The 1986 Starcraft SS180

[Emerger]

I'm slowly making progress on my first aluminum boat project. I'm more used to fiberglass boats so it's a bit of a learning experience. I haven't really been documenting it but I have some a few pictures of the progress so far. The plan is to end up with a center console similar to a Mariner. From the beginning:

 

[Emerger]

I'm slowly making progress on my first aluminum boat project. I'm more used to fiberglass boats so it's a bit of a learning experience. I haven't really been documenting it but I have some a few pictures of the progress so far. The plan is to end up with a center console similar to a Mariner. From the beginning:

Some of the progress I've made so far is removal of the floor and stripping the paint. I cannot say enough about how well Citristrip works. I tried Jasco epoxy and paint remover and it did nothing at all. But I did use the Jasco on something else and it worked fine.

 

[Emerger]

Some of the progress I've made so far is removal of the floor and stripping the paint. I cannot say enough about how well Citristrip works. I tried Jasco epoxy and paint remover and it did nothing at all. But I did use the Jasco on something else and it worked fine.

Another interior view.

 

[Emerger]

Another interior view.

Example of Jasco paint stripper used to remove several layers of paint from an old crate.

 

[MNhunter1]

I was really impressed with the results of the Citristrip as well. Highly recommended.

 

[Watermann]

The Jasco 5 min was the bomb, that's been replaced now locally with 15 min which takes more work and heat.

Tough to tell where your at on the boat work but stripping bare is the way to go for a new paint job if that's what you have planned.

 

[Emerger]

The Jasco 5 min was the bomb, that's been replaced now locally with 15 min which takes more work and heat.

Tough to tell where your at on the boat work but stripping bare is the way to go for a new paint job if that's what you have planned.

I've heard that there used to be some chemical in paint stripper that worked really well but was banned a few years ago. I guess paint strippers don't work as well without it. I didn't want to knock Jasco at all. It just didn't seem to want to budge the type of paint on the boat. It did eat right through standard oil based and latex paint.

 

[MNhunter1]

Yeah, the methylene chloride strippers were banned a few years back and really took the fun out of everything. The new formulas are no where near as effective.

 

[Emerger]

I'm slowly making progress on my first aluminum boat project. I'm more used to fiberglass boats so it's a bit of a learning experience. I haven't really been documenting it but I have some a few pictures of the progress so far. The plan is to end up with a center console similar to a Mariner. From the beginning:

Made a little more progress in between work and a few other things. The original foam is completely dry so I decided to leave it in place. There is a ski locker under the deck that I won't be using so I filled the void with 1.5" concrete backer rod for extra floatation. Backer rod is the same thing as pool noodles but solid instead of hollow. If I ever decide to use the ski locker the backer rods will be easier to remove than pourable foam.

 

[Emerger]

I'm slowly making progress on my first aluminum boat project. I'm more used to fiberglass boats so it's a bit of a learning experience. I haven't really been documenting it but I have some a few pictures of the progress so far. The plan is to end up with a center console similar to a Mariner. From the beginning:

A little more progress. The boat has a 20 inch transom and the transom is solid. I saw no need to replace it. If I was to replace it I would have built it at 25 inches instead of 20. The boat originally came with a 1986 Johnson 115 with a 20 inch transom. It runs good but I have an Evinrude Oceanpro 115 with a 25 inch shaft that's been in my garage for about ten years now. I gave the original engine to my brother to put on a pontoon boat to see how fast it will go.

To use the Oceanpro without rebuilding the transom I installed a bracket (also sitting in my garage for years) to provide the extra height. The aluminum transom cap is 1/8th inch thick and got in the way so I built a set of spacers from 4 inch 1/8th aluminum. The bracket unfortunately blocks the single drain from the splashwell so I'll be adding two drains, one on each side.