73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

[jweaver9188]

I recentley purchased a 1973 starcraft american 16 as my first boat of my own. I am redoing the interior and came across rot in the floor. I started taking up the plywood and noticed the foam is moist. I'm not sure what i need to do with this foam if anything. I bought the boat from a dealer and it was not covered on their lot, I'm sure it got some rain in it. Can anyone please shed some light on how to fix this problem? Any help is appreciated.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Hi Jweaver,
You're probably in for a complete rebuild at this point. Rotted floor & saturated foam will mean rotted stringers. Check the transom, too, as it is likely shot as well. I have rebuilt three Starcrafts similar to yours. My first one still had a solid transom, but the second two needed complete gutting. See the links in my sig for pics and descriptions of the latter two...
The American series are great hulls and IMHO are worth the trouble of going all the way. I love the classic, clean lines and they ride beautifully for a small boat. I'm actually hoping to pick up a 16-footer here in the near future. It was offered to me last summer, but I gotta wait for the owner to return for the season so I can grab it...
Also see:
groups.yahoo.com/group/StarcraftBoatRestorationGroup/
and
groups.yahoo.com/group/starcraft_boats/

- Scott

 

[oops!]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

hi j.....welcome to i boats....your in the right place.....

scott gave you some super links....here is another one....

http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,346,00.html

there is also a book called runabout renovation by jim anderson...$12.

its worth it.....


cheers
oops

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Thanks for all the help guys. I know i'm in for a long project but this boat was calling my name. If anyone has any other suggestions about restoring this "american" classic feel free to let me know.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Hi JWeaver,
I hear you. My cousin had a 15-footer when we were growing up and I always liked how it looked and performed. Interesting tidbit - the hull was designed by Waltman B. Walters, a famous marine architect who developed offshore racing hulls, including the famed "Ghost Rider".
- Scott

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

quick question, I looked at the projects ya'll refered me to and i didnt see foam put back in some of the projects. I do need to re foam right?

 

[Coors]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

With that length hull, yes- required.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

I re-foamed mine. I cut four fill/vent holes in the floor, one fore, one aft to the outside area of both stringers, leaving the center tunnel/keel area open. I drilled a hole for a sabre saw blade, then set the saw at an angle so that the edge of the hole would taper inwards and the cutout piece would act as a plug when done.

I then set the boat bow high and started pouring the 2-part foam mix into the holes, 1 quart at a time. I let it kick then did the next quart. When the foam mix passed the sternward hole, I moved to the bow-ward hole. I didn't want to get too much foam in at once, as that stuff can pop out a hull in a hurry if it starts expanding too much.

In addition to flotation, it adds rigidity to the hull and quiets the ride...

- Scott

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

well i finally got some time to do some more work on this project. I found the floor is not completely rotted but the foam is soaked. I got down to the hull on the outside of the stringers where the main rot was and there was a half inch of water in the bottom of the hole. Got to the first stringer and its soaked and VERY soft.

I looked at the links you sent scott and i am willing to take the time to do this project right. I am not sure how the rub rail comes off for me to remove the deck. Other question is mine is an open bow, does that make for anymore work? I really do appreciate all the help you guys have offered, its makes this whole process not so overwhelming. I intent to replace the stringers, keel, and transom, why not do it all while i have it apart right?

Thanks again for all your help

 

[oops!]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

it depends on the style of rub rail......

rip out the rubber....(use a blow dryer to soften it if you have to)

under the rubber there is a bunch of rivets......drill them out.....there is three different types of joints used on caps....being an open bow i would think you have a shoe box type joint....

after the rivets are drilled out...(a lot of em)...insert knife between the hull and the cap to cut any adhesive the manns used.....

then gently start to pry.......get a few people to help...like this

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=234392

if it bindes any where...youve got to get in there and find out why

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Hi Jweaver,
On mine, I found it easier to slide the rubrail out. Remove the end caps and it should slide out IF the aluminum part isn't smashed enough to pinch it anywhere. I had to wedge it out in a few spots on my 18-footer, but it wasn't too bad.
Second step is to drill out the rivits. That will remove the aluminum part of the rail.
Third is to remove the screws that hold the deck to the hull. T hey were STEEL on mine and many of the heads were rusted. Be prepared to drill some of them out.
Fourth step is to run some wedges between the deck lip and the hull lip. It is assembled shoe-box style with the deck overhanging the hull. There will probably be some very dried out sealant in the overhang that should free up easily with the wedges.
Removing all the fasteners & breaking the seal will loosen 90% of the deck from the hull.
The last 10% could be difficult as that is where the transom well is glassed to the transom core. Generous amounts of elbow grease, wedges, crowbars, shade-tree ingenuity will free it up. Lifting up on the bow helps, too. I found that by gently lifting the bow of the deck with a come-along and then prying on the transom stuff in various spots, it eventually broke free.
The open bow part shouldn't make things too difficult. I don't think the bow has a moulded in sole, so you should be able to just undo any seat backs & such that may be joining the deck to the floor/sides. Might want to make up some sort of supporting cross member to help spread the load in the center, as the two consoles will be relativly heavy hanging free from the sides.

