First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

[cnyboater88]

Hello to all of iboats forums. After spending countless hours of searching craigslist for the perfect boat, I wound up finding this little guy by accident driving down a side street. I had every intension of trying to get one by the end of winter, but nothing appealing came along for the right price till now and I'm sure glad I waited. Couldn't be happier. Depending on how things go I may have it in the water sometime in august. I have big plans for this little guy. He's basically a blank slate. I would like to keep everything somewhat era correct with some modern ergonomics and designs that I've been construing for months now. I Plan on keeping it orange along with its name "Orange Crush". Definitely keeping the awesome windshield. I'm not 100% positive if the windshield is original, but either way it's in great shape compared to some I've seen. The matching vinyl seats are in surprisingly decent condition, although the wood frames are rotting and extremely heavy. If I can get the vinyl restored and make some new frames I would be thrilled. I'm debating whether to stick with the enormous "looking" 1958 Evinrude Lark 35 or to get something newer. Seems like the motor doesn't really match the boat to me. I feel like it would look better on a woody or something older. Would also like to take advantage of the max 40 hp rating. Depending on whether to keep the Lark or not will also decipher whether to raise the transom to accommodate a 20" shaft or to keep it as a 15". Finding a short shaft 40hp is not looking to promising. Anyways my plan is to strip the boat of everything, remove floor, check/repair leaks, paint, replace floor and foam, add new transom, add seats windshield and hardware, then accessorize. I'm pretty handy guy and after reading all the amazingly informative posts on here I'm feeling pretty confident that it will be a successful endeavor. Any tips or Comments are more than appreciated. I will also do my best to keep updating my progress with lots of pictures.

 

[djpeters]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Nice Boat! Welcome!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

The Lark would look GREAT on cleaned up & running good on the back of a red 14' Holiday. Specifically the red DJ ^^ used on his 22' SS:
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...arcraft-supersport-v5-restoration-427003.html

The windshield is period correct for a 1972. What makes you think it's not the original w/s?

If the Lark runs, it can fetch a pretty good price, since it looks to be in great condition for a 50+yr old motor. I'd keep it & run it.

If you raise the transom, you'll need to fab a new aluminum cap to cover it, add to the back skin of the transom, and depending on the style of your endcaps, you may need to modify them. But it can be done & done well.

Welcome to the iboats dry dock, tin division.

 

[cnyboater88]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Hello and thanks for the welcoming!

I do agree, the lark would look pretty sweet all nice and shiny. It seems to be pretty rare from what I've been reading. I have yet to see if it starts though. been busy with life and pulling the boat apart so far. The guy i bought it from literally knew nothing about it and sold it to me thinking it was seized up. little did he know....Got it home, and immediately noticed that the teeth of the starter were jammed in the upright, engaged position. hmmmm. So here's my diagnosis of what happened to this guy. Joe shmoe was probably driving along (in too shallow of water most likely), next thing he knows the engine stalls out abruptly. He immediately tries to restart it (not assuming that he's got a rock jammed it the prop) and jams the starter gear. Ounce he discovered and removed the rock he tried to starting again further jamming the gear. All bummed out and having no common sense he gets a tow home and lets the boat sit for 2 years. Theres a nice indent on the cavitation plate and on one of the blades, leaving me to think that this must have been the case because ounce I freed up the gear it turned right over. With good compression too! I'm Crossing my fingers that she runs with only a little tlc even though I'm most likely going to sell it so I can get a motor that charges the battery. Not sure how much its worth when running though. I believe the controls and electronics are original too. any suggestions??

My confusion about the the windshield being original stems from the confusion of my boats year. There is no Holiday 14 in the 72 brochure, but there is an identical Sunbird 14 with a shorter windshield. I cant find a 1973 brochure to see if the boat was built in 72 for the 73 model year either. I wonder if they even did that back then like manufactures do now?

 

[barato2]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

what a beautiful boat. you done good. what did you have to give for her?

on the motor....that's a version of the ubiquitous OMC "big twin". very reliable motors, not many weak spots except for the coils cracking with age....but you can replace the entire ignition system on one for about $100. they are thirsty for the HP and an example that old may be hard to find parts for. i don't lightly disagee with the learned JB, but i don't think it's worth much $....they're pretty common, altho ones that old aren't. if you do decide to sell it, you might post some info on Fiberglassics, since those are the guys who will want the "old style" cowl you have.....that's what will make it worth anything. the control set may be worth as much as the motor since it looks to be in great shape. run it or sell it? dunno, maybe at least get it going and then decide. if it were me, i'd look for a newer motor as i agree with you that it doesn't really "match" the boat.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Here are some handy links for your motor. You can get most routine parts to get her up and running right here at iboats.

Reviving a Vintage Big Twin - Part 1
1958 Evinrude 25936 35 hp Outboard Motor Parts

 

[barato2]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Max Wawryzniak, who wrote that article, is pretty much The Man on these motors. if you do decide to run that motor, drop $25 on his book Cheap Outboards....most every maintenance chore you'll need to do on it is explained in detail with good pix.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Yeah, I didn't say a HEFTY good price, and certainly not enough to buy a new 50hp..... I would however run it, since ya own it

But yep if you 'need' a vintage 35hp for a project, your Lark's a good 1 to get

The guys over at Fiberglassics do like the oldies. In fact the cowl & controls may very well be worth as much (or more) then the motor itself.... More then 1 of those FG guys have been modifying vintage cowls to new 2cyl & 4cyl motors A big twin has a pretty large cowl for a 35, allowing fitment to larger HP newer motors. Having a big & boxy cowl makes stretching it to fit easier if need be too....

 

[jasoutside]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Sharp little Holiday you scored there, very cool!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: First Boat Rehab! 1972 Starcraft Holiday 14 O.B.

Max Wawryzniak, who wrote that article, is pretty much The Man on these motors. if you do decide to run that motor, drop $25 on his book Cheap Outboards....most every maintenance chore you'll need to do on it is explained in detail with good pix.

+1. Great book and well worth the expense. You may even be able to find it used online somewhere.