First Boat /project 16ft Aluminum (Starcraft)

[Johnny]

good job !! you have a lot of potential there.
I think the two metal things are for a shelf for one of the previous owners.
cut them out, plug the holes.



and the little box things are to hold wood or plastic slats
to support a canvas cover.... if you are not going to use a cover,
they can be removed. (save them, you may decide to use them later).









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[AZSunDevil]

good job !! you have a lot of potential there.
I think the two metal things are for a shelf for one of the previous owners.
cut them out, plug the holes.

View attachment 2

and the little box things are to hold wood or plastic slats
to support a canvas cover.... if you are not going to use a cover,
they can be removed. (save them, you may decide to use them later).View attachment 1









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So by cut out you mean drill out the rivets ? What do you recommend for plugging them? I'll have to research it here I guess.

 

[Johnny]

yes, we drill out rivets when removing items from the hull.
the best method to plug the holes would be solid rivets.
just enough length to hold them fast. if you use pop rivets
or any protruding fasteners, it could be problematic later on.
as you get more involved in your project, you will find hammers
of different sizes, tin shears, pop-rivet gun, bucking bars for
3/16" solid rivets, and the list grows as your needs to modify grows.


This is a bucking bar I made out of a 1" x 10" bar of round steel.
the dented hole must be perfect without ridges or swirls as the
rivet head will mirror what is used to set the tail. of course if you are
not concerned with cosmetics, you can use a 2 or 3# flat face hammer for the dolly.
(which will work fine, just the head of the rivet may have a flat face).







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[AZSunDevil]

Thank you for the detailed reply! Looks like I have some more tools to buy.

Today I cleaned the crud out of the boat and stripped all old wood out. Drilled out some rivets as well.

Filled her up with water and I was really surprised to see the ONLY spot with some occasional drips of water was in the front.



I guess I could gluvit that inside area of the hull. The rivets all look to be in solid shape along the hull.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

looks like the other brace on your seat is a pop rivet. easy to use. when I did mine I used pop rivets where it wasnt really a structural element. And used solid rivets for things like the z brace that the transom wood sits in.

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=36664&hilit=open+starcraft

Restoring is addicting and the plan always changes on the go.

 

[Brandtcountry]

I just found the same exact boat (star-craft/seafarer). Here is a picture of that missing shelf.

 

[AZSunDevil]

I just found the same exact boat (star-craft/seafarer). Here is a picture of that missing shelf.

Nice! I'm really curious what year mine is. Do you have any idea how old yours is? Mine had some old tags from 1991 ...last year it had been registered apparently. No idea when it was originally made or purchased.

 

[water bouy]

That's gonna make a fine fishing machine. My '97 Monark looked a lot like it except for the bench braces. It was made by Starcraft which probably had something to do with it. It had the same raised area behind the rear bench for the gas tank.

 

[AZSunDevil]

looks like the other brace on your seat is a pop rivet. easy to use. when I did mine I used pop rivets where it wasnt really a structural element. And used solid rivets for things like the z brace that the transom wood sits in.

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=36664&hilit=open+starcraft

Restoring is addicting and the plan always changes on the go.

Man I am so full of dumb questions... but does anyone have a good video or instruction on Solid rivets vs. pop rivets. Such as do they require the same methodology and tooling to install? Wondering what tools and materials I need to buy. I have a micrometer so I'm guessing I'll have to measure these holes to get the right sized rivets.

Is this guy doing it right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAWPo8F-gXc

I appreciate everyone's inputs and opinions on the subject matter. Thank you for replying above!

 

[Johnny]

SunDevil - check the good ole YouTube for some tutorial videos.
but just be advised . . . just because someone did it a certain way and
posted a video of it, does not necessarily mean it is the correct way.
form your own opinions that will fit your skill level and tools available
for your particular projects.
good luck !

the common size rivets are 3/16" diameter = available at any Big Box Store.
buy some good quality 3/16" drill bits and you will be in business !!