I think that's it!
- Scott

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Been putting some spare time into the boat and made some progress. I got the rub rail off and am almost done seperating the deck from the hull. I have about 6 screws left to drill out and it'll be free except for the transom. Oh yeah the transom, its rotted. It still holds a normal shape and strength but its def rotted. The front part of the deck still concerns me when it comes to seperating. Does anything hold the open bow to the floor or will it just raise right off?

I am planning on filling holes on the deck when its off. Any suggestions as to what to use? what do i use for paint? I want to paint it white or eggshell, nothing fancy.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer a first time rebuilder.
J-

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

finally got the top off, transom rotted bad, floor bad, keel may be still good. Now the fun part, painting the top and filling some holes in it, re wiring all components and then the floor and interior. Thanks again for all the help guys.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Hi JWeaver,
I filled a few small screw holes in my decks with white Marine Tex.
Rewiring is MUCH easier with the deck removed as it's all out in the open for you to get to. My neighbors thought I was nuts when I was honking the horn and flashing the lights while I was standing in the middle of my boat's hull-less deck - Flintstone-mobile style.
Take pictures!!
- Scott

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Hey guys, sorry i havent been around. I've gotten alot done since i talked to you last. the deck is ready for paint and the floor stringers and keel are out. I wanted to thank all of you so much, this is my first boat and iboats has been my only resource. I'm about a month away from putting her in the water for the first time. I need some advice as to how to make my transom, can anyone help?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

Welcome back JWeaver!
Fro the transom, I first made sure the inside skin of the hull was clean. Lots of belt sander time to get it relatively flat. I then taped a large sheet of newsprint onto the outside of the transom to trace a rough shaping. I then transferred that to a piece of 3/4-inch AB plywood. Once rough cut I trimmed until it fit halfway decent into the inside of the transom area. I had to bevel the edges a bit to conform to the inside contours where the transom meets the sides and bottom. I also ran the transom full width and height which is much beefier than the original piecemeal transom.
I then rolled in a single layer of glass cloth onto the new transom board with epoxy, followed by some thickened goopy epoxy to help fill voids. I also rolled similar thickened epoxy onto the transom skin. Then I clamped the new transom board in, taking care to not squeeze all the epoxy out, but not so loosely that there are air pockets. I also used construction screws, from the outside into the new transom, to temporarily pull the transom to the skin, evenly spacing them as best I could. Use the tow eye holes, motor mount holes and drain holes to minimize the number of holes you pre-drill into the skin for the construction screws.
Once the first layer has set up do the same for the second layer. Don't be too concerned with getting the transom boards perfectly fitted. I made mine a tad on the small side and used thickened epoxy to fill the gaps when I glassed everything in. I ran several layers of fiberglass mat and cloth along the edges, extending 4 to 8 inches forward (each new layer extending further), along with a layer of glass cloth/epoxy over the entire transom to protect the wood.
The new transom will be pretty near bullet proof. Some body fill will take care of the screw holes and be sure to dab epoxy into any holes that go all the way through so water doesn't penetrate the core.
Install the new hull drain and tow eyes BEFORE you install the deck.
- Scott

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

I've got the transom smooth to the fiberglass, no more wood. I found that using a 60 grit sanding wheel on my dewalt buffer took the wood away with ease. When you say cloth do you mean a chopped strand mat? sorry this is my first big fiberglass job. And what about screwing the floor down? i see some guys use alot of screws, what ur opinion? Thanks again for all the help

J-

 

[jweaver9188]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

another question, what should i use to paint the deck? i have it sanded and filled and primed. the primer is thin i used it to find my low spots and kinda seal it up. Should i spray it with a white gel coat? do the make deck paint?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

I used cloth, more to act as a wick for the epoxy than actual strength. The strength comes from the wood core itself and how it is bonded to the sides and bottom. This is why transoms are better done from the inside rather than removing the outer skin. Your primary goal on the sandwich itself is to minimize air pockets...

I don't think I'd gel coat it, rather I'd shoot it with a 2-part epoxy paint or hardened enamel. Lots of good info on here about painting glass boats...
- Scott

 

[erikgreen]

Re: 73 starcaft rotted floor ?'s

With that length hull, yes- required.

Well, technically, it's only a good idea, but unless you're a boat manufacturer selling boats for profit it's not a legal requirement, or rather it's a grey area.

But you're not going to jail without the foam, although in the wrong circumstances you may go to the bottom of the water you're in.