My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

You guys are spot-on as usual. Starcraft's holes do have a little play ...i don't know if they were drilled that way or the force of the solid rivet expansion opened-them a smidge; the rivet stem swells-up quite a bit during bucking.

I'll apply a thin-bead under the rivet head.

Thanks guys! :yo:

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Just want you to have a nice dry boat after all the work you're putting into her.

 

[Grandad]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

You guys are spot-on as usual. Starcraft's holes do have a little play ...i don't know if they were drilled that way or the force of the solid rivet expansion opened-them a smidge; the rivet stem swells-up quite a bit during bucking.

It could be that when the old rivets are removed, the holes become slightly oval from the sideways chiselling, so add the 5200. This is a good time to use both a belt and suspenders. - Grandad

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

like the progress, love them fish pix.

 

[Watermann]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Hey Bluefin, could you give me the low down on the aluminum you used for the stiffeners. I think I may be following suit on my Chief.

The thought of the side(s) splitting out while in the middle of the lake keeps creeping into my fertile mind.

edit: Actually I think it was a post made by Bondo and his SC splitting open.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Just want you to have a nice dry boat after all the work you're putting into her.

It finally hit me...that was another cheap shot at my OB...wasn't it :facepalm:

It could be that when the old rivets are removed, the holes become slightly oval from the sideways chiselling, so add the 5200. This is a good time to use both a belt and suspenders. - Grandad

I think you're on to something there Grandad! I'll check the holes where I cored-out the stem before chiseling to see if they have less wiggle-room.

like the progress, love them fish pix.

Thanks Bruce! that night at the lake t already feels like ages ago :/

Hey Bluefin, could you give me the low down on the aluminum you used for the stiffeners. I think I may be following suit on my Chief.

The thought of the side(s) splitting out while in the middle of the lake keeps creeping into my fertile mind.

edit: Actually I think it was a post made by Bondo and his SC splitting open.

Yeah, it was Bondo talking about his spray rail cracking.

I'm not an expert on metal grades but my research suggested either 5052 or 6061. I'm partial to the 6061...more rigid (magnesium/silicon alloy). Heavy duty stuff...I'll be using this to cap my keel.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

She looks awesome and strong as all get out. Great work Blue

Thanks Sig! Good seein' ya on here again!

 

[Watermann]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Can I get the dimensions of the braces you made and the material thickness. Heck you should get in on a sideline fabricating the braces and selling them to your fellow iboat buddies. Mark me down for a dozen!

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

It finally hit me...that was another cheap shot at my OB...wasn't it :facepalm:

Not at all. I meant water getting inside the hull. With all the time and effort you've put in, the last thing you want is leaky rivets. Right? Besides the Rude is dry in all the right places now.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Can I get the dimensions of the braces you made and the material thickness. Heck you should get in on a sideline fabricating the braces and selling them to your fellow iboat buddies. Mark me down for a dozen!

Ha, there you go! The only obstacle is that the Admiral HATES the smell of cutting oil.

I'm at work right now but I believe they're 3.5" wide and 7" long...the upper tab is a tad over 5" although your chief may have different dimension. My tabs aren't perfectly square (cut w/ a jigsaw) so what I do is get it close in the brake...pushing the far edge to my stop. Once i have the crease, I use it as a reference for my mounting holes. This is more for aesthetics...so that when you look along the hull, all of the rivets are aligned (I measure 4 7/8" from the crease to the upper hull). If you go with 0.09" 6061, you may have trouble working it if you don't have a brake...step down to the 0.063 (1/16") and I think you'll be fine.

Not at all. I meant water getting inside the hull. With all the time and effort you've put in, the last thing you want is leaky rivets. Right? Besides the Rude is dry in all the right places now.

ha...i know GaB...just messin' with ya!

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

either 5052 or 6061. I'm partial to the 6061

either will work fine. the boat is made of 5052 (per an old sales brochure), and 5052 is slightly more corrosion resistant than 6061. just be sure you don't get a hardened grade of 6061....you want the mild stuff for this job so it will be easier to bend and drill.

BF, i have JUST the answer for you....you obviously need to buy yourself a plasma cutter, out of concern for the Admiral's olfactory sensibilities.

 

[DirtyHarry83]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Nice work so far. Very good craftsmanship.