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[AZSunDevil]

SunDevil - check the good ole YouTube for some tutorial videos.
but just be advised . . . just because someone did it a certain way and
posted a video of it, does not necessarily mean it is the correct way.
form your own opinions that will fit your skill level and tools available
for your particular projects.
good luck !

the common size rivets are 3/16" diameter = available at any Big Box Store.
buy some good quality 3/16" drill bits and you will be in business !!




.

Johnny I watched a few videos on pop rivets (blind rivets) vs. solid rivets and I think it clicked for me! So making your bucking bar-- what are those bits called that you used to carve the indentation in the bar? Don't have access to any milling equipment, lathes or heavy duty drills but wondering if there's any way I could pull something like that off with my Dremel tool. :| I have a buddy who works at a salvage/scrap yard locally so maybe I can get a steel bar or block similar to what you have. Just trying to figure out the most cost effective way to get a nice indentation in the end like you have.

 

[Johnny]

Sun - I started off with a drill bit the size of the rivet head in a drill press.
drilled about 3/4 of depth needed then went to the metal "rotary files"
to get the overall fit for the rivet head.
the rotary files left swirls which were not pleasant to look at,
so I finished it up with the rotary stone. all in a 18v cordless drill.
the more smoother the dimple is = the more the smoother the rivet head will be.
practice on some scrap metal first until you get the hang of it.

I have had these tools for over 40 years but see them often in the Big Box Stores
in the hand files and Dremel tool section.

if you are going to do dozens and dozens of solid rivets, you could consider a pneumatic
chisel (air hammer) from Harbor Freight and rivet tools from Northern Tool. (a $50 investment to get started).



the bucking bar itself could be any steel object; round or square and weighs about 2 or 3 pounds.
the yellow one that I have is a piece of drive shaft from the PTO in my old tractor.


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[AZSunDevil]

Sun - I started off with a drill bit the size of the rivet head in a drill press.
drilled about 3/4 of depth needed then went to the metal "rotary files"
to get the overall fit for the rivet head.
the rotary files left swirls which were not pleasant to look at,
so I finished it up with the rotary stone. all in a 18v cordless drill.
the more smoother the dimple is = the more the smoother the rivet head will be.
practice on some scrap metal first until you get the hang of it.
View attachment 1
I have had these tools for over 40 years but see them often in the Big Box Stores
in the hand files and Dremel tool section.

if you are going to do dozens and dozens of solid rivets, you could consider a pneumatic
chisel from Harbor Freight and rivet tools from Northern Tool. (a $50 investment to get started).



the bucking bar itself could be any steel object; round or square and weighs about 2 or 3 pounds.
the yellow one that I have is a piece of drive shaft from the PTO in my old tractor.


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Beautiful. Exactly what I was looking for... I'll be making a stop by Harbor "Fright" and Lowes today after work.

 

[Johnny]

please post some photos of your project.

good luck !

 

[AZSunDevil]

please post some photos of your project.

good luck !

As I make more progress I will definitely get some photos going. Right now the record-setting Heat is slowing me down.

Hoping it drops back down out of the "hundredteens" after this week so I can make a little evening progress on it. I work normal business hours for the most part so that kills me. Then on the weekends I'm dealing with pregnant and needy wife... :lol:

 

[AZSunDevil]

Well I was able to get the trailer registered and titled no problem. I repacked the bearings and hubs so that I could drag it 30 miles to the local Fish & Game office here in AZ. I called ahead TWICE on separate occasions once before I picked up the boat and then again this last week let them know there were no visible numbers on the boat, no tags on the Transom, etc. and to ask what the process would be for registering it. "Oh no big deal" they said "just bring it down and we will have to do a visual inspection and then if we have to we can print a new Hull ID # and attach it to the boat."

Well I took the afternoon off yesterday to take it over to AZGFD the female employee (civilian not LEO) comes out walks around the boat, looking high and low, inside and out, and determines that it cannot be registered by her, it will need a Fish and Game Officer to inspect and determine if it can be registered or not. Of course the LEO agent is not there, so I have to call his cell phone, leave a voice mail and he will call me back to arrange an appointment for inspection. This means I have to waste another half-day and take time off of work to get it looked at and potentially have them tell me to pound sand. I asked the lady what the possible outcomes could be, she said "well you could always just use it as a rowboat with oars".... :roll: :roll: RIIIIIIGHT. Because I REALLY want to row a 16ft aluminum boat around.

