# 1979 Starcraft 18' center console restoration



## ShipwreckStew (Apr 7, 2013)

Picked up a 1979 Starcraft center console in December. I haven't gotten to do as much work because of the weather, but I have gotten it functional and taken it out a few times.

What I'm working with/done so far:
-18 foot center console 
-1986 Evinrude 60hp VRO. I put a different fuel pump on to run premixed fuel, and got rid of the VRO all together. I rebuilt the carbs and compression is good.
-Wesco trailer. Put new wheels/tires on it to get it home and had new tires put on the old (galvanized) wheels, returned the wheels/tires I had bought to Walmart. Put new lights and rewired. Moved the winch post up a foot so the transom rests flush on the bunk boards.
-Installed 800 GPH fresh/saltwater bilge. 

To do:
-Repaint
-Replace transom and floor. I'm thinking epoxy coating plywood for both and putting some kind of non slip paint on the floor.

I'll upload some pictures, does anyone know how to resize iphone pictures so they can be loaded on here?


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## Pweisbrod (Apr 7, 2013)

Good deal! Pics pics pics! Certainly sounds cool. I love center console boats


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## rickybobbybend (Apr 7, 2013)

Welcome aboard. There is a tutorial under Watering Hole for posting pics. I use Photobucket for resizing (and lots of other stuff) and it is easy to use. I lived in Louisville for seven years, nice city. Good luck tomorrow nite.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 7, 2013)

Uploaded the pictures, they were rotated correctly on my computer, but seem to have messed up somehow when loading them on here.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 8, 2013)

Took the vinyl flooring off to expose the wood so I could get measurements for the new floor today. If you notice the console is off set from the center to allow better movement. Any thoughts on leaving it off set for better movement? Or moving it to the center for better balance?


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## ked_man (Apr 9, 2013)

Hey man nice boat, if you take your time and re-do it right that'll be a sweet one. Also congrats on the Championship win last night...it hurts me to say that (I'm from Lexington and Bleed Blue) but at least the trophy stayed in state. 

Keep us posted with pics on the re-build.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 10, 2013)

Took the outboard off today and was planning on getting the floor out, but I ran out of daylight by the time I got home. Ked - Thanks for the comment, I'm a former UK student, so I know how you feel.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 21, 2013)

I've taken the console and the floor out and thrown out all of the old flotation foam. After 15 years of sitting in a barn, the mice had done some work on it... I got new floor boards and have cut, beveled the sides for a better fit and sanded them. All they need is to be painted/sealed. I got gray patio paint and a non skid sand additive. I am going to paint both sides of the boards to seal them, then I am going to add the non skid sand and apply that once the floor is in the boat. My hope is that coating it again when its in the boat will hide the seams between the boards, making it look like one piece and with half of the paint gone, the sand to paint ratio will provide more grit.


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## Pweisbrod (Apr 21, 2013)

You're doing great. Keep at it. I haven't quite gotten to my floor yet.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 23, 2013)

I finished final exams yesterday, so now it's on to working hard on this boat for two weeks until I start working. I pulled the transom yesterday, vacuumed out all the left over foam and filth that had been accumulating. I'm putting my second coat on the floor boards today and washing out the hull to get ready to patch holes. I have a friend that has some extra durafix/muggy weld style rods. I'm not sure exactly what brand they are, but I plan on using them to repair some missing rivet holes and screw holes that were filled with just silicone. With a little luck, I'll be painting the hull by the end of the week and if the weather cooperates, I'll be completely done with this project by Derby (1st Saturday in May for those unfamiliar).


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## ked_man (Apr 24, 2013)

Have fun with that, are you planning on stripping down to bare metal or just scuffing it up and painting over it. 

If I had it to do over again I would have just hit it with the wire wheel to knock the crud and loose paint off and then primed and painted over that. It would have saved me an entire day of grinding on the boat. 

Good luck, did you finish school and start a real job? Or are you just starting a summer job?


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 24, 2013)

ked_man said:


> Have fun with that, are you planning on stripping down to bare metal or just scuffing it up and painting over it.
> 
> If I had it to do over again I would have just hit it with the wire wheel to knock the crud and loose paint off and then primed and painted over that. It would have saved me an entire day of grinding on the boat.
> 
> Good luck, did you finish school and start a real job? Or are you just starting a summer job?



