Opinions on boat

wojciecj

Cadet
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
22
Hey guys. I'm considering buying a 1974 starcraft with a 120 mercruiser inboard.
The seller states that the engine is running but the bilge pump is broken. The floor is fiberglass with carpet that needs to be replaced. The seller states the main issue is the electrical and interior. He is asking $500. Does this seem like a good deal or am I just wasting my time on a money pit?

74 starcraft 120 merc inboard.jpg
74 starcraft engine.jpg
74 starcraft outdrive.jpg
 

wojciecj

Cadet
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
22
Re: Opinions on boat

Sorry if the pictures don't show up. I am still trying to figure out the site.
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: Opinions on boat

Good news: it's a neat little runabout and will probably be pretty quick. Mercruiser 120 should have decent parts support. Bad news: closed bow runabouts like that are really only good for running around. The closed bow is a waste of space. I was longing for an open bow pretty much the whole time I had my 16' closed boat. If the boat has any rot, it is expensive and time consuming to repair. I/O's that have been sitting usually need a good bit of maintenance to be made safe and reliable on the water.
 

greenbush future

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
1,814
Re: Opinions on boat

You need to check for rot in the stringers, and the transom may well be bad too. If they are all good then you have a decent boat for $500 that still needs a new floor. I'll bet there is some rot past the floor, just because it's an older boat. Are you looking for a project? or a turn key?
 

Prophammer

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
473
Re: Opinions on boat

I would try to get it for less, but would possibly go that high. I wouldn't be in a hurry to put it on the water. As far as being a money pit, all boats are a money pit, Old or Brand New!
 

wojciecj

Cadet
Joined
Apr 14, 2013
Messages
22
Re: Opinions on boat

When I go to look at the boat I will definitely look at the transom and stringers. I was just wondering how a fiberglass floor can still have stringers. I guess I don't understand what makes up the fiberglass floor. I thought the stringers were usually wooden support beams for a plywood floor. If it has a fiberglass floor are there still wooden stringers?
 

zool

Captain
Joined
Aug 19, 2012
Messages
3,432
Re: Opinions on boat

I have an all glass floor, it's molded up the sides and sits on bulkheads, there are 2 stringers notched under the bottom of the bulkheads running the length of the hull. No foam...but my deck sits about 3' above the centerline to allow for flush deck i/o's..its a bigger boat and im happy without the wood base.

 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
25,116
Re: Opinions on boat

Need to look thru some resto threads, and understand how boats are built. It will help you understand how best to take it apart, and how to put it back together......... More importantly, it will help you understand where & how to inspect during a pending boat purchase inspection.

A fiberglass deck is a POLYESTER RESIN & FIBERGLASS CLOTH covering OVER a plywood deck. The plywood is supported by stringers (long fore - aft running supports) and occasionally bulkheads (shorter, running port-starboard supports, like in front of & behind below deck fuel tanks).

Wooden stringers/bulkheads are usually encased in fiberglass & resin, for increased waterproofing & structural rigidity.

This ^^^ is typical, there are variations that include wood free stringers (Starcraft fiberglass boats of the late 60's were wood free stringers, I think, possibly later [or currently]), other stringers are foam filled, just something for the builders to drape resin & cloth over during production.

Some boats are made as 2 separate 'shells': a lower hull, and an upper liner that includes all of the interior finish surfaces. These liner boats (Boston Whaler among them) often have little to no wood below decks, but the space between the 2 shells is foam filled when the 2 parts are joined.

Your pending Starcraft is made from a hull (lower portion) and a cap (upper portion) and is joined behind the rubrail that runs around the perimeter of your boat.

As Ez said, closed bow runabouts aren't in great demand, and a fiberglass boat will require a substantial investment of time, energy & money. And is not an easy endeavor.

But dig around the resto forum, lots of great threads. Spend as much time as you can afford getting familiar w/ glass boats, the way they are built, taken apart, and where & how to look for problems. If only to use as a bargaining point w/ the seller.

If it's an SC American, they are well thought of hulls, and would make a worthy project.
 
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