1985 Skeeter Starfire Rebuild

[Bubba Jackson]

Will be watching this thread. Looks like you have made a lot of progress and have good mechanical skills. Good Luck !

[Rip Bass]

They rode well enough for a smallish boat in rough water,in fact they had a pretty soft re-entry after launching off of a wave. They were bad about skipping in a turn and were very loose at top speeds,took some getting use-to to drive fast. I really liked the boats though,just outgrew that size boat. The last one I had was a SF 200 with a Johnson Limited Edition engine. They didn't put any hp rating on the engine but I was told it was about 245. That was before GPS so I don't know how fast it was but it was fast.

[CWR]

I have the engine remote back together and lubricated. I have re-done the starter switch wiring it was not up to my standards, all wires have new connectors that are crimped, soldered, and heat shrieked.

[alli ss]

One thing id do is put a few ratchet straps around the hull when its just sitting there. The sides will bow out in this heat with no support and youll never get the top cap on

[CWR]

Thanks for the heads up, I will do that as soon as the sun comes up today.

[Rip Bass]

Wouldn't hurt to put a strap on that top cap too. I was following a thread about a resto on a BigO a couple years ago,his cap blew off the stands during a storm.

[bdubz0r]

I'm in. Good luck!

[bigfishrman]

Can't wait to see the progress pictures I'll be watching for updates on this one. Just seems like a fun project to take this think from the mess it was, strip it completely, then assemble as if it were a new build. The shell will bemail almost 30 years old but when all the components you're changing it have been replaced it'll be a nice rig.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[bassranger1]

When I saw that remote torn apart and cleaned, just the way it was laid out and the picture told me this guy has skills. Good luck to you brother

BTW, the picture of it back together and the wires soldered and heat shrink confirmed it.

[CWR]

Yeah this is Arkansas, never know when a storm will blow in. I have it strapped.

[CWR]

I was thinking of sealing all the rivet holes on both the hull and top-cap, I plan on using epoxy for all of the boat but for this small area along the top of the hull and the edge of the top cap, is polyester resin fine here?

[Chub Lake]

Carl !! Great thread and work. Glad I stumbled in here. Keep it up. My 78' Skeeter is out in a pasture a County over . . .. . .

[DieselMike]

Great work! Take your time and enjoy the process and progress. I know what you mean about being slow and not working in the heat, im the same way.

[Bubba Jackson]

I was thinking of sealing all the rivet holes on both the hull and top-cap, I plan on using epoxy for all of the boat but for this small area along the top of the hull and the edge of the top cap, is polyester resin fine here?

The Boat was built with Poly so it will adhere with some sanding. Only thing is that is you use some tape/tabbing for strength of the fills, you could have a clearance issue between the cap and hull. Maybe put some tape around the inside of the hull and leave the holes in the cap. Then when you drill and screw it back together it would be strong and the screws would have material to bite into. Less work than filling the cap holes also. IMHO.

[CWR]

I was planing on doing a little grinding so there would be room for the added glass tape, I had to do some prying in some spots to get the top off and it cracked in a couple of spots, nothing major, just want to reinforce it all.

[CWR]

It's always something, I replaced my front CV axles on my 1998 ford Expedition 4x4 back in May of this year, the old ones had torn boots so it was time, here I am 4 months later replacing one side because of a premature boot tare. Thank goodness they have a 10 year guarantee.

The new one is in, so time I could be spending on the Boat restore, i'll be spending today on swamping out the CV axle.

[falcon114]

I've found out that sometimes the most difficult projects, where nobody believes it can be done or says it isn't worth it turn out to be the most fun and the most rewarding. Keep it up and good luck my Arkansas brother!

Neal

[CWR]

Got the CV axle install, but I don't remember tightening the bolts that tight, when I installed the other one!

[CWR]

My apologies to everyone for not posting recently, I have not been able to get any work done on the skeeter of late, I have had an ear infection that I would not wish on a worst enemy. I have been using ear drops and antibiotics and this week it is finally gating better, but I am having some dizziness I am trying to overcome.

If any of you get what appears to be like a fever blister in the ear canal, go straight to the Dr.

The next 3 days are going to be in the 70's and I am hoping I can get back to work as long as I can keep my balance.

[DieselMike]

I cant wait to see how this boat turns out, my hats off to you for undertaking such a major project. I know its a lot of work, but when you can stand back and look at the finished product off all your labor, it is really a great feeling.