Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Well...

I FINALLY SOLD MY FIBERGLASSIC Larson! Well ok... got a verbal deal on the books, now just need to make it to Wednesday without the buyer getting cold feet. Not sure why he would though..I took him for a 15 - 25 minute boat ride today on the Mississippi so not sure why it would fall through BUT Ive seen it before!

Once its out of the way in the driveway its TIME TO ROCK THE SS! My 73 Starcraft SS FINALLY gets some love! Going to get the engine to run first (hopefully) then begin planning the restore. Not sure how Im going to paint it (don't have access to heated garage this winter, at least not one close) but will figure something out...maybe next spring and then just have everything else ready to go back together (I will have room to cut and seal the floors, console wood, etc.). Biggest thing I need to do is get motor working and boat painted to red and white, according to the wife, then she will be happy with it. She doesn't want fiberglass 1969 to go, she likes it better than the SS ! She says "Its more speed boat style and the color (avocado) on the Starcraft thingy sucks... !

Anyways...bout time!

ChuckNDiscs

 

[barato]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

hmmmm...i might prioritize the paint. once she likes the way it looks, every expenditure you have to make on the rest o' the resto will be just that little bit easier to get cleared with the mgmt

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Hope all goes well with the 'glass rig...maybe tell her that while it may not look like it...the SS is actually a tin speedboat capable of blowing heavier 'glass rigs transoms off

Looking forward to your progress on the new rig

 

[flatsider45]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Man what a deal ! I gave 500.00 for my 73 and had a boat anchor Chrysler on it and had to pull it up to my burn pile and shovel the interior out of it!That boat is in real good shape and looks like it's got all the good aluminum pieces with it and a top. Lucky,lucky,lucky.Good luck with it.Still working on mine,but it's coming along.Shooting for mid Sept.to finish her.Love my SS!

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Best news yet!... I think I found a garage to work on it and store for the winter! It's not heated but insulated, which is alright Ill just heat it when needed. Confirmation later this week... if it's true then most definetly RESTO TIME!

Yeah it's got a lot going for it but I'd do the floors, paint it all, replace foam, replace dash's with cedar (looks SO nice in a couple other resto threads) and likely transom since it would be easiest to get to it at the time...

 

[barato]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

that's great! just be careful when doing the resto since your heat source will likely be propane or similar open flame....i still don't know how we didn't blow my garage and ourselves up when we painted my VW inside with a 200K btu propane heater and the air so full of VOCs that it was foggy...either atmosphere was too rich with vapors to ignite or the Vehicle Deities were looking out for drunks n fools

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Sometime the last inpresions are the most acurate. LOL

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Any reason you can't get it stripped out, flipped over and painted this summer? Then you can work on less temp sensitive issues this winter. Or are you planning on running it as-is for a while?

 

[djpeters]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Any reason you can't get it stripped out, flipped over and painted this summer? Then you can work on less temp sensitive issues this winter. Or are you planning on running it as-is for a while?

This is exactly what I am going to try and do after a couple more sea trials for fun (and painting two bathrooms my wife says). Then it's all about the boat!

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Is the Suzuki oil injected?? If it is keep a eye on the guage, so the resovior is kept full. The nice thing is it requires no oil to add to the gas.,if its a injection motor.

 

[fshngho]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Sorry, I have to put in my 2 cents again. If ANY outboard has an auto oil injection, most mechanics ( and little old me) will suggest it be removed. The safest way is just to add oil to gas when re-fueling. If the auto were to malfunction, you will still get gas to motor. But the gas carries the lubrication TO the motor. NO OIL = BOOM, no more motor. By adding yourself, if you get gas, you get oil
Sadly I can let you talk to a few guys that found out the hard way.

 

[barato]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

premix is the safer if cruder route...it's a shame, though, as the idea behind variable ratio oil injection....that the engine doesn't always need the exact same % of oil to gas cuz it varies with running condition and that you can reduce the dreaded 2 stroke smoke by injecting only what's necessary) is a good one.

 

[16'Starcraft_StoneyCreek]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

congrats. Nice rig.

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Yeah, would like to boat a bit more this year before I begin resto... Seems that I ought to be able to get it done by may if I start it in October or so...

SOLD the Larson!!! And my beautiful 100 HP Merc, was sad to see the motor go but glad to have the cash for the Starcraft. At least now I don't have to worry about storing the Larson

Decided when I got home I was going to unravel the canvas top and see what shape it was in. Was a risky move as it could of been full of tears and holes, which wouldn't of helped OR it could ofbeen in good shaped and TOTALLY turned my night from sad to see a good motor being towed away on someone else's hitch to friggin awesome and....

AWESOMENESS IS HERE AGAIN !!!!. The top is in PERFECT shape! Nice! Now to get it on and pictures to show ( sure hope it hasn't shrunk! )

So on to trying to get the 65 HP Suzuki/Spirit working or find a donor deal like this:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/boa/1906082021.html

what ya think of that? Of course jumping the gun as the Spirit may yet live but ya never know... Thought I could steal the seats (4 of them anyways for the restore) the motor and controls, and maybe the stereo... What's the known on the 70s Johnson 65 HP??

Chuckndiscs

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Good luck I got three sets top- rearcover and boot cover. Now Im trying to figure how to shrink the Boat. LOL the top is useable only because the snaps are moveable on the windshielt .At least it keeps the sun off.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

'72 Johnson is electric shift. You probably don't want it. Stick with '73 or newer.

 

[barato]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

EZ, not all pre 73s are eclectic shift....it was an option in those years. i have '62 and '71 40hp Johnnies and neither is lectroshift (thank Poseidon).

Chuck....good motors but chronic appetite for ignition modules as with most OMCs from 70s and 80s. this is only reliability issue i'm aware of with these. parts availability wll be an issue for motor older than 71, and maybe even newer ones.

you may find best deal on one with boat attached, as for some reason a nasty deteriorating f'glass boat bolted to it seems to drag down the mkt value in many cases compared to what sellers are asking for motors alone....maybe cuz they don't sit quietly in corner of garage. never thought about this before, but other people's HOAs are the friend of the boat scavenger.....

 

[losdinspace]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Do I mention I only paid $400.00....? Well I did

ChuckNDiscs

I was trying to get the same boat. The guy never called me back and too make it worse that you only paid $400.

Cant be mad at you though, good luck with the rebuild and I will be watching it!!

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

I was trying to get the same boat. The guy never called me back and too make it worse that you only paid $400.

Cant be mad at you though, good luck with the rebuild and I will be watching it!!

No way??? Really? Wow.....should consider myself lucky!


Well here are a couple of starcrafts in MN that JUST came up on CL too help feed the fire. I go to Duluth regularly, so could pick one up for you and tow it back to town free of charge (if it works out with my schedule).

http://duluth.craigslist.org/boa/1897177828.html - 16 SS

http://duluth.craigslist.org/boa/1890626247.html - 22' Islander

ChucknDiscs

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Hello Friends!

Thinking of picking up this boat to act as a donor for my Starcraft for the low negotiated price of $500.00....

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/boa/1920094735.html

I would steal the motor, TnT, and perhaps the seats. The owner is real high on these seats, says they are from a premiere pontoon, are flex steel, yadd yadda. They look nice in the picture but I wonder if they are too big. No sense in putting them in if you cant turn without colliding with the one next to you..right?

I have yet to get my 65 HP Spirit running, been working on it for a week here and there. Something amiss with fuel delivery and at this point I think its the carbs. I have verified the fuel pump works, and gas is delivered to carbs fine. Motor runs with gas sprayed manually in carbs but not otherwise, choked or not choked. I called Browns Point Marine in regards to 1980 Spirit carb rebuild kit and they dont stock them...not surprising. Since they don't have them, I'm not trying hard to find it somewhere else, these guys are the suzuki main stay I think... They want $130.00 plus shipping for the carb rebuild parts put together outside of a kit... and for $70.00 more, I figure, I can move to an 85 HP motor that has TnT, Is a Merc (although not my favorite red kiekehaefer version), has had the impeller done and therefore lower unit gaskets and MAYBE gain new seats for the SS after restore.

I am hoping to buy the donor boat for $500.00, take the Merc off and put on my boat, put my spirit on the donor boat and then resell for $300.00 - $400.00... To me that is $200.00 - $100.00 for the Merc. Ill take that!

ChuckNDiscs