Another project

[Marrken]

Re: Another project

As to the foam I had planned on reusing the rigid foam that was there when I stripped the boat. Majority of it was in very good condition still, and I have my motorcycle trailer (4.5' x 8.2') still stacked with with a bunch from a project of my dad's from 2 years ago. Full 4' x 8' sheets ranging from 1/4" to 3.5". I'm all about saving coinage if I can.

I'm not one to throw away stuff that I can use on a future project, so you can imagine what my 4 car garage and 24 x 38 pole barn look like. And you can also understand why my wife is annoyed with me a lot of the time! ;p

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Another project

A tough day at work may have contributed to a harsh reply :embarassed:

Back to the boat building:




Good idea, tough in the practical real world: 3/8" plate, carp, what's that weigh per SqFt?

I checked: 8.579lbs/SqFt, that's nearly 3times the weight of 3/4" ply. Carp that'd be a heck of a lot of weight to add to a boat as a deck. Add a couple other challenges: hot in the sun, slippery and yep, not practical.

There are a couple glass boat builds that used durabak, crazy stuff in both of these:

Anti-slip run amok

Anti-slip custom work

Type durabak into the search bar above the resto forum homepage. Quite a few durabak builds, friscoboater used it on his SeaRay I think. You can mix smooth & textured, like the 2 threads I just posted. You can also paint smooth on everything 1st to get a good sealer coat. Then mask & apply textured. If too aggressive, go over the textured w/ smooth again. Tones it down.

Is your friend using UV stable epoxy on the decks he's leaving exposed? Or covering them w/ spar varnish/urethane? Need to cover it if it's exposed to UV.

You can use spar varnish/urethane directly on the wood deck &/or transom. Wooden boats been doing it that way for years. It's just a matter of cost now VS longevity & cost later.

Jasoutside started & maintains the Starcraft rebuild list. Post a reply in that thread & a link to this resto & he'll add your StarChief to the list. He also used the Behr product I mentioned, Deck-Over, on his Islander deck. It's not been splashed yet, so not yet water tested. Several have been very impressed w/ it's look & are looking for feedback, to maybe use it on their builds.

Best of luck on your resto

Sorry again for the confusion earlier

 

[Marrken]

Re: Another project

As to how he, my friend did it, I'm not 100% sure. He just told me to use a high grade epoxy and toss sand on it for grip, as far as the grade of epoxy he didn't mention about the UV. Good to know and keep in mind when I get to that point.

I'll loo into those threads as soon as I have a chance, probably tomorrow.

As to the weight factor.. I really don't see it as much of a problem as to performance, compared to how my SeaStar does with the same power train setup I just got for it. Still 99% sure I'm going wood, But the design of her says BIG WATER like the great lakes near where I live and I do not see her being practical on smaller lakes.

Cabin, smaller rear deck, no forward deck without walking the 5 inch side to get to the the front, hatch is kinda small for a full grown person to climb through. At least as a fishing boat, a recreation vessel is a bit different.

I guess I'm still not sure what I want her to be when I'm done.

IDK she was set up for trolling on Lake Michigan and I just can't get that out of my head. That may be part of my problem in the restoring process for me. Hard to decide if you want to do this or that if you are stuck on something.

 

[Marrken]

Re: Another project

Anyone every use the XPS (Extruded Polystyrene foam) for floataion? After pulling all the original foam foam out and going over the hull I noticed it was still "heavy" wet after a week and was thinking of using something denser? that might repel water absorption better.

I know there is pour in foams but I was looking to mold sheets/blocks for quicker ease on my part. Or is it better practice to just make forms pour in and then shave/sand? Haunting the restoration threads I really have not seen much of a debate as to the pro's and cons. Sure pour in get's in all the nooks and cranny's and if formed you can then shave the excess, but for bouncy I have not seen much debate and it would be a lot faster I'm thinking to cut some sheets/blocks to fit instead.

Just tossing some thoughts around while I work on welding the hull back solid. Over the years lots of extras got drilled into different places and I'm trying to seal her up (who wants water dripping on their head while in the cabin!?!) as far as floatation the main hull seems fit as a fiddle. Didn't find much beyond a few dents (flattened those back out) and filled her with water to make sure I didn't notice any leaking below her water line. Just working on closing up all the add-ons from over the years that are no longer there, or needed now.

I'm thinking the biggest pain will be redoing the windshields, either I have to find new glass (or have it cut) and then get some plexiglass and work it very slowly and carefully with the heat gun from what I have read on others doing this part.

Still in personal debate on the flooring, pondering composite decking or plywood coated with durabak or something similar.

If I get a chance this weekend I'll take some pics of the gutted girl and get them up, and maybe a before and after of some of the 100 extra holes I just started welding closed. (good thing I do welding for a living, what a pain!)

I'm a little cross with whoever (I'm sure it being several people over the years) thought it was a good idea to drill holes all over the roof of the cabin, sides, aft... hell all over the poor girl!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Another project

Anyone every use the XPS (Extruded Polystyrene foam) for floataion? After pulling all the original foam foam out and going over the hull I noticed it was still "heavy" wet after a week and was thinking of using something denser? that might repel water absorption better.

I know there is pour in foams but I was looking to mold sheets/blocks for quicker ease on my part. Or is it better practice to just make forms pour in and then shave/sand? Haunting the restoration threads I really have not seen much of a debate as to the pro's and cons. Sure pour in get's in all the nooks and cranny's and if formed you can then shave the excess, but for bouncy I have not seen much debate and it would be a lot faster I'm thinking to cut some sheets/blocks to fit instead.

I'm not sure where you've been haunting, but it clearly hasn't been in the Starcraft Owner's Group forum. If you had you wouldn't use the word foam & debate in the same post. :facepalm: When you do, these guys tend to show up:

Here's 1:
Expanding (pour in) Flotation Foam and Aluminum Boats

There are others, several others. And more then 1 tin boat resto has a back & forth as each owner decides how best to float their particular boat, during their resto timeline, and on their budget.

IMHO, almost as important (possibly even more) as what type of flotation you use, is to maintain the boat properly after you finish a resto. Keep it well covered when not in use, bow high, w/ the bilge plug removed. This will keep whatever foam you use, dry & able to do it's job when the unthinkable happens. Letting the boat sit full of water wreaks havoc on many facets of the boat, and dooms many well intentioned flotation foam efforts to again become water logged.

The big box hardware stores HD & L carry big 4X8 sheets of closed cell insulation (XPS) that many use for their tin boats. It comes in blue, green & pink sheets depending on the manufacturer. It's available in several thicknesses which can be helpful to add a little extra flotation foam in smaller increments or by making laminated bulkheads sandwiching the foam between 1/4" sheets of plywood. Some have even added a 2" thick layer of XPS on the backside of their decking plywood, after filling the bilge w/ shaped to fit pieces of the foam. It raised the deck height 2" but also added a bunch of extra flotation weight carrying capacity.


Looking forward to seeing the repair pix. As an experienced welder, you are probably much more capable of welding aluminum correctly then many. Some have had a difficult time even finding a capable welder willing to work on an old boat.

Best of luck w/ your project

 

[Brenn]

Re: Another project

here comes the tide bottle talk from Jas