Replaced rotten floor and soggy flotation foam 1994 Starcraft first post-lots of pics

[jigngrub]

I was wondering when someone else was going to join in about the other stuff, I didn't want to hog up all the juicy sirloin steak fat!

The whole thing boils down to this is a good example of a bad example on how to restore a boat.

 

[Axkiker]

Dont let them get ya down dude. You wanted to get this boat back on the water fast and cheap which is exactly what you did. Ultimately the finished product looks pretty good to me.

You could probably have taken some extra steps to make things a little better. The boat im currently working on had MANY MANY steps missed by the factory, and it has lasted since 1994. With that said im doubting that your boat is gonna disintegrate within a couple years like many on here would lead you to believe. Try your best to keep it dry and you will most likely get several years out of it.

 

[Bubbasboat]

How long did this project take?


Edit:

Should have asked how many hours did it take?

 

[Fastatv]

Dont let them get ya down dude. You wanted to get this boat back on the water fast and cheap which is exactly what you did. Ultimately the finished product looks pretty good to me.

You could probably have taken some extra steps to make things a little better. The boat im currently working on had MANY MANY steps missed by the factory, and it has lasted since 1994. With that said im doubting that your boat is gonna disintegrate within a couple years like many on here would lead you to believe. Try your best to keep it dry and you will most likely get several years out of it.

Nicely said! Every repair on a boat is not or may not be a RESTORATION. Its something that may be affordable to do and get a few more years out of the boat....then junk it or part it out.....but, although I'm not really sure about the foam thing, it still should be acknowledged that what he has done for the decking is still far better than what the factory did and will last longer than the factory.

 

[jigngrub]

With that said im doubting that your boat is gonna disintegrate within a couple years like many on here would lead you to believe. Try your best to keep it dry and you will most likely get several years out of it.

No, the boat isn't going to disintegrate in a couple of years... but the carpeting will separate from the decking leaving loose, puckered, and floppy spots. And while the carpet will still look relatively new, the installation will be ruined. The carpet won't be fit to be glued back down because it'll have flaked resin stuck to the back of it and any resin left on the decking will flake off if you try to glue over it.

What it will all boil down to is, remove the relatively new and still decent carpeting and throw it away. Sand any resin that's still stuck to the decking off and then glass in the decking the right way and buy and install new carpet... and that will still leave the below deck sins and horrors unaddressed.

 

[jigngrub]

Nicely said! Every repair on a boat is not or may not be a RESTORATION. Its something that may be affordable to do and get a few more years out of the boat....then junk it or part it out.....but, although I'm not really sure about the foam thing, it still should be acknowledged that what he has done for the decking is still far better than what the factory did and will last longer than the factory.

If you can't afford to fix your boat properly, you don't have any business owning a boat in the first place. If you can't afford to fix your boat properly, you can't afford to fill it up with gasoline and run it around the lake.

If your boat isn't worth fixing right, it isn't worth fixing at all.

Using polyester resin alone (without cloth or mat) is actually worse than just gluing the carpet down to bare wood deck, the carpet will stay stuck longer to bare wood than it will to cracking/peeling poly resin... and neither of those two ways offer deck protection/preservation.

You should really study and research the forum more, you could learn a lot.

 

[Axkiker]

If you can't afford to fix your boat properly, you don't have any business owning a boat in the first place. If you can't afford to fix your boat properly, you can't afford to fill it up with gasoline and run it around the lake.

If your boat isn't worth fixing right, it isn't worth fixing at all.

Using polyester resin alone (without cloth or mat) is actually worse than just gluing the carpet down to bare wood deck, the carpet will stay stuck longer to bare wood than it will to cracking/peeling poly resin... and neither of those two ways offer deck protection/preservation.

You should really study and research the forum more, you could learn a lot.

Hummmmm........ Where to start.....

I guess ill just say that I don't feel its appropriate to tell anyone what they should or should not be doing to their own property. For all we know this guy is a millionaire who just likes to try new projects. The guy had a need and was able to fulfill his needs by tackling a project on his own. I commend him for this. Maybe he didn't do it the way you would have but that in no way gives anyone the right to say he doesn't have any business owning it. Thats one of the silliest things I have seen on this forum.

​If.. and I repeat IF, this guy has issues with his boat down the road do you want him coming back for advice? I assume not by the way you have responded. There are far better ways of offering advice that just blasting someone with your opinion. If we desire to have the forums grow people need to feel welcomed... not run off.

 

[jigngrub]

Hummmmm........ Where to start.....

