Starcraft hull parts?

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
Does anyone know of an online source or phone number for Starcraft marine?
I need some parts to repair a Starcraft hull and so far every dealer I've called either doesn't do boats or doesn't do parts. Including four listed in the dealer search.
None of which are anywhere near me.

I find it odd that in all of their website they don't list any contact numbers or email?

I called one older number I had and got an answering machine for Smokercraft, I left a message but got no reply.
 

GA_Boater

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
49,038
What are you are you looking for? Depending what, it may not be Starcraft unique.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Most dealers only have access to parts that are "recent" (within the last 4-5 years)........ Depending on the model and construction as stated above there are replacement parts. There is a website that sells surplus boat parts (but not at any bargain prices) do a search for great lakes skipper.

Let us know what you are looking for here first ;) I too have a Starcraft.
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
I was given a really clean 2000 model 14SF that needs two transom corner caps and rod holder brackets.
I'd also like to find a new middle bench seat, who ever had this cut the seat out and it leaves the sides unsupported.
They also cut out the front bench at the bow, both side brackets are cut off flush. I'd also need two of those brackets to put a new front seat back in it.

I have nothing in the boat as it sits, and it came with a title and a trailer. A friend owns a public storage facility and the boat was abandoned about 8 years ago.
Other than the missing parts, it could pass for new. It apparently has spent most of its time indoors.

I went to one dealer that's listed on the dealer locator online and they don't stock anything, don't have a store front or anything, the second one didn't know what I was talking about.
The corner caps are the same from the 1960's to present from what I can tell, a neighbor owns a 2009 model and the rod holders, seats, and end caps are the same.

I'm thinking of just making up two rod boxes to replace the missing bench seat, it would both support the sides and give me some storage space but I'd like the have the rear corner brackets which also include the two rear handles.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Rear corners show up once in a while on ebal and great lakes skipper even used to sell some. You could also make some with some aluminum and someone who welds aluminum. Rod holder parts.....I don't think anyone sells them seperate but part of the rod holder package......look in the iboats store.
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
No Title

The seat is more complicated than just a bent piece of aluminum, its got several bent tabs and it needs to fit the hull on both ends perfectly. If I can't get a factory seat, I'll custom build two side cabinets or try and make the cut seat look more factory. It wouldn't be so bad if the fool who cut the middle of the bench out would have left two equal ends of the seat in the boat rather than leaving 12" on one side and 16" on the other. If I can find a factory seat, I'll rivet a brand new seat in place, if not, I guess I'll have to fab up something custom for each side, maybe a side console on the right side and a rod box on the left.
I got hold of a 1999 brochure for this thing today, I was assuming that the battery box platform on the left side was owner added, but apparently its original.
The rod holders hold the rods lengthwise while stowed, they're about 9/16" thick and made of plastic. I'm missing the front rod holder on both sides. The new boats sold today still use these rod holders.
I attached a pic.

I tried Great Lakes Skipper but nothing they have is large enough, they seem to stock Tracker and Lowe bits and some larger Starcraft parts but nothing for a Seafarer.
I was at an older Grumman dealer today and picked up a pair for a Grumman, they're close but not quite as big or as deep. They may be a better option on another boat I've got and I'll move its original caps to this boat.
I'd still rather have a pair of original Starcraft corner caps. I did a current and completed sale search on eBay and don't see anything, either now or in the recent past.

Someone did tell me that there's a Starcraft dealer north of here about 2 hours, but their not listed on the Starcraft dealer search on the web, but then again, neither of the dealers I found there were of any help. I took a ride today to one of them and found that they're not even a stocking dealer, just a marina that can order boats or do repairs. No boats, no parts, nothing.

I find it hard to believe that Starcraft wouldn't sell replacement parts for something like this? I'm also willing to bet that the current model uses the same bench seat judging by the specs and pictures I've seen.


The corner caps that I need measure 8" across the rear and side, and about 11" corner to corner.
The Grumman/Lowe/Sea Nymph style caps are also square, the Starcraft caps are not, they're slightly greater than 90 degrees. (The sides of the boat get wider as they go forward). Most of the other brand corner caps I've seen are square. I think once I get a good pair I'll make a mold and think about casting a few spares.
The Grumman caps are just short enough that they won't cover the through hole that held the original cap in place, so I'd have to redrill the hull and have an exposed hole on the side of the gunwale.
 

Attachments

  • photo209028.png
    photo209028.png
    94.1 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,657
Are you sure your boat is a 2000 model?
Are you basing this off the hull id number?
Or off some paperwork the storage yard gave you?

