I stumbled across several pictures and an old brochure of what the original 1962 Starcraft Starchief looked like. This made me think real hard for a while. I thought about honoring the boat by restoring it to as close to the original condition as possible. The thoughts of long hours chasing down original parts and the extreme expenses of some moron trying to charge me extra for the pieces he stripped off of some decaying pile of metal he found in the field behind his house became too much. I then thought of those old muscle cars that people restore.

Much like what I am doing here, I see those old cars and notice that they are not exact restorations of the original. The good news is that we generally improve things over time so there is no need to chase down old out-dated parts to have the old classic feel. If people wanted to retain that old uncomfortable feel then we would still be using those boats and cars today with no changes. This settles it in my mind. For those of you that are so anal-detail-orientated then this is the time where you check out and go back to checking out boat porn, or whatever else the internet is used for.

My vision for this project is to retain a classic appearance to the original idea while combining the luxury of now. I want the tinted windows, excellent insulation and heat reflective paint. I want the big padded captain's chairs with an overstuffed padded bench seat on the aft deck that can convert to a bed to relax under the stars while the calming waves lull me to sleep. I want a 500 gallon gas tank so I can go from Florida to Maine to catch my own lobster dinner when I get the urge. I want strobe lights and a disco ball in the cabin. Not really, but it's good to know that I could if I wanted to.
I have a clean slate and the imagination to create a tasteful imitation of an inspiring object of inspiration. I want to thank Starcraft for building me the hull. Now it's up to me to build the boat.

I plan on beginning a search for a new (used boat) later this year.  I hope to have some time to write share with everyone my progress here on my blog...more coming soon!

This blog will serve as something of a diary to document the restoration of this metalic gem.

My efforts to completely restore this boat will serve as a test to my inner strength and patients. I have spent the majority of my life not studying for tests like this. What I currently possess is a 1962 Starcraft aluminum cabin cruiser. I am the documented "third owner" of this boat. I say this because I bought it from a guy that got it from another guy who knew a guy that saw a guy... Anyway, I refused to pay this guy until I knew I could get the paperwork so I did a little digging (another hobby of mine that helps pay the bills) and found the second owner that had signed off on the old paperwork to change the title. Unfortunately, the person that bought this boat from the second owner must have been a little intimidated or disappointed in the condition of the boat and never transferred the paperwork over to his name and so began an unknown cycle of the boat being moved along from one person to another, each with dream of restoring this boat. Of course that meant that each person had a brief moment of excitement and inspiration so they would strip off a few more pieces and then give up. This process continued for over 20 years until I found the boat and made the purchase.
As I said earlier, I tracked down the second owner and explained the situation with the boat. It was a little retired couple and they were very eager to help, mostly because they had wanted to see the boat that gave them so many memories with their children. When I arrived at their house with the boat and paperwork in hand, the man came out and greeted me at the road. The first words out of his mouth were, "It's just like I remember." The next words, as he walked a little closer and could actually see the condition of the boat, were something like, "What the hell happened to it. Where did the insides go?!" We then went inside to wrap up the paperwork and share a few stories.

The man had told me about the boat, from what he could recall. He explained that he bought the boat around 1965 from the original owner. The first owner had used the boat for fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and told him that he had tackled 3-4 foot waves with ease while racing a storm to shore. The man sold him the boat because he wanted something bigger for the ocean. The registration had run out on this boat in the early 1980s and the man said that once his children were older they didn't use the boat much. The boat sat in the front of their house for a few years when one of the neighbors convinced him to sell him the boat. After sitting out for so long without being used, I would assume that the simple repairs that the neighbor was expecting became a long list of advanced and expensive repairs so he cut his losses and passed down the boat to the next candidate.
The second owner went on to tell stories about their adventures in the boat with their children and boy scout troop. He told a story of a time on the lake when they were out in the middle, miles from shore, when a tornado started brewing and a nasty storm was working its way toward them. They moved all of the kids into the cabin and drove straight into the heart of the winds and mounting waves. As they moved closer to the marina they spotted a disabled boat on the lake with two boaters waving for help. Thinking of the possibility of what was lurking toward them spelling certain doom, he manuevered over to assist. Hooking on to the disabled boat, the man, his wife, the scout troop and my new boat all trudged through the wind and rain and waves with the helpless couple and their anchoring vessel to the marina and temporary shelter from the storm. The man's wife looked on as he told the story and her face was filled with pride. Pride in her husband for keeping the children safe. Pride in her husband for rescuing the stranded couple. Pride in the boat for taking on such an overwhelming challenge and passing through the eyes of danger while staring it down without a blink.

That story sealed our fate on the longevity of this boat with my family. Together we will ride out the storm of life and come through with a collection of our own memories and campfire stories to pass down to the next generation. And our boat will be the one connecting theme.

At this moment in the journey the boat is far from the water, but ready to begin the next adventure. There is nothing to this boat but a hull and a couple of cracked plastic windows. Like the birth of a newborn baby, I have to raise it from the ground up. I have a defenseless body in front of me with no ideas, no abilities, no direction. It is now in my hands to create this object into something that we can all be proud of.

