ratdude747
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2023
- Messages
- 296
New forum member and also a new boater. To put a long story short, back in September my best friend's aunt gifted me a 1976 Starcraft Montego 16 that they were the original owners of.
It hadn't run in 10 years and had sat in a garage/barn. Died on the water with ignition issues (suspected ballast wire fault, more later). Low usage though (for better or worse). The best friend's uncle died and said friend's dad's health went downhill in said time. They were going to reluctantly scrap it (or sell it for whatever they could get), but I made the "mistake" of saying "nice boat" and decided to send it (and a ton of accessories) home with me! It was a 200 mile (each way) drive, but it worked out:
(My wife and I, right after pulling it from it's 10 year slumber in the garage)
Here's a picture of where it is at the moment (done a lot of work, see below):
That was taken at the end of September, when my new registration letters came in (had to re-register it and the trailer due to a myriad of titling issues with both... what a major pain, but I was able to make it legal!). Was trying to make the lettering match the Starcraft wordmark... close enough?
It has a mercruiser 888 outdrive (Ford 302 based). And the hull is in great shape, other than a slight bit of dock rash. Supposedly they were hitting 60mph in the thing when it ran last.
Anyway, here's a nice long list of issues it had when I got it, and where I am on getting them fixed:
-No title for boat or trailer (due to being grandfathered)- Fixed after two weeks of HELL. Wrong HIN on the old registration (letter/number swapped), and the trailer was just a mess. Back in the late 80's/early 90's when Indiana started registering boats and trailers I guess it was the wild, wild west. But, several documents and redo's later, we finally got the ducks in a row and were able to title/register both.
-Usual issues of anything with an engine that sat (old fuel and oil): Need to drain and clear both; the gas tank is (per the gauge) half-full. It's not bad for 10 years old... which is still junk. I was able to get it to kinda run after more work (see below) but it needs drained. Same story with the oil... I need to decide what I want to run (stick with SAE-30, or maybe try 25W-40?). Outdrive oil will be changed per another service needed.
-Ignition is old and appears to all be original (to include cap, rotor, and wires; the points had and condenser had been changed). Given the failure when on the water and not seeing this as a concours restoration, I decided the best option was to upgrade to a Pertronix Ignitor setup (got lucky and scored some open box stuff on eBay for cheap). Need to do the rest; I haven't seen the plugs but the rest isn't all that worn/rotten if you'd believe it, which is why I've deferred them to later.
-Fuel system was/is a big mess. They had "upgraded" to a 4 barrel carb long ago, but it was done very poorly using a carb off a 1970s' ford super duty (with a coat hanger choke) and a very jerry rigged fuel system (old hard line with automotive fuel hose)... and no flame arrestor or anything at all on top. The only part of it I've kept is the Edelbrock intake... I got lucky on eBay (again, thankfully) and was able to nab a "barely used" Holley 5.0 Marine carb and flame arrestor for $400 on a best offer. Once that was installed, I ran some temporary fuel hose (more automotive crap, what I could get at the time) and (with the ignition work above) was able to get it to start and run, albeit with the throttle bumped and it running at 1200RPM. Was very smooth... Since then, I've swapped the fuel line for proper USCG rated hose; I still need to replace a missing gasket on the carb's fuel inlet (inlet screen assembly) which is leaking and replace the water separator (didn't swap due to using old fuel).
-Electrical system had issues too. Supposedly no gauges worked, but the fuel gauge did respond (may have a stuck sending unit, but I won't know until I pump out the tank) and the tach did work. Voltmeter works but the needle is busted (will need to pull the cluster to glue back on). Temp gauge works with the wire cheated; I haven't got it warm enough to see if the sending unit is any good. Trim gauge and switch are toast... wire crumbled. As of this evening I was finally able to get the grommet plate pulled from the outdrive (bought a 14" 1/4 extension and a used MAC swivel socket (1/4 drive 7/16") and such was able to get in without pulling the outdrive); I've done testing to confirm all the wiring and whatnot after the factory bullet splices is good. Need to order new switch/sender; the pucks are still good (tested tonight) but my attempts to salvage the grommets wasn't as good as I'd have liked (Are eBay trim kits any good?). Finally, the starter had been upgraded to a marine PMGR (it's a Ford thing), but rather than reuse the starter relay for the solenoid drive (and move the power cable to the other relay stud), they were driving it direct with the key. Not good. I have a relay in there for now, my current wiring is a big (different) mess; thought I needed a diode/relay circuit for getting ignition power in crank, but it seems the key switch provides run power in crank already; the ballast wire and second ignition relay connection are both cut). I'll probably mount a new relay (old one is missing nuts and a pain to access, possibly dead?) and redo/simplify the new ignition wiring. Finally, none of the nav lights were working; the stern light wiring burnt to a crisp (wires rotted like the trim cables), which I was able to fix by drilling/soldering new wires to the socket (it's a weird extra-long bolt pattern) and running a new ground connection (as that's the wire that fried); the bow light was luckily just a burnt bulb.
