1955-58 12' Lonestar Corvette

who10 · Jun 28, 2010

Hello all,

I've been browsing through this forum for some time now and finally decided to participate. This past weekend, I picked up a trailer for my flat bottom Jon and it came with an old 12' V Bottom with silicon all over it. I'm wondering how many of you would take the time to fix up this old boat. It has silicon on every rivet. I've powerwashed some of it off in order to determine how bad it leaks. Looks like there is a gasket of some sort between the aluminum at each rivet point. It does leak some as you can see in the pictures I've included. I'm wondering if re-bucking the rivets and a coat of steelflex will stop or slow down the leaks enough to make it a functional boat. I paid $200 for everything, so either way, I haven't really lost much if it's not repairable.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Alumacraft · Jun 28, 2010

scrap the boat and get $75-$100 and then you only have a $100 boat trailer. :wink: :wink:

who10 · Jun 28, 2010

Alumacraft said:
scrap the boat and get $75-$100 and then you only have a $100 boat trailer. :wink: :wink:

This is an option. I figure I probably could get $75-$100 out of the aluminum and just use the trailer to haul my 10' flat bottom you see in the background. I do like the thought of having a 12' Semi V though. I just don't know how much work I would have to put into this to make it work. Guess I could power wash the rest of the silicon off and see how bad it leaks.

jackinok · Jun 29, 2010

Looks like an old lone star,excellent boats in my opinion.Iv'e used one for years.Myself i would fix the v-hull 2-1 over the flatbottom (but I own and use both).Rivets are not hard to buck, if you have a helper you can buck every rivet in a couple of hours.If you do decide to sell,i would post it on here before you sell it for scrap.just my .02 of course.In my opinion if you are doing some real fishing on moderate to large lakes the v-hull makes a better boat.It wont slap in a chop like a flatbottom,and the extra freeboard is a big plus sometimes.I use my flatbottom mostly for fishing farm ponds and such anymore.If you are fishing a shallow river most of the time I might prefer the flat bottom,they have an advantage of floating in shallower water (this is what they were designed for).I would say fix up BOTH,remove the rollers from that trailer and you probably could use it for whatever boat you choose!LOL

who10 · Jun 29, 2010

Lonestar huh? Funny, I was wondering what kind of boat it might be. I hadn't seen anything like it. I fish the flat bottom on a river and an 85 acre "trolling motor only" lake. There are some larger lakes around here that I'd like to fish with the v hull.
I think I'm going to remove all the old silicon, buck the rivets and perform a leak test. If it's not too bad, I'll do some work and keep it. How well do sealants such as steelflex work on these boats? I'm thinking I may put something like that on after bucking all the rivets.

who10 · Jun 30, 2010

Ok, I've done some research. Looks like I've got a 12' 1957 Lonestar Corvette. I'm going to have to put some work into this one... :wink:
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jackinok · Jul 1, 2010

I thought it looked like a lonestar,Personally I dont like all that stuff like steelflex on my boats.Lots of folks do though,i'm just old i guess , (No reflection on the people who use it of course.)it might be ok in certain situations,i've just not encountered a place where i needed it.It could be useful on a boat that is/was used in salt water maybe?
.My old Lonestar is a 47 model according to the title,(though they supposedly started building v-hulls in 48 from what I understand) It has been an excellent boat.If I recall correctly,Ive had exactly three rivets leak,or pull loose,Over the years on this boat.Two of those were on the front seat where the floatation chamber is riveted on.The other was on the small bow deck,it was replaced with a screw and has been like that for several years. I've lost count of how many boats that i've had over the years,( have Five now),this old boat is used the most and is still the best of the lot.I did however recently purchase a old starcraft 12 ft v,ive kind of got to liking .its quite a bit wider and more stable,and I am not as steady on my feet as I once was.I'm going to see how it does for a stand up fly fishing boat.

