Starcraft pasture rescue

[coachbill]

I found this boat stashed in a pasture via a craigslist ad that said " trailer with boat $350". To top it off it was just 2 hours from my house. I have wanted a Starcraft SS18 ever since I saw my first one on google images that linked me to this site. The condition of the boat: Exterior is good no dents or holes. Interior: rough , if its wood its.....wait, wood is a loose term. It was more like splinters holding hands. I turned the wheel to straighten the motor to put a transom saver on for transport and the dash disintegrated. No worries I am stoked about it. I will try to post pictures as it progresses. Motor is an 1989 Force 125hp. Tilt and trim works and it turns over. I'm saving it for last. I have a backup if needed. 1984 70hp Johnson.
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[redneck joe]

Sweet find at that price i bet my wife wouldn't be made at me.

 

[Tnstratofam]

Cool find and nice to see another Starcraft saved. If that Force turns out to be a runner you stole that boat!

Actually for that price even if the Force doesn't run you stole it!

 

[GA_Boater]

Talk about stepping in cow pies and come out smelling like a rose.

Good find, Coach!

 

[coachbill]

Here's some more pics. And a few questions.



Evidently there has been a couple different motors on this boat because there are a lot of unused holes that were filled with RTV. What is the best way to fill the extra holes in the transom?



on the left side of this brace it is split. PO had a brace over it. I'll post in in the next pic. Should I try to weld it up or just put the brace back on?



Its a pretty tight fit. Has anyone ever seen one of these?



Po had this over the back of the transom, I guess trying to shore it up. It is pretty bad, as expected



It came out just like you guys said it would on all the posts I've read on other rebuilds.Two of my sons are home for the long weekend so I am making use of the extra hands. Going to make a run a the floors and the rest of the wood today.

 

[GA_Boater]

Your PO was steppin' in the cow pies all over the place.

That hunk of steel over the knee brace needs to be tossed as far as you can and pick it up and throw it again. Steel and aluminum cannot be in contact because it can destroy the AL. We have a few guys that fixed broken knee braces and the final product is as strong as the original.

Are there any cracks in the splashwell? Often when knee braces crack, splashwell cracks follow soon after.

Is the funky transom cap steel or aluminum? I can't recall any of the boats in the SC forum with any straps like that either. Again guys have made new caps out of aluminum using AL channel and they turned out good.

What does the inner transom AL look like? Any pitting or holes - other than the many motor clamp holes?

 

[gm280]

Of course there are some questionable things I'm sure, but you still came out very well. Whatever you have to do to rebuild that boat, it will never come close to the price of a new one. So yes there will be issues, but fixable issues. I'd like to tag along with your new project, if that is okay.

 

[coachbill]

I appreciate all the info and help. By all means tag along. The cap on the transom is AL its in 2 pieces but repairable I think. Yes there are cracks in the splash well. I'll post pics of both soon. Someone has replaced the floor at some point because it is all been put down with sheet rock screws. We have removed at least 400 or so. More soon Thx again.

 

[coachbill]

Inner transom is stained but not pitted, no holes either. styro was wet and nasty. The homemade cap was steel also. Both are in the scrap pile. never to be heard from again. im going to try to look up those knee brace repairs

 

[Watermann]

Welcome to the Starmada Coach,

Super sweet 79 SS you have there, I have it's sister ship V5 variant in my hangar right now.

It will make life way easier to remove the spalshwell and it makes getting in the boat way easier with a step ladder back there.

I see that the transom wood has quite a bit of white on it. Use a wire wheel on the inner transom skin as that white is corrosion and comes from the aluminum trying to protect itself from the galvanic corrosion and that causes pitting.

 

[coachbill]

Thx Watermann, I was debating taking the splash well out today. It would definitely make the knee brace repair easier. However i need to flip the boat to strip the groovy cream and brown paint off. I am afraid it would make the boat to week structurally. The splash well has a couple of cracks how ever i can weld those in place i think. Not sure on the order of repair at this point.

 

[coachbill]

Left side splash well



Right side SW

This is current status.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

Nice find and your making quick work of it! While your at it, id remove the knee brace and Zbrace (where the transom wood sits in) to get a good cleaning and inspection. I had three leaks alone coming from under the knee brace when leak tested!

 

[BWR1953]

Looking good, coachbill! Your teardown is going well.

One thing I'd recommend is to put a small piece of plywood inside to work from. I didn't learn that (from folks on here) till late in my refurb and it really did help to maintain secure footing without worry of damaging the hull. For my boat I used a piece of the deck about 4' - 5' long to sit on.

 

[gm280]

Looks like you coming along well. Cleaning up the hull to evaluate things is always a good idea. All the cracks have to be addressed, of course. If you are able to weld aluminum, you are golden. Keep posting your progress. We love pictures on these forums. :thumb:

 

[coachbill]

Thanks gm280, my fine tooth comb is ready once i get all the wood chips out. I'll keep posting the progress. I value the input and advice. As far as welding AL we will see. I can weld steel and braise cast iron. Al is a horse of a different color, I found a technique on you tube that has promise. I'm going to give it a try using map gas or propane and AL welding rods. I have some scrap around here to practice on.

Good idea BWR on the decking. it was kind bugging me moving around on the hull directly with it just setting on the trailer with just a cpl rollers under it.

As far as removing the knee brace and the Z bar gonefishin, I believe I'll hold off on that until I can leak check the hull for sure. Hopefully,If it ain't broke don't fix it. But I do appreciate the info and I will check those areas closely.

What do you guys recommend for a bottom drain plug assembly? Mine is missing

 

[g0nef1sshn]

I hear ya on the "aint broke dont fix it", but if i had my laptop around i would put the pictures up of it. If it wasnt leaking it would have been soon. Just moved so lap top hasnt turned up yet and pics from phone doesnt work for me.

So removing the z brace let me clean and prime the whole inner transom! And under the knee brace was davie jones locker.

 

[GA_Boater]

This is what was in the hole. It is an exact replacement made of aluminum.

 

[coachbill]

Thx GA Thats awesome, because i had been unable to locate any such animal. I found half of it in the boat, however all that did was confuse me. i've been looking for a drain that looked like it. I had an 8ft peice of 1 inch angle for the repair on the knee brace.

 

[mbroughton02]

Not sure where you are as far as progress at the moment, but just stopping by to say hello and that I am also working on a '79 18' SS. I did remove the splashwell and transom before flipping my boat. No noticeable flexing during the flip.