my winter project has began
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Nice looking boat, I'm sure all the effort will be worth it come next spring...
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730 Posts
actually all the supporting members are metal so i dont have to worry about rot under the deck. but i was thinking about coating the deck wood with fiberglass resin. workdog do you think the floor would do better with epoxy rather than the resin. cause that was the issue with the boat being its aluminum rivet boat it had some leaking issues and from water sitting under the deck all the deck wood started to rot. so im planning on fixing the leaks but i was thinking of coating the floor boards as added protection. i only want to do this once.
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nice boat; I completely refit an older 18ft StarCraft SS, if you have questions in regard to what products to use, and what products NOT to use, send me a pm; and trust me on this one little thing; it was learning curve I will not forget; I have full documentation including 100s of pix; I have no less than a hundred hrs in research in regard to what works and what don't. and can also tell you who has what you need when you need it. I did not go cheep on any parts I bought, its just not smart to cut corners on a boat. good luck, and think about what your objective is.
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I seen the boat had an aluminum hull, but the 2nd bulkhead back looked rotted in the photo, that's why I thought all of it was wood. Looks like you have foam flotation in there too. Ensure that none of it is waterlogged before you put the deck on again.
I would use epoxy (even though it is more expensive), and would bet Maxx would recommend it too. With epoxy, it is more durable, and you can get it in longer curing times than resin which allows the wet epoxy to seep into the wood before it sets up resulting in a much longer lasting product. I would also think about covering both sides and the ends of the deck boards with fiberglass cloth. Maxx could give you the proper weight cloth...I haven't studied this in a while.
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I believe there is an old saying that boat stands for "break out another thousand"...the more and more i dig into this and check cost of stuff i need ill be accepting donations from anyone with to much money
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Man, I cringe just seeing pictures of floatation foam! Have fun with that!!! lol.
I redid all the wood (deck, bow, doghouse) and foam in my 18' aluminum Crestliner last year, and the foam was BY FAR the worst part. Very time consuming and STINKY as all hell! There was a time where I wished I had never began removing it... Actually it was the whole time! lol... But like workdog said, if it's waterlogged, you have to get it out and replace. Otherwise, you'll be replacing the deck again in no time!
Look forward to seeing pics though!
I redid all the wood (deck, bow, doghouse) and foam in my 18' aluminum Crestliner last year, and the foam was BY FAR the worst part. Very time consuming and STINKY as all hell! There was a time where I wished I had never began removing it... Actually it was the whole time! lol... But like workdog said, if it's waterlogged, you have to get it out and replace. Otherwise, you'll be replacing the deck again in no time!
Look forward to seeing pics though!
currently finishing up a 18' starcraft holiday ... replaced floor, foam, transom, repainted the hull, used gluvit on the rivets, etc... trying to get it finished before october, for fall fishing ( got stuck working 60 hrs a week since the 2nd week of may ( I bought the project boat 2 weeks before the overtime started...) just hoping to finish her up soon. ( just have to lay the new carpet, and finish pop riveting the splashwell and built in seats in the rear of the boat, hang the evinrude back on her, and take her to the lake for a shakedown cruise...BTW, what year, and length is your Starcraft ???
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2 years ago, I done my 18' Sylvan. I went a little further, in that I modified beyond just replacing. Besides the floor/foam, I removed the splashwell, replaced the transom wood with Coosa Board Bluewater 26 and riveted an extra sheet of aluminum skin to the outside of the transom in order to raise it to about 21 inches. Then, I used aluminum from the splashwell to build a motorwell. I put a 28 gallon gas tank in the floor. Then, I built a rear casting deck, with storage underneath, where the splashwell was. Now, I can use the whole boat. It's like my boat got 2 feet longer as far as fishability is concerned.
My boat is a center console. It had 2 floor mounted pedestal seats behind the center seat. That was where it appeared the most water got into the foam. So, during the re-build, I left them out. Now, passengers set on the rear deck, and use the Bimini top as a back rest.
