1983 Stars and Stripes Restoration

[patricksimon]

I just purchased my first Mastercraft last week. My father has always loved the MC S&S, so I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase one that I can bring back to life! This will be my first venture into a resto project, so I'm here just asking for any tips I can get on where to start and what to look for.

This boat runs like a beast! No boat I've ever owned has had the power that this one does, and it's an absolute joy to drive. I'm not very mechanically inclined so I'm going to call on my boat mechanic friend to assist with any issues here, but everything seems to run soundly. The interior needs some work, so I'm going to have it completely redone (any ideas on how to track down vinyl with the MC logo embossed like it came with originally on the motor cover?) I want to keep the boat as close to 100% original as possible, but if you guys have any recommendations mechanically to ensure it remains more reliable on the late would be appreciated.

I plan on repainting the trailer this weekend and replacing the bunks and carpeting. One question I have is regarding the "swingarm" that has to be put in place over the D ring when loading. I've never seen this on a boat before, and it makes it pretty difficult to load the boat alone. Any ideas here?

One final issue for now is the gel coat, decals, and rubber rail. The gel coat seems to be in pretty good shape except for a few deep scratches. What should I use to buff/wax the exterior? Is there anything I can buy to fill in the deep scratches/chips in the metal flake? Where would I find original decals? I found some online on ebay, but I want to make sure the color is original and the vinyl is high quality. The rubber rail that runs around the boat has taken a beating, and I'd like to replace it at some point. Where would one go about finding that part?

I apologize for asking some dumb questions, but this is my first attempt at this, and instead of just throwing a bunch of money at it, I'd like to take pride in knowing I did a lot of the work myself. Thank you in advance for the help!

[Miss Rita]

http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...ead.php?t=5427

If you glance through this I bet you'll find the answer to 90% of your questions.

I see you already have a case of MCOCD. Sorry, there's no cure.

[Olaff]

"She's a beauty Clark!"
I had a late model '82 with the PowerSlot. It was the fastest boat in a drag race to 45mph on my community lake. But I could set the throttle anywhere from 3 mph to 45 mph and she would hold steady. I taught numerous kids to waterski, wakeboard, and kneeboard behind that boat. They are legendary. Treat her nice and do it right. It's an excellent boat to learn on all the way around.
As for the bow arm. The best way I ever found was to back the trailer WAY in, then just float/handload the boat to the trailer. It's like impossible to get it right by driving the boat onto the trailer alone.

[patricksimon]

http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...ead.php?t=5427

If you glance through this I bet you'll find the answer to 90% of your questions.

I see you already have a case of MCOCD. Sorry, there's no cure.

Thanks for the link! Severe OCD indeed!

[patricksimon]

"She's a beauty Clark!"
I had a late model '82 with the PowerSlot. It was the fastest boat in a drag race to 45mph on my community lake. But I could set the throttle anywhere from 3 mph to 45 mph and she would hold steady. I taught numerous kids to waterski, wakeboard, and kneeboard behind that boat. They are legendary. Treat her nice and do it right. It's an excellent boat to learn on all the way around.
As for the bow arm. The best way I ever found was to back the trailer WAY in, then just float/handload the boat to the trailer. It's like impossible to get it right by driving the boat onto the trailer alone.

Thanks! She runs for sure! I thought about that with the bow arm, but figured I'd have trouble keeping it centered in the trailer as I pulled it out of the water. I'm gonna give it a shot though, thanks for the response!

[stuartmcnair]

http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...ead.php?t=5427

If you glance through this I bet you'll find the answer to 90% of your questions.

I see you already have a case of MCOCD. Sorry, there's no cure.

You know most of those links and photos are all dead now, right?

[Miss Rita]

You know most of those links and photos are all dead now, right?

No, I wasn't aware. There's still some useful information though.

Looks like a project for someone with MCOCD to update!

[FoggyNogginz]

Great looking boat! A few suggestions:

1. Call your dealer on the vinyl options and see who they use locally. I live in TN where we have 20+ boat manufacturers, so we have a lot of choices. My guess is that your dealer has someone to recommend too. Many on here have sent their seats/skins to Viper, and some have had mixed results. You might also try these guys: http://theupholsteryworkshop.net/mcskins#mastercraft

2. There are several threads on here about restoring gelcoat, and personally this comes down to the right tool (Makita random orbital) and the combination of the right pads (Lake Country pads), and the right chemicals. If you don't have to wet sand, then I like to go with a heavy cutting pad and 3M Super Duty Marine Compound, then down to a medium/light pad and 3M Finesse-It II Marine Glaze, then polish and wax.

Here's the proven method from BrianM:

-3M Super Duty Compound on a Circular Polisher with a Wool Pad
-3M Finesse It II Polishing Compound on a Circular Polisher with an Orange Foam Pad
- Meguires Polish (Step 2 of their 3 step system) with an Orbital and a White Foam Pad
-Meguires Carnuba Wax with an Orbital and a Red Foam Pad

3. For decals, your best bets are normally Great Lakes Skipper or Midwest MasterCraft. There is also a graphics repository from MikeG here with a lot of images that you could download and send to a print shop for reproduction. https://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk...ad.php?t=51858

Keep the pics coming. We all love a good restoration project!

