Starcraft American 18 Fiberglass 1979 Engine Bay

[popey]

hi there,

in order to open the engine bay an to keep the cover up (hopefully) I am using a pole. This is not a reliable solution. Does anyone have a better idea? This thing is quite heavey - would a hydraulic item fit to open it with ease and keep it open for sure.

Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,

popey,


An other question - in the US this boat was built in aluminium, whereas for us in Europe they made a Fiberglass version. Is there a reason for it?

 

[Kainon]

Re: Starcraft American 18 Fiberglass 1979 Engine Bay

Welcome, you could do hydraulics/gas assist units like car hoods, trunks, etc.. BUT if you needed to remove the hood then the removal of the lifts could be a pain.

I recommend attaching a hinge to the pole, maybe so it stores down low and then lift it and have a socket for it to fit into so it would be tough to knock out of place and less likely to hit you on the head.

Most covers I've seen have detachable hinges on the front of the cover at the deck and tip forward, I have often thought about tipping up, maybe with a hydraulic pump, a second tilt/trim pump maybe and using an extra ram from an outdrive.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Starcraft American 18 Fiberglass 1979 Engine Bay

The American hulls are all fiberglass here in the States, too. In aluminum, the Holiday is the closed foredeck runabout and the Super Sport is the open bow version. The American series hull was used on the later Medalist series.