I have a "bill of sale" my buddy gave me for record purposes with no useful information as the year/model of the boat cannot be verified. I've been over every conceivable square inch of this boat cleaning it, I even pulled the caps off the bow and aft, no numbers stamped there. I believe the boat was probably manufactured prior to the 'Hidden VIN' days in the early 80s. Do I have the guy make another bill of sale and allege that it's a 1970 (pre HIN days? :---) )--well that's not very honest. [-X Do I hope and pray there is some waiver or exemption process that the state will allow me to go through to get the boat a new HIN assigned? [-o<

Maybe I can sand it all down, seal any and all existing holes that could be associated with the HIN tag (as that seemed to be her hang-up) and then repaint it. Then take and register as a pre-1970s or as a Homemade boat? :?: :?:

I could see it being an issue if this was a big fancy boat but we're talking about an abandoned piece of glorified scrap metal, that's been sitting for 20+ years. There is literally no value to the boat except perhaps its weight in aluminum.

So now I am not sure where I stand with this project. I may end up hauling it to my buddy's salvage yard in Phoenix. #-o

Well at least I have an old trailer with newly greased hubs and bearings?







Man I am frustrated with the Photo uploading here. I have saved the photos to my desktop, opened them with photo editor, rotated them and they still come up the same way every time I upload them. The forum controls here seem pretty antiquated to other forums I've used.

 

[Johnny]

Sun - as for the photo orientation, try resizing to 600 pixels.
sometimes if they are are too large, they end up in the wrong direction.



yep - that is the way it goes with a "Bill of Sale" only with no title.

this is the very reason that we emphatically suggest you do the paperwork
before investing your precious time and money into any project.

In Florida, the DMV issues the registration and if there is no title in hand,
they "could" write a letter to the last person on their registry to sign an
affidavit passing ownership to the person that has the Bill of Sale.

thus lies the risk that you have a stolen boat on your hands with a LOT of questions
to answer as to how you now have this vessel in your possession . . . . .

word of advice to all - - - RESEARCH THE TITLE PRIOR TO ACTUALLY HANDING OVER THE MONEY



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[AZSunDevil]

yep - that is the way it goes with a "Bill of Sale" only with no title.

this is the very reason that we emphatically suggest you do the paperwork
before investing your precious time and money into any project.

In Florida, the DMV issues the registration and if there is no title in hand,
they "could" write a letter to the last person on their registry to sign an
affidavit passing ownership to the person that has the Bill of Sale.

thus lies the risk that you have a stolen boat on your hands with a LOT of questions
to answer as to how you now have this vessel in your possession . . . . .

word of advice to all - - - RESEARCH THE TITLE PRIOR TO ACTUALLY HANDING OVER THE MONEY

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Luckily I didn't spend much time or money on the boat. This is exactly why I wanted to get the thing registered before I started painting. Only regret is not taking it DIRECTLY to the fish and game office with all of the trash and dirt in it. Would have saved me 5 or 6 hours of pressure washing, stripping hardware, and ridding it of debris. My buddy said if we can't get it registered he will give my $200 back.

 

[Fire1386]

I had dealings with the DNR here in Ohio when I went to sell my older tin. I had it for years, but they had changed the laws that 14 feet or over needed a title. All I had was the registration which said it was 14 feet long. According to the DNR it was common practice for the manufacturers to round up to the next foot. I measured it and it was 13 feet 6 inches. DNR said that they would have to officially measure it and change the paper work on it. I was fortunate to have a DNR officer live not to far away and they would ask him to stop on his way home. Couple days later he did and then they sent me the new paperwork on the boat.... I thought they had went out of the way to help me. I was very pleased with the DNR here. I would give them a try and hopefully it will work out for you. I think they just want to make sure that it is seaworthy and that someone isn't trying to put a real dangerous piece of junk out on the water. I really don't think there will be a problem getting it ok'd as long as it is seaworthy. Just my 2 pennies worth...

 

[derekdiruz]

I've also had great success with ohio dnr

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