I ask because on the older 14SF models, the center seat was split. And yes, the port side was narrower than the starboard side.

Perhaps if you posted some photos of the interior of the boat, and of the rod holder brackets and corner caps you are searching for.
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
The HIN says it's a 2000 model, as did the DMV when I registered it.

The middle seat is cut clean but there's some homemade plywood filler panels cut to fit the end of the seats, and the plywood is attached with rusty wood screws

The boat has a factory looking floor panel, which is somehow installed beneath the two remaining seat ends. The entire floor panel is one piece and carpeted over.

The two end caps are the same shape as those used on the 60's and 70's models, only without the molded in 'Star' on top.

I have a brochure from 1998 here and the split bench hull isn't a cut bench, but two small storage boxes riveted to the hull.
 

pckeen

Commander
Joined
Jun 20, 2012
Messages
2,067
Post pics of all the pieces you are missing and are looking for replacements. You may find something by trolling the net for boat wreckers, but I'm thinking your best bet will be to fabricate replacement parts. Check out the restoration threads, and you will see that many 'amateurs' are replacing parts on boats that require substantially more work than yours. In terms of seats - have you checked out the seats on iboats? Don't know if any of them will fit yours or not.

This ebay seller has fabricated starcraft transom caps - and he has good feedback on them for several boats. You might be able to find something that fits better from him - his ad says he will modify them to fit different boats. I think there are one or two of his customers lurking on the forums here.

$(KGrHqN,!hsFEEM4pyF0BRFmI5V)Cg~~60_57.JPG
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
No Title

Here's a pic of one I found online, this one is the early style, basically the same dimensions but with a cast in star on top. The newer models no longer had the star on top. The casting is three sided, about 1 3/16" deep with a handle cast onto the rear. I need the right side, opposite from the one pictured.

Sure I could fab up a new seat but I want an original seat, or else I'll have to come up with another solution. I don't want it to look rigged, and besides, at 340lbs I need something substantial to sit on other than just a piece of rolled sheetmetal. There's also the matter of using the correct alloy so I don't have any galvanic corrosion issues. Chances are a sheet metal shop won't have or even have access to any marine alloys.
I uploaded a pic of how the boat should look from the factory, right now, the middle seat has a 30" chunk cut out of the middle slightly off to the right with the front seat at the bow also removed with he brackets cut off flush.
I can't see why its so hard to get hold of parts which I'd figure have to be fairly common?
So far I've not yet talked to a dealer who stocks any parts or even currently deals with Starcraft boats this size.
Nor can I find a phone number. I find it hard to believe that they built these boats for 40+ years, and are still building them, and they don't have any spare parts available. I do know for a fact that I can buy all the bits and pieces for a Lowe or G3 boat with no hassle. They aren't cheap but they can be had. If they were larger I'd just make a corner from a Lowe fit the Starcraft but they're an inch too small and 1/2 inch too shallow.

I can't believe that a company like Starcraft doesn't have a selling/stocking dealer within 50 miles or so of me. I called all five of the dealers listed on the Starcraft marine website and only one was even a dealer of any type, and they don't do Starcraft boats, just boat repairs. The one was dead number, the address is a marsh along the road with nothing for a mile in either direction, one is a condo or apartment building, another is a field of boats out in the open with no buildings, no new boats, no dealer anywhere, just a storage lot. The last is a PO box with no address and a phone number with a full answering machine.
 

Attachments

  • photo209063.jpg
    photo209063.jpg
    38.4 KB · Views: 1
  • photo209064.jpg
    photo209064.jpg
    12.8 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
The guys @iboats rebuilding the tin SCs have had similar experiences w Starcraft. Actual customer support is none existent if you are trying to rebuild one. They've adapted and proceed anyway they can, usually by making whatever they need.
Take a look:
Starcraft boats

And the list of tin builds:
Starcraft Rebuilds and Restorations, they're all here!

Haven't seen MichaelP @forum in a long tome. It'll probably be best to contact him thru eBay, tell him you're from iboats and give him a link to your topic(s).

You will be surprised how good a fab'd seat might turn out. Unless you buy another boat and take the seats out of it, original or factory replacement isn't going to happen.
 
Last edited:

YoungMind

Seaman
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
69
Sorry OP but the boat industry is not like cars. Designs and builds vary so much that manufacturers can sometimes not even be 100% on exact original specs. you are fortunate that it is a tinny. Just find a metal fab shop and ask if they would be able to do anything with a boat. If they are iffy about it at all then just buy the metal yourself and put it together. With older boats that is usually the only option.

Good Luck :D
 

slowleak

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
189
But aren't there any dealers out there? So far I haven't even found a dealer that stocks or sells these boats. I keep seeing Starcraft boats both on the water and for sale but can't seem to find a live dealer. In all the years theyv'e had to have built millions of the boats with these parts, either new or used. someone has got to have parts laying around for one of the boats.
 

64osby

Admiral
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
6,799
I found a set like yours at a recycling yard, they fit great on my Lone*Star. Don't know where you are located but you might get lucky checking the scrap yards. My local yard has about 10 little tin boats that are complete junk, no nice corners.

The corners I found cost $6 and took about 20 minutes to remove.

If we knew your location someone might be able to recommend a good place to look.
 

woosterken

Lieutenant
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
1,431
do a google search for laneir (spelling ???) marine parts in Ga. it is a BIG salvage yard for boats
ken
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,657
Starcraft, has been bought and sold, consolidations throughout the industry, product lines shifted, dealers forced out or forced to change brands, big corporate entities changing the landscape of what we thought we knew.

I'm not even sure if Smokercraft, Sylvan, and Starcraft are still together anymore. They were all under one roof and owned by one family 45 years ago.


Generally, a bench seat in a boat like this, will last 70 years or more, or until the boat is destroyed somehow.
Why would a company keep a warehouse full of seats it would never sell?

I would not worry about galvanic corrosion. If the metals are similar, it will last longer than you.
You can coat/paint, or isolate the surfaces if you are really worried.

I agree, Starcraft really needs to get their act together as far as image, website, contact info, and dealer network.
Seems they may have bit off more than they can handle.
 

reelfishin

Captain
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
3,043
.............

Generally, a bench seat in a boat like this, will last 70 years or more, or until the boat is destroyed somehow.
Why would a company keep a warehouse full of seats it would never sell?

.......................

Why wouldn't they? They're still building the same boat the OP has, I've got both a 1999 and a 2011 model 14SF sitting here, both hulls are identical, (same as catalog pic the OP posted prior).
I don't see why a manufacturer, who is located right here in the USA, wouldn't be able to pull a seat stamping from the factory and sell it as a replacement part. They are the same on that model, given a particular seat position.
If he had a really older model, in which the seats are quite different then I could see your point but the boats coming off the line today are the same as his.

The same goes for the boat corners, I've been able to buy replacement parts myself for Lowe, Grumman, Mirrocraft, G3, and various others, I don't see why Starcraft would be any different. Those corners are basically the same and can be interchanged from about 1958 or so till the current models. ( I know for a fact that the corners on my 1960 Seafarer are the same as those on my 1977, and those will interchange with the newer models as well. The star disappeared from the casting about 20 to 25 years ago. About that same time they made that casting slightly bigger, the newer version is about 1/2" larger overall but fits just the same. Its also not a Starcraft only casting, I've seen those on a few other brands, including earlier model Sea Nymph, Lowe, and Grumman models from the mid 80's to mid 90's or so. Possibly they all bought the corner castings from the same source? This would explain the loss of the Star casting and the new oversized universal type casting in the later years.

I'm not sure how many salvage yards would hold onto an aluminum hull like that, there's just not much to take off it and its worth more in scrap to them then parts in most cases. Every hull that I've ever scrapped, got chunked up in a shredder minutes after I hauled it to the scrap yard.
I did check but I've got no spare caps here like yours but there has to be an old time Starcraft dealer somewhere with a few on a shelf either new or used. No doubt they have to be available just in case one was damaged in shipping, they're certainly not going to scrap a new hull over a broken corner casting or handle.

The last I heard, Starcraft was back under family ownership, which included Smokercraft, which is apparently the main company these days. Sylvan is also in this group. My guess would be that any contact would have to be through Smoker Craft, try the contact us link at the Smoker Craft webpage.


The last contact info I have for Starcraft Marine is68143 Clunette Street New Paris, IN 46553 Phone number: 866-772-4538 or see their contact page at http://www.thebestboatbrands.com/contact.php
 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
Why wouldn't they?
Exactly ^^^ But they don't. You want another mission in futility: try to buy the vinyl insert for an SC rubrail. I don't have it handy, but the SC part # for it is posted here @iboats somewhere. You won't find a dealer that will sell it to you, nor will the factory. I guess they don't think they should have to. Because they don't/won't. Contact whomever you'd like. Dig around online for a month looking. Visit some SC dealers. Might as well go pick daises, cause in the end you'll still not find new end/corner caps, seats or rubrail/insert. Sorry......
 
Top