1979 Starcraft 18' center console restoration

[ShipwreckStew]

Since these pictures were taken, I've put the bow rail back on. I am still painting the transom, the more coats of paint I put on it, the longer it will last. I have put caulk along the seams between the floor boards and where the floor meets the side of the hull. I am hoping this will keep as much water on top of the deck so it can properly drain to the bilge instead of get hung up in flotation. I still need to work out a way to either have the seats done, or reupholster them myself.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

The forms for the seats are cut and I'm waterproofing those. The wood for the base of the previous seats was very rotten. I am trying to salvage the old foam cushion and the upholstery, but we'll see if the vinegar and water mix will clean them out. The transom is cut and the wide surfaces are painted. I only have to paint the top and the bottom edges, and put as many coats as I can, since that is where all the water will collect. Put my third and fourth tubes of caulk down today between the seams. I am running through that stuff like nobody's business. I guess the more I put into weatherproofing now, the better it will be in the long run.

 

[ked_man]

Looking good man, what do you plan on using it for? Running on the Ohio or you plan on heading down to Cumberland and troll for some stripers?

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Looking good man, what do you plan on using it for? Running on the Ohio or you plan on heading down to Cumberland and troll for some stripers?

Thanks. Planning on using it to run around on the Ohio, fish some of the lakes around here and maybe some saltwater use this summer in the Charleston SC area.
Got a new prop today, the old one couldn't be reconditioned and there is no way I would repair it with JB weld like I have read about other people on here wanting to try. A new prop will always be cheaper than a new lower unit. Put a final coat on my seat boards, once they dry they will be re-assembled and attached back to the console. And the transom is two coats on the bottom edge away from completion.

 

[Badbagger]

Lookin good, that joker has some high gunnels !

 

[Pweisbrod]

Nice work.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Lookin good, that joker has some high gunnels !

Nice work.

Thanks for reading. I reupholstered the seats yesterday and finished painting the transom. I wanted to get the transom in and the motor mounted today, but it started raining as soon as I got home from work, so that will have to wait for the next dry day. Does anyone have an suggestions for what to use for a through-hull so the splash well can drain out of the transom? I was going to use either some narrow diameter PVC pipe or copper pipe and seal it really well with some silicone unless someone has a better suggestion.

 

[DOBSONFLY]

Still looking great! =D>

 

[ShipwreckStew]

I completed all of the big chores for this boat yesterday. I put the transom in, installed the seats onto the transom hung the outboard (with a new 13.2x19 prop), added the front storage locker and painted the floor with the non skid sand added to the paint. Today I am adding some more reinforcement to the transom, wiring my bilge pump, wiring my fish finder, installing copper through hulls on the splash well, adding my registration numbers and maybe doing some touch up paint near the storage locker and on the console. There are two pieces of aluminum that I will need to add that go under the splash well, but I wanted to get all of my wires.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Bilge is wired and protected with an inline fuse near the switch. The depth/fishfinder is wired and fused and the transducer is screwed to the transom and heavily siliconed to prevent leaks. I added some additional heavy bolts through the transom for additional support and I installed my splash well drains as well as tow hooks in the transom. I was wanting to hit the water today, but I had forgotten to pay my registration last week, so hopefully I will get out on the water tomorrow afternoon and if I do pictures will follow.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Been a while since I've posted, but there have been some updates. I have put this boat through the paces and have found some more things to fix, and I'm sure there will always be more things to improve upon. I had struggled with some leaking replacement screws from the knee brace that I added in and tried several times to solve the problem. I put silicone on and it didn't stick, then I tried JB marine weld that I had left over from some other hole repairs and painted over that. It lasted about an hour on the water. And today, I took the old screws out, cleaned all the sand and dirt out of the bottom and put new screws with rubber and metal washers with a layer of polyurethane caulk between each piece (pictured below). I had took the boat out on an overnight camping trip last weekend and was a little dismayed to find that my bilge stopped working. After checking the inline fuse and still not coming up with the problem, I noticed that it had separated at the splice from the positive end of the bilge to wire leading to the switch, and that has been replaced.

 

[DOBSONFLY]

Darn the electrical demons :twisted:

The photo on the beach is too cool reminds me of the Corona commercials almost. :beer:

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Made a pattern for the rod holders and cut them out earlier this week and I stained them a dark brown. Waiting on that to dry so I can put some spar urethane on them to make them last a little longer.

 

[CLM]

I like your rod holders, planning on making something like that out of aluminum to replace the supports on the side of my lowe.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Been a while since the last post, but the floor has been resealed and repainted, the rod holders have been finished and installed and I added a Humminbird 581i HDDI and am very pleased with how everything is working on my boat. I probably get out 2-3 times a week now, trying to get everything in before the warm weather disappears.

 

[SuDZ]

Looks awesome. There is one for sale in my local craigslist boat section that I have been eyeing.

SuDZ

 

[ShipwreckStew]

It's been a while since my last post, but with warm weather hopefully on the horizon, it's time to get back to work. After pulling the boat home from storage for the season, I noticed that the white paint I had repainted on the floor had not faired well. After doing some research, I went ahead and ordered a gallon of Tuff Coat that should be in next week. I also plan on re-caulking the seams where the hull meets the floor and the joints between floor boards as they have cracked with the expansion and contraction of the hull and floor during the temperature fluctuations. There are also some spots on the bottom of the boat that I need to do some touch-up painting where it has worn off from being beached. Also, before I launch for the first time, I am going to wash, then wax the outside of the hull, hopefully making it a little more efficient and faster.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

I am very happy with the way tuff-coat applied after two coats, seems like it will be great traction and hopefully it will hold up through use and abuse, the picture below shows the pulverized rubber that will hopefully last. Fired up the outboard for the first time this year and it started right up, it shows that proper winterization will lead to easy work in the spring time. I plan to add more floatation in the form of cut-to-fit swim noodles behind some bulkheads under the splash well this week and will post pictures of that project upon completion. With finals week approaching, I plan on having some "study time" on the water next week.

 

[ShipwreckStew]

Took some extra pool noodles today and cut them to fit under the splash well, then screwed the bulkheads to keep them in place. I underestimated the amount of noodles I could fit under there, thinking two per side would be plenty. I was wrong. I fit all four behind one bulkhead and will have to get four more the next time I'm out. Pictures below will show the before and after based on what side was left incomplete. I'm going to use my extra tuff-coat to seal the gap between the bulkhead and floor, hopefully this will allow any water to flow directly into the bilge area.