Restoring 1968 14' Mariner-V

[mariner-v]

Hi all -
I'm super excited to finally be digging into a project that I have been sitting on for a couple years. I acquired an old 16' starcraft mariner-v that had been sitting covered in the northwoods of Wisconsin for almost 20 years unused. She had a beautiful 1957 35hp Johnson Javelin motor on it which is now restored and purring like a kitten. Now I'm turning my attention to the boat. I'll make a thread to document the full restoration.

My question before I dive in, though, is how to determine the year the boat was manufactured? I have scoured online info and the boat is the spitting image of boats marked as 1967 to 1971. Is there some clear tell on the boat that I can use to determine a year, or were pretty much all of the mariner-v's in this era identical? Its the classic 16' mariner-v with the 3/4 length center console and 1960s-70s era green finish with the painted plywood floor.

 

[Watermann]

:welcome: aboard mariner,

It would be nice to see some photos of your mariner and that might help out with the ID. Have you looked at the SC brochures on the title page here? A lot f times the emblems change as do the paint schemes that help ID the exact year of the boats. I take it in that 20 year respite the old gals paperwork got lost somewhere.

 

[mariner-v]

Thanks for the welcome watermann!

I removed the motor controls last night and revealed the serial no. If I interpret that serial no. correctly, I would assume the first two numbers are the year it was manufactured - 1968. Also discovered my eyeball estimate was wrong and she's a 14', not 16'. I'm curious if there is any info on decoding the rest of the serial number.

Can't wait to begin the restoration. Stay tuned, all!

 

[Watermann]

Man that ID plate is in great shape! Guess I assumed the plate was missing as is the case most times and that's why you couldn't ID the boat.

 

[mariner-v]

Yeah, I'm still uncovering the hidden gems of this boat. It is in really fantastic shape though. Most of the wooden seats have been rotted beyond use and the floor will have to be replaced because it has several holes where critters chewed through the wood and nested (can't wait to see how many skeletons I uncover when I remove it). The steering wheel was broken and the paint is badly oxidized. But, other than that, she's in very good shape as it was largely covered and sat in the shade and protection of a couple of big pines for the 20 years it sat sinking into the forrest floor.

I'll post some better pics tonight! :joyous:

 

[mariner-v]

A few more images taken over lunch. I'll start another thread shortly to document the restoration! Can't wait to dive in.

 

[Watermann]

You can always have a mod :mod: just change the title for you on this thread and get right down to business.

 

[mariner-v]

Over the weekend I completely removed the old bench seats (all of which were rotted except for the 3/4 length captain's bench), the flooring and and all the old foam. I've read through many restore threads on here to form a strategy to tackle this restore but would love some feedback and input on some sketchy areas. Here is my plan.

* Note, boat is currently trailered. I'm not sure if I should move it to horses to do these steps or just leave it trailered. I am concerned with moving/walking around inside of the boat with no floor that it may create undue stress on single panels/ribs without the floor to distribute the weight.

1. Remove floor/foam supports and completely clean inside with dry methods (compressed air / shop vac).
2. Pressure wash interior and exterior of boat
3. Inspect each rivet for looseness / damage / cracking
- Should this be done inside or outside - or both?
- I'm not sure how to check for loose rivets other than to try and wiggle them manually - any tips here appreciated
- Should I also fill the hull at this point since I have no floor and check for leaks?
4. Allow boat to thoroughly dry
5. Repair any rivets / holes / cracks - method depends on damage if any
6. Cover each seam and rivet with thin coat(s) of Gluvit
- I assume this should be done on the inside since the floor is out and not on the outside
7. Install new floor and seating
8. Take her on the water!

Any feedback, missed steps, advice, appreciated. Lots of pics and details to follow!

 

[Watermann]

Looks to be a fairly good plan to me. I would add for checking rivets to inspect them inside and out. On the outside look for the heads that are missing, damaged or tipped. On the inside look for missing rivet bucktails and if you notice a dark ring around the rivet chances are it's loose. Always check for leaks after your repairs by doing a leak test (adding some water to the bottom of the boat). I have a piece of 3/4" ply that I move around the boat where I'm working inside that spans a few ribs so as to not stress anything out like you mentioned.

 

[greenboatluke]

It's been about a year since there was a post on this thread, but I was doing my own research and came across it. I have inherited my grandfather's Mariner V 14, which I grew up fishing in. The main reason for this initial post is that my serial # is 6 numbers earlier than yours! (ends in 40) If Starcraft was plating them in order as they came off the line, than mine is just 6 boats older than yours! Here's the make year dilemma... My grandpa always said it was a 1966 and my mom said that she remembers it being bought new (not necessarily the year), and the registration says 1966 that was transferred to me. Let me know if you found anything else out and lastly, how you restoration going? Mine has just begun!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Closed

Mariner basnt been back since starting this topic.

Not likely to get your post or reply, hence the 90day guideline. After 90days w no new posts be the original poster, avoid posting in inactive topics.

Luke, start a topic aboit your grandads Mariner.