'72 14 ft Starcraft Winter Project

[baltimus]

I've been an avid fisher since I was a kid but haven't been able to do a lot of it since I've been in school. I finally graduated and started fishing religiously this summer. This summer I've been using my girlfriend/wife's dad's boat at their lake house which worked out great since it was always in the water. But this fall they sold their house house to move to lake full-time. In the process they had a lifetime worth of stuff to get rid of one item being a 1972 Starcraft 14 ft Dart (not sure if that is the exact model, the identification plate is hard to read.) so they gave it to me. It works out perfect because it will give something to do over the winter and I will be able to fish more than just one chain of lakes.

With anything free comes the downfalls. This boat had been leaned up against a Pine tree for I don't know how long and had some nice hardened tree sap all down the side of it. I'm not sure if you have ever tried removing tree sap from aluminum but it is the furthest thing from quick and easy. At this point the majority of the sap is gone! Life lesson learned: NEVER SET A BOAT UNDER A TREE! I will not forget that one.

But we had to take the boat at the lake out last weekend because of this awful thing called winter so I transitioned my efforts to my boat. I have a few pics and will add more as I progress through the many phases of this project. Please throw ideas because I haven't seen what all can be done and will be vigorously working on this thing for the next three and a half months.

 

[sixgun86]

:WELCOME: to Tinboats.

I love the floor in the boat. Do you have any more pics of the wood before you removed it?!

Tip 1#, Get the boat registered in your name before you spend 3mos rebuilding it.

 

[baltimus]

Yeah I will get some pics up soon. I actually put most of the wood back in to get a feel for how I want to lay everything out.

Good advice with the registraton. Out of curiosity why do you say that? I've never really thoght about the timing of registration.

 

[NextTopBassFisherman]

Also make sure not to use treated wood... Its BAD for Aluminum.. And if you can't get a title and register it there is practicly no reason to rebuild it.. However some states have different regualtions... So check with your county clerk.. Or if you know someone that knows alot about this kindave stuff, check with them.

 

[baltimus]

Sorry for the slight delay. I went into hibernation for a couple of months. I finally found a reasonable trailer on craigslist (GREAT place to find project boats!) and with the trailer comes more problems. The trailer came with no title but I did get a bill of sale.

As for the boat title, in Indiana any boat older than 1986 does not need a title, just a bill of sale, according to the BMV. Big relief because it would be extremely difficult to track down the original owner. The trailer does need to be titled; however, if you claim it as "homemade" you can get a new VIN for it. That is the route I believe I will be taking, a lot less time and hassle.

With not a lot of time left before the pike spawn my main focus is getting everything legal and on the water. I've bitterly accepted that due to financial constraints and a lack of extra time, this will be an ongoing project. What better way to find out exactly what you want though.

I will add more photos of the old wood as well as the progress once I get them and reduce the size of them.

 

[baltimus]

Alright, back to the boat project. Since the last time I posted on here I have gotten the boat to a "usable" state and it made the journey to Dale Hollow as well as many of the lakes in Northeast Indiana. The steps to get to that point were:

After gutting and cleaning the aluminum hull I used many spray cans of bed liner to coat the entire interior of the hull. The idea was to help seal rivets and dampen sound. If I were to do it again I would do the roll-on method. The spray cans do not go very far and don't get as thick/even of a coat. Also, by the time you purchase enough cans to do the entire boat you would probably be at similar cost to buying the roll-on kit.




After the liner was applied it was time for the framework. The framework wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought, it was just a measure and cut piece-by-piece process. Every piece had to be a custom shape and size with all the contours.






All the framework is gravity fit and not actually connected to the hull at all. The gravity fit works pretty well aside from some minor creaking while moving about the boat.






I didn't use any treated lumber due to some reactions with aluminum I read about online, instead I used Thompson's WaterSeal for the majority and primer spray for some for the rest. The WaterSeal is holding up great after 2 seasons, but takes a lot more time having to sand and apply to each piece.

 

[baltimus]

Once the basic framing layout was done I started adding the required storage areas (battery box, fuel tank box, rod box, etc.) as well as the flooring.





I used 1/2" Plywood for the floors and 1/4" for the sides or "Paneling". All the Plywood was sanded and then a couple coats of Thompson's WaterSeal was applied after cut/fit to size. As I said in my previous post, the WaterSeal is holding up great... on the framing. The floors show a little wear from the weather and being walked on time and time again, not a big deal. The original intent was to lay carpet over all the plywood; but I haven't yet because all the wiring is run through PVC under the deck. Carpet will cover all my screws making it very difficult to run anymore wiring so I will wait until the plywood has to be replaced and wiring is nearly complete.



With the addition of a lid for the Fuel Tank Box; this is the "usable" condition it has been in. Functional is the best way to describe it. I have been and will continue to add all bells and whistles that will allow it to be a more comfortable and functional experience.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Do you know how much weight you added to the boat?

 

[baltimus]

Do you know how much weight you added to the boat?

I added an incredible amount of weight to the boat. An aluminum hull on its own doesn't weigh a lot so it still beats any fiberglass boat. It is still light enough that strong winds blow me around. I cant drive the boat onto the trailer, because my trailer is marginal at best, so I have to guide and pull it on with a rope which is pretty easy when there aren't Gale force winds. I typically fish by myself and don't have any weight related problems.

So to directly answer your question, I'm not sure how much weight was actually added. For the strength to weight ratio of the wood structure its hard to beat.

 

[baltimus]

The most recent additions I have made to the boat are hinges, magnetic latches and stain.

I need to add something a little more robust for the rod box, but what I have has been working.




I added a "Face-plate" with doors to the Trolling Motor Platform. I can store lures, extra fish-finder, and hide unsightly wires with the face-plate.








I have had a number of motors on the back of this thing but found a 1968 Johnson 20 HP on craigslist. I got it from a guy whose dad bought it new and it was in perfect condition. I love the older ourboards because they are cheaper and easier to work on; no computers. The 20 HP does a great job pushing all the weight. The manufacturers tag has the boat rated for up to a 45 HP motor, I would love to try that much power on it someday.

 

[baltimus]

And now for the important stuff. I have fished out of the boat countless times over the last 2 seasons catching a good number of fish. I have unofficially named the boat "Pike Hunter" seeing as I love the fight of northern and built this boat to cater to just that, hunting pike. Below are a couple of the northerns that have found their way into the boat.




Now Northern Indiana has a few good water systems that have been stocked with Musky, but not a lot. The majority of the lakes I fish aren't on the list of having been stocked. Evidently that doesn't matter because I caught my first Musky last night on a body of water that has no record of Musky ever being stocked. I guess they travel quite a distance, through anywhere water flows. It was quite a milestone and gives you a little pride in the TinBoat you've built, especially when you see all the Lunds, Lowes and Rangers at public access sites. (I wouldn't mind owning a Lund one day)



That is the progress I have made on my TinBoat. The updates are long overdue but finally they are here. I will continue to update the boat and keep everyone informed. Let me know what your thoughts are. If you have questions please let me know!