Help with 1950's Starflite
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: General Correct Craft Discussion
Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: Anything Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27931
Printed Date: March-09-2025 at 5:14pm
Topic: Help with 1950's Starflite
Posted By: 4Speeds4Ever
Subject: Help with 1950's Starflite
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:04pm
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Hey everyone, This forum looks great! This is officially my first post on here...hopefully many more to follow. I just inherited a Correct Craft Starflite from my father-in-law. I am a complete newbie when it comes to boats, mahogany ones in particular. I don't know the year (I was told 1956 but his wife wasn't sure). It's a 17 footer, I'm pretty sure, has a solid-cam Graymarine AMC 327-cube V-8, with twin side-draft carbs. He rebuilt the motor several years before passing away, and for his birthday last year, I helped him plumb the ol' girl up and the engine rumbled right to life after the addition of some fresh gas. What a beautiful sound, with the twin water-cooled pipes burbling away... However, the real caveat is that on the right side bow, a hole is now residing, the mahogany and oak rib having been rotted away. The hole is pretty good sized, but I would really like to repair it and return it to at least a running, floating state and then restored. I love the lines, love the big '57 Chevy white tailfins, love wooden boats in general. Can anyone tell me how to get a better handle on the year, where I can get spare parts, (a tree came down and bent the aluminum windshield frame and smashed the plexiglas), a direction to look at towards repairing the damage, and maybe what the ol' girl is worth? I'll try to attach a couple pics. Thanks in advance for any help!  -Drew  
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Replies:
Posted By: nautique frk
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:19pm
 This is a Starflite that was near Charlotte N.C. on Lake Wylie several years ago, Not sure where it is now or who owns it.        Hope these may help !! |
Posted By: Cuda Chris
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:21pm
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Hey there, Great boat by the way. Get yourself "The Complete Wooden Runabout Restoration Guide" or "How to Restore Your Wooden Runabout" by Don Danenburg. Don is one of the leading restorers of fine wooden boats. On his website (google his name, easy site to find) there is a forum where you can ask him questions about your project or simply "how to's". When I was restoring my old 56 Chris Craft he was a big help and really put the tasks into perspective. As far as parts go, you will need to dig and dig. This site is a great resource and chances are someone might have extras or know someone with what you are looking for. Good luck with the project! Cheers ------------- 1968 Barracuda Super Sport |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:26pm
| Welcome to the site. Great boat and planked at that. Are you going to restore it or sell it? |
Posted By: 4Speeds4Ever
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:34pm
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Hey, thanks for the swift responses! I am definitely going to keep it and restore it...my wife practically spent all her summers as a kid in the back of it. Riley, what do you mean by "planked"? Made of wood, I'm assuming? Again, complete noob here. Thanks again guys! |
Posted By: nautique frk
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:38pm
| Some wood boats were plywood and some were board planks like yours |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 3:52pm
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Drew, Yes, welcome to CCfan. I have to warn you that if you have found one hole/rot, there is more hiding. Be prepared for a complete tear down to a bare frame for a proper restoration. How are your wood working skills? Danenburgs book is a great start. I know him and he did a fantastic job writing his book as well as maintaining his web site. If you have no woodworking background, then this is not a project you want to start. Sorry! BTW, per your pictures, I see rot at the stem and peeling paint at the water line. Don't even try to patch the boat and NEVER try to put a fiberglass bottom on it. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: juniorwoody
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 4:10pm
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Instant woody on this one here. Who cares if it needs some work, it will be worth any you put in to it and imagine the grin on your face when you get your first thumbs up? ------------- The value of money spent on new adventure far exceeds the value of money saved for the future |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 4:23pm
| I might be able to help you with the windshield. |
Posted By: nautique frk
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 4:26pm
| Drew, You definatly have something special there ! Post some more photos of the motor etc. You should have a tag in the motor cover with a serial # on it like the one I posted for you |
Posted By: 4Speeds4Ever
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 4:54pm
Found more pics of the motor, none of the motor cover tag though, I don't think...      Coolest intake manifold I've ever seen!  I am accustomed to working with wood, and luckily Dave had bought a bunch of mahogany from the mill with the intention of repairing it, which he never did. Luckily, he also left a ton of saws, routers, etc. which I have used, but never owned. I definitely got lucky... But in short, I'm not scared of tackling the project, even if it means dismantling the whole thing down to the ribs and starting from scratch... |
Posted By: Donald80SN
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 5:04pm
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Hello, Alan81 on this site is doing a resto of a rare planked Correct Craft Huricane. There was only four made. He also has a Hemi for it. He is near chicago. He has a very detail thread on this subject. He is an artist in wood. It would be good to read his thread and speak with him. Seeing his resto will give you an idea as to what is involved. He lives near chicago. Also the Boat Dr. ( Billy Sutton) has done a few himself and he is always glad to help people.His number can be found on the SJRR2013 Thread. He is in LA ( Not California). Pete also knows his stuff and has redone a few woodies. SOme have stated that a machine shop may be able to help you fix that frame rail on the windshield. Then you would need to install some more plexi. Labor of love. Donald |
