The novice build: 1968 Starcraft SuperSport V-16 "The Boat"

[Saxist]

In an effort to see if another shoe would drop, I expedited removing the floor and foam today. After an initial hosing down, the hull looks entirely solid all the way to the back.



Will finish stripping the hull, remove engine, inspect transom better, get cleaning products.

SHSU going OVER the existing front keel piece makes entire sense. As it is such a large section and will be so visible out of water , I will have to source a proper large sheet of aluminum to do it, cut it to a pleasing shape...bend it into a keel...plan the rivet locations etc....

I can wrap my head around it. It's a patch like any other...just extra big, visible and v shaped.

 

[Moserkr]

Doesnt look too bad. Transom will be the final judgement but patch her up and she will be solid! My boat hit a log hard enough to dent the hull near the bow, break 100+ rivets, and break the motor skeg/fin off. They are surprisingly resilient.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Doesnt look too bad. Transom will be the final judgement but patch her up and she will be solid! My boat hit a log hard enough to dent the hull near the bow, break 100+ rivets, and break the motor skeg/fin off. They are surprisingly resilient.

Wow, I bet there was a stain in your shorts!!

 

[Moserkr]

@ShoestringMariner haha nope wasnt me that hit it. It was POx2. Then PO “fixed” it with blinds and ran it while leaking 10 gal/hr with a bilge constantly on. Again, surprisingly resilient, and when fixed right should be a very reliable, safe boat!

 

[Saxist]

Bad news:
After further examination of this hull, there are at least half a dozen corrosion spots around the size of a eraser tip that go over half way into the hull in EVERY section between ribs.

Possible saving news:
I have an opportunity to grab a 1971 supersport with a trashy and mostly missing interior for $600. Comes with motor and trailer in equally trashy condition...AND it's located far away from a damned ocean.

Are these hulls the same? I'd like to take my interior and swap it in. I can see the windshield is slightly different, and the dashboard wood shape is different...

 

[Saxist]

Here is the $600 boat I can get. Thoughts on this??? It's got alot going on in these pics..and it's 3.5 hrs from me too...but I'd like to salvage the project...combine the best of both boats and sell off what's left.

Obviously it's been used and abused. I'm told the goop randomly not sticking very well underneith is silicone and that the seams of the aluminum are not separating or elsewise as it sort of appears.

I asked for the extra pics (shown here) of the hull and the worst spots on it. The scratches from the bare wood bunk appear to be just surface...

Anything else I should ask for for pictures?? My intention is to rip it down to bare hull anyways, but I'm pretty gun shy now that my first foray into boating has unexpectedly gone so badly, finding my hull to be so compromised.

 

[Moserkr]

For $600 Id pick that other one up regardless lol. Thats just me though. Then Id take the best of both and put it in the good one, throw all the pieces leftover in the other, and list it for $500 or $1000...

The original hull is fixable from what ive seen here but thats a lot of work. For only $600 and you could avoid it? I would. But i wouldnt trash the old hull. Definitely keep that 70 johnson. For all you know the new hull has a rotten transom which you wont know about til you take off that merc. Im still voting for 2 boats haha.

 

[Saxist]

For $600 Id pick that other one up regardless lol. Thats just me though. Then Id take the best of both and put it in the good one, throw all the pieces leftover in the other, and list it for $500 or $1000...

The original hull is fixable from what ive seen here but thats a lot of work. For only $600 and you could avoid it? I would. But i wouldnt trash the old hull. Definitely keep that 70 johnson. For all you know the new hull has a rotten transom which you wont know about til you take off that merc. Im still voting for 2 boats haha.

That's an interesting thought. My pretty pleasure cruiser restomod vision....and then build a down and dirty bomber boat. See if I use it sometimes maybe doin the fisherman set up...

 

[Moserkr]

There ya go! I was thinking sell the one that needs more work with all the unwanted pieces, and build the nice one with the best of both of their pieces. But you could keep the other to use n abuse if you really want to. You can turn the better of the two into a pretty ski/fish boat easily though.

Im making mine pretty for the wife, and ill still have removeable down riggers, and places to store all my fishing gear. Thats the great part about these boats - they are so customizable. But if your budget n time allow for 2 boats, then you will find plenty of support here for your habits hahaha. Id love to have a dedicated duck/fish boat but Ill just have to be sneaky in the pretty blue/white boat when approaching waterfowl...

 

[classiccat]

That 2nd boat is probably cheap for a reason...quite a gamble given the "flex seal" spray bomb repairs. It's a Vt boat and there's a good chance that it has seen saltwater.

The corrosion that you've shown doesn't look too bad to me...yet. I would go around and test all of the corrosion pits with a pick by seeing if you can push it through. It's pretty easy to add exterior patches to sketchy areas.

I'd then move as much corrosion as possible using mechanical means (I like the orange Nyalox cupped brush)...a dremel works great for digging the white stuff out of deeper pits.

I had alot of corrosion on my 18' SS. Once the visible corrosion was removed mechanically, I went around in sections, treated the pits with West Systems Aluminum Etch Kit 860; this is for cleaning and adhesion. Once dry, I filled the pits with Marine Tex epoxy so that water doesn't pool there in the future.

I'd also strip the bottom paint to see if there are anymore surprises!

 

[Saxist]

You thinking the St Lawrence??? That's quite a ways away really when the boat is sitting on Champlain...

As far as the quality and spread of the 'repairs' they looked half 'precaution' to me. As in unknowledgeable PO frustrated with some leaking rivets just hit em all while he was at it. Cosmetics were obviously not being considered.

It reminds me what a very unknowledgeable person who's hack and slash with their personality person would do to a boat that needed some rivets bucked.

 

[classiccat]

You thinking the St Lawrence??? That's quite a ways away really when the boat is sitting on Champlain...

As far as the quality and spread of the 'repairs' they looked half 'precaution' to me. As in unknowledgeable PO frustrated with some leaking rivets just hit em all while he was at it. Cosmetics were obviously not being considered.

It reminds me what a very unknowledgeable person who's hack and slash with their personality person would do to a boat that needed some rivets bucked.

ah if its on Champlain then there's a chance she hasn't seen the Salt. If it's literally on the lake, hopefully it wasn't slipped in a place with shore power. Stray currents make swiss cheese out of aluminum hulls...esp when they're in disrepair.

 

[Saxist]

ah if its on Champlain then there's a chance she hasn't seen the Salt. If it's literally on the lake, hopefully it wasn't slipped in a place with shore power. Stray currents make swiss cheese out of aluminum hulls...esp when they're in disrepair.

Could you please elaborate what you mean with stray currents, shore power and swiss cheese?? I'm not boat knowledgeable at all, I'm a car/motorcycle guy...

Any way I can see signs of this in person? I REALLY don't want to end with 2 compromised hulls... I don't mind replacing rivets..but 20 patches along a hull and who knows what's hiding under ribs? If I can pay $600 to avoid that and then recoup all or most of that in selling the crap boat off (after making the nice boat)....well that sounds appealing to me.

 

[classiccat]

Could you please elaborate what you mean with stray currents, shore power and swiss cheese?? I'm not boat knowledgeable at all, I'm a car/motorcycle guy...

Any way I can see signs of this in person? I REALLY don't want to end with 2 compromised hulls... I don't mind replacing rivets..but 20 patches along a hull and who knows what's hiding under ribs? If I can pay $600 to avoid that and then recoup all or most of that in selling the crap boat off (after making the nice boat)....well that sounds appealing to me.

There are quite a few articles online that can explain it better than I can

Types of Marine Corrosion

Metal parts underwater are subjected to two basic types of corrosion: galvanic corrosion and stray current corrosion.

www.boatus.com

It's pretty tough to see the sub-deck carnage unless there are access points. I'd spend some time in the bilge area shining a light; the areas around the kneebrace usually harbor the worst corrosion in the entire hull.

That said, it's a decent price if the trailer and motor are salvageable...you could easily recoup the cost if the hull turns out to be a dud.

 

[Saxist]

After doing some more research, I find this is apparently fairly common in big big much more complicated electrically boats. Alot of the large sailing yachts are aluminum apparently??? Happens to these 25' - 35' water rolls royces ....

I would think for such a trailerable boat, most small boats like ours suffer from it??? Am I wrong? I do see the hull staining to say it's sat in water....but I don't know how dirty that is and how long it would take in average lake water to accumulate?

 

[Saxist]

After doing some more research, I find this is apparently fairly common in big big much more complicated electrically boats. Alot of the large sailing yachts are aluminum apparently??? Happens to these 25' - 35' water rolls royces ....

I would think for such a trailerable boat, most small boats like ours suffer from it??? Am I wrong? I do see the hull staining to say it's sat in water....but I don't know how dirty that is and how long it would take in average lake water to accumulate?

I mean small boats WOULDN'T suffer from it?

 

[DarrinT]

The motor looks to be a 77 / 78 / 79 era.-----Looks like a good starting point.-----If you looked at the price of a similar new one you would get -----" Sticker shock. "

In 2010 when Starcraft stopped making the Islander they were asking $54k
I saw a marina selling a 2010 they had been renting with very low hours and the were still asking $38k!!!!

 

[Saxist]

Ok well the 2nd hull was a total bust. That leaves me back with the original...SO HERE WE GO.

I'm overthinking perhaps, but I want to make sure I neutralize all of the corrosion and seal it properly so that the damage does not continue. I haven't found much detailed info on the forums directly saying step by step. I'm concerned with not doing proper prep work and having the boat continue to corrode from the inside out when I could have stopped it properly.

Wire brushing the deeper spots inside the hull.

Acid wash inside hull to finish scouring out the corrosion pits as best as possible. (phosphoric acid on steel actually creates a zinc like does this finish...what acid is best for aluminum boats?) Do I need to neutralize the acid from all the cracks and crevices?) I'm also thinking of the inner ribs and how I can't access under them and such...

Coat interior corrosion spots in something?

 

[classiccat]

I'm sorry the second hull didn't work out. Did you see it in person?

Be careful with wire brushes since it's a dissimilar metal; I use a Nyalox orange cupped brush exclusively on aluminum...then a dremel to dig out the deep pits.

I like the aluminum etch kit from West Systems b/c it has both the PartA cleaner (Phoshoric acid based) and the PartB Chromate conversion before filling the pits with Marine Tex (or JBWELD). I was very surgical with it for the same concern you're having with the acid getting under a rib. Work in small sections and you can keep water-soaked rags jammed in the limber holes and rinse with alot of water when you're done.

 

[Saxist]

I'm sorry the second hull didn't work out. Did you see it in person?

Be careful with wire brushes since it's a dissimilar metal; I use a Nyalox orange cupped brush exclusively on aluminum...then a dremel to dig out the deep pits.

I like the aluminum etch kit from West Systems b/c it has both the PartA cleaner (Phoshoric acid based) and the PartB Chromate conversion before filling the pits with Marine Tex (or JBWELD). I was very surgical with it for the same concern you're having with the acid getting under a rib. Work in small sections and you can keep water-soaked rags jammed in the limber holes and rinse with alot of water when you're done.

I'm sorry the second hull didn't work out. Did you see it in person?

Be careful with wire brushes since it's a dissimilar metal; I use a Nyalox orange cupped brush exclusively on aluminum...then a dremel to dig out the deep pits.

I like the aluminum etch kit from West Systems b/c it has both the PartA cleaner (Phoshoric acid based) and the PartB Chromate conversion before filling the pits with Marine Tex (or JBWELD). I was very surgical with it for the same concern you're having with the acid getting under a rib. Work in small sections and you can keep water-soaked rags jammed in the limber holes and rinse with alot of water when you're done.

I had some how missed your above post too, thank you!

I drove to it 3.5 hrs, transom and rear bottom of it had well over a thousand small corrosion pits that looked like the deepest ones on mine. Wouldn't have taken it for $200.

The 860 acid etch isn't even being recommended by the maker?! their concern was adhesion, where mine/ours is cleaning out the pit to end the corrosion. Thoughts?
"Aluminum Adhesion - Epoxyworks" https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/aluminum-adhesion/


I'm not experienced looking at this corrosion and determining depth either, would you think a cheap pit gauge (like welders use on pipes) from Amazon would be a good buy for me? I need to set some type of parameters for which spots get preemptively patched and which get cleaned out and filled with marine tex...over 1/2 thru gets a patch? 3/4 thru? Or poke them all with a scratch awl and anything that goes thru gets an obvious patch and anything that doesn't gets filled?