1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

[Catfishmonkey]

Just picked up a 1973 15 foot Starcraft Holiday. Filled her up with water, and all the rivets, and seams seemed solid...no leaks. Oddly I had one leak, a hole in the bottom of the hull which was a bit smaller than a ball-point pen tip right in the aluminum. When I went to West Marine, they told me just to put some marine silicone on it, but I am thinking to Gluvit the inside of the hull completely, just to insure no new holes spring up after I install the floor. Should I do this in this situation, and if so, should I put the silicone on first/after the Gluvit/not at all? West Marine guys apparently did not hear about people using Gluvit on aluminum...strange. Anyhow, any advice would be much appreciated. Also planning to put some sort of epoxy paint inside and out.

When removing the floor I found a lot of disgusting chewed up white foam (like confetti)...thinking of replacing it with closed cell yellow polyethalene foam, for extra floation, and also to minimize the space any future water can get to...really in the hope of making the deck and sub-floor air (and water) tight. I also plan to put silicone around the outline of the deck, essentially making it so the only place water (when hosing it down, or getting hosed down in the chop) will go would be the bilge (using fiberglass boat principles I guess). Are there any reasons this would be a bad idea? Thanks

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

If you have the floor out....absolutely Gluvit all the seams and rivets. Insurance against future leaks. Definitely replace the white foam. Most of us are using either pool noodles or the pink or blue sheet foam from Lowes/HD. Do not put poured foam in an aluminum boat. We've seen corrosion from it. Also I wouldn't seal between the deck and hull. Just makes sure you have adequate drainage below deck so that any water that gets down there can easily drain out. (silicone also doesn't work well)

Welcome to iboats! If you haven't yet noticed, you've stumbled on probably the largest collection of Starcraft enthusiasts on the 'net. We'd love to see some pictures of your project. There are LOTS of SC projects going on right now.

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Hey, thanks a lot for the advice. Certainly will include pictures when I get them scanned and developed. Really looking forward to this project! My first aluminum hull.

When you say proper drainage, do you mean adding/altering anything on the aluminum floor/under the [future] wooden deck. When I emptied the water I put in there to check for leaks, I noticed that due to the metal ribs down on the bottom of the hull, not all the water gets out...a little remains in small pools behind each rib, even with the boat tilted upwards. That's why I was thinking of putting 'Great Stuff' spray foam down there. But if that causes corrosion or anything, then I sure dont want to put it down there.

Right now I see the bear aluminum floor and the ribs; so if I squeeze in that pink sheet foam stuff between the ribs, and then cover it with the plywood deck (which is in 4 pieces), I shouldn't seal any of the plywood together with silicon, or any of the edges? Another quick question, is it ok to put the wooden deck on with metal screws rather than rivets?
Also, I was wondering, in sealing the leak I have, should i put J-B Weld first, and then put Gluvit, or just put the Gluvit? The one pin sized hole I found is not on a seal or a rivet, but just on the bottom of the aluminum hull itself. Is that a problem?

Thanks

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Here is what you have to do to clean out the "limber" holes. I simultaneously used air compressor and shop vac to get mine clean.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab164/bananabert/Boat/IMG_0698.jpg

When you replace foam keep this area clear.

Albert

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

That's why I was thinking of putting 'Great Stuff' spray foam down there. But if that causes corrosion or anything, then I sure dont want to put it down there.

Right now I see the bear aluminum floor and the ribs; so if I squeeze in that pink sheet foam stuff between the ribs, and then cover it with the plywood deck (which is in 4 pieces), I shouldn't seal any of the plywood together with silicon, or any of the edges? Another quick question, is it ok to put the wooden deck on with metal screws rather than rivets?
Also, I was wondering, in sealing the leak I have, should i put J-B Weld first, and then put Gluvit, or just put the Gluvit? The one pin sized hole I found is not on a seal or a rivet, but just on the bottom of the aluminum hull itself. Is that a problem?

Thanks

Do not use spray foam. OK to screw deck down but you must use alum or stainless screws that are not too long for obvious reasons. I used some JB to infill corroded areas then gluvit. I would not seal the decking's meeting edges so it can breath but others do. Seal the decking (epoxy) before replacing, especially the edges.

Let's see some pics.

Albert

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

I would avoid ANY kind of pourable or expanding foam. It's just a mess and can cause corrosion on the aluminum. Also silicone has been proven not to hold up real well on boats. The sealant/adhesives you want to use are 3M's 4200 or 5200. I used regular deck screws to secure my floor on both my Starcraft projects. For your leak, I'd JB then Gluvit. By proper drainage I basically just meant can the water pretty easily get from the front to the back of the boat. If you use sheet foam or pool noodles that will just lay on top of the ribs so you know it will never fully impede drainage. bananaboater above has the ticket for cleaning out the drainage under the ribs. Check out my SS project link below for some more ideas.

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Thanks a lot guys for the info. I really appreciate it. Will post all the pictures soon; just got to finish the roll and get them developed. Old school, I know.

I also had a question on the decking. Could I use "exterior plywood," or should I go for "Marine." Marine is around double the price, so it is a bit expensive. I was planning to stain and put 4 coats of spar vanish either way. Any thoughts?