(NEODESHA, KANSAS – JANUARY 31, 2010) With the introduction of the first model in its new “A” line, Cobalt Boats has returned to its roots in marine design, to fundamental enhancements of the boating experience in the tradition of, say, Cobalt’s legendary “extended running surface.” As the prototypes of the A25 make the rounds of the big winter shows, Cobalt is emphasizing the depth of “genuine innovation” on the boat. “In the pressures of recurring new model years the industry has too often been content to claim ‘innovations’ that amount to little more than window-dressing,” according to Cobalt President Paxson St. Clair. “With the A series our thinking has taken us deeper into our customers’ expectations of change for the better. The features of the A25 represent specific new ideas for making boating more enjoyable.”

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Boaters would rather spend time enjoying the water than waste it cleaning out their bilge.  Allowing moisture to collect down below can result in mildew infestations, unpleasant odors and costly damage.  Arid Bilge Systems automatically removes water and keeps the area bone dry, leaving more moments for cruising.  Ed Mahon of Sandy Hook Marine Services in New Jersey, recently installed Arid Bilge Systems' Series 4 in his customer's Sabre 32 Express, with tremendous results.

            "These boats have fairly shallow bilges so water always pools," said Mahon.  That can easily lead to problems down the road.  "My customers trust me to take care of them and want to be able to just start their engine and go.  This system better allows them to do that."  Mahon installed the system, turned it on and returned the next day.  "Literally, every drop of water was gone.  I'm very impressed with the product and so is my client."

            Creating a more pleasant onboard environment, Arid Bilge Systems' Series 4 is a vacuum drying system that utilizes multiple pickups placed in the bilge compartments to remove moisture.  It features single-point discharge and pumps a maximum of 10.2 gallons of water per hour.

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To ensure customers receive the personal assistance they need, Parker Energy Systems' Fuel Polishing products are now offered through Parker's Racor Division and its distributors.  Racor is a division of Parker Hannifin Corporation and a global leader in fuel, air, oil and coolant filtration systems for internal combustion engines and fuel delivery. 

            Parker Energy Systems' state-of-the-art FPM-050 Fuel Polisher pump is ideally suited to work with Racor fuel filter/water separators.  Racor has an extensive network of mobile and marine distributors across North America and around the world.

            "Our pump product fits right in with Racor's quality offering, which is why this distribution relationship will lead to mutual success," said Scott Leahy, Parker Energy Systems' project engineer.  "Parker's customers are better served when they have more Parker distribution locations to buy products."

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Offering inshore and offshore fishing charters at affordable rates.  For more information pictures and video see www.stpete-fishing-charter.com or contact Capt. Mark @ 727-776-7719.

January 18, 2010

I learned something new the other day, and believe it or not, it came via the internet. We had decided to replace the dinette table and the cockpit table because they had seen better days. My idea was to use teak, I love the way it looks and some of the trim in the cabin is teak. Living in a small town has both advantages and disadvantages, one being that there is not too much action and the other is there is very few choices for anything you want. This is especially true when it comes to building materials. We have a small Home Depot, Home Hardware and a small Reno. They stock a good amount of the same things, but when it comes to anything out of the ordinary forget it. Noe of the 3 stock any real selection of hardwood, other than maple and oak, which they have in short supply and little choice of size. 12" x 1"x 8' most common size. So looking for teak was a job, I got lucky  with a place just north of Kingston that stocks some exotic wood, but not teak. The owner said it is too expensive and people rarely ask for it, but he does stock Iroko, a wood that looks just like teak and 1/10th the price. Teak sells for $100 per board foot....yikes. Iroko looks good to me. It is some times called African Teak, and you can get it as wide as 4', or even wider if you can wait. Apparently the tree grows fast and radius's of 5 feet are not uncommon. I bought some at 12" wide, feeling that will do me.

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Follow us on FaceBook and Twitter!    Get the latest up to the minute postings.  See photos of the lastest happenings.  Keep up to date on our events, tournaments, and boat shows.  And catch a few special deals on boats.  Just look for Gulf Coast Hatteras in your FaceBook and Twitter searches!

January 7, 2009

It's -10C today and is the first day since the new year it hasn't snowed. Not a lot, but enough to get the snow blower out a couple of times, and to discover the electric start button has water in it and won't work in the extreme cold because it freezes. So simple to fix I thought, and I took it out to get a replacement but discovered that they aren't made anymore. I could get a whole replacement switch and rear plate that would work for $20. Great....then when I took the plate off the back of the starter boing, springs and brushes everywhere. I finally found all but I can't get them back in place, I figure I'll have to take the starter off the blower and do it that way....never as easy as it looks. I just hope it doesn't snow too much between now and when I get it fixed.

As I mentioned earlier, the little lady and I have decided to make our relationship legal and plan to get married at the Ivy Lea Club this summer. After a short meeting at the club we now have to assemble a guest list that stays under 50. This can be easy or difficult depending on who puts the list together, I could do it very easy, but of course her thoughts are....if we invite A & B, then we need to invite X & Y, and if we invite the guy who looks after the shopping carts at the grocery store, what will the cashier think. Or even worse, how about the people she works with..........glad I'm not in that boat. We have a bit of time to sort it out and I just hope I don't end up in the dog house, it's awfully cold out.

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