 

[jrs151]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

On my 18? Holiday OB 1974, I?ve been removing loose and/or corroded rivets as well, and when it comes to loose ones, I discovered the vast majority are along the rib ends (as shown in the pic below) :

So I find this topic interesting and would like to fortify these areas on my craft as well before getting any further. What exactly is the problem or ?under-engineering? issue here? My though-pattern was obviously hull flexing stress, but believe the deck/flooring is a major contributor as well due to the fact that it screws on-top the rib ends. So as the hull might want to twist and flex the floor resists, or vice-versa. Furthermore, a curious note, the 180SS 1982 pic in Bob?s post #460, showing support plates under each rib end, also shows support brackets on the gunnels ... was this where the for the floor attached? So the floor does not sit directly on the rib ends?? If so, I as considering this a likely candidate mod for my craft because it not only alieve some of these stress from the ribs, but also net?s me a couple inches more bilge height for more room for a belly tank and flotation. Thoughts?
Thanks !

 

[barato2]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

JRS---it will probably work better if you start a thread on your own boat if you haven't already. raising the floor in an SS will require modification of your consoles to compensate. how are your metal fabrication/bending skills? it also raises the center of gravity a little, altho a belly tank would likely more than even that part out. finally, you'd reduce your freeboard, which is your (and any kids'?) margin of safety from falling overboard and one of the big advantages of an old SC. if you're OK with all that, by all means go for it. i'd strongly suggest that before you do, read threads from other folks who have raised their floors in an SS to get an idea of what's involved.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

either 5052 or 6061. I'm partial to the 6061

either will work fine. the boat is made of 5052 (per an old sales brochure), and 5052 is slightly more corrosion resistant than 6061. just be sure you don't get a hardened grade of 6061....you want the mild stuff for this job so it will be easier to bend and drill.

BF, i have JUST the answer for you....you obviously need to buy yourself a plasma cutter, out of concern for the Admiral's olfactory sensibilities.

Obviously!

Nice work so far. Very good craftsmanship.

Thanks DH! I'm anxious to see your rig in the hanger getting some TLC (time permitting!).

On my 18’ Holiday OB 1974, I’ve been removing loose and/or corroded rivets as well, and when it comes to loose ones, I discovered the vast majority are along the rib ends (as shown in the pic below) :

So I find this topic interesting and would like to fortify these areas on my craft as well before getting any further. What exactly is the problem or “under-engineering” issue here? My though-pattern was obviously hull flexing stress, but believe the deck/flooring is a major contributor as well due to the fact that it screws on-top the rib ends. So as the hull might want to twist and flex the floor resists, or vice-versa. Furthermore, a curious note, the 180SS 1982 pic in Bob’s post #460, showing support plates under each rib end, also shows support brackets on the gunnels ... was this where the for the floor attached? So the floor does not sit directly on the rib ends?? If so, I as considering this a likely candidate mod for my craft because it not only alieve some of these stress from the ribs, but also net’s me a couple inches more bilge height for more room for a belly tank and flotation. Thoughts?
Thanks !

Gravity/Downward forces experienced pounding through chop, trailering (I think even a bad trailer suspension plays a role), etc. The StarCraft Engineers relied solely on the side-panels to brace the outer-chine & spray rail. If the side panel becomes compromised, you loose support and the hull skin @ the last rivet flexes downward. The spray-rail can also expand/compress leading to cracking.

The angle of the side-panel is also critical (Grandad mentioned this as well). If that bottom z-channel is not angled properly (bad resto, mushy floor, broken supports, etc.), you get little/no y-vector (vertical) support.



My bracing project has 2 phases: 1) adding tabs to lock the spray-rail and put some additional material at the outer-chine. 2) add vertical pillar supports behind the side-panels

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

I wanted to keep Phase-2 as a surprise but since I already let the cat out of the bag...

side-panel removed for clarity:

 

[ctswf]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

damn! looking good bluefin that things going to be a tank! or a sweet cuban drug smuggler

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

I wanted to keep Phase-2 as a surprise but since I already let the cat out of the bag...

side-panel removed for clarity:

This is interesting ^^^ Are you bending an area specific panel, or more plates to accomplish this tweak?

Looking forward to seeing the rest of this playing out. Great work so far. Graphics are spot on, good job on them too..........

 

[Watermann]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

Dang Bluefin you've put some serious effort into this SC hull problem. Awesome visual on your fix, thanks!

You know all SC had to do was make her smooth sided and rivet on a spray rail, like my SN has.

 

[classiccat]

Re: My First StarCraft; 1975 18' SuperSport

damn! looking good bluefin that things going to be a tank! or a sweet cuban drug smuggler

Thanks man! ^^ I'll refer to that activity as "resto funding"

Dang Bluefin you've put some serious effort into this SC hull problem. Awesome visual on your fix, thanks!

You know all SC had to do was make her smooth sided and rivet on a spray rail, like my SN has.

Thanks H2Oman! I "procrastinated" all summer by focusing on my OB...knowing how much of a p.i.t.a. this would be. Once I find someone willing to hold a bucking bar for a few hours, I'll have turned the corner on this thing!

Not sure why they used an integrated spray rail...maybe cost? looks?