Ked, Thanks for reading. I wasn't planning on grinding to bare aluminum, just sanding off what I can. I have another year of undergrad left, so it's just a summer job for now.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 27, 2013)

The missing rivets have been patched and painting has begun. I did not patch with a muggyweld type of product, but used JB Welds' Water weld instead. I sanded the bottom of the boat, then wiped it down with a vinegar/water mix. I bought a quart of Majic tractor truck and implement paint in gloss white to try and I was very disappointed in it's quality and performance. After thinning the paint per instructions on the can, the spray came out chunky so I brushed the rest of it on and it ran and looked horrible after it dried. I used Rustoleum gloss white and I liked the color and finish much better than the tractor paint. I took pictures of both of them and will post them another time. Waiting on better weather to put a second and maybe a third coat on the bottom of the hull.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 28, 2013)

Pictures from the beginning stages of painting. You can see where tractor truck and implement paint ran when it was brushed on and didn't come out of the paint gun well. Also, you can see the tractor paint on the left and rustoleum on the right for a color comparison with the original manilla folder color where I hadn't painted yet.


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## ked_man (Apr 29, 2013)

Looks good, I like that gloss white, I went with Rustoleum on my boat, for a good cheap paint you can't beat it.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 29, 2013)

The outside and bottom of the hull has its second coat of paint and is ready to be flipped over. I painted a first coat on the console and two pieces of aluminum that serve as corner pieces under the splash well to contain flotation. Tomorrow I will put a second coat on those and replace two rollers on the trailer that are cracked and I plan on putting new bunk board carpeting on top of the existing carpet. With a little luck, I'll be able to put it back on the trailer tomorrow and start painting on the inside of the hull.


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## DOBSONFLY (Apr 29, 2013)

Looking great!


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## ShipwreckStew (May 1, 2013)

I got the hull flipped over yesterday, re attached the knee brace at the transom, sanded and got a first coat down on the inside of the boat. It's getting there...


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## ShipwreckStew (May 3, 2013)

Painting is done and the floor is mounted. I laid the console in while I was putting the floor in so I could run the motor controls easily, but it is not mounted yet. My jeep was parked on my transom last night so the glue could harden. I needed a 1 1/2 inch thick board, so I cut a 3/4 inch sheet of plywood down to the general size and glued it. All thats left to do is put everything back together and touch-up paint the hull and floor. I'd post pictures now, but I have to get ready to go to Churchill Downs for the races.


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## Pweisbrod (May 3, 2013)

Looking good! Blazing through it. I would have sprayed the tractor. Paint straight. I've had good luck painting hot rods that way.


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## ShipwreckStew (May 9, 2013)

Since these pictures were taken, I've put the bow rail back on. I am still painting the transom, the more coats of paint I put on it, the longer it will last. I have put caulk along the seams between the floor boards and where the floor meets the side of the hull. I am hoping this will keep as much water on top of the deck so it can properly drain to the bilge instead of get hung up in flotation. I still need to work out a way to either have the seats done, or reupholster them myself.


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## ShipwreckStew (May 13, 2013)

The forms for the seats are cut and I'm waterproofing those. The wood for the base of the previous seats was very rotten. I am trying to salvage the old foam cushion and the upholstery, but we'll see if the vinegar and water mix will clean them out. The transom is cut and the wide surfaces are painted. I only have to paint the top and the bottom edges, and put as many coats as I can, since that is where all the water will collect. Put my third and fourth tubes of caulk down today between the seams. I am running through that stuff like nobody's business. I guess the more I put into weatherproofing now, the better it will be in the long run.


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## ked_man (May 14, 2013)

Looking good man, what do you plan on using it for? Running on the Ohio or you plan on heading down to Cumberland and troll for some stripers?


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## ShipwreckStew (May 15, 2013)

ked_man said:


> Looking good man, what do you plan on using it for? Running on the Ohio or you plan on heading down to Cumberland and troll for some stripers?



Thanks. Planning on using it to run around on the Ohio, fish some of the lakes around here and maybe some saltwater use this summer in the Charleston SC area.
Got a new prop today, the old one couldn't be reconditioned and there is no way I would repair it with JB weld like I have read about other people on here wanting to try. A new prop will always be cheaper than a new lower unit. Put a final coat on my seat boards, once they dry they will be re-assembled and attached back to the console. And the transom is two coats on the bottom edge away from completion.


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## Badbagger (May 16, 2013)

Lookin good, that joker has some high gunnels !


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## Pweisbrod (May 17, 2013)

Nice work.


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## ShipwreckStew (May 17, 2013)

Badbagger said:


> Lookin good, that joker has some high gunnels !





Pweisbrod said:


> Nice work.



Thanks for reading. I reupholstered the seats yesterday and finished painting the transom. I wanted to get the transom in and the motor mounted today, but it started raining as soon as I got home from work, so that will have to wait for the next dry day. Does anyone have an suggestions for what to use for a through-hull so the splash well can drain out of the transom? I was going to use either some narrow diameter PVC pipe or copper pipe and seal it really well with some silicone unless someone has a better suggestion.