[patricksimon]

No, I wasn't aware. There's still some useful information though.

Looks like a project for someone with MCOCD to update!

Yea, there's still some great info here!

[patricksimon]

Great looking boat! A few suggestions:

1. Call your dealer on the vinyl options and see who they use locally. I live in TN where we have 20+ boat manufacturers, so we have a lot of choices. My guess is that your dealer has someone to recommend too. Many on here have sent their seats/skins to Viper, and some have had mixed results. You might also try these guys: http://theupholsteryworkshop.net/mcskins#mastercraft

2. There are several threads on here about restoring gelcoat, and personally this comes down to the right tool (Makita random orbital) and the combination of the right pads (Lake Country pads), and the right chemicals. If you don't have to wet sand, then I like to go with a heavy cutting pad and 3M Super Duty Marine Compound, then down to a medium/light pad and 3M Finesse-It II Marine Glaze, then polish and wax.

Here's the proven method from BrianM:

-3M Super Duty Compound on a Circular Polisher with a Wool Pad
-3M Finesse It II Polishing Compound on a Circular Polisher with an Orange Foam Pad
- Meguires Polish (Step 2 of their 3 step system) with an Orbital and a White Foam Pad
-Meguires Carnuba Wax with an Orbital and a Red Foam Pad

3. For decals, your best bets are normally Great Lakes Skipper or Midwest MasterCraft. There is also a graphics repository from MikeG here with a lot of images that you could download and send to a print shop for reproduction. https://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk...ad.php?t=51858

Keep the pics coming. We all love a good restoration project!

Thanks a ton for the insight! Would you recommend compounding/polishing the gel coat before removing and applying the new decals? I cant imagine being able to accurately re-apply them if I refinished the exterior after removing the old ones.

[liledgy]

I had an identical 1983 except I had a fiberglass platform.

[FoggyNogginz]

Thanks a ton for the insight! Would you recommend compounding/polishing the gel coat before removing and applying the new decals? I cant imagine being able to accurately re-apply them if I refinished the exterior after removing the old ones.

Very welcome. Yes, remove the old decals first with some elbow grease and mineral spirits. Then compound until everything looks even, 3M Finesse, polish, reapply decals, then wax. You could wax before reapplying the decals too if you prefer, and in my experience they still stick just fine. It makes more sense to apply them to the bare gelcoat though.

There are several threads on this forum where folks have gone through this exact process and replaced decals. I've done this on three boats myself. It's a pretty scary thing when you take the decals off and realize that the gel coat under the graphic is a vastly different color than the exposed gel. The method above will restore it all back to the same color though, and all it really takes is some patience, work, and time. Those that are a bit more brave than I am will wet sand before they do compound if the oxidation is really bad, but I've always just preferred to take a little more time with compound and save my nerves. Your choice.

Can't wait to see your progress!

[babymoore3]

I recently did this on my boat and agree 100% with what has been said. I ordered from Autogeek.net to acquire pads (6") and used a harbor freight orbital that I had. Makita probably quiter and nicer. Makita can be dual action or orbital (Porter Cable 7424 is only dual action). I was surprised the porter cable was louder and vibrated more than the harbor freight. If I were to do it again +1 for Makita to be both dual action and orbital.

I got wool pad, 2 yellow foams and two white foams. I used micro fiber clothes to clean in between. I got one of the spin tools to clean dried material from the pad. This seemed to help a lot especially with compounding. Clean in a bucket so you can dump in garbage after.

I found that the wool did most of the work once I figured it out (watching you tube). Dont forget to tape off things you don't want compounded, window frame rub rail, lights, chromes, etc).

Listen when they say to spread compound over pad prior to starting. Start on the boat then lift 1/2 the pad off and work using "the edge" not flat. Start slow and build confidence with speed. I never passed setting 4.5 on porter cable (dual action) or 3 on the harbor freight(orbital), faster just dried the material up without cutting. Something I learned at the end was if material started to dry, just use a spray bottle with water to re-wet the compound area.


I would compound, polish, then see if wet sanding anything is required.

I found some uniqueness in my boat but still got a great gloss to come through!

[patricksimon]

I ordered the 3M products today! I don't think I've ever been so excited for a days worth of buffing in my life lol! I was a little confused as to which compound to order, because 3m makes a "marine rubbing compound" and a "super duty compound" you kind of mentioned them both in your original reply, so I just went with the "marine rubbing compound" (hope that was the right one).

I'm a little concerned that once I get the decals removed, and should I be lucky enough to get the red a consistent color across the whole side, how will I know where to position the decals? I figured I'd measure them and draw a diagram before removing the old ones, but didn't know if you had a better way.

The gelcoat looks to be in good condition, so I don't think it'll need to be wet sanded. Hopefully at least, as I've never done that and would hate to screw something up. I was interested to see if there was any way to touch up some deep scratches that I've found in the exterior, especially on the metal flake. Theres not many, but I'd like to fill them with some sort of touch up material if there is such a thing?

[patricksimon]

I'm excited! I've owned several boats in my life, and I don't think I've ever been as eager to work on one! Thank you for the insight, it's greatly appreciated!