Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

[chrisp929]

This will be my first boat .. yes it will take some work . yes its older and i don't care .. I have been looking for the last 3 months for a boat .. i was looking from 5K thru 25K ...

Then i started to think . WHAT am i doing . putting so much into a first time boat . THEN i started reading up on the Starcraft restorations everyone was doing . and i said . THATS IT . i have to get me one of those suckers ..

Found THIS:

" 1966 Starcraft 16ft "Jupiter" fishing boat. 80hp Evinrude Starflite VIII Electric Shift, 1969 Dilly Trailer. Classic little fishing boat. "AND" this boat is all aluminum!!! Seats in good shape. Fish all day with this "V"-Bow made-for-angleling boat. "

Asking price is $1,900.00

Small dealer said he pulled it out of a barn or garage .. said the motor runs fine but doesn't pee .. said prolly waterpump and has parts on order.. said they been on order for a week or more and sould be in any day now ..
I'm gonna go see it tomorrow and put a deposit down . i'll make sure its refundable and as long as the dealership gets the engine running, i'm gonna buy it .. how can i go wrong . .SUPER VINTAGE .. good first boat as long as the engine runs ..
What should i look for ?

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

where do you liveBig diff. on price and going thru a dealer as he will mark up any deal to make his profit,as he should.IMHO thats a lot of monry for a 41 year old boat and a motor with issues. I suggesst you look around more.

 

[bananaboater]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Sounds like you know what you are getting yourself into. Price might be a bit high, especially if it needs a lot of work, decking, seats, paint, motor?, steering system, transom, etc.

Look for soft floor, you will probably wind up replacing it anyway if it is original. Look for stress cracks around the stern, knees, along keel and chines. Hull dents/repairs. The important parts are the hull, motor. Most other things are more easily repaired and less $.

If you get it welcome to Starmada and of course post pics.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Welcome to the site chrisp...glad you are excited about a vintage aluminum Starcraft, we share your respect for vintage tin to say the least...but I gotta be honest on that electric shifter...you may want to find a hull with a newer outboard or buy a boat lacking one and find a good one.

I'd hate to see you buy it only to find that parts and mechanics to work on the Evinrude are expensive or hard to find.

Good luck to ya!

 

[barato]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Chris, i'm with HA on this one.

those old lectric shift Johnnyrudes have a horrible rep for problems (water + electricity, who could have predicted?) and are very hard to find anyone who even remembers what they look like let alone can/will work on them. i think i'd only get into that boat if i did my own work and/or if i planned on replacing motor at some point. and for relatively top $ for a 16' lumie....

OTOH, i dunno if the power head on these is identical to a manual shift 70hp so that you'd only have to replace lower unit if/when the lectroshift went south....i'm sure lower units for these are cheap on fleebay.

i don't think i'd be in any hurry to jump on this one unless seller comes off price a bit. 16' SCs are really pretty common, even down here where there's no water, and are thick as fleas in the midwest.

 

[barato]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

the problem with this motor, as with anything that old which is no longer in current use, is that they simply aren't worth it for a shop to work on....no one wants to pay shop rates of $40/hr, and shops end up with a lot of repaired motors that they have to sell via mechanics' lien procedure since people don't come back to pick em up once they hear the final tab. same reason that finding someone to work on your old Jap bike is difficult.

i think i'd find a local shop that knows the lectroshift motors and will work on em, or be sure you're comfortable with doing the work yourself, before committing to the deal. might start with asking the svc dept of that dealer, as this might be very instructive.

 

[chrisp929]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Thanks guys .. After looking harder i thought the same. Very pricey for an old boat. I was gonna drive 2 hours for that boat as well.

INSTEAD:

So i put a WANTED ad on craigslist and within 2 hours, found THIS for $700 negotiable.
Guy is local and said he would even deliver. Prolly wants it off his property.
When viewing the pictures keep in mind the pictures are a year old. SO ..

NO OUTBOARD, different trailer ( guy said still nice tho ) ..

Keep in mind i plan on gutting everything down to nothing like you other guys and your restoration jobs. So all the seats etc are garbage.
Opinions and one question. The windshield as you see comes with the boat but the guy said i have to get new mounting brackets/clips ...
what's that mean .. what exactly would i be missing off a 50+ year old boat that i will need 'new' of .. ?

thanks

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Where are you located Chrisp?

For just the hull and unknown trailer I wouldnt go anywhere over $500, but thats just me.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

You are going to need steering thats about $ 175-200 The seats look useable for now if they are that good still. Trailer make sure it has Title as well as the Boat, if you buy . What about the motor that was on it. Is it avilable.and at what cost there could be $ 500 to 1000. Floor and transom another$150-200 . As you see it adds up so be patient and be sure to look around and see the boat in person before you buy. Test the floor and the transom. I bought more trouble than I wanted in my 16 SS but the motor being rebuilt and running made it kind of ok.The advise you get here is worth the time to consider. None is ment to discourage your quest. We have all made choices and wish we had known more about. what to look for. Again where do you call home ?

 

[chrisp929]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Sorry,

Albany NY is home.

Jeez, with all the guys restoring these boats from ground up, i thought that dropping a few hundred on basically a shell and shoddy trailer wasn't that bad. You guys are making me nervous now. I just saw what others put into their boats and assumed i could do the same.

I understand that it will take money to get the boat restored from ground up. In fact i have to assume that it will take a LOT of money to get it completely restored. Far more than the cost of the hull and an old tailer.
The trailer alone i will have to replace tires, wheel bearings, electrical harness and all lights. Thats assuming it tracks well. THen rollers, new bunks etc.

I assume it will take money. That i am willing to part with. I thought it was going to be a fun project but i guess it can certainly be time consuming and money consuming.
What have you guys spent in total for a complete ground up restore like so many have posted about ? Whats realistic ?

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Dont be discouraged by our opinions, just trying to share what we've learned. The moral of the story is dont buy a project boat with the thoughts of saving any money, we do it cause we are slightly crazy..... I mean we love working on these things. I dont think anyone can give you a straight answer on how much to expect spending, way to many variables, biggest variable being how fancy you want to get. You can buy a matching set of high quality seating or you can buy $25 boat seats from Walmart and slap them on some pedistals.

So if you love the boat, drop the cash and jump in the crazy pool.

 

[chrisp929]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Yea,

I know it will cost me time and money. Honestly the only thing i worry about is purchasing a period outboard that runs well and will run well for a long time, and WIRING. I am NOT very good with wiring. I will want things like horn, marine radio, am/fm and i LOVE the LED flush mount LED lights everyone is installing. Although not period to the boat, they are relatively non intrusive and only add to the style in my opinion.
I guess i wil have to see the trailer this guy has in stock for me. I'm not worried the least by the condition of the wood of the boat. I only care that the wood comes out enuf to get a template for new wood.
I have a WEST MARINE close by and many other marine supply companies local enuf to not worry about where to purchase things i'll need. Living at the junction of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers in upstate NY has SOME benefits.

EDIT TO ADD QUESTION: Anyone have any clue how i determine the age of the boat, and model/type ?
Thanks

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Just for comparison.

My red boat I traded for a compound bow that I had $350 in. And taking a stab in the dark that Ive got $1500 into it.

(Homecoming pictures)

The new project Holiday I traded for two guns I had $250 into.

 

[CBGale2]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Do yourself a favor and stay as far away from West Marine as you can, my cheap dutch heart almost quit when I walked into that place after I was about done fixing up the red boat. Prices where almost double what I ordered everything for offline. Just my opinon on those folks..... RUN!!!!

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

I'll give it a quick try boat- motor-trailer-$ 800 lights on trailer bearings just to move it 400 miles home plus tires $ 210. paint stripper $ 25-30 foam for floor $50. plywood flooring $125. glovet for sealing hull 1 quart $ 54. plywood sides and consuls $28. paint -sealler floor$40. vinyl floor $108. misc material rivits screws nuts-bolts $all aluminum and stainless steel $45. exterior paint etch primer $28. primer paint $28. top coat 3 coats$ 56. Seats $100. steering rotary $. 160 and more smaller expensis and 3 months work. $ 1862 dollars BUT I have a like new boat that any thing worn is new. I have yet to license the trailer another $50 first time for inspection. So thats not that bad compare 18-19 hundred to 10 -12 thousand. good deal. Titles are of most importance for boat and trailer.

