New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

[GLG fishing]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

Now looks like I got to start on the camper as I have tail lights and charge for the camper, but no brake or turn signals.

Great to see you are coming along on your boat.
Just thought I would add to check the fuse box under the hood of your truck.
I chased a problem like that a few years ago and it turned out to be a fuse under the hood.

 

[heyyou325]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

Good thought on the fuse, but I've got juice to the plug. It's probably something simple like that tho. Getting antsy for my first fishing trip in 2 years tho, or from this boat.

 

[heyyou325]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

I don't know where else to put this so I'll bring this thread back up. I bought an electric trolling motor to use on both my boats, and with 2 motors already on the transom, plus it isn't that comfortable sitting back there with no back support, I am figuring on mounting it on the side. I looked it up on line and other people do it, called the native way on canoes and kayaks. Knowing the number of people here almost as frugal as me, I'm not cheap, just ask my wife, I figured this was a good spot to ask if anyone knew anything about it, like how hard it is to turn the boat. I'm going to build a removable mount out of square tubing that I can adjust for the difference in size of my boats. I'll be able to just slide it on and off (pinned of course) so I can pull it off in a hurry coming to a dock. I turned the head 90 degrees so the tiller faces me sitting up front. The bow mounts I've looked at all have too short a cable to the foot pedal to do me any good, plus it's too hard to get to the bow. Question is how will it steer.
Adding a new edlebrock carb, supposed to add 20 hp to the engine when I finish, and start easier than my quadrajet. I still have to outsmart my fuel tanks so I don't overfill them. My last trip out last year, my fuel selector valve messed up on me (seal wore out) and I sucked all the gas from one tank and put in the other. Problem was it was full. It went out the vent and ruined another paint job, plus a weekends fishing. Plus 30 gal gas into the lake costs a lot. Weather's turning nice so I thought I'd start working on the old gal again. Took me 2 weeks to find where I put the valve, in the cupholder in the cabin to the boat. Season's starting out normal.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

Gotta love spring (actually pre-spring). Even if it's colder than heck. Can you post a picture of the bow area where you want to mount the trolling motor?

 

[heyyou325]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

Not the bow, I can't get to it very easy to run it. Just thru the windshield, and with a cabin on both boats, that is not very easy. I'm thinking just behind the drivers seat in the cabin to mount a piece of 1" square tubing about 4" high, attached to the cabin frame which is 1 1/4 square tubing. Id weld tabs on it to screw it down. Then I'd use some 1 1/4 tubing over it making a 90, and out about a foot, and down about a foot. Using 1 inch tubing inside, I can adjust the height of the mount, I can use some 1 1/2 X 3 tubing to mount the motor too. A couple coats of epoxy to keep it from rusting, and paint. It would be almost 1/2 way between the bow and the transom. My question, before I build it is how responsive would the steering be? I'll have a 10 hp honda 4stroke on back for limping in with, just in case. I could troll with it, but the boss wants something quiet.
How's Zac doing? And the weather here warmed up a couple weeks ago, so it should there soon too. Nov, Dec, and Jan we were way above average in snow, but Feb has seen upper 30's and 40's all month. Only snowed twice, and that was spotty. I can see mud at my place now. I've even untarped the boat.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

How responsive? I don't know, I've used trolling motors in the front and the back but not in the middle. The front is most responsive I think. We all know how the back pushes/steers. The middle, hmmm. No experience with that. How about the front with a remote? Still hard to lower and raise though.

Zach is well. Almost to his blue belt in Karate. His 9th birthday was Sunday, 9 and half way to a junior black belt. Thanks for asking.

 

[heyyou325]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

I thought I had seen the footpedals with 15 to 20 cords, til I tried to buy one. The remotes are spendier than I want, and from what I hear troublesome. I've heard both ways in the middle. I used this one on the transom last year, and it worked for a few hrs before it was discharged, but not high speed. Not sure what I messed up on the wiring to charge it off my big motor, but it quit working the second day, then after 3 or 4 hrs, it discharged the battery to the point it didn't stay up. It quit charging on my main battery too for awhile, then started again, but didn't restart on my aux batt. I figured someone on here would have tried the electric motor in the middle. I guess if it doesn't work the other motor will help drown out the Mrs.

 

[64osby]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

Might need two, one for each side. Kind of like the old paddle wheelers.

 

[heyyou325]

Re: New owner 21 ft 74 Starcraft aluminum runabout jet

It should go ok, but it's the control I worry about. Like turning and going straight. I'd sort of like it in front of the fishing lines, and close to a seat with a back on it. I suppose I can build the removable bracket and try it, just thought someone might know something here.