My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

[tomn916]

Hi guys. I'm new here and trying to get the trim set right. I posted on the 'Show us your Starcraft' thread and it was suggested that I post here.

My friend gave me a fiberglass Starcraft. I'm still trying to get it home because the wheel bearings on the trailer are shot. Should have that fixed by the weekend. In the meantime, here are a few pictures.

Here she is, in all of her oxidized glory.



I know she is a 14 foot '64. I don't know the model. The plate has had something clamped to it wiping out the model number. What is left says "14 COB". The rest is gone.



The engine is a '69 Johnson 55hp with really bad wiring.



I want to make this boat pretty and reliable. Once I get her home there will be the compression check and other engine related tests to see if I should fix the engine or find another. The paperwork wont be a problem, and the boat seems worth saving at this point.

Anyway, I'm hoping to fix her and have a nice little boat I can trailer to the mountains or to the Sacramento river delta in search of fish or beers. I'm generally better at finding beers than fish. We'll see.

I'm going to post over at Fiberglassics.com for identification, which was suggested elsewhere too. If anyone here can help me out, however, that would be appreciated.

Thanks and take care,
Tom

 

[BonairII]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Make sure to inspect the floors for soft spots. If the boat has been out in the weather, the transom/floors might be shot. Make sure to check it over carefully. Hang your weight on the motor to see if the transom flexes at all. It's not a scientific test, but it should give you a idea of how solid it is.

 

[Chip Chester]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

And, of course, if you don't have clear, legal title to it (if req. in your state) don't even take it home...

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Check the 64 brochures to see what model she is.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Look thru some of the threads in the Resto forum

And the threads in Don's how to's

Lots of good info in both places. Look for woodonglass', oops, and friscoboater's threads & posts in the resto forums. Their threads can be very helpful.

There are lots of helpful folks in the SC owner's group, but fiberglass is not their preferred build media for boats

Welcome to the iboats dry dock....

 

[VanderLaan]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

My friend gave me a fiberglass Starcraft. I'm still trying to get it home because the wheel bearings on the trailer are shot.

Some friend. I would suggest you go punch them in the head.

All jokes aside, welcome to the Starmada. I think that would be a sweet little boat.

 

[tomn916]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Check the 64 brochures to see what model she is.

Thanks. I've figured out that I have a 14' Cobra. Now the brochure says that the recommended engine is 15 - 45 hp. The Coast Guard plate says the max engine size is 75 hp. I'm not sure which one to believe. I imagine she should get up and go with the 55 that's on her now. I'd think that a 75 would just be foolhardy.

 

[tomn916]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Look thru some of the threads in the Resto forum

And the threads in Don's how to's

Lots of good info in both places. Look for woodonglass', oops, and friscoboater's threads & posts in the resto forums. Their threads can be very helpful.

There are lots of helpful folks in the SC owner's group, but fiberglass is not their preferred build media for boats

Welcome to the iboats dry dock....

Thanks for the welcome.

I've been looking through those forums and there is a lot of good stuff there. I have one question, however. Is it mandatory that I add 5 feet to the hull?

 

[tomn916]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Some friend. I would suggest you go punch them in the head.

All jokes aside, welcome to the Starmada. I think that would be a sweet little boat.

Well, I did give him a fiberglass Travco motorhome once upon a time. This could be his revenge.

I think that the boat will be sweet as well. Hopefully it won't take too much to get to that point. Thanks for the welcome.

 

[barato2]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Is it mandatory that I add 5 feet to the hull?
no, that will come after you've owned this one for a while, then you'll go looking for a 19'er to complement this one.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

Thanks for the welcome. I've been looking through those forums and there is a lot of good stuff there. I have one question, however. Is it mandatory that I add 5 feet to the hull?

Strange that you'd ask. There is currently a motion on the floor to increase the minimum required stretch to 6' 5.75" for inclusion in the hallowed Wall of Plum Crazy boat builders.... oops is their un-official poster child.:facepalm: Frosty adult libations are frequently chosen, however, they too are not required.........


Get the boat put back together & free of any wet wood &/or foam & w/ the 55hp, she'll probably get up & go quite nicely

 

[tomn916]

Re: My friend gave me a boat, what do I do now?

It's been a while but here's an update. The boat finally made it to my house a few weeks ago. She's been cleaned out and pressure washed. Overall things look pretty good cosmetically. The deck and transom seem solid, but there are gelcoat repairs to the hull in my future. The engine is pumping out 130 psi on all three cylinders, which has me stoked. Plus, the new internal wiring harness arrived today and I'm about to go out and compare it to the one on the engine. I hope it's right! The shop manuals should arrive on Friday. I'll post some pics later tonight.