Tiny Blue Welder Rebuilding an 80-Foot Steel Schooner | Miller Maxstar 161 Review

Foggy morning in the Wrangell, Alaska shipyard — and I want to introduce you to the Miller Maxstar 161S stick welder. This little 13-pound machine has become my MVP on the Alaskan Gypsy, our 80-foot steel schooner restoration project. I originally bought it for emergency boat repairs, but lately it’s been carrying the weight of this entire rebuild: welding the chine repairs and electrolysis divots overhead, burning 6010/6011 and 7018 rods never missing a beat. In this review, I’ll walk through: • What’s in the case • Cord length and portability • Features like hot start & stuck rod detection • Duty cycle specs on 120V & 240V • Real-world shipyard performance in Alaska If you’ve ever wondered whether a compact welder can take on a massive project, this video proves it. ⚓ Follow our shipyard journey restoring the Alaskan Gypsy ⸻ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Intro: Foggy morning in Wrangell shipyards 00:31 – Why I bought the Maxstar 161 00:56 – What’s in the case 01:27 – Size, weight & portability 01:45 – Cord lengths demo 02:40 – Setting up for today’s welding 03:47 – Controls & settings overview 04:26 – Features: 6010 mode, hot start, stuck rod 05:10 – From skepticism to trust 05:59 – Real-world welding performance 06:24 – Duty cycle & specs (120V & 240V) 07:11 – Why I love this machine