15' Starcraft jet

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JMar650

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Jun 14, 2010
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Location
Central WI
Well I bit the bullet and picked this up on CL for $350. Needs a ton of stripping, cleaning, and some minor fixes. The transom is very solid amazingly enough but the rear motor mount plate needs to be replaced. It used to be a closed bow runabout but they cut the closed part in the front off and opened it up. I have a better Shorelander trailer that my 14' shallow V is on and that will go under this one when I get it done. I have a blank slate here and am going to take my time with this one. Partly because bow season is starting pretty quick and between that, my 2 sons, work and the wife I won't have a whole lot of free time, but I did need a winter project for the garage.
 

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By the way the jet is just the name of the 15' runabouts from those years. Plate says it will take up to a 50hp but that was with remote steering so it should take a 40hp tiller with no problems I think (anyone have any idea?). I have my eye on an older 33hp Johnson, I think will push it around pretty well.
 
Going has been pretty slow but I did pull the old transom, which was rotting in one small spot on the bottom. The wood was 1.5" thick so I glued some 3/4" red oak plywood together, two layers of water sealer and I have the first layer of marine urithane on it. Going to put 2 more layers on and maybe more on the edges. Pressure washed the inside and out of the boat, amazing how much crud can accumulate in the ribs. Stripped the back with a wire wheel on the drill and I'm still deciding on what to seal up the bolt holes that the previous owner loved to drill everywhere. Probably going to order some marine epoxy paste like Bobberboy used. Stripping the inside and out of this boat is going to take quite a bit more time than my 14' shallow v, but luckily there is only the original paint on the boat so at least I don't have to strip multiple layers of crud off like I did on my first boat.
 

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By the way this is what the boat started out as back in the day. Gotta get me one of those Gilligan hats.
 

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My plans are for this boat to be my bigger water fishing boat. I have a 14 shallow v for the small ponds and lakes, but on the bigger lakes I wanted something a bit deeper. My oldest son is only 6 so I don't plan on making the decking too high. My floor plan is just a low floor in the back 2/3 of the boat and a small 1' to 1.5' deck in the front 1/3 of the boat. I wanted to keep it pretty open so just a bench in the back, and a pedestal seats in the middle and front. I like the space and with a 6 year old and a 100# lab in the boat the room would be nice. I'll be drawing up some floor plans and hopefully finish up stripping/sanding the inside of the boat this weekend (already wore out a wire wheel brush with the drill).
 
Transom is replaced, inside was totally stripped (wore out 2 wire wheels and a cup brush on the drill) and now has 2 coats of primer. The epoxy paste should be here today, the 1st, and should have the bolt holes filled and touched up on the inside in the next day or so. The inside is going to be painted gray with decking from the front bench seat brackets to the front. Just going to use some rubber floor mats between the ribs, from the front bench brackets back for now, and see if I want to put a floor in later.
Bow season is only 2 weeks away so I may or may not get the hull stripped and steel flexed this fall. The trailer was in good shape, I need to buy a spare, get a new strap for the winch (they were using some super cheap nylon rope that was super frayed #-o ) and give it a good once over with a wire brush and a fresh coat of paint. I'll probably replace the bunks when I have the boat off of it just so I don't have to do that again for a long time.
 

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It's been going kind of slow due to crappy weather and working on other projects around the house. But I have managed to paint the inside of the boat gray and doing some blue trim at the moment. Couple things I've learned so far: no matter how big your garage is you always want more room, the marine grade epoxy (same stuff Bobberboy used) is the best thing I've found for filling in old bolt holes in the hull, and if you mix enamal hardener in paint you need to use it that day or you get
 

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