I guess ill just say that I don't feel its appropriate to tell anyone what they should or should not be doing to their own property. For all we know this guy is a millionaire who just likes to try new projects. The guy had a need and was able to fulfill his needs by tackling a project on his own. I commend him for this. Maybe he didn't do it the way you would have but that in no way gives anyone the right to say he doesn't have any business owning it. Thats one of the silliest things I have seen on this forum.

​If.. and I repeat IF, this guy has issues with his boat down the road do you want him coming back for advice? I assume not by the way you have responded. There are far better ways of offering advice that just blasting someone with your opinion. If we desire to have the forums grow people need to feel welcomed... not run off.

I'm sorry, but I can't congratulate someone on a job poorly done... I wasn't raised that way nor does my line of work permit it.

When the work on this boat goes down the drain, where do you think this person is going to turn to? The people that blew smoke up his butt and told him what a great job he did or the ones that told him what was going to happen and why before it happened?

 

[Woodonglass]

JNG It's fairly obvious to me that your statements have been construed as rude and offensive by the OP and many others. I think you'd do well to review Rules #1 and #4 of the Forum Rules. I agree with what Axkiker is saying about what the forum is trying to do. It's not what you say but how you say it!!! I'm not a moderator so I have no authority in such matters. Just commenting as a normal member as have all the others.

 

[bigdirty]

I'm somewhere in the middle ground here.. If someone gets 'offended' so be it, it can happen.....there is no need to be rude, but sometimes its just 'taken' like that. I think its GREAT that people will go and tackle a big project or job, and want to do it with their own hands...and its how the human race caries on, by some people doing things others have done, and learning skills and trades, to pass it on to the next generation....

BUT there is a safety issue to consider with a 'rebuild' such as the OP has done here, and IMO the side boxes that were built from the factory from plywood, glassed in, and full of flotation foam are a pretty big deal... pink sm styrofoam and whatever the white foam is, covered in glass mating/resin is NOT going to carry any significant load, or take much stress for very long.. a few passengers step on them, they will crack and distort, and will allow water to start seeping into the boat.. And the through bolted stringer 'repairs' are dicey at best, and will likely start to work loose and move around in a short amount of time...

 

[flyinguitars]

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[flyinguitars]

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[Fastatv]

Sounds like your work paid off and you and your family had a wonderful time. That is so awesome FG!

 

[flyinguitars]

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[flyinguitars]

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[jigngrub]

The problem with posting projects like this is:

1. They give a bad impression on new members that don't know that this is the wrong way to repair/restore a boat and they think it's ok to half way slop something together.

2. They will always catch flak on the site.

3. There are no valid excuses for builds like this... time, if you wanted to be done by a certain date... you should have started a lot earlier, I'm sure this boat spent a lot of time sitting around doing nothing this past winter. Money, if you have money to fill the tank up with gas and run it around on the water... you have money to fix it properly.


If you're going to do a build like this, it's best to just keep it to yourself and not post on a public forum... unless you just want to stir up something that stinks.

 

[bassmanhb]

^^^^^ agree with JnG 100%.

 

[kcassells]

FG, Your sure got alot of interests, attitudes and opinions. At the end of the day most are trying to say safety, techniques, etc. are very important. Your boat is good for now but after all this you know you'll be coming back to her to either do the right thing or just pick up another gal. She looks Great! The point of Iboats is to give everyone the best proper direction. And they do. Who knows, you may have been caught up in the I can't post pics thing and just kept on doing your best without feedback, that's been going on alot. I commend you for posting, your hard work and your goals! I'm not a 100 percenter, no, I'm the 3% learning, listening, digesting, asking questions and making decisions based on circumstance and need. When I first got onboard I had a guy tear my arse in half and still keep his name in front of me.

Your son face is worth a million pics!! I'm a Philly guy too, the pics are cool. Do your best with the boat and keep on I Boats!

Just Keep On Keeping on!

 

[Bwana Don]

Diplomacy may not be jigngrubs calling. From a technical standpoint his advice is always worth listening to though.

 

[Bob_VT]

It looks like a quickie job and my main comment is geared towards your flotation. The small pieces of Styrofoam that you used have two SIGNIFICANT problems. Gasoline will dissolve that type of flotation but the most significant is the fact if you suffer a collision the individual pieces will escape and float away. The reason 2 part foam is used is that it molds and locks into the structure and is fuel resistant. You would not purchase a car with disabled safety features for your family to be in and we treat boats the same way.

The critics of using resin only on the plywood are correct. I have seen MANY people who attempted it and the plywood would be checked and cracked. The layers dry at different rates and separation happens on the surfaces and WITHOUT the application of any load.

Be careful - be safe.