Given the reduced travel and few events associated with the conditions of the last eight months I spent some time restoring an old boat I bought a few years ago just because of its heritage in bass fishing history and the feeling she had some good fishing left. It is a 1967 16' Starcraft Mariner model that had been stored in a warehouse for 30 years. First saw one of these Starcrafts in the early 70s as the guides at Falcon were running them from a steering console in the back. Also, some of the guides at Tawakoni were running these type boats before big glass boats were on the scene. Since it was in good condition thought it would make a great smaller water stick steering boat allowing for maximum interior room and the ability to control everything from the front seat. First time restoring something like this so learned a lot by doing all the rigging. Also had to rewire everything so added green LEDs under the side shelves!










Before working the outside



After buffing to bring the oxidized paint back to life





Still have work to do on the trailer and a little carpet finish work then she will be done.

Maiden voyage on the home lake after mounting the outboard



Some of the trips in the last couple months

Naconiche


Running a big 22 mph on Hawkins


Nice day on Brandy Branch



Turned out taking more hours than I thought it would but really feels good to complete this project and go fishing in it. Kind of like building your own baits then catching fish on them.

Very nice...well done!

Awesome!

Really nice work, thanks for sharing.

Awesome

Oh that’s a beauty!

Awesome job!

If I would have seen you Naconiche I would have stopped and said hi!

That’s a great project. Well done and congrats! Love it!

Great job! You brought it back to life. What product/process did you use to remove the oxidation and restore the shine?

Very nice, we have an old boat like that in the pasture and wish it had been tin but its glass and beyond repair

Nice job!

Most excellent!

I've done this type restoration in the past. Mine was a 15' Caravelle fiberglass.

It was a lot of fun and turned out great.

You did a excellent job on the Starcraft, congratulations.

Very cool...nice job!!!

JAlfred,

3M makes multiple refinishing products for projects like this. You want to use the one with the least amount of abrasives necessary to "take off" the oxidation which naturally occurs over the years depending on use, UV exposure, indoor or outdoor storage and other factors. I bought three different 3M products, tested each on a small area on the transom and went with the one below because it did the least color removal while bringing back some shine. The before and after pic is without waxing, just the 3M product.



Believe I got the 3M bottles at Academy. Applied the Restorer with a small orbital sander with a terry cloth polishing cloth which is attached onto the velcro polishing surface. In the next few weeks plan to apply some "Pro-Tec Sealant" to finish the "waxing" process. For boat applications it lasts longer than traditional waxes.