1st time buying old boat

[rjgum23]

Hello ,
I'm looking for advise.
I'm looking to buy my 1st real boat so my wife and 2 kids and I can get out on the water. We have a bunch of canoes and kayaks but my children are very young 6yr and newborn. So I want us to be together in something stable. I'm very handy as I'm a 50yr old general Contractor and I have wrench on my own vehicles and motorcycles throughout the years. So a little project shouldn't be an issue.
I found a 73 starcraft 18ft holiday for sale in my area. It looks pretty much original.
It has 115 evinrude outboard mounted but there are 2 different throttle assemblies in the boat the evinrude assembly isn't mounted. The lady is selling it for her uncle so I don't have alot if info.
I can't hear it run . The registration stickers are 2023. The boat is sitting outside without a coverand had water sitting in the bottom of the hull. I jacked up the front so the water would run to the rear and gallons came out of the drain but I also saw water coming from some seams or rivets in the rear. She has the title for the boat but not the trailer which is a bummer considering I'm in Ilinois and it's required.
She'll let me have it for $600.
Should I keep looking or is this a good boat to put some time into?
Thank you for any advice.

 

[alldodge]

Welcome

I can't hear it run

If unable to get it started is because you or she does not know how, or is it something else?
Not able to hear it run is a non-starter, I would pass

It looks pretty good so was taken care of.

 

[rjgum23]

Welcome


If unable to get it started is because you or she does not know how, or is it something else?
Not able to hear it run is a non-starter, I would pass

It looks pretty good so was taken care of.

I don't have access to water where the boat is stored. And I don't think the motor is hook up correctly

 

[Kmsp1264]

It looks pretty good, I restored a ‘74 Holiday I/O in rough shape. Needed floor and transom. The rivets need to be tightened up with a rivet gun and bucking bar. You need to put water inside and mark the leaking rivets, tighten them up then coat the interior with a sealing product. Of course the boat is stripped down to metal.
It’s a big project.

 

[racerone]

At $600 it looks to be a good deal if the motor is a 73 or newer.----Looks like that motor is older with electric shift and trouble some battery electronic ignition.

 

[motley crew]

Hello ,
I'm looking for advise.
I'm looking to buy my 1st real boat so my wife and 2 kids and I can get out on the water. We have a bunch of canoes and kayaks but my children are very young 6yr and newborn. So I want us to be together in something stable. I'm very handy as I'm a 50yr old general Contractor and I have wrench on my own vehicles and motorcycles throughout the years. So a little project shouldn't be an issue.
I found a 73 starcraft 18ft holiday for sale in my area. It looks pretty much original.
It has 115 evinrude outboard mounted but there are 2 different throttle assemblies in the boat the evinrude assembly isn't mounted. The lady is selling it for her uncle so I don't have alot if info.
I can't hear it run . The registration stickers are 2023. The boat is sitting outside without a coverand had water sitting in the bottom of the hull. I jacked up the front so the water would run to the rear and gallons came out of the drain but I also saw water coming from some seams or rivets in the rear. She has the title for the boat but not the trailer which is a bummer considering I'm in Ilinois and it's required.
She'll let me have it for $600.
Should I keep looking or is this a good boat to put some time into?
Thank you for any advice.

little late to the party here dont know what you ended up doing but just to let you know if thats an electric shift evenrude be ready it probably wont work and parts for them are very hard to find unless you have a good source boat looks pretty good otherwise stil be ready to put a couple thousand into

 

[racerone]

Just zoomed in on the control box.-----Boat in post #1.-----Appears to have a throttle and shift cable.----Not electric shift and 73 or newer motor.

 

[motley crew]

Just zoomed in on the control box.-----Boat in post #1.-----Appears to have a throttle and shift cable.----Not electric shift and 73 or newer motor.

thats a good thing good chance hook it up get it adj and works

 

[racerone]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the concept of hydro-electric shift.----Elegantly simple and reliable.----Just not well understood by folks today.

 

[airshot]

Back in my younger days, when the electric shift was popular, most issues were caused by lack of maintenence....similar to most boat motor issues !!

 

[racerone]

See more trouble today caused by mis-adjustment of mechanical shift rod and slow shifting by newbies.

 

[rolmops]

It looks nice on the surface, but the big red flag to me is all the water pouring out when you raised the front. The flotation material in the boat has been sitting in the water for at least one winter and probably more than that. My guess is that it is completely soaked The rivets leaking in the rear may very well be a result of water freezing and thawing inside the boat. Removing all the foam and fixing the rivets is quite time consuming.
Not a big deal if you have time.
The big deal is wife and kids in a boat like that. You do not want to be on the water unless that boat is completely seaworthy.
A family boat needs to be exactly that.