I'm here to tell ya, about half way through, I started to wish I'd never started, but, after I finished, I'm convinced this is how it should have came from the factory. The gas tank in the floor has been one of the best things. Not only did that free up a lot of space, it also lowered and moved forward the overall center of gravity.
Also, I now a lot of people will say don't bother with the expanding foam, and just use pool noodles or whatever. I believe the foam, while not solely there for structure support, it does provide some. Here's why I say this. As you can see in your boat, the factory riveted everything together, including the floor. Then, if it's like mine, they cut 8 holes in the floor and injected the expanding foam. In my boat, they put to much in. It caused a slight crown in my floor, but, more than that, it busted the rivets that connected the stringers to the ribs. There were over 50 busted rivets. The stringers were only attached at the first rib and the last 2. Every rivet in between was busted by the foam. The force from expansion has caused a 3/8" gap between the stringer and the ribs. Now, IMO, had that foam not been so rigid, this would have shown up earlier. As it was, it remained solid from 1986 to 2011, even though the stringers weren't attached. If I hadn't torn into it, I still wouldn't know.
You probably already know, but the iboat forums are a great resource. Also, McMaster-Carr was the best source I found for rivets and screws. If you do order from them, it will usually be delivered the next day. I found that to be awesome, especially if I'd forgot something, I'd call them up and have it the next day.
My boat is a center console. It had 2 floor mounted pedestal seats behind the center seat. That was where it appeared the most water got into the foam. So, during the re-build, I left them out. Now, passengers set on the rear deck, and use the Bimini top as a back rest.
I'm here to tell ya, about half way through, I started to wish I'd never started, but, after I finished, I'm convinced this is how it should have came from the factory. The gas tank in the floor has been one of the best things. Not only did that free up a lot of space, it also lowered and moved forward the overall center of gravity.
Also, I now a lot of people will say don't bother with the expanding foam, and just use pool noodles or whatever. I believe the foam, while not solely there for structure support, it does provide some. Here's why I say this. As you can see in your boat, the factory riveted everything together, including the floor. Then, if it's like mine, they cut 8 holes in the floor and injected the expanding foam. In my boat, they put to much in. It caused a slight crown in my floor, but, more than that, it busted the rivets that connected the stringers to the ribs. There were over 50 busted rivets. The stringers were only attached at the first rib and the last 2. Every rivet in between was busted by the foam. The force from expansion has caused a 3/8" gap between the stringer and the ribs. Now, IMO, had that foam not been so rigid, this would have shown up earlier. As it was, it remained solid from 1986 to 2011, even though the stringers weren't attached. If I hadn't torn into it, I still wouldn't know.
You probably already know, but the iboat forums are a great resource. Also, McMaster-Carr was the best source I found for rivets and screws. If you do order from them, it will usually be delivered the next day. I found that to be awesome, especially if I'd forgot something, I'd call them up and have it the next day.
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162 Posts
DO yourself a favor and just use 3/16 alum hlt 3003 diamond plate. Measuure it up call Clinton alum and stainless get it cut and they deliver to your house drop it in and rivet it down with glass stop rivets made for auto glass. Run a bead of 5200 on all the stringers let it cure then set alum so it does not allow moisture to collet and form crevice corrosion.
I did this in my lund Alaskan and going on 4 years and I love it, all the fish crap comes off with a hose. Use a anti fatique matt in the summer hot months.
I did this in my lund Alaskan and going on 4 years and I love it, all the fish crap comes off with a hose. Use a anti fatique matt in the summer hot months.
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I used a piece of plywood big enough to go from the side to the stringer, wrapped in heavy plastic, then, starting at the back, I'd mix up a batch of foam, pour it in, then set the plastic wrapped plywood down and sat on it. The foam wouldn't stick to the plastic. It took several pours, but I eventually got it filled up, and, had a nice flat surface. After that was done, I riveted my floor down.
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i got 90% of the floatation out. In my venture i have found 4 colorado blades 3 crank baits 2 worm harnesses and one dead perch(gross). after i get the last bit of floatation out im going to figure out how to get my gas tank with 15 gallons of gas in it out of the boat and see how bad my leaks are. and decide were to go next
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