Posted By: 62 AquaSkier
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 5:50pm
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Drew, Welcome to CCFan. Those are very cool boats and rare. I saw an 18ft Starflight earlier this year that sold recently. Yours will be a labor of love, but well worth it. Having inherited my dad's boat and having spent my kid years on the back of her, no way I could let her go. When it is done, you will have something special indeed. Good luck on the resto. Todd |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 5:58pm
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Drew, I'm glad to hear that you do have woodworking skills and are willing to undertake this project. Yes, as mentioned, it will be a labor of love. You mentioned the 327 was rebuilt? Do you know to what extent? The pictures show that they didn't even give it a paint job!!  Just keep the pictures coming and everyone here on CCfan will do our best to help. One thing of concern is the Gray exhaust manifolds. There is a rear bad spot in them that rots through. I suggest doing a pressure test on them. BTW, the dual YH side draft carbs were common on several marinized engines. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: 75 Tique
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 6:04pm
http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12350&KW=hurricane&title=1955-cc-hurricane-restoration" rel="nofollow - Alan's Hurricane Project Twenty five pages and still going.... ------------- _____________ “So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
Donald80SN wrote:Posted By: KRoundy
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 6:10pm
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Welcome to CCF! That is a beautiful boat, it will be be world-class if you restore her correctly. Congrats! And I agree with you, that intake manifold is very cool. ------------- Previous: 1993 Electric Blue/Charcoal Ski Nautique Current: 2016 Ski Nautique 200 Open Bow |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 7:18pm
The Interceptor version of the dual YH carbs:  The concept was great in keeping the dog house profile real low. Chris used it on some of their 327's as well. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: daddyo
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 7:28pm
| That's going to be one beautiful boat when restored. Already is now, even with the beat up windshield. I'd love to see it next to a G23! Might even get the "new" cc to think a little outside the box. |
Posted By: peter1234
Date Posted: September-26-2012 at 9:14pm
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Both Bruce (Riley ) and myself live near you along with some others here and if there is anything i can do for you to help dont be afraid to ask ------------- former skylark owner now a formula but I cant let this place go |
Posted By: uk1979
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 7:06am
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If you don't have the build plate,take a note of the engine block number and do a search on the net should narrow it down,also look on the back of the fabric on the boat its date stamped......side panels are a good place to start. Good luck with the rebuild lots of great help here. ------------- Lets have a go 56 Starflite 77 SN 78 SN 80 BFN |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 8:46am
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Drew, If I guessed at the age, I'd say it's a 57 or 58. Roger's idea ^ is good if you can find the engine ID number. Another idea is a manufacture date cast into the block. This however can be misleading since cast iron back then was seasoned. They would place the raw casting outside for 1 to 2 years. This was to equalize/stress relieve the castings. If you do find the build plate, you could try contacting CC and see if they still have the build sheet. This may take some time since they need to dig through their records. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: uk1979
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 9:35am
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http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=AMC+engine+cast+&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4FTSF_enGB445&q=amc+engine+block+casting+numbers+&gs_l=hp..1.0l2.0.0.0.26400...........0.Sv9MysYf2po&pbx=1#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=1&pq=amc%20327%20engine%20block%20casting%20numbers&cp=8&gs_id=l&xhr=t&q=+327+amc+engine+block+casting+numbers&pf=p&rlz=1T4FTSF_enGB445&sclient=psy-ab&oq=+327+amc+engine+block+casting+numbers&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=c5c06546d73f4abe&biw=1153&bih=567" rel="nofollow - AMC cast numbers ------------- Lets have a go 56 Starflite 77 SN 78 SN 80 BFN |
Posted By: 4Speeds4Ever
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 2:37pm
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Guys, this is all fantastic info. Thank you very much for the help. I'm going to pull the cover off this weekend, and get lots more detailed pictures, I'll start a thread on it. As for the Runabout Restoration book, I looked it up on Amazon, and I have to say I've never seen a $600 book before. Am I missing something here? Hah!  I asked the wife for one for christmas...we'll see what happens!
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Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 2:55pm
I see new are listed at $483 but used at $199. Yup, he doesn't do anything cheap!  Go to his web site and log in. There's plenty of info on it but, his book is worth the price.------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 3:00pm
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Way cheaper to buy the Kindle version,even if you have to buy a Kindle ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: 4Speeds4Ever
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 3:00pm
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Well I hear a boat is just a hole in the water you throw money into anyway... Saving my nickels and dimes! I'll check his website out...thanks!
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Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: September-27-2012 at 4:12pm
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The book's not in print anymore, Like Pete said log in to dannenberg's site and ask. They'll find you a copy somewhere. Not sure the kindle version would be that great with the photos. Don't pay stupid money for it, I would part with my copy before you plunk down $200. That would be the most money I've ever made on anything boat related. ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |