Hmm lots of egar people.

[viper1]

Trouble is not a lot of finishers. Looking at a 1987 Starcraft Islander Hard Top. Assuming it will need some sort of restoration im sure. Even thought the owner says excellent shape. Now being mechanically inclined in wood machine shop and woodworking. It doesn't seem its hard to restore one. So some one tell me why do most threads dissolve. Do they find it to much work, which i expect its a lot. Or do they just give up? Oh well I'll let you know for sure if i get this. And i look forward to making it a nice boat almost as much as using it. But what would be the closet restoration on here to the 87 islander hardtop 221?

 

[jbcurt00]

Rokaholic's 84 Islander COMPLETE
1984 Starcraft Islander Restoration - Page 1 - 412359

Timfives' 91 Islander COMPLETE
Start of My Project. 1991 Starcraft Islander - Page 1 - 359551

BTW: Whose Egar? Vincent D'onofrio 'The Skin Suit' bug catcher from Men in Black? :watermelon:

The attrition rate for big tin is about the same as fiberglass boats

Good luck in your hunt

 

[Tnstratofam]

Lots of projects do get started, and then they seem to fall by the way side. However I suspect more tend to get put on hold for long periods. Much like my Stratos rebuild has been.

We were just getting started on the gutting part of our rebuild when the Admiral had her heart attack. That put the brakes on everything at our house for at least 3 months. Then in the spring of last year I redid our Starcrafts transom just to get a boat back on the water, and because it needed the least amount of work of the two.

We still have the Stratos, and she sits in the same spot in our shop. Patiently awaiting our return when funds allow. I think the bigger restos become easier victims of life events slowing them down or halting their completions.

Smaller boats usually take less money to restore, and are easier to complete with less manpower. Kind of the nature of things for back yard boat builders I guess. I'm sure some of the old big tin threads aren't completely dead yet. Just have owners who like me are tied up with life for the moment.

 

[jigngrub]

Some threads dissolve for the said reasons above and I think others may dissolve form forum member lack of interest. The boat gets finished but the thread doesn't because it take a lot of time and effort to document a build and if forum members don't show their appreciation by posting to the thread it doesn't seem worth it to document the process. You can't really appreciate a good build thread until you've done one of your own and see how much time it takes to takes pics, post/upload them, and write the documentary.

So, if you see a good build thread be sure to post a compliment or 2 to it so the builder feels it's worth his time to document the process.

 

[GT1000000]

I agree with the above reasons and would also like to add that boat restoration is a labor of love...almost exactly like restoring a car, truck, or a major DIY remodeling project at home, or whatever else, is as involved.
These are projects that require a great deal of effort, time, materials and a good chunk of money.
All are not always synchronized enough to allow us the forward progress necessary to achieve completion in the time frame we originally expect...
And we all know that labors of love can and do fall in and out of favor as life continues to throw curve balls and demand from us many things we were not prepared for...
I for one have restored a couple of vehicles in the past and would have loved to document their builds, but the internet was still far off in my future.
The boat I am currently restoring, started out with the intentions of being completed by now, but is currently in its 4th year of renovation, and as long as the Good Lord allows me to stay healthy and on this Earth, I have every intention of bringing back this old tub to better than its original condition.
Keep in mind, also, these are hobbies, pastimes, wanna-dos...things that help to keep our minds active and engaged and on a constant learning curve...
The act of restoring/renovating, anything...is not a requirement for living life, such as having a place to live, keeping our families fed and secure, and all else that goes along with that...
They are things we do to release our inner creativity and enjoyment...
They are not required for living life, but I certainly would recommend any and all to challenge themselves in attempting a large project, which if approached with the right mindset, can and will show you what you are truly capable of...whether you succeed, fully or partially, or utterly fail...
I don't recall where I read something to the effect, that failure is one of the best teachers and learning from them makes us better overall...
All that being said, if you decide to tackle a project of this magnitude, be prepared to learn, fail, spend, sweat, be frustrated, be elated, but most of all, enjoy the time you get to spend making the attempt...
I'll keep an eye out for your restoration if you decide to dive in and offer all the best of luck and hopefully some help along the way...
GT1M

PS- If it was easy, everybody would do it...

 

[Bob_VT]

Three primary factors to sum it up -

Life
Time
Money

 

[Woodonglass]

If and when you get a Boat restoration...you'll answer your own questions! For me it's one word as most have already stated...LIFE!!!

