First Timer - 16ft starcraft rebuild

[BassFishVA]

Hey guys I have been looking through this site for the past couple of months and have found some great information and ideas. I have recently purchased a 1982 16ft Starcraft on a 1976 Cox trailer. The boat also came with a 9hp 1970 Johnson. I plan to rework this boat into a bass fishing machine for me and the wife. Since it is winter time I will not be doing a whole lot of work on it right now, but just want to get some plans together for the spring time so I can start when the weather warms up. My first question is about decking. I am a fairly large person at about 350lbs. I am trying to decide on what material to use for the decking, either aluminum or wood. Most of the time it will be just me and my wife fishing, but sometimes we may have a 3rd person. I know weight will be a big deal when adding a deck to the boat so I want to be smart about it. The boat has is 64" across the transom and slightly wider in the center. If you guys could give me some direction on which material you would recommend it would be much appreciated. I am just trying to price out what it is going to cost now so I will know for when the time comes to work on the boat. Thanks

 

[BassFishVA]

Here is a picture of a boat similar to mine, too dark today to take a picture. I was thinking about removing the middle bench seat and reinforcing the sides with storage/rod lockers. I would like to do this to make an open floor plan for fishing from. The front of the boat i was thinking of putting a deck from the 3rd bench seat to the V. Then having a small raised deck above that for the trolling motor. I was also thinking about adding a livewell in the middle of the boat behind the 3rd bench seat. Let me know what you guys think. Will have pics of my boat up tomorrow hopefully. Still trying to decide whether i want to tear out the 3rd seat also and deck the whole front with aluminum or leave that seat in and deck with wood and make hatches in between the 3rd seat and the front with wood braces in between.

 

[BassFishVA]

Ok guys I have finally had some time to get some pictures of my actual boat. These pictures show what I will be starting with. My first goal is to seal the boat up with steelflex on the bottom and halfway up the sides. During my leak test I did find a few small leaks underneath and one near the bottom of the transom. The question I have right now is should I strip all of the old paint off the boat to bare aluminum and then steelflex and should I just scuff up what I have and apply it ontop. The paint on the boat now looks to be in good shape with no real flaking. Also should I look at replacing the transom before I apply any steelflex or could that be done afterwards? If I do need to strip the old paint off what is the best method of doing so. Thanks.

 

[DaleH]

I would think that the motor HP you will push it with will (or should) dictate a lot of your plans.

I.e., if staying w/ the low hp OB, then minimize any floor weight, specially where you're a big guy. One thing I did in a similar hull was to have the flooring only about 2-1/2' wide, just enough to move fore or aft safely.

With a smaller OB you should also be able to remove the middle seat without losing too much lateral strength, but if you were pushing that same hull w/ a 40hp OB, then you'd definitely need to re-design some hull strength back into it.

On small skiffs, weight - specially as it affects TRIM - is critical. It is more how or where the weight is carried, than the actual amount per se ...

 

[rscottp]

You have a nice hull there to work with. One thing that would be a concern is the trailer, it looks way too small for a 16' boat! Boat is hanging way off the back and the axle is almost at the center of the boat. If you put a decent size motor on there it will be totally unsafe IMO.

 

[BassFishVA]

Thanks for the responses. DaleH I plan on using the 9hp for now and upgrading to a 15hp eventually, all of the lakes I fish has HP restrictions so cant go much bigger than 15hp. Rscottp I agree the trailer is too small. I plan on fixed that with a tongue extension. I am going to remove the hitch link and weld a longer piece of aluminum or metal to the tongue. It looks like whoever had the boat previously actually shortened the tongue (I dont know why :shock: ). I believe making the tongue longer will solve the trailer problem. The trailer also needs other maintenance as well as it looks like it hasnt been done in awhile.

 

[rscottp]

Sounds like a good plan to fix trailer! Post lots of pics!

 

[DarynCashmark]

BassFishVA:

Figured I would check out your project... Wow, that hull looks like it is in pretty good shape. It should be awesome when you are done. I wish my hull would not have been as rough as it was when I started on mine!

I have some friends that think that I should get something bigger than the 25 horse Evinrude,but I have a HP restricted lake near where I live that I have never fished before. I think I will stick with the 25 Hp until I get a chance to check out that lake. I guess if it is not that great, I might be in the market for a 40 hp.

Anyway, post lots of pics! We all love to see the projects coming along & best of luck!

 

[BassFishVA]

Thanks for the support. I almost have the garage cleaned out so I can put the boat and trailer inside to start working. Ya the hull is in great shape with only a few tiny leaks. My first plan is to redo the trailer with new paint, rims/tires and lights. Then the boat will get its makover. I hope to have the boat ready to fish a tournament on March 21. Fingers crossed and plenty of pics will be posted.

 

[BassFishVA]

Finally got time to work in the trailer this weekend. Have been really busy with work and have been dying to get some stuff done. I got the trailer completely torn down, sanded, and began priming it today. Will have minimal time to work on it this week due to work schedule and I have to work next weekend so will probably be another 2 weeks before it will be done.

Right after tear down, before sanding

After sanding

After first coat of primer

 

[Ringo Steele]

Wow! I wish my '71 Cox trailer looked that good. Mine has a lot of heavy rust where the frame sits on the axle cradles. My be too far gone.
I noticed on yours that it looks like it was made for a 12-14' boat. Looks like you need to add a section to or replace the tongue on yours. Just make sure the transom of the boat is supported, particularly when you get a outboard mounted.
...Sorry, I missed that part about you planning to extend the tongue!

I added a floor to my 16' semi-vee, made out of 1" x 4" Cypress planks. It covered the entire floor of the boat, and weighted in at a total of 75 pounds.
Good luck on your project.

 

[BassFishVA]

Ya it was in very good shape surprisingly. Mainly all of the rust was surface rust and the axle and springs were still solid. After looking at the trailer and thinking about the tongue weight I have actually decided to extend the tongue and add another portion to the back of the trailer. I am going to use rectangle steel tube for the tongue extension and then get C-channel steel to make an additional box frame on the back of the trailer. This should allow for plenty of support for the transom and reduce the tongue weight issue.

I really like the flooring you did on your boat. Did you place anything under the boards or did you just mount them to some type of frame? Do you have any issues with water collecting underneath or problems when you drop something it going in between the cracks?

 

[huntinfool]

Looks good.

 

[Ringo Steele]

I put two cleats across each section to hold the planks together, and they are resting on aluminum angle riveted to the seats. I haven't found any need for more support so far, nice and solid feeling under foot (I run around 240#). The longest section is about 40", if they were longer, they might need a center brace.