1974 Starcraft SS "Restoration"

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
The old SS can be made into a real nice fishing boat, nothing wrong with that. Very nice work indeed! :thumb:
 

j-arnold.5

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
33
It tops out at 12 or 13 mph. Put 3 people in the boat and you're down to around 7. It works really nice for just trolling, but you can't get from place to place very quickly. I bought the motor from a guy who had bought the motor new and put it on a similar boat, then put on a bigger motor and put the 9.9 in storage. It only had around 20 hours when I got it. Supposedly the dealer had put on a bigger carb to make it a 15hp. Beats me, but it pushes the boat pretty decent for only being a little 9.9.
 

classiccat

"Captain" + Starmada Splash Of The Year 2020
Joined
Dec 20, 2010
Messages
3,405
fetch

sweet boat right there! Great job on it!!! Love the layout!! :thumb:

Be careful hanging around the mob...It's only a matter of time until horsepoweritus sets in and you have a 140 hanging off of it :madgrin:
 

j-arnold.5

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
33
If I lived closer to bigger water, I probably would've started with a bigger motor. I'm going to try to make it through another season just catching fish and not spending money on the boat to catch them...but no promises.
 

Chad Flaugher

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
392
Would a storm door closer work for your rod locker? The kind with a push button door lock. That'd be a low cost solution to keeping it open when you wanted, and a cool anti-slam mechanism! I can't really tell if that would fit the application from my point of view, but it crossed my mind!
 

Chad Flaugher

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
392
Also, I don't know what your budget is, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went shopping for a sound system for my boat. If you have an Autozone in your neck of the woods, check it out! I managed to pick up a Kenwood CD player with a built in 200 watt amp and two speakers for less than $100 bucks. I'm not very tech savvy, but the thing also links up to phones and various other gadgets. (My kids do that) I have to admit, the darn thing sounds pretty good!
 

j-arnold.5

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
33
Would a storm door closer work for your rod locker? The kind with a push button door lock. That'd be a low cost solution to keeping it open when you wanted, and a cool anti-slam mechanism! I can't really tell if that would fit the application from my point of view, but it crossed my mind!


I don't think I would have clearance for all of that. The trouble is that when the hatch is closed, there isn't much clearance between the bottom of the hatch and the top of the stored rods. I've come up with a few solutions that would work for the door (I think what you're proposing would), but I'm afraid that mechanism would crunch poles when it's closed up.

The best option I've come up with would be the type of catch they put in piano benches (or the kind that holds step ladders spread apart). The big thing is coming up with something that works well AND doesn't interfere with the fishing rods.
 

j-arnold.5

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
33
Also, I don't know what your budget is, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went shopping for a sound system for my boat. If you have an Autozone in your neck of the woods, check it out! I managed to pick up a Kenwood CD player with a built in 200 watt amp and two speakers for less than $100 bucks. I'm not very tech savvy, but the thing also links up to phones and various other gadgets. (My kids do that) I have to admit, the darn thing sounds pretty good!


That's one idea for sure. Yesterday I went and picked up some car parts from Advance Auto. If you google "Advance Auto Discount Codes" they always have really good coupons online. I found a code that gave me $20 off my purchase of $50 or more, so I got my $55 part for $35.

I also have $50 in gift cards to bass pro, which should make it as cheap as going to Autozone to get a stereo haha...I love BP but their prices hurt. Unfortunately I don't have much in the way of boating stores around here, so that's where I picked up a few things. Seats from BP, carpt/vinyl shipped from cabelas, I picked up all kinds of stuff at Northwoods Wholesale Outlet in Pinconning, MI, I used lowcostboatingstore.com for several things (steering setup). Amazon came in handy, then the balance came from stuff I had on hand and reused or bought at Lowes/Menards.
 

GA_Boater

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
49,038
That might just be the ticket!!!!

Some times simple is best, J. That always locks the door open automatically and just bump it to bend the spring and it drops closed.

One thing I would consider is encasing the spring in some clear vinyl tubing. The spring will sometimes have a mind of it's own when closed and rub against the inside of the door and locker contents. The tubing keeps everything nice and safe.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
I have one on the hatch of my Chief and the in deck cooler lid of my SeaNymph. They work great for propping open hatches.
 

GoldDuster360

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
110
Really clean job, boat is definitely better off than fading away in a field. Nice work!
 
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