 

[dozerII]

After rebuilding two StarCraft 16SS's an 18 SS ,18 Holiday, and a SS201, the smaller ones were way less work and money than the large one, and the 201 had no paint done on the hull. It seems once you go over 18 feet in length, the time, money and dedication commitment goes way up. The 16 and 18's can be done over a winter (albeit a long one) where as the 201 took me over a year. Life can really get in the way sometimes and the costs when you get to 20 feet are considerable. I have a burning desire to do a 21 Chieftain or Islander and know the commitment has to be there from the start. it will take a lot of time, during this time, life happens and we don't have a lot of control over most of it!!!!

 

[Scott Danforth]

going to expand on Bob's, WOG's and everyone elses comments : Life is the general category, and family, friends, hobbies, time, and money are sub-categories

Life gets in the way of hobbies. sometimes life gets in the way of living.

as an owner of many perma-projects, both prop'd and tire'd for propulsion. many projects get so far, and I get burned out, the admiral gets upset, the kids go on to school, etc.. then the project either gets sold, shoved in storage, or in a few cases, stripped down for parts for another more-interesting project.

 

[gm280]

Reading the replies to your question I have to say no truer words have been spoken (typed)! I, like so many others, had high hopes of rebuilding my simple tri-hull and was beyond excitement when I bought the rig. I had a grandiose plans to "fix her up" in mere weeks and go boating with a big grin on my face as well. But things do change in your life that slows, or in my situation, stopped forward progress to that end. My wife had a serious stroke last year and I can tell you that my boating project was the furthest thought from my mind at that time. She has since recovered near perfect and I again built some more enthusiasm for the "boat project" all over. Life is funny that way! And my refurbishing project is a mere little fishing boat. But I too am on a second or third year project now that I would have never ever thought would take this long. My NEW projected finish is in the next few months...I hope! But the actual building IS my part of the hobby as I'm sure other will confess too as well. You can't do these rebuilds if you don't like the work. I would never happen! So if you do like that kind of efforts, join in and let us help you through the high times as well as the low times. Co-member support does jump start us always... :thumb:

 

[Weep'n Willy]

A rebuild is a big commitment that one has to make to themselves. It seems very easy to dismantle a boat but the reconstruction has to have some sort of a plan and some resources available to get through some tough situations. I am sure that some get frustrated to the point of retiring the project. With an idea in mind, a plan of action, and an earnest desire to follow through and complete the project can help one progress. My build was my first and took me 2 years to complete. Hobbies, family commitments, work etc takes a major bit of time away from your project time. But even a couple hours an evening helps immensely toward completion. My original plans changed several times during the build as I would sit in her and visualize and think through the process of accomplishing that idea. My best advice is don't set a deadline and go with the flow of the build. Expect pitfalls and these forums can help people get through them not only helping with ideas and solutions but also the most important - - - encouragement to see the completed project.

 

[Corjen1]

Wow....great question and great responses....I think, like others said.....the road to hell is paved with great intentions..

I got into my build for the love of the boat......being said, love is often blind, deaf and stuipd!! Im a year and a half into mine...probably at least another 6-8 monthes left "IF" life doesnt get in the way......I have to admit, like GM280 said, the satisfaction is the learning,curve. The actual reading, understanding and application of new knowledge.

While I hope every day, I get to have the perma grin that Ive seen from guys with completed builds when they splash their project the first time, I am happy learning a new skill...that I maybe will be able to use in the future. If that doesnt happen, I still have meet great folks, discoverd thing I didnt know and learned abount my abilitys and skill set.......what else can you ask for?????

Not really an ansewr to the question, but a glimpse of what keep me and others I would guess, hanging on and trying....

 

[ssdale]

Heres echoing Life happens and has to be dealt with. Its always amazing how the level of enthusiasm drops way off after the demolition-doesn't matter what your restoring-car, old camper, or boat. That's when the reality of "whats this gonna cost?" and "why did I pay money for this" and "jeese, this is a lot of work" sets in. Also blame the resto shows now popular on TV-they make it all look sooooo easy. This forum and the support is a big part of why I'm gonna stick with it. And being envious as hell of all the guys who do hit the COMPLETE splash

 

[kcassells]

I would have never....REPEAT...NEVER...had been able to do what I'm doing now with Iboats and all the support and great community.
I bought this boat, brought it home expecting to "polish " it up and go fishing.
Taking me awhile but I am like anyone else here should be VERY PROUD OF MY WORK.
Eagar...yup
LIFE..yup
Give Up...Nope
Scared one of these Iboats guys might show up at my house and say WELL....if I were you IMHO.