-Impeller isn't pulling water. I had muffs on it when I ran it... while water did make it to the manifolds and block (and it drained plenty when I winterized it last month), nothing came out the prop. Looks like I'm replacing the impeller too (going to also do the housing as it can't hurt).
-Back seat cushion needs reupholstered. A raccoon (or the like) got to it in storage. The one that's there isn't original (as such blew out of the boat while being towed one day), so eventually I'll get a new one made.
-Glove box latch busted (zinc briggs lock core sheared). Was able to redrill and trim the box to accept a generic Amazon latch. Doesn't quite look stock, but the factory latch is unobtanium.
-Need to get some supplies not included (flares, life ring/square, horn, new fender lines, etc.). They did include a few life jackets (good for initial testing), a couple ski ropes, a ski/tube harness, two sets of old wooden skis (clear coat not so good though), and a large barely-used airhead tube.
-Fuel cap is a jerry rigged rotten rubber plug. Will need to clean out the threads and see if a modern cap will fit (chain was broken, original is probably at the bottom of a lake somewhere!)
-Trailer wiring is a hot mess. I have new lights and most of the new wire but haven't gotten to wiring it yet. Winter project...
I'm hoping to have it ready to try out on the Ohio river (which I live 5 minutes from, Madison IN) this spring. I wasn't really looking to become a boat owner, but if I was to own one, a classic with a Ford V8 that goes fast would be it. I already own two Ford trucks (one of which, a 1984 F150, is what I'm towing with).
All said, not bad for "Free"*?
*- I do owe the best friend an Ohio river ride once it's riverworthy, as the one string attached. But he has to drive the 200 miles to meet me!
It hadn't run in 10 years and had sat in a garage/barn. Died on the water with ignition issues (suspected ballast wire fault, more later). Low usage though (for better or worse). The best friend's uncle died and said friend's dad's health went downhill in said time. They were going to reluctantly scrap it (or sell it for whatever they could get), but I made the "mistake" of saying "nice boat" and decided to send it (and a ton of accessories) home with me! It was a 200 mile (each way) drive, but it worked out:
(My wife and I, right after pulling it from it's 10 year slumber in the garage)
Here's a picture of where it is at the moment (done a lot of work, see below):
That was taken at the end of September, when my new registration letters came in (had to re-register it and the trailer due to a myriad of titling issues with both... what a major pain, but I was able to make it legal!). Was trying to make the lettering match the Starcraft wordmark... close enough?
It has a mercruiser 888 outdrive (Ford 302 based). And the hull is in great shape, other than a slight bit of dock rash. Supposedly they were hitting 60mph in the thing when it ran last.
Anyway, here's a nice long list of issues it had when I got it, and where I am on getting them fixed:
-No title for boat or trailer (due to being grandfathered)- Fixed after two weeks of HELL. Wrong HIN on the old registration (letter/number swapped), and the trailer was just a mess. Back in the late 80's/early 90's when Indiana started registering boats and trailers I guess it was the wild, wild west. But, several documents and redo's later, we finally got the ducks in a row and were able to title/register both.
-Usual issues of anything with an engine that sat (old fuel and oil): Need to drain and clear both; the gas tank is (per the gauge) half-full. It's not bad for 10 years old... which is still junk. I was able to get it to kinda run after more work (see below) but it needs drained. Same story with the oil... I need to decide what I want to run (stick with SAE-30, or maybe try 25W-40?). Outdrive oil will be changed per another service needed.
-Ignition is old and appears to all be original (to include cap, rotor, and wires; the points had and condenser had been changed). Given the failure when on the water and not seeing this as a concours restoration, I decided the best option was to upgrade to a Pertronix Ignitor setup (got lucky and scored some open box stuff on eBay for cheap). Need to do the rest; I haven't seen the plugs but the rest isn't all that worn/rotten if you'd believe it, which is why I've deferred them to later.