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## DOBSONFLY (May 18, 2013)

Still looking great! =D>


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## ShipwreckStew (May 19, 2013)

I completed all of the big chores for this boat yesterday. I put the transom in, installed the seats onto the transom hung the outboard (with a new 13.2x19 prop), added the front storage locker and painted the floor with the non skid sand added to the paint. Today I am adding some more reinforcement to the transom, wiring my bilge pump, wiring my fish finder, installing copper through hulls on the splash well, adding my registration numbers and maybe doing some touch up paint near the storage locker and on the console. There are two pieces of aluminum that I will need to add that go under the splash well, but I wanted to get all of my wires.


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## ShipwreckStew (May 19, 2013)

Bilge is wired and protected with an inline fuse near the switch. The depth/fishfinder is wired and fused and the transducer is screwed to the transom and heavily siliconed to prevent leaks. I added some additional heavy bolts through the transom for additional support and I installed my splash well drains as well as tow hooks in the transom. I was wanting to hit the water today, but I had forgotten to pay my registration last week, so hopefully I will get out on the water tomorrow afternoon and if I do pictures will follow.


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## ShipwreckStew (Jun 10, 2013)

Been a while since I've posted, but there have been some updates. I have put this boat through the paces and have found some more things to fix, and I'm sure there will always be more things to improve upon. I had struggled with some leaking replacement screws from the knee brace that I added in and tried several times to solve the problem. I put silicone on and it didn't stick, then I tried JB marine weld that I had left over from some other hole repairs and painted over that. It lasted about an hour on the water. And today, I took the old screws out, cleaned all the sand and dirt out of the bottom and put new screws with rubber and metal washers with a layer of polyurethane caulk between each piece (pictured below). I had took the boat out on an overnight camping trip last weekend and was a little dismayed to find that my bilge stopped working. After checking the inline fuse and still not coming up with the problem, I noticed that it had separated at the splice from the positive end of the bilge to wire leading to the switch, and that has been replaced.


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## DOBSONFLY (Jun 11, 2013)

Darn the electrical demons :twisted: 

The photo on the beach is too cool reminds me of the Corona commercials almost. :beer:


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## ShipwreckStew (Jun 26, 2013)

Made a pattern for the rod holders and cut them out earlier this week and I stained them a dark brown. Waiting on that to dry so I can put some spar urethane on them to make them last a little longer.


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## CLM (Jun 28, 2013)

I like your rod holders, planning on making something like that out of aluminum to replace the supports on the side of my lowe.


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## ShipwreckStew (Sep 11, 2013)

Been a while since the last post, but the floor has been resealed and repainted, the rod holders have been finished and installed and I added a Humminbird 581i HDDI and am very pleased with how everything is working on my boat. I probably get out 2-3 times a week now, trying to get everything in before the warm weather disappears.


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## SuDZ (Sep 11, 2013)

Looks awesome. There is one for sale in my local craigslist boat section that I have been eyeing.

SuDZ


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## ShipwreckStew (Mar 28, 2014)

It's been a while since my last post, but with warm weather hopefully on the horizon, it's time to get back to work. After pulling the boat home from storage for the season, I noticed that the white paint I had repainted on the floor had not faired well. After doing some research, I went ahead and ordered a gallon of Tuff Coat that should be in next week. I also plan on re-caulking the seams where the hull meets the floor and the joints between floor boards as they have cracked with the expansion and contraction of the hull and floor during the temperature fluctuations. There are also some spots on the bottom of the boat that I need to do some touch-up painting where it has worn off from being beached. Also, before I launch for the first time, I am going to wash, then wax the outside of the hull, hopefully making it a little more efficient and faster.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 18, 2014)

I am very happy with the way tuff-coat applied after two coats, seems like it will be great traction and hopefully it will hold up through use and abuse, the picture below shows the pulverized rubber that will hopefully last. Fired up the outboard for the first time this year and it started right up, it shows that proper winterization will lead to easy work in the spring time. I plan to add more floatation in the form of cut-to-fit swim noodles behind some bulkheads under the splash well this week and will post pictures of that project upon completion. With finals week approaching, I plan on having some "study time" on the water next week.


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## ShipwreckStew (Apr 18, 2014)

Took some extra pool noodles today and cut them to fit under the splash well, then screwed the bulkheads to keep them in place. I underestimated the amount of noodles I could fit under there, thinking two per side would be plenty. I was wrong. I fit all four behind one bulkhead and will have to get four more the next time I'm out. Pictures below will show the before and after based on what side was left incomplete. I'm going to use my extra tuff-coat to seal the gap between the bulkhead and floor, hopefully this will allow any water to flow directly into the bilge area.


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