Hi,
Over the past winter, I picked up an old stripped StarCraft hull. It’s a 15 foot, I believe to be the Jet Star-V model.
Overall condition was excellent, buddy I got it from said it had very minor leak, but was good for fishing for several hours.
I since converted it into a bass boat configuration, which turned out really great. The only problem I have found, is that it leaks.
I brushed 3 coats of liquid rubber over the entire inside of the hull prior to putting in the subfloor and filling with marine foam. I kept waterway channels running to the bilge. While out fishing, the bilge pump kicks on whenever I am cruising; i.e. the bow rises, and overnight took on enough water that it took 5 minutes for the bilge to pump out.
I tried filling the bilge with the hose as far as I could without being concerned about flooding all of my compartments. There was no noticeable leakage anywhere at the stern, or along the keel. The underside is very clean, no damage I can see, and also no rivets that appear to be loose.
My question is: how is the keel configured/installed on these hulls? The ‘side keels’ have drain holes in them, so they obviously are not sealed. Is the keel just riveted onto the hull? Is it supposed to be sealed or gasketed? I see there is a gasket on the bow section of the keel, but not further back.
Since I have semi-permanently closed in the hull, pouring epoxy products in from the inside is not possible. I have heard some people recommend gutter sealant. I was thinking I would very sparingly seal any of the seams from below to see if things improve. I just don’t want to waste time and effort sealing a crack that is not meant to be sealed.
During my resto-build, I chemically removed all of the paint, down to bare aluminum. So I am wondering if the 2 coats of paint that were on it were sealing up some minor cracks or leaking rivets.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks.
Over the past winter, I picked up an old stripped StarCraft hull. It’s a 15 foot, I believe to be the Jet Star-V model.
Overall condition was excellent, buddy I got it from said it had very minor leak, but was good for fishing for several hours.
I since converted it into a bass boat configuration, which turned out really great. The only problem I have found, is that it leaks.
I brushed 3 coats of liquid rubber over the entire inside of the hull prior to putting in the subfloor and filling with marine foam. I kept waterway channels running to the bilge. While out fishing, the bilge pump kicks on whenever I am cruising; i.e. the bow rises, and overnight took on enough water that it took 5 minutes for the bilge to pump out.
I tried filling the bilge with the hose as far as I could without being concerned about flooding all of my compartments. There was no noticeable leakage anywhere at the stern, or along the keel. The underside is very clean, no damage I can see, and also no rivets that appear to be loose.
My question is: how is the keel configured/installed on these hulls? The ‘side keels’ have drain holes in them, so they obviously are not sealed. Is the keel just riveted onto the hull? Is it supposed to be sealed or gasketed? I see there is a gasket on the bow section of the keel, but not further back.
Since I have semi-permanently closed in the hull, pouring epoxy products in from the inside is not possible. I have heard some people recommend gutter sealant. I was thinking I would very sparingly seal any of the seams from below to see if things improve. I just don’t want to waste time and effort sealing a crack that is not meant to be sealed.
During my resto-build, I chemically removed all of the paint, down to bare aluminum. So I am wondering if the 2 coats of paint that were on it were sealing up some minor cracks or leaking rivets.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks.