1968 Starcraft V-Hull Makeover

[HookedUp443]

not a hole like the Titanic

LMAO :lol: :lol:

 

[atuck593]

Ha...sorry bud I just pictured the Tin Boat version of the Titantic with that hole there. I hope you can find a cheap or easy fix for it.

 

[HookedUp443]

take a chunk of alum angle and bent it to fit the bad spot and then rough the heck out of both surfaces and JB weld that in

This is what i've decided to do. I have spoken to someone who welds and he thinks this method will actually have a better chance of being waterproof. He said "Welding on aluminum with all those rivets in the way is prolly why the 1st attempt to patch it still leaked."

 

[HookedUp443]

Been awhile since i posted. So I figured I should update.
Not really a ton of progress due to weather and oh yeah that thing called work #-o

 

[HookedUp443]

As you can see in the above pic I did not prime the area that needed to be patched yet.
I was still waiting on the supplies for that project but since I had time to work on other stuff,
I went ahead with that.

Now onto the fun part. :---) Fixing that "Titanic" hole in the hull.

Luckily, a friend provided me a perfect piece of aluminum to use as a patch.

I cut the metal to length using a cheapo tile saw I had purchased for doing our kitchen floor
awhile back. Very noisy and a little unerving trying to cut metal with it, but it did the job. I attempted
to cut an angle at the end to somewhat match the hull. But in the end I decided having all my fingers
was more way more important than this piece lining up perfectly with the bottom of the boat.

Then I shaped the metal strip to match the bends of the hull as close as possible using a rubber mallet
and a cinder block. Prolly can't see in the pics but there are slight bends in the hull that may prevent the
bond from being totally uniform and solid.

Then, using a wire wheel I got the area down to bear metal on the boat and sanded up the aluminum patch till it shined.

Started out by mixing up 1 entire kit of the JB and smearing it over the metal strip. I applied the strip to the
hull and used the rest of the JB to fill in where needed.

 

[HookedUp443]

A few days later I mixed up another entire kit of the JB and applied over the area again,
just to strenthen up the area a little more. Also coated the rivets in the area just in case
I knocked any of them loose with all the sanding/wire wheel in the area.

 

[MDFisherman57]

I wouldn't trust that i my opinion. One hard wave and i can see your boat taking on water like the titanic when it doesn't hold. That location is probibly the worst location because it is the area that cuts through the waves so I just hope you not expecting to go very fast because I fear at a high speed it will just come apart. I hope im wrong though [-o<

 

[HookedUp443]

Thanks for the advice man.
I think sometimes pictures give the wrong idea though.
I don't think anyone would feel that way if they saw and felt this repair in person.
I am 99.99% sure that no wave is gonna take this patch off the boat, it is on there real solid,
and the best part is that it isn't going to leak. A weld job most likely would have leaked at some point.
A wave big & strong enough to loosen this piece would probably just capsize the boat anyhow.
I'm just looking to putz around on some small lakes...nothing crazy here 8) , and as I stated earlier
in the thread I am only using a 7.5 hp motor so not a speed demon either.

Honestly, it would take less force to put a hole right thru the side of the boat than it would to loosen
that strip of aluminum.

 

[MrSimon]

I think it will hold.

Just check on it from time to time and make sure that part of the boat doesn't hit any rollers or bunks when you are trailering it.

 

[libertyday]

heck i think it looks great! who needs a welder when you got JB weld! Like the other guy said....i would keep an eye on it just in case. And if its still holding after a year make sure you update this site, heck...you may have just started a new technique using JB weld and a Tile saw!

 

[libertyday]

And one more thing....You asked whether to repair or weld and overwhelmingly everyone said weld it. so if your JB weld doesn't hold.....You need to come back and eat some crow! ha

 

[Honky Tonkin]

I am a believer in JB Weld. I used it to adhere the floorpan of my rock crawler Toyota, and I punished it severely. Slammed down the truck on 2 wheels plenty of time, and had it in plenty of door high water with no leaks....from the floor anyway

 

[HookedUp443]

And one more thing....You asked whether to repair or weld and overwhelmingly everyone said weld it. so if your JB weld doesn't hold.....You need to come back and eat some crow! ha

Absolutely Right. I think that's why we all visit these forums. To learn what works & what doesn't.
To express our opinion & listen to others opinions. To ask questions & to answer questions. To get new ideas & share ideas. etc...etc...etc.

I'm not going anywhere [-X ...whether the repair holds for years or the boat sinks... [-o< PLEASE NO...PLEASENO [-o<

You all will know about it. But trust me...It will hold.:wink:

Stay Tuned. Next Update Coming Soon.

 

[HookedUp443]

I was able to get the outside painted this week so here are a few pics.

Will be continuing on the interior this weekend.

 

[atuck593]

Awesome paint job....I like the color. What type of paint did you use and how did you apply it?

 

[HookedUp443]

Thanks. It's Rustoleum Protective Enamel. I mixed Hunter Green, Safety Yellow, & Black to get the color I wanted.
Applied it with a 2" brush & a 6" sponge roller.

 

[HookedUp443]

Hey Guys. Just a quick update for your viewing pleasure.........

This project sure is going slower than I expected but that is fine I guess.
I guess I underestimated just how time consuming some of these steps are.
The supplies arent real cheap either...but so far the wife has been cool with it.

 

[BearwoodBoats]

Hey That Sticker Looks Good ( Hooah!!!)

 

[JasonLester]

Looking good.

I like the JB weld fix. A good aluminum welder could have welded that and been watertight. And if you have problems I would suggest that. But it looks like its pretty stout as is. Just remember JB weld is just Epoxy. Running through the water you could have put silicone there and you piece of metal and kept it from leaking. However, hitting a log or beaching you boat...that will be your problem if you ever have a problem. I'd say thats what caused it originaly, hitting something HARD.

Like others said keep a close watch and be carefull with it and enjoy...

BTW I love the color too.

 

[shawnfish]

ARE YOU SURE THEM ARE NOT 2X4'S