longhairmtnman
Seaman
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2012
- Messages
- 54
Hello salty dogs!
First off, I'm none too computer savvy, usually half a sheet to the wind, and am on a super slow connection! Looking at all your threads takes ages to flip through... frustrating! I'll figure the picture thing out later..
Tale starts one year ago....
Sold my last boat(23' Fiber form), loved it, with lots of help from Iboats, and was looking for something more utilitarian. There are too many lakes around here to be limited by the size of yer boat.
My search for the 18' Starcraft my father had when I was a lad couldn't wait any longer, and I settled for this boat. It came from the Okanagan here in British Columbia. The price was right, and I wasn't busy due to spring break-up, so I drove down to get her. Po had died and the boat had been sitting... this old story.
Upon getting it home, and performing an in depth evaluation, I found it to be less of a deal than first thought. I must be the first one to experience this?
Inspecting the slightly overpowering 115 'Tower of power', I found the lower unit housing cracked, parallel to the output shaft.. water? Regardless, a 700 dollar part, plus shipping from Michigan. Whaaat? I did have the unit running, and decided to sell it and re-power her. So I sold that engine for 500 Barnacles,(Briefly considered putting a jet pump on it) and began looking for another... big deal here in "Northern" B.C... not easy to come by on a budget!
Floor was soft, rotten around the ski locker, seats were coming apart at the stitching, top is weathered, brittle and shrunken, transom suspect.. poor maintenance all around, list goes on. Still, a pretty good find for 1800 jolly rogers... trailer was nice!
On one of my daily craigslist searches, I came upon an ad for an 80's mercury.. recognized the retaining wall in the background as a fellow I had done deals with in the past, and called the number. Short story, flew done to the 'big smoke(Vancouver), went to an auction, bought two vehicles, a tin boat on trailer, trials bike, and then this outboard! (had to make the trip worthwhile..damn flight cost me 175 bucks!) Drove most of my finds home, sold everything but the motor and the bike... that is how I roll! So I put it all together, and the hydraulic tilt/trim pump was leaking.. 500 bucks to have rams rebuilt and pump o-rings replaced... ouch! Must be 'northern' prices? So anyhow, I limped it through last season as it was, fishing and tubing with the family... running the bilge pump every 20-30 minutes to keep the water below the gunnels...
Now It needs to be rehabilitated... and that my friends, is where we begin ...
First off, I'm none too computer savvy, usually half a sheet to the wind, and am on a super slow connection! Looking at all your threads takes ages to flip through... frustrating! I'll figure the picture thing out later..
Tale starts one year ago....
Sold my last boat(23' Fiber form), loved it, with lots of help from Iboats, and was looking for something more utilitarian. There are too many lakes around here to be limited by the size of yer boat.
My search for the 18' Starcraft my father had when I was a lad couldn't wait any longer, and I settled for this boat. It came from the Okanagan here in British Columbia. The price was right, and I wasn't busy due to spring break-up, so I drove down to get her. Po had died and the boat had been sitting... this old story.
Upon getting it home, and performing an in depth evaluation, I found it to be less of a deal than first thought. I must be the first one to experience this?
Inspecting the slightly overpowering 115 'Tower of power', I found the lower unit housing cracked, parallel to the output shaft.. water? Regardless, a 700 dollar part, plus shipping from Michigan. Whaaat? I did have the unit running, and decided to sell it and re-power her. So I sold that engine for 500 Barnacles,(Briefly considered putting a jet pump on it) and began looking for another... big deal here in "Northern" B.C... not easy to come by on a budget!
Floor was soft, rotten around the ski locker, seats were coming apart at the stitching, top is weathered, brittle and shrunken, transom suspect.. poor maintenance all around, list goes on. Still, a pretty good find for 1800 jolly rogers... trailer was nice!
On one of my daily craigslist searches, I came upon an ad for an 80's mercury.. recognized the retaining wall in the background as a fellow I had done deals with in the past, and called the number. Short story, flew done to the 'big smoke(Vancouver), went to an auction, bought two vehicles, a tin boat on trailer, trials bike, and then this outboard! (had to make the trip worthwhile..damn flight cost me 175 bucks!) Drove most of my finds home, sold everything but the motor and the bike... that is how I roll! So I put it all together, and the hydraulic tilt/trim pump was leaking.. 500 bucks to have rams rebuilt and pump o-rings replaced... ouch! Must be 'northern' prices? So anyhow, I limped it through last season as it was, fishing and tubing with the family... running the bilge pump every 20-30 minutes to keep the water below the gunnels...
Now It needs to be rehabilitated... and that my friends, is where we begin ...