 

[sheboyganjohn]

I would like to add one thing o the list. True project people are never done. You usually get to a "good enough for now" point and keep working from there while using it. My dory is good enough for now, but still needs a new center console, depth sounder, interior lights, battery relocation, I could go on and on. But it is usable. The Sea Ray will get the motors and drives back in this year and operational, but the entire interior still needs to be gutted and done. Once the motors are in I can start using it, so again, it will be good enough for now. If I would wait for the projects to be perfect, I would spend many more years on them and most likely tear stuff back out and redo it because as you go along, you will always find things you wish you did different to make it "perfect".

 

[Patfromny]

As the creator of a fizzled post or so I can tell you life does get in the way but it can also be less about life and more about expectations of the post. I crept around iboats for a long while before deciding to start my own build post/thread. There were two main reasons for me to let my thread die on the vine.
First, I'm not one to sit on a computer for too long, I'd rather be doing something. This is the reason I brought my boat home to restore in the first place. I knew I'd have something to do in the garage whenever I found myself sitting in front of the tube. Like some of the previous people above have said, stopping to take the pics required while you're chugging along on something goes against the "get it done" mentality you need to get these builds finished. I did get used to that aspect because it did create a history for what I was doing to a boat that has been in the family since 78. The part that I didn't count on was the time in front of the computer downloading and posting the pics and adding comments.
Secondly, and a bit harder to admit but I'm sure it will hit a cord with several fellow fizzlers, I didn't get the responses I had hoped for. I read through a ton of threads and several of the Epics: Jasoutside,Woodonglass,sphelps,JBcurts multiboat saga, to name a few. After reading through these threads I was struck by the friendships that evolved and the good natured ribbing that went on. When I first signed up on iboats I was just planning on using it as a resource to get ideas, tips and tricks for my build. Use the search box to look up a thread that might answer a question I had. Now I will fully admit that this is my own vanity or insecurity talking but when I read through those threads I thought it would be fun to document my build and make some friends along the way or just have some laughs with a bunch of people doing the same thing I was. So I started my thread. The worst thing for me was being able to see the amount of "looks" a post gets. Once again, my own vanity/insecurity here. I would post a question about something or just a progress photo or two and get 200 looks but few or no responses. It was really deflating to me to see my thread on page 2 or 3 the next day. I Couldn't get the sound of crickets out of my head for weeks. It quickly became not worth the effort of uploading photos and posting them for, it seemed, me alone. My post it seemed, just didn't resonate or catch on with anyone. I abandoned the thread but I continued to take the photos and have finished 95% of the build. I figured I'd get around to putting pics up after I was done and do it at whatever pace my attention span would give to the computer. I want to say that I have gotten some great answers from you guys and I thank you all. The boat came out awesome thanks to the advice I've gotten directly or via creeping. Once I stopped documenting I just figured out the many obstacles on my own or crept through iboats for an answer.
I think you need the passion to build a good thread. I had the passion to build my boat and did so but if I had the same passion towards my post I wouldn't have stopped. Hats off to all who have stuck to it. That is why you have made so many like minded friends. Your passion shows in your posts. I tell myself that I will eventually get around to documenting my build here even if it's just me and the crickets in the room while doing so. I think if I ever do I will ask iboats to disable the looks counter. the reply counter is depressing enough.

 

[Woodonglass]

Just like LIFE gets in the way of keeping a Boat Restoration Project going LIFE can also get in the way of responding to the hundreds of Threads and posts that are posted to the forum on a daily basis. I know personally that I try to respond to all that I can when and where I feel I have something to contribute. I'm not much of a "Tinner" so I don't usually make to many contributions to those threads unless it has something to do with the wood transoms etc... If anyone feels they are being ignored they can always send a PM to a member or a Moderator and ask for assistance. That usually will get things going. Almost all the members have jobs or other duties and are not constantly monitoring the threads so it may take some time for someone to see your post and respond to it. Patience IS a virtue. I KNOW it can be frustrating especially when it seems like other threads get more attention than yours. Hard to explain but I know it can seem that way. Posting lots of pics and asking lots of questions seems to generate lots of activities. Be appreciative and following the advice given also will show the members that you are willing to accept their suggestions and will make it more likely they'll return. But again, it's all about what's going on at any given time that usually determines what gets the attention. Sorry your project didn't get what it deserved!!! Looks like it was a NICE TIN CAN!!!!

