Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

[Huron Angler]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Nice rig there, glad to hear that you've been having fun with her

My SS came with a bow casting deck like that one and I removed it. I went back in with the original U-shaped benches and it allows for good seating in the bow.

I hit 32mph with my 80hp so we are in the same ballpark there(needs some work). Good luck with the project and have fun!

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Now there you go Chuck. Taking pics ain't so hard is it? Great looking boat & co-co-cap'n. A few character scars on her but that gives you something to do this winter. What kind of fish do you try to terrorize?

Typically we terrorize Walleye but we don't limit ourselves... Crappie, Perch, Bluegill's, Bass and eve the typical cigar Northern make it in the boat. Started going after the King Salmon and Lakers out of Lake Superior in my brothers new big lake boat. (Called him and told him to watch out with the new 18ft in the family! Will have to have a fish off now!) With this new boat though, I'd like to make more of an attempt at Muske. I have always wanted too.

We do a lot of fishing in the BWCA, cant beat the Walleye and Perch out of there. Lakers (Lake Trout) are good there too, if you can get on them.

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Where did you go out? Don't know if you got my message, my phone was going out. I have a new one now and can get calls and email.

We hit the Mississippi on Wednesday. Went up through downtown St Paul for a good 2 hour ride.

Went back down to the river on Sunday and the water is up 3 feet and there is TONS of crap in the water (logs, branches, and garbage) floating down river. Higher water levels wash out the shore and then carry it downstream. Its not supposed to crest until Wed and be up almost 9ft. I didn't want play dodgeball with floating logs in my new to me boat! So we didn't launch. My co-captains were WAY bummed. Now planning to hit Prior or Minnetonka Lake on Wed.

Didn't get your msg, where'd you go?

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Nice rig there, glad to hear that you've been having fun with her

My SS came with a bow casting deck like that one and I removed it. I went back in with the original U-shaped benches and it allows for good seating in the bow.

I hit 32mph with my 80hp so we are in the same ballpark there(needs some work). Good luck with the project and have fun!

Planning to work on the engine this winter. There is one bad/low cylinder. I am thinking I'll pull the heads and get them bored, refit and then re-installed. Going to enjoy until then.

Not sure I'll paint this winter BUT next September for sure. Going to rip deck out though for now, replacing the u-shaped seats for additional seating. Might eventually do a deck deal like ez, that looks snappy!

Thanks for the compliments all! Love the size and the rest of the boat! Will need to repower though, the 18' SS does take up to a 150... Why wouldn't I? At least put the biggest v4 series johnyrude on there. Figure at some point the weight vs HP gained comes into play for these 18 footers like it does for the 16 footers (75 HP 3 cyl Johnson seems to be a better weight to HP ratio then the 85 V4 Johnsons).

ChuckNDiscs

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

From what my guru mechanic told me, your 90 can be made an honest 115 with a carb change. (It can't be made into a 140 without some extensive other modifications despite what the moron who put 140 carbs on mine might have thought)

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

From what my guru mechanic told me, your 90 can be made an honest 115 with a carb change. (It can't be made into a 140 without some extensive other modifications despite what the moron who put 140 carbs on mine might have thought)

Hmm might have to PM ya for some more info on this. If Im pulling the heads for a job then I might as well look into carbs. I suppose I could find some used 115 carbs and install them? Nah...that would be too easy, life just ain't THAT easy!

Watch your inbox EZ! Thanks for the info!

Chuck

 

[losdinspace]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

We hit the Mississippi on Wednesday. Went up through downtown St Paul for a good 2 hour ride.

Went back down to the river on Sunday and the water is up 3 feet and there is TONS of crap in the water (logs, branches, and garbage) floating down river. Higher water levels wash out the shore and then carry it downstream. Its not supposed to crest until Wed and be up almost 9ft. I didn't want play dodgeball with floating logs in my new to me boat! So we didn't launch. My co-captains were WAY bummed. Now planning to hit Prior or Minnetonka Lake on Wed.

Didn't get your msg, where'd you go?

All the rain caused a mess and I don't want to dodge logs either. I was going to go to Medicine or Tonka but changed all the trailer rollers, horn, lights and picked up a trolling motor. Won't be able to hit the water until Saturday afternoon.

Have a local guy that can help us out with whatever repairs that come up. I called him about a simple question that turned into a half hour conversation about the Spirit.

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

I might be addicted to this cheap boat purchasing! I am going to buy this gem for $500.00 tomorrow to STEAL the 115HP Evinrude off of it, throw it on my 18' SS and move the 90HP Johnson with cylinder compression problems to the other boat and resell.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/boa/1987911245.html

My 90HP Johnson is a 1982 and the Evinrude 115HP is a 1979. I have been told in the Evinrude / Johnson forums that they are interchangeable. Im likely going to just steal the tilt and trim from my current 90HP Johnson and swap the motors. The 115 runs good (going to check compression tomorrow) and I think for what I ought to be able to resell the "gem" for I ought to get more HP and hopefully NO or less issues for next to nothin!

Anything you all are aware of that would say "NO, dont swap those two motors. Something is not going to match up or the 82 even in its low compression on one cylinder is worth IT more to fix"?

Yeah!

ChuckNDiscs

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

The ONLY potential issue is with the TnT. Right around '78/'79 is when OMC changed over to the newer style TnT. The older style had the rams mounted on the outside of the bracket and is probably not compatible with your newer style unit. Trying to add a used old-style unit to an old-style motor is very cost prohibitive as they go for over $400 on ebay. If the motor is indeed a '79 I think you're good. Regardless, the controls and everything are swappable and that's a money making buy at $500.


EDIT: a google image search confirms the motor hood on that motor is indeed a '79 and this picture I found confirms new-style TnT. So you're prolly good to go. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5sIAPlGiY-8/Sjj75HvaFsI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/eFyOKOgJA7s/s512/P6040228.JPG

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

The ONLY potential issue is with the TnT. Right around '78/'79 is when OMC changed over to the newer style TnT. The older style had the rams mounted on the outside of the bracket and is probably not compatible with your newer style unit. Trying to add a used old-style unit to an old-style motor is very cost prohibitive as they go for over $400 on ebay. If the motor is indeed a '79 I think you're good. Regardless, the controls and everything are swappable and that's a money making buy at $500.


EDIT: a google image search confirms the motor hood on that motor is indeed a '79 and this picture I found confirms new-style TnT. So you're prolly good to go. http://lh3.ggpht.com/_5sIAPlGiY-8/Sjj75HvaFsI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/eFyOKOgJA7s/s512/P6040228.JPG

Thanks EZ! Im going to pull the trigger on this one. For $500.00 (including boat and trailer) I just cant pass. Now to figure out HOW IN THE HELL I am going to swap the motors from one boat to the other is the question.... I thik I can get them unbolted and the tilt and trim moved but just pure weight to lift them...Might have to haul them up to Duluth MN and use my father in laws tractor(s).

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

All you need is a cheap come-along and something overhead (beam, tree, etc).

 

[barato]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

or the boring-but-obvious solution of renting an engine hoist? post an ad on CL, you can probably find a hobbyist who has one he uses every year or 3 who will rent it to you for little $....less than the gas to tow to Duluth & back.

 

[djpeters]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

or the boring-but-obvious solution of renting an engine hoist? post an ad on CL, you can probably find a hobbyist who has one he uses every year or 3 who will rent it to you for little $....less than the gas to tow to Duluth & back.

I used an engine hoist to take my OB off my boat. That part worked great. What didn't work so well was putting it on a stand. The legs on the engine hoist ran right into my stand I made. Almost tipped the dang thing over trying to swing the engine up to the stand.

 

[chuckndiscs]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Update on things:

Didn't get the 115, was in tough tough shape running, don't need another headache ( my 90 HP will be enough.. See below)

Winterized the boat WATER CAME OUT OF THE lower unit !!!! Water came out for half of it, cement looking oil for the rest, ugh! Going to have to change the impeller and gaskets and pray that's it! Is it usually the lower unit gaskets that you replace when doing the impeller that leak...or are the likely candidates something else?

I did give the lower unit a good look down and I didn't see any cracks...hopefully there are none!

Makes me want to wait on bore-ing and honing the head/rebuild the powerhead until I know I have at least a good lower unit! Just something else to look into on that motor.... Sigh

Got the rest of the motor winterized tonight ( stabil in gas tank and run though engine for 5 minutes, fogging oil into the carbs until she died, pulled each plug and fogged 3 secs in each one, still need to try and drain carb bowls). Been cleaning up the boat as well (washed, polished, waxed, polished, carpet cleaned, crap taken out including both batteries).

Sad sad sad day when you have to winterize the boat.... Drinking one for the boating season!! Although the boating season was awesome (met you all, got a SWEET 18' SC!, and got to take the boys out in the boat and start teaching them the fun of boating and fishing) so Im smiling inside while crying as I put her to sleep!!!

...I better have two beers, ok 3...

ChuckNDiscs

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Ouch more likley something else. as the water thru the impeller to the motor are only piped thru the cooling system. Will prob get some good advise from the forum. Heck you got all winter to get it ship shaped and if it was running well not much of a problem, I think.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

Could very well be just the fill/vent gaskets. I changed mine last fall and it leaked oil all over the garage floor all winter. Did it again in the spring and apparently did a better job on the gaskets/tightening the screws and it was fine all season.

 

[GLG fishing]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

It may be your prop seal has gone south, letting in water when the leg is sitting in the lake. Generally a pressure test is in order to confirm. You may want to skip over to the forum that deals with your engine brand and do a search. It?s not uncommon and the repair is cheap. That?s if you DIY. The stuff that came out of you leg??we call that a chocolate milkshake up here.

EZ could also be right as those vent / fill screws can leak water into your leg if the gaskets don?t seal.

Any case don?t fret as long as the bottom end didn?t fall out or freeze she can be fixed.

GLG

 

[LonLB]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

I never understand this rationalization. What standard do you think they used when they rated the boat back then??

My personal experience with a 16' Starcraft with the max rated HP on the back of it was the weight did not make up for the HP gain. In my case 85 was the smallest HP V4 outboard which was heavier than the largest HP triple. In my opinion, the ideal motor for a 16' aluminum Starcraft is a 3 cylinder 70-75. One of those newer Yamaha 3 cylinder 90's would also be pretty sweet. I do not know the weight of your 100HP Merc. It may be fairly light. All this being said, I do not think there is any reason not hang it and give it a try if you have a solid transom.

This is true but only for older OMC motors. They rated HP at the flywheel. Hence prop HP was lower. Now all motors are rated at the prop.

Mercury was always rated at the prop, and why in almost every case and old Merc' is stronger than an old OMC.

 

[barato2]

Re: Surprise! 1973 Starcraft SS Owner

a trick i learned for drain plugs in an old Hot Rod years ago: fill the threads with high temp grease. since it never gets to the point where it will flow, it acts as a seal and keeps motor oil, gear oil etc where they're supposed to be. been doing this for years and it even works on BRITISH drain plugs, and lets me be pretty casual about when i replace the crush ring.

this works REALLY well for OB lower units since it creates a really good air seal as soon as you engage the threads on the upper plug so you stop the leakage out the lower hole even before you snug up the plug. ideally you should probably use marine grease to avoid any risk of galvanic corrosion but i change my lower unit oil often enough that i don't worry about it.