-Fuel system was/is a big mess. They had "upgraded" to a 4 barrel carb long ago, but it was done very poorly using a carb off a 1970s' ford super duty (with a coat hanger choke) and a very jerry rigged fuel system (old hard line with automotive fuel hose)... and no flame arrestor or anything at all on top. The only part of it I've kept is the Edelbrock intake... I got lucky on eBay (again, thankfully) and was able to nab a "barely used" Holley 5.0 Marine carb and flame arrestor for $400 on a best offer. Once that was installed, I ran some temporary fuel hose (more automotive crap, what I could get at the time) and (with the ignition work above) was able to get it to start and run, albeit with the throttle bumped and it running at 1200RPM. Was very smooth... Since then, I've swapped the fuel line for proper USCG rated hose; I still need to replace a missing gasket on the carb's fuel inlet (inlet screen assembly) which is leaking and replace the water separator (didn't swap due to using old fuel).
-Electrical system had issues too. Supposedly no gauges worked, but the fuel gauge did respond (may have a stuck sending unit, but I won't know until I pump out the tank) and the tach did work. Voltmeter works but the needle is busted (will need to pull the cluster to glue back on). Temp gauge works with the wire cheated; I haven't got it warm enough to see if the sending unit is any good. Trim gauge and switch are toast... wire crumbled. As of this evening I was finally able to get the grommet plate pulled from the outdrive (bought a 14" 1/4 extension and a used MAC swivel socket (1/4 drive 7/16") and such was able to get in without pulling the outdrive); I've done testing to confirm all the wiring and whatnot after the factory bullet splices is good. Need to order new switch/sender; the pucks are still good (tested tonight) but my attempts to salvage the grommets wasn't as good as I'd have liked (Are eBay trim kits any good?). Finally, the starter had been upgraded to a marine PMGR (it's a Ford thing), but rather than reuse the starter relay for the solenoid drive (and move the power cable to the other relay stud), they were driving it direct with the key. Not good. I have a relay in there for now, my current wiring is a big (different) mess; thought I needed a diode/relay circuit for getting ignition power in crank, but it seems the key switch provides run power in crank already; the ballast wire and second ignition relay connection are both cut). I'll probably mount a new relay (old one is missing nuts and a pain to access, possibly dead?) and redo/simplify the new ignition wiring. Finally, none of the nav lights were working; the stern light wiring burnt to a crisp (wires rotted like the trim cables), which I was able to fix by drilling/soldering new wires to the socket (it's a weird extra-long bolt pattern) and running a new ground connection (as that's the wire that fried); the bow light was luckily just a burnt bulb.
-Impeller isn't pulling water. I had muffs on it when I ran it... while water did make it to the manifolds and block (and it drained plenty when I winterized it last month), nothing came out the prop. Looks like I'm replacing the impeller too (going to also do the housing as it can't hurt).
-Back seat cushion needs reupholstered. A raccoon (or the like) got to it in storage. The one that's there isn't original (as such blew out of the boat while being towed one day), so eventually I'll get a new one made.
-Glove box latch busted (zinc briggs lock core sheared). Was able to redrill and trim the box to accept a generic Amazon latch. Doesn't quite look stock, but the factory latch is unobtanium.
-Need to get some supplies not included (flares, life ring/square, horn, new fender lines, etc.). They did include a few life jackets (good for initial testing), a couple ski ropes, a ski/tube harness, two sets of old wooden skis (clear coat not so good though), and a large barely-used airhead tube.
-Fuel cap is a jerry rigged rotten rubber plug. Will need to clean out the threads and see if a modern cap will fit (chain was broken, original is probably at the bottom of a lake somewhere!)
-Trailer wiring is a hot mess. I have new lights and most of the new wire but haven't gotten to wiring it yet. Winter project...
I'm hoping to have it ready to try out on the Ohio river (which I live 5 minutes from, Madison IN) this spring. I wasn't really looking to become a boat owner, but if I was to own one, a classic with a Ford V8 that goes fast would be it. I already own two Ford trucks (one of which, a 1984 F150, is what I'm towing with).
All said, not bad for "Free"*?
*- I do owe the best friend an Ohio river ride once it's riverworthy, as the one string attached. But he has to drive the 200 miles to meet me!
