1971 ss ?

[TC777]

Hello all,

I am going to look at a 1971 SS tomorrow. It has the original mercury thunderbolt 65hp on it. Has not been ran in 3 or 4 years. Any advice on what to be looking for? I have never owned a boat, so I don't know what to look for or at :facepalm:. I know you guys can point me in the right direction .

 

[barato2]

Re: 1971 ss ?

some quick areas to check:

1. soft floors?
2. soft transom?
3. missing rivets, big dents, etc in hull?
4. does motor turn over? compression in cylinders? spark?
5. if you can run it in a trash can, look for water discharge from water pump. does it shift in and out of gear? steering work correctly?
6. TITLE for boat n trailer??
7. can trailer be pulled home as is or will it require tires/lighting work first?
8. how much equipment/repairs will it take to meet USCG requirements and those for your state? check your state DMV or whoever's site before you go look at it.
9. i see you're in GA. any evidence of salt water use?
10. do all boat lights & electrics work?
11. will your spouse divorce you if you buy it? will seller's spouse divorce him/her if he/she doesn't get rid of it?

lots of other stuff but this is some of the common stuff that will help determine how much of a project you're diving into, and some areas that can be used as negotiating points with seller. also think about what you want to use the boat for and evaluate it in terms of how it will do for those uses (you wouldn't want to use a flat-stern Jet Star for offshore fishing, or a 22' Islander for a small lake, etc). i'm assuming boat is 16'? if so, a 65hp will be great for fishing and general playboat, maybe a bit weak for pulling multiple skiers. i'd suggest you also skim some of the threads here on resto of similar model so you can see what others have run into and get some ideas on how they "should" look. do some homework on here and you can be a seriously educated buyer.

 

[TC777]

Re: 1971 ss ?

Thanks barato, it is a 16 footer. I would be using it as a general purpose fishing/family fun boat. I have skimmed threads for a few years now. Been dreaming of that perfect SS to pop up. For some reason I am still a little gun shy. I guess it is because I have never owned a boat. I have only been out on a boat a few times in my life . So the only things I know about boats come from this forum . I am a very educated starcraft guy even though I have never seen one in person thanks to this forum . I just don't want to buy something that is not worth it. I have seen many resto projects on here that are simply amazing how they turned out. So, I see potential in something that isn't pretty. I am also somewhat of a bottom feeder as a lot of guys on here. So I want to make sure my dollars are well spent. My only real concern is the engine, since it hasn't been ran in almost 4 years. I can check all the other stuff, but the engine is the big question. Thanks for all the help!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1971 ss ?

How much do they want for it? It would be really hard to go wrong with an outboard Starcraft. As you've seen, even if all the wood it rotted it isn't a daunting task to replace it. Both my last boat and my current boat came with outboards that hadn't been run in years. Both made pretty pricey trips to a mechanic (around $4-500) however, they had just about every wear item replaced which got them completely caught up in maintenance. My '73 gave me 5 years of trouble free service after that and was sold running well. My '81 just reentered service last year after being refreshed and runs great also. (actually the money spent on my '81 would have been much less if some yahoo hadn't put the wrong carbs on it). Good luck.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: 1971 ss ?

You can do a nearly completly rebuild on a 16 SS for about 5-6 hundred more than the cost of the boat. Thats a complete, with floor,insulation side covers trim and paint. Still leaves a guy with a very nice inexpensive boat. This is based on west coast prices which I feel are a bit higher than back your way. Hopoe the motor checks out as thats where the out of pocket expense comes from.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1971 ss ?

Welcome to the forum, lots of Starcraft enthusiasts here

I will say that I love my 16' SS for an all-purpose boat, you really can't go wrong unless you happen to get a corroded saltwater hull.

A 65hp would be a great motor for a 16 footer and should get around 35mph probably. I own a '71 Merc and there are parts available for those, but something newer would be more fuel-efficient.

Lots of good advice from Barato and EZ as well, good luck to ya!

 

[TC777]

Re: 1971 ss ?

The boat has seen salt water. The trailer is completely gone (rusted through). I could have pulled the tongue off of it by hand. The trailer had been patched several times. Lights were off of the trailer. Tires flat. Some of the trim parts had corrosion. Looked at the engine and the wires were brittle and the protective covering was cracked and falling off. Seen some salt deposits in there. Had a nice SS prop that had seen very little use. He last ran it in salt water and it hasn't been ran since. The engine needed attention before trying to start it. He said that it went into gear fine, but who knows. Needed a new control box. Nice hull. Everything there. Soft floors, original vinyl covering them. All wood needed to be replaced. He wouldn't budge on the price. He insisted that there was more money in scrap metal than the asking price ( I know better, but didn't mention it). $750 was the price. Thanks for all the advice!

Here is the link

http://athensga.craigslist.org/boa/2250209640.html

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: 1971 ss ?

Seaman LOL I paid $ 800 for a 1975 16 SS in lincoln City Oregon. It looked ok and they said trailer was road ready. Drove there last May to get it and paid ahead so was stuck with it. Sounds like you bought my boat . It was a mess all the interior which looked good came apart as soon as I touched it .Interior totaly shot. Every thing there just in terrible shape. The Trailer close to toast but by putting new wheel bearings , Portable lights which I had to buy . New tires and a WHOLE LOT OF LUCK I made the trip home ok. the motor was and is a 1984 Johnson had been rebuilt when they parked it with only 5 hours on it. I checked it out and it had good compression and pulled the plugs and cleaned them and put on a NEW water pump assembly. Started at once and I ran it in the river last fall with no problems speed about 35 mph. Also had to replace all steering and rebuild the tilt on the motor as I had to cut the center out to fix with replacment the steering. All rebuilt ant total Less 850 miles of driveing was about $ 1600 and a WHOLE bunch of time. I have not regreted the purchase as its as nice as a new one for a fraction of the cost and could get my Money back if I sell it later. I also have a total origonal 22 Holiday with a 200 Johnson Outboard. But it is a bit big to get in and out of the river. As they said the wood is noi to difficult to replace and you will like it more once you strip it and get ready to rebuild. Great help on this site as I really received great advice and always got a good answer to any questions. Pugetsound

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1971 ss ?

Yeah that doesn't sound like a deal. I walked away from an 18' in probably slightly better condition than that for $400 two years ago.

 

[TC777]

Re: 1971 ss ?

Puget, I did not buy it. Sorry I wasn't clear. But yeah, it does sound like the same boat, except the engine. At least you got a good running engine! I would have bought it if it had a strong running engine.