18' Starcraft Holiday

[longshanks]

my friend is looking at a Starcraft boat, 18' and I believe it is a 'Holiday'.

It has a sweet Yamaha 115 on it and it has been completely restored. Asking price is $8K.

The hull is an older model though, and I'm wondering at what point the rivets will start to fail/leak? I know the motor has a good reputation, but I'm not just sure how suitable this hull would be for an all-around fish/ski hull... We're using in on freshwater lakes, and it would frequently be beached in rocky areas and operated in fairly rough water on occasion.

any input?

 

[mr 88]

Re: 18' Starcraft Holiday

What year is it ? Last two digits on transom hull number will tell you,if not on Reg. I have a 67 Holiday with no leak issues. Paid 800 for it with a 120 mercruiser and I put 600 into outdrive. So that 8K seems way high to me.You can check in the Starcraft section near the bottom of the home page as well for info.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 18' Starcraft Holiday

I've seen a lot of Holidays around And while I did here of one that needed a hull repair I think it was at least 20 and had allways been ridden hard and put away wet.To the best of my knowledge they still have it probably 40 years old now.
We had the much smaller Nova runabout for about 26 years.Spent most of its life outdoors Never leaked and it was stolen once and driven over a dock.Floor was a little spongy near the back bench seat when we traded in on a pontoon.
I'm pretty sure there is a Starcraft collectors/fan club they may be able to help.
As far as aluminum boat rivets I have a 57 Crestliner with no leaks,My sister has a 58 Lone Star no rivet leaks and it has had a rough life.

 

[beckoning]

Re: 18' Starcraft Holiday

Is the Holiday a center console or full windshield? If CC, I have a '76 +55hp Merc. They are real workhorses, but the boat leaks. I am told it can be easily repaired, but I procrastinate. At the age boat you're considering, I would thoroughly check all the flooring and other plywood internal structures and definitely the transom. Once they begin to rot, they go fast. I replaced my entire floor and other parts and it is a major project (40 hours + $300 in all supplies). A friend replaced his Starcraft transom and it was a major ordeal, but worth it. To check for plywood integrity, get a small hammer and tap all over the flooring and interior structures, and really tap all over the transom looking for dead sounds that indicate soft wood. Dry wood resonates....rotted wood doesn't.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 18' Starcraft Holiday

Wonderful boat. It is possible it could have some leakage issues but nothing to be overly concerned about. If it was properly restored those issues may have been addressed. There are a TON of us on this site running old Starcrafts. They can take a beating as well. My only concern is that I used to have a closed bow and my usage is similar to yours and I couldn't wait to trade it for an open bow.