT is some serious progress for one weekend!

here's why i think you DO NOT want to weld those patches: they are right next to the seam between AL panels. the factory used some goop between them (remember goodyear Pliobond? smells very similar) to seal joint. when you try and weld next to it, even with a TIG, the stuff tries to melt/catch fire, and it contaminates the weld. i went through this with my Lone Star and will just use rivets n glop next time for anything that close to a seam.

Yep...plus these cracks are cruddy from oxidation, epoxy and various radioactive elements from TMI. :lol:

I have ALOT of catchin' up to do Bruce! OB set me back a few weeks. The plan is to have the exterior complete (so I'm done flippin') + floor/transom glassed before the leaves start fallin' which is ~ 4 weeks at this pace! This way I'll have all winter to work on the interior in the garage. One good thing about a small garage is that it's easy to heat.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Ok guys, thanks for stayin' with me on this. I'm actually off from work this week so hopefully I can get this structural stuff banged-out (<= see what I did there).

After another 100+ swings with the sledge / 4X4 on the Ribs...with heat...I realized that the only thing bending is the top of the ribs.

So...I decided to cautiously attack the hull skin.

Starting from from the aft-most rib space, I worked my forward using a 2x4 and light hits with the BFH...and I'm very pleased with the results. Here's a shot of the skin next to Rib#7 after the 1st pass...nearly matches the starboard chine profile.


What I also noticed is that the rib-end tabs are bent upwards from all of the flex...THIS IS CRAZY if you consider how much the hull skin was being displaced...Like a big aluminum accordion! Rib#7 tab:


I stopped after Rib-8 because I wanted to run upstairs to share my excitement with my buddies :lol:

Here's a shot of kink next to Rib-9.


Now Bob really opened my eyes about introducing more holes in the hull skin...particularly in a part of the skin that's been stressed, bent, cracked, etc. So I'm starting to re-think the entire bracing strategy. The braces are useless if I secure them away from the chine because the brace angle will flex.

If I tapped into the seam-only, I'm only locking-in the outer-portion of the chine + spray-rail. If I put a brace directly on top the rib, I'm locking the entire chine + spray-rail...and I don't introduce anymore holes....aka Grandad's approach.

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

yeah, i like Grandad's plan too and will be emulating it. have you tried a dead blow hammer? works much better for forming alum, IMHO, than a sledge or other BFH, and maybe quieter as well.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

yeah, i like Grandad's plan too and will be emulating it. have you tried a dead blow hammer? works much better for forming alum, IMHO, than a sledge or other BFH, and maybe quieter as well.

Brilliant suggestion B2! I actually had one in my hand @ HF the other day and I put it back...:facepalm: The Admiral works < 1 mile from a HF, I'm sure she'll be happy to pick one up during her lunch brake tomorrow if it means the pictures stay on the walls!

Using GD's plan, at least we have someone to blame if our chines crack... On the otherhand, if we use a different approach and our chines turn into swiss cheese, someone will say, "you should've used GD's plan". ound:

 

[bob johnson]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

one takeaway from this thread should be the consideration of tying the sides and the floor together very securely to prevent cracks like these....when we see something getting soft or loose...don't put off the repair!!!!!!!! plus we all should know what to look for in any future SC purchases.......bob

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

one takeaway from this thread should be the consideration of tying the sides and the floor together very securely to prevent cracks like these....when we see something getting soft or loose...don't put off the repair!!!!!!!! plus we all should know what to look for in any future SC purchases.......bob

No doubt...especially anything pre-1979 (about the time they started adding chine supports.)

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

which unfortunately may also be about the time they started adding poured in foam

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Just checking in... and, once again, you are finding and fixing stuff that I never would have seen...

You have mad skillz... Can someone bring me a beer and some popcorn; this one has looks of good drama, but I feel pretty sure the good guy is going to defeat the warped tinned beast with the leaky motor... :couch2:op2:

 

[64osby]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Blue - I keep watching, don't post much. You're doing great work, keep it up.Grandad's method certainly looks to be the best so far. Everything I've read on welding old tin boats says - don't do it. Anneals the surrounding alum, making it more susceptible to cracking. I've read where guys chase there cracks with welding until they send it to the scrap yard.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Just checking in... and, once again, you are finding and fixing stuff that I never would have seen...

You have mad skillz... Can someone bring me a beer and some popcorn; this one has looks of good drama, but I feel pretty sure the good guy is going to defeat the warped tinned beast with the leaky motor... :couch2:op2:

Thanks Patrick! :drama: :lol:

Given your attention to detail, I'm 100% sure you would've found these skeletons.

Painted gobs of epoxy at the rib ends should've been caught at the seller's residence...even though he conveniently had that side of the boat snugged-up to a fence. coincidence? ...actually it probably was a coincidence...he didn't make any effort to hide the black gobs of flex seal attempting to stop the bow "drainage holes" :facepalm:

Blue - I keep watching, don't post much. You're doing great work, keep it up.Grandad's method certainly looks to be the best so far. Everything I've read on welding old tin boats says - don't do it. Anneals the surrounding alum, making it more susceptible to cracking. I've read where guys chase there cracks with welding until they send it to the scrap yard.

Thanks 64! Probably the same stuff I've read. :nerd:

The only modifications that I'll be making to Grandad's approach: Exterior patches (I'll sleep better...and if I was a buyer, I'd rather see patches than cracks) & I'll be adding vertical supports to the shelf since mine isn't as rigid as I'd like it to be.

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

i think the wood side panels form the outer edge support for the shelf...they do in my Holiday at least