What do I have

[catfish1991]

Just picked up this boat and I have no idea what year it is or who makes it... Any ideas?

 

[catfish1991]

sorry its my first time on here i guess i should introduce myself. Im Tim from columbus ohio. Do alot of catfishing and wanting to turn this into a good cat boat. Picked up this boat for free as a project and just not sure what it is. Sorry dont know how to turn the pic

 

[Keystone]

Welcome to Tin Boats.

Might be easier to ID the boat like this...

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Whatever it is it's a cool old runabout with fins. If you can cat fish out of it without molesting it great, otherwise find a different.

 

[catfish1991]

im just going to throw a cheap little motor on the back of it a fish finder and some rod holders and im going fishing just dont know what year model or make it is so i can get a title.

 

[Y_J]

What ever make it is, I'm loving it.
Welcome to TinBoat, BTW.
I had a simular prob with mine when I got it. I finally did a google search on "aluminum boats" then started looking at pics for simular features as mine. Those fins on yours would be an easy feature to spot.

 

[catfish1991]

I finally figured it out after 2 days of searching through web sites and pictures. Looks like it is a 1958 lone star aluminum. These boats are supposed to be bullet proof but i will be the one to put it to the test. gonna do new motor, floor, livewell, storage, and electronics.... all after i make sure it floats of course. Boat seems to have pretty fresh paint and couldnt find anything wrong with the rivets.

 

[catfish1991]

Got the floor out of her today and if I have time this week I will get a new one out it

 

[Keystone]

Just by the pictures it appears that the old girl is in pretty good shape.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Just remember not to use pressure treated wood and for hardware stainless steel is good.

 

[catfish1991]

Another question is before i install my new floor should i install foam. The only foam in the boat is in the nose. There was no foam under the old floor that i removed.

 

[rscottp]

I would put foam in it. I ran my boat for years without enough foam, it wasn't until I redid everything and put in more than enough did I realize how much safer I feel. Its worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[BloodStone]

:WELCOME:

Maintaining the structural integrity of that boat is a MUST. If whoever owned the boat previously removed bench seats or what-have-you that were instrumental in helping keep the structural support of that boat intact you MUST substitute with some sort of suitable bracing bracket. Otherwise, you risk the boat forming serious stress cracks & popping rivets (especially on choppy water at high speeds). Btw, I know some here will say "don't ever use treated lumber for the flooring in an aluminum boat" but, I'm not totally convinced. I've been told (& have done it myself successfully) that as long as you have an adequate barrier (aka good quality paint, bed liner, steel flex etc..) between the aluminum & the P.T.L, you'll be fine. In fact, some have said in the past that the rule of "no P.T.L in an aluminum boat" only really applies if you're using the boat in salt water (which apparently won't apply to you). But, you decide for yourself & good luck.

 

[DaleH]

FWIW galvanic corrosion - also known as corrosion caused by dissimilar metals - can occur in fresh or salt waters. The corrosion is accelerated in salt waters due to the chloride, which acts like a perfect electrolyte.

I'd agree that if PT wood was totally isolated from contact w/ the aluminum hull, then it would be OK. But I'd go for a thick plastic barrier strip vs. relying on a paint/costing type barrier.

 

[catfish1991]

not sure how i wanna do the floor yet not sure if i wanna use wood for support or go all out with aluminum. The more i look at the boat the more stumped i am on how to do the floor. If the bottom was flat all the way up then if would be alot easier but with it changing shape the further you go toward the front makes it a little more challenging

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Head on over to iboats.com then to the StarCraft owners forum. You will find lots of pictures of what's under the floor and how to make something that will work for you.

 

[Johnny]

Just a quick crop & resize for reference.
(Microsoft Paint program)

 

[catfish1991]

Just filled her up with water and no leaks so seems like we're good to go I'd like to paint the floor with some type of sealant before I install the new floor

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Look into a product called Gluvit.

 

[catfish1991]

A few more questions on my boat. So the owner of this boat passed away and i have no title for the boat. How would i go about getting this boat registered to me? another thing is there is nothing on this boat besides the serial number on the rear of the boat. There is no weight certification or any such tag on the boat. Do i need to get this boat certified in some way?