Also, had a question on pedestal seats. Would 3/4 inch plywood decking be strong enough to hold those pedestal seats [with people sitting on them]? Just was wondering what you guys thought. I was thinking of putting an extra 1x1 piece of plywood under the decking, under the pedestal mounts to strengthen the connection. Any ideas on that would also be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Marine ply is a superior product but exterior ply will work and many of us use it (myself included). I also added thickness under my pedestals like you're considering.

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Great, sounds. Facing a bit of a dilemma when it comes to paint. Changing the topside color from yellow to red. The paint on the bow is a little more worn than the paint on the stern. There are some spots/scratch marks on the bow which, when looking really close, you can see some aluminum showing. Was going to buy a quart of Brightside, which is expensive on its own. But I received different opinions about whether I need primer or not, and whether, I even need zinc chromate primer underneath that primer. Do I need this stuff, and if so, do I need to use the special Interlux versions of them? Could I just use a rustoleum primer, and then apply the brightside, because the Interlux stuff is really expensive. Also do i need their special thinner (333) or will mineral spirits work just as well...or do I even need thinner at all with this stuff?

Thanks

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

I'll offer my input best I can as I'm far from a paint expert (FAR!). As far as I know, pretty much none of us Starcraft guys have painted ours with expensive marine paint. I think Petit Easypoxy has been the most hard core. Without question, any bare aluminum needs to be spot-primed with a light coat of self-etching primer. I was able to find Duplicolor etching primer at Pep-Boys in a rattle can very reasonably. I did not prime my boat. My existing paint job was in good physical condition and could be just roughed up and painted. However, I would not necessarily recommend this route to others. While Easypoxy did cover very well....it did not hide ANYTHING. If there was a scratch before, there's a scratch now. So if you care about that kind of thing, look into a high build primer or at least a regular primer. My opinion (not backed up by any facts) would be to stick within the same brands for primer/topcoat. So no Rustoleum primer and Interlux top coat.

Lastly, and you're hearing this first....I'm not happy with Easypoxy. I hate to say it because I've been really singing it's praises all over this forum. It's inexpensive, has a decent color palette, covers well, goes on very easily, and looks great. Unfortunately it's appears to be not at all durable. I've used my boat twice since the restore and have major damage to the blue paint job. Apparently if my boat looks at a dock wrong it gets a scratch. Admittedly I only used 1 coat on the blue because I feared runs and it covered fine in 1, but while more coats would have helped it not scratch all the way through so many times, I think it would still scuff badly. So I'm not happy. So in light of this, my recommendation would be to either go the inexpensive route and just use all Rustoleum products (which do hold up pretty darn well especially considering their cost) or go whole hog an use a 2 part paint and corresponding primer. I rattle canned my last boat with Rusto and it held up much better than this did. I'd have no issue going that route again.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

I would agree with what has been mentioned, do use the gluvit while you have the deck out. Never will you have a better opportunity to do this since the deck will last many years if sealed well(epoxy).

Looking forward to seeing some photos of this yellow SC(I have a yellow SS).

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Right, makes sense. Got to make some crucial decisions at this point I guess. Quick question, do you guys usually thin your paint down with thinner if you paint with a roller, or is it ok not to. I plan to paint in a garage.

Will post pictures soon.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

I didn't thin mine. Easypoxy wasn't too thick so it wasn't needed and flows really well. I've never thinned Rusto before but I could see how you might want to. I think people use Penetrol?

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Ok. Sounds good. Went to the local Auto store and found two kinds of JB weld; one regular one, and one "Marine" one. Is there a difference between these two or is it just a gimmick? Which one do you guys use?

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

How many of you guys have replaced your vintage steering with Teleflex?

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

I have painted several boats with the Rusto and used the Penetrol to thin the paint. Works Great! Only $26 a gallon at lowes! The penetrol makes the paint flow a lot easier and you can just roll or brush it on. When the paint dries there are no roller or brush marks at all. Works really well! Make sure to allow at least 24 hours before coats. The few times i have tried to rush it, the paint did not hold up as well. But as long as you allow good time for each coat to dry, the rustoleum is very durable.

EZ this is the first I have heard you say you don't like the easypoxy.

I have always liked the rustoleum paints and have always had good results with them.

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Just a quick question about Gluvit. Is it possible to put a thin spread of Gluvit across the whole (interior) bottom of the boat instead of just the seams and rivets. Had a pinhole leak directly in the aluminum floor, not in the rivets or seams, so part of me just wants to Gluvit the whole interior. Any thoughts?

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Just a quick question about Gluvit. Is it possible to put a thin spread of Gluvit across the whole (interior) bottom of the boat instead of just the seams and rivets. Had a pinhole leak directly in the aluminum floor, not in the rivets or seams, so part of me just wants to Gluvit the whole interior. Any thoughts?

That's possible but overkill and expensive. In the areas that had corrosion I used JB Weld and then when I got to the gluvit I coated the JB spots.

 

[Catfishmonkey]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

makes sense. i want to do the job with one 2lb bucket of it...expensive stuff for sure, so I sure dont want to do anything overkill with it. Going to paint the boat inside and out with this new stuff at Benjamin Moore, "General Coatings Modified Epoxy Super Enamel." I figure the epoxy part of it will also protect against any future leaks.

Did you use regular JB weld, or JB Marine Weld? Is there any real difference?

 

[bananaboater]

Re: 1973 Starcraft Holiday - To Gluvit or not to Gluvit

Regular.