who10 · Jul 1, 2010

Sounds like you've got quite a collection. The wider Starcraft would be nice. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I've stripped all the silicon off the inside and now I've got the boat turned over so I can work on the bottom. There is a small tear and a crack in a couple of the stingers, but they don't go through the hull. I'm sure I can find something to patch those up. Right now, my plan is just to clean it up, buck the rivets and perform a leak test. As far as coating it with steelflex, ect..., I'll decide what to do once I know how bad it leaks.

who10 · Jul 1, 2010

Guess there is some aluminum under all that silicon and caulk, as well as the tear/crack I was talking about earlier. :shock:

RBuffordTJ · Jul 2, 2010

I say fix it up, there is no rush, it can be a great project boat. If I lived close I might tell you it was junk and I would haul it off for ya. :wink:

Bufford in Orlando

who10 · Jul 2, 2010

I bet you would.

Actually, I'm having some fun working on it. We'll see how it goes.

tallyfly · Jul 2, 2010

I have an old 13' Lonestar similar to yours. I am not sure what year it was made. Does the VIN show the date?

Mine floats very high in the water when there are only two people in it. I had trouble with leaks also and put marine epoxie on each rivit. I have a bottom full of white lumps. I have thought that I would put some of the rino paint they made for truck beds on it and then install a wooden floor across the floor joints. I want to add something in the front for additional weight but have not decided yet.

I have an 85 Johnson 6hp long shaft motor and an electric motor in it. I cannot plane with the long shaft and have considered putting a jack plate on the transome or get a different motor.

It is always a work in progress.

who10 · Jul 2, 2010

My boat didn't have a VIN. I'm definatley no expert. I had to do some research and make a "best guess". I found an old sales brochure photo online. It happened to be from 1957 and it is the only picture of a 12' Lonestar that I've been able to find that is configured like mine. Most of what I've seen are 14' Commanders, etc... I guess this one is unique. You might be able to go to Google Images, type in Lonestar Boats and search for one that looks like yours. I read in an old Lonestar brochure, that if it is a 13' something " boat, it's really classified as a 14'. If you put enough information together, you'll figure out the make and model eventually.
Check out these links and look at the Sale Brochures
https://homepage.mac.com/davidkrommes/.Pictures/More Sales Brochures/lonestar57_03.jpg
https://homepage.mac.com/davidkrommes/PersonalPage1.html
https://www.allpar.com/old/boats-1966.php

who10 · Jul 5, 2010

Slow Progress...

who10 · Jul 10, 2010

A little bit of history. I guess these things were built from 1955 to 1958. As I was stripping this boat down, I found a serial number under all the silicon and paint the previous owner had put on the transom. Turns out there is a 58 in the number. Wonder if that means it's a 1958 model?

More Lonestar Info:
https://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Lone_Star

Info on My Boat:

who10 · Jul 10, 2010

Ready to buck rivets, seal holes and seams.

who10 · Jul 22, 2010

Bucked rivets, replaced 3 rivets with water tight pop rivets and 3M 5200, added the rest of the 3M 5200 along the seams inside the boat and performed leak test. With the exception of a few pinhole leaks, she's pretty tight. I think I'm going to coat the bottom next. I'm pretty sure that'll seal her up and I'll have a lake worthy 12' semi v. I'm pretty happy with the results so far.

who10 · Jan 31, 2011

Haven't been back to this forum in a while. This little boat has been one heck of an investment. Once I got her on the water, I couldn't quit fishing. Spent most of the late summer and fall fishing my favorite fishing hole.

Lone Star 1 · Jul 12, 2022

Hello all, just wanted to see if anyone was still active on this thread. I have recently acquired a 54 Lone Star Corvette, she's in rough shape and I'm not all that familiar with aluminum repairs. I have been watching hours of YouTube and reading online forums, I'll post pics with some of my areas of concern. Meanwhile anyone have any links, websites or other users who are familiar with this vessel they can put me in touch with? I have found very little info on the web considering how many hours I've been searching.

1955-58 12' Lonestar Corvette

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