OK... got this back in August, after almost 20 years of no boat. Was a budget-buy with family that comes up here twice a year pitching in and got a good deal on it. Spent a lot of time tracking things down about the boat but not a lot of info is out there.
So first the pic (did not get anymore yet, it is parked and tarped right now so will get more this week/weekend).
1977 Sport-craft C-Eagle 250
Looked for as much info as I could on these boats... not much on the interwebz, but spoke with many old salts in the area here. Sportcraft is viewed as a good boat if from the right time frame, which this is. Being a small town here the PO was known as was the boat. The boat was considered a good boat (excepting some internal issues) and had been mechanically well cared for, the owner... well...
Sportcraft boats are well liked here on the great lakes and some of the guides I know were very adamant that it was a good choice.
So... got the boat and trailer, fixed the trailer (bunk uprights were weak and twisted) by welding one crack on it and then fabbing new uprights for the trailer from 3" c-channel steel 3/16 inch thick and welding in place, then wiring it for lights.
Took me one day to get the boat ready for the water safely, after I spent one day of inspection duty on all the gear and mechanicals etc. Had to add a sternlight to the list as wife dropped the lens for it in the bay when removing the bulb to get a new one
Now the season is over, the boat is sitting next to the house awaiting the long dark winter and snows. Everything has been winterized. Went over the boat again with flashlight, hammer, meter, and buck-knife.
Here is the list:
Electrical:
1. Redo all but engine. The PO has 5 splices in the bilge-pump line alone! Get rid of all the dang splices! Update to ISO wiring standard.
2. Shift batteries from current position (abaft engine) to new one more forward near the bulkhead (she sits a bit low at the stern)
3. Re-wire windlass, automatic breaker and wirenuts on the existing wiring scare me.
Mechanical:
1. new valve cover gaskets to take care of very small seepage.
2. Add a rudder position indicator.
3. Repair prop. There was an underwater obstruction at the end of the ramp dock and it bent up my prop. Owner of marina is gonna pay half of repair or replace - my choice. He offered to when it hit and he was standing there at the dock, surprised him it was there.
Structural:
1. Deck replacement in bow (5 ft by 3 foot)
2. Deck replacement in forward section of main deck (will be a full sheet of ply) where rotted from carpet.
3. Rebuild pedestals for seats (storage box under captain, cooler under passenger seat) and sink cabinet on main deck.
4. Fix transom - was done locally but failed. not fiberglassed on inner side so now rotting. All on starboard side. Removing gas tank is the puzzling part right now.
5. reseal all thru-hull
6. Paint, etc. Get her Purdy.
7. fill all the holes in front cuddy and dash from PO who had fun with a drill apparently. Guess he did not know any better about plugging holes when removing a fish finder and putting in a new one (left the wires too, just dangling!) either.
Good:
Main deck is SOLID. just pull up the carp vinyl cover, lay a single extra layer of glass for smoothness, gelcoat, and ??? - not sure about finish.
Stringers are SOLID.
Engine is good. compression, leak-down, and all other checks great. Leakdown under 8% all cylinders.
I figure this to be a lot of work, but not as much as some projects here. Still, I believe it is do-able for less than the pistons and cylinders alone are gonna cost for my 1968 Porsche 911 rebuild in progress and now on hold (4,500 bucks for pistons and cylinders! 150 bucks just for main bearings! total for all parts and machining is 9,000)
Any feedback, opinions?
So first the pic (did not get anymore yet, it is parked and tarped right now so will get more this week/weekend).
1977 Sport-craft C-Eagle 250
Looked for as much info as I could on these boats... not much on the interwebz, but spoke with many old salts in the area here. Sportcraft is viewed as a good boat if from the right time frame, which this is. Being a small town here the PO was known as was the boat. The boat was considered a good boat (excepting some internal issues) and had been mechanically well cared for, the owner... well...
Sportcraft boats are well liked here on the great lakes and some of the guides I know were very adamant that it was a good choice.So... got the boat and trailer, fixed the trailer (bunk uprights were weak and twisted) by welding one crack on it and then fabbing new uprights for the trailer from 3" c-channel steel 3/16 inch thick and welding in place, then wiring it for lights.
Took me one day to get the boat ready for the water safely, after I spent one day of inspection duty on all the gear and mechanicals etc. Had to add a sternlight to the list as wife dropped the lens for it in the bay when removing the bulb to get a new one
Now the season is over, the boat is sitting next to the house awaiting the long dark winter and snows. Everything has been winterized. Went over the boat again with flashlight, hammer, meter, and buck-knife.
Here is the list:
Electrical:
1. Redo all but engine. The PO has 5 splices in the bilge-pump line alone! Get rid of all the dang splices! Update to ISO wiring standard.
2. Shift batteries from current position (abaft engine) to new one more forward near the bulkhead (she sits a bit low at the stern)
3. Re-wire windlass, automatic breaker and wirenuts on the existing wiring scare me.
Mechanical:
1. new valve cover gaskets to take care of very small seepage.
2. Add a rudder position indicator.
3. Repair prop. There was an underwater obstruction at the end of the ramp dock and it bent up my prop. Owner of marina is gonna pay half of repair or replace - my choice. He offered to when it hit and he was standing there at the dock, surprised him it was there.
Structural:
1. Deck replacement in bow (5 ft by 3 foot)
2. Deck replacement in forward section of main deck (will be a full sheet of ply) where rotted from carpet.
3. Rebuild pedestals for seats (storage box under captain, cooler under passenger seat) and sink cabinet on main deck.
4. Fix transom - was done locally but failed. not fiberglassed on inner side so now rotting. All on starboard side. Removing gas tank is the puzzling part right now.
5. reseal all thru-hull
6. Paint, etc. Get her Purdy.
7. fill all the holes in front cuddy and dash from PO who had fun with a drill apparently.
Guess he did not know any better about plugging holes when removing a fish finder and putting in a new one (left the wires too, just dangling!) either.Good:
Main deck is SOLID. just pull up the carp vinyl cover, lay a single extra layer of glass for smoothness, gelcoat, and ??? - not sure about finish.
Stringers are SOLID.
Engine is good. compression, leak-down, and all other checks great. Leakdown under 8% all cylinders.
I figure this to be a lot of work, but not as much as some projects here. Still, I believe it is do-able for less than the pistons and cylinders alone are gonna cost for my 1968 Porsche 911 rebuild in progress and now on hold (4,500 bucks for pistons and cylinders! 150 bucks just for main bearings! total for all parts and machining is 9,000
)Any feedback, opinions?
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