1972 Starcraft 18' Offshore Rebuild

TaylorMann1

Cadet
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
13
First time posting. What a wealth of knowledge here on these old boats.

I recently picked up this old boat, trailer, and 1975 Johnson 115HP for $400. Fired the motor right up, I still can't believe it.

Plan is to build this one into my main boat. I do alot of catfishing, and fish out of the back of the boat, so the open layout and windshield should be nice.

I plan to purchase a new 115 Yamaha or Mercury four stroke. Do you guys think the additional weight will be an issue? The old V4's were around 300 pounds, and the dry weight of the Yamaha is 377.

Pics to come!
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Nice hull. Most guys are using the blue/pink/green sheet foam for flotation. It will not absorb water. They cut it into triangles and stack it vertical to best fill the space. I used pool noodles in mine but someone has since done a test and found the sheet foam to have more buoyancy. If I were to do another one I'd use the sheets.

You should be able to hang a 4 stroke 115 no problem. I'd have no problem running the old Johnson though. They're good motors and you can still get parts for them. I can see yours has a tilt 'n trim unit on it which is rare for the pre-'78 motors. Those trim units got for big bucks on ebay.
 

TaylorMann1

Cadet
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
13
Thanks for the info. I was thinking about using pool noodles. I still have a majority of the factory white foam blocks that appear to be okay. Any issues with those getting water logged? Then I could just buy some sheet foam to fill in the areas that the foam was missing.

I actually have three other JonnyRudes that run well, and easy to work on. I just really like the new four strokes and plan on keeping this boat for a long time. They are pretty expensive though.

I've got the hull gutted back to the splashwell now. Hope to have that and the rotten transom out soon. I'm considering shortening the splashwell to get a little more room.

Any of you guys welded up an aluminum tank and installed in the floor of the bow?
 
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TaylorMann1

Cadet
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
13
No Title

Got it mostly gutted out now. Still gotta pull the motor, rotten transom, and splashwell.
 

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GreenHoliday

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Aug 5, 2016
Messages
42
Our 16' Holiday has had a 4 stroke 115 hp Suzuki on it since 2007. Our 18' Sunchief has had a 4 stroke 115 hp Yamaha since 2013. We haven't had any problems with either and I plan to transfer one of those engines to the 18' Holiday I am in the process of rebuilding.

I second the green/blue/pink foam.

Enjoy the project... I'll be following along as I work on my Holiday.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
:welcome: to the Starmada Taylor,

These 18' SC OS or SS are perfect to make into a fishing boat and many of us have done that conversion. I had a custom made belly tank made by Moeller to replace one that was bad. It won;t have any problems with a 115 or any kind on it. I have a 140 Merc on my 18 V5 SS.

Looks to be a nice candidate for a resto :thumb:

fetch
 

Jim_the_Islander

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 25, 2017
Messages
38
Great deal you got there, just the motor was worth the $400. Do not reuse the white factory Styrofoam. It will hold water, half of my Styrofoam that came out my Mariner was waterlogged. My local big box homers does not carry the full sheets of blue/pink foam anymore, only 2' squares that are $5 each!!! when ready will check out some local building suppliers to see if they have the full sheets of the blue or pink closed cell insulation. Good luck with your project Taylormann!
 

TaylorMann1

Cadet
Joined
Jun 4, 2014
Messages
13
Thanks guys! I will toss out the factory foam I was saving. The 4x8X2" sheet insulation is about $30 a sheet around here.

I've got around a gallon of leftover fiberglass epoxy I plan to coat my floor with. Still trying to decide on what to put down for a floor covering. I've been looking at Cabelas Tuff-Coat. I don't want carpet due to catfish slime!

Any of you guys have experience using aircraft stripper to remove the paint on these boats? I've thought about just cleaning and scuffing the existing paint since it appears to be in decent shape other than being chalky.
 

Candutch

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 8, 2015
Messages
637
Welcome to the Starmada! Great boat you found there, I have the same one just a decade newer.
There is so much you can do on these boats to make it tour own.
X2 on the foam, I cheaped out a bit and re-used the white blocks above the deck and behind the side wall since it was still in really good shape but definately put the closed cell under the floor.
As for the 4 stroke there shouldn't be an issue, my 18 is rated to 140 hp and I'm pretty sure my 120 v4 is on the higher end of 300 lbs.
Looking forward to the resto.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
I highly recommend Nautolex vinyl deck covering.

I do not recommend painting over old chalky paint, it's much better to start off with bare clean AL. If you do strip use Jacso paint & epoxy remover, it's the best I've ever used.
 

PikeHunter431

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 8, 2015
Messages
171
Welcome Taylor. Great boat for a project. I am doing an 18' 73 SuperSport (SS) in phases. The guys already commenting have great counsel and have done many restores, very wise words. Post lots of pics and ask away.
 
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