 

[Bob Gilvary]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

As far as dating your boat, just guessing, I'd say an early to mid 60's.

Another guy on here just got what he says is a 63' Jupiter, and I have no reason to doubt him. It looks just like yours. I've got a 63' Jupiter that's slightly different than his. It could've been that 63' was the year of change in those boats.

Look for a factory tag that shows year, capacity, and hp limit. On my boat it's in the splash well area, port side.

Those old Starcrafts were built to the quality of airplanes. Cross ribs 10" on center, double row of rivets where the hull meets the bow or transom, and a thicker gauge aluminum than you find in todays comparable tinnies. They also put a sealer strip between where these panels met and were riveted

You can expect to replace all the wood in the boat, but if you're careful to grind off the heads of all the rivets that hold it in, even some of the rotted parts will come out to give you a template.

I'm sure glad you passed on that first boat. That old 80 hp and electric shift were way too heavy for that transom and the electric shift was a complete pain, that required a special lower unit oil.

Many years ago I sold an old Jupiter to a guy that put a late model 88 hp on it. It had an older V-4 60 hp on it. Not sure if it was the weight and bounce from trailering or the force of the hp, but it split both sides at the transom hull area, in less than 6 months.

I beat my boat every day, by banging crab traps on the gunnel. Yeah, I'm cruel, but this boat can handle that type of work, and not show any abuse.

If you go the max hp, which I believe will be 80 hp, you'll have a 50 plus mph boat. That's scary fast on the water, I've only got a 25 hp on mine and it'll do the breakneck speed of 26 mph.

Negotiate the 700.00 and see what you can get it for. You'll be tickled with something of your own creation.

 

[fshngho]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Chris, if you have the money and know what your getting into, buy it. There are resto's that cost less than a grand and some guys put that much just in seats, your choice. Its YOUR project and YOUR boat so ask yourself if its the boat you want. As someone said, if the hull is in good shape the rest can be fixed with time and $$$. The best advice is to look around and be sure this is the style/model you want. What do you plan to do with it and where? Fishing, cruising, camping, tubeing or water skiing? Lakes, rivers or ocean? Starcraft has 'em all
So you understand, after is all said and done we probably never will get our money back for what we invest, but we rarely want to sell anyway.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

Jupiters are a great boat. Check out the link in my signature to mine. For outboards my recommendation is 1973 or newer Johnson/Evinrudes for best parts and service support. A lot of Mercurys are great too but I don't know as much about them and I do know there are some models with spotty parts support. Anything from the late 70's on should be ok I would think. Avoid Chrysler/Force due to limited parts and service support.

 

[fshngho]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

I have a 86 Merc 135hp and some parts are available. Its just the small things like carb floats that no one makes anymore
Do your homework before buying like EZ warns.

 

[barato]

Re: Found: 1966 Jupiter w/ 80HP Evinrude, prolly gonna buy.

i'll echo fishnho's comments about be sure you buy the right hull for your purposes. i have a 16' tinnie which i only realized was the wrong hull for my plans AFTER i'd plowed a bunch of $ and time into it. (so i massively modified it, but that's another story)

and EZ is right on as far as engines....Mercs prior to maybe 80s tend to require more special tools than OMCs and OMC parts availability is a little better. there are about a million old outboards that all require 1. impeller replacement 2. carb clean/rebuild and/or 3. replacement of ignition box.....but are otherwise in good shape. $20 compression tester from Harbor Fright will tell you measures about internals of engine. don't be in a hurry on motors. you might even try the CL wanted ad like you did with boat.

on that boat, it's definitely early 60s...the curved plexi windshield is dead giveaway....i think they went to flat glass in alum frames by late 60s.