 

[kcassells]

As the creator of a fizzled post or so I can tell you life does get in the way but it can also be less about life and more about expectations of the post. I crept around iboats for a long while before deciding to start my own build post/thread. There were two main reasons for me to let my thread die on the vine.
First, I'm not one to sit on a computer for too long, I'd rather be doing something. This is the reason I brought my boat home to restore in the first place. I knew I'd have something to do in the garage whenever I found myself sitting in front of the tube. Like some of the previous people above have said, stopping to take the pics required while you're chugging along on something goes against the "get it done" mentality you need to get these builds finished. I did get used to that aspect because it did create a history for what I was doing to a boat that has been in the family since 78. The part that I didn't count on was the time in front of the computer downloading and posting the pics and adding comments.
Secondly, and a bit harder to admit but I'm sure it will hit a cord with several fellow fizzlers, I didn't get the responses I had hoped for. I read through a ton of threads and several of the Epics: Jasoutside,Woodonglass,sphelps,JBcurts multiboat saga, to name a few. After reading through these threads I was struck by the friendships that evolved and the good natured ribbing that went on. When I first signed up on iboats I was just planning on using it as a resource to get ideas, tips and tricks for my build. Use the search box to look up a thread that might answer a question I had. Now I will fully admit that this is my own vanity or insecurity talking but when I read through those threads I thought it would be fun to document my build and make some friends along the way or just have some laughs with a bunch of people doing the same thing I was. So I started my thread. The worst thing for me was being able to see the amount of "looks" a post gets. Once again, my own vanity/insecurity here. I would post a question about something or just a progress photo or two and get 200 looks but few or no responses. It was really deflating to me to see my thread on page 2 or 3 the next day. I Couldn't get the sound of crickets out of my head for weeks. It quickly became not worth the effort of uploading photos and posting them for, it seemed, me alone. My post it seemed, just didn't resonate or catch on with anyone. I abandoned the thread but I continued to take the photos and have finished 95% of the build. I figured I'd get around to putting pics up after I was done and do it at whatever pace my attention span would give to the computer. I want to say that I have gotten some great answers from you guys and I thank you all. The boat came out awesome thanks to the advice I've gotten directly or via creeping. Once I stopped documenting I just figured out the many obstacles on my own or crept through iboats for an answer.
I think you need the passion to build a good thread. I had the passion to build my boat and did so but if I had the same passion towards my post I wouldn't have stopped. Hats off to all who have stuck to it. That is why you have made so many like minded friends. Your passion shows in your posts. I tell myself that I will eventually get around to documenting my build here even if it's just me and the crickets in the room while doing so. I think if I ever do I will ask iboats to disable the looks counter. the reply counter is depressing enough.

Hey Pat,
Don't let the looks and no responses get you down. Look at the bright side ...you've been able to move forward with your progress in spite of that. Alot of guys feel like they get bumped over cause there are alot of threads, questions and different types of boats. When I post I always look at the same things you do and go "oh well" and look at the counter. But at least it was looked at. Sometimes it just goes that way.
You should get your thread back up and moving. And yes since the changes to the forum upgrades the pics are hard to do and require an amount of time. But hey the wealth of info here has only been a benefit for all of us. You're not alone.
Like I said above..."I would not have been able to do this project without the support of this forum." Whether it was a response or me just digging and digging around like you have been doing.
Anyway...I don't know much, most of the time I stand corrected, sometimes I'm right. And I know alot less about tin boats.

 

[viper1]

LOL! Didn't mean anything derogatory! And I answered all my posts now and hopefully will continue. I wasn't getting notifications. Changed emails a while back. Here i thought everyone was ignoring me. LOL! Well my 93 starcraft holiday i wasn't to much into a restore as a fishing boat. But it was nice when i got it. This new Islander is in great shape to im told and we will find out. If i get it i'll be sure to post. If it needs restored i will post. As i like photographing and sharing lots of things i do. As i do with my homesteading,fishing,gardening and my charcuterie. It is important that we all pass on what we know when we can i feel. So i'll probably be the one you say less pics too! LOL!

 

[viper1]

By the way. Any 87 starcraft islanders been restored? Haven't found many pics even here on it. Maybe i'll be the first.