Having never owned a boat before (but I AM familiar with them and have been on a boat before), I bought a '67(?) StarCraft Bahama 15' fiberglass with a 60 HP Evinrude, with trailer, for $500. The boat looks bone-stock and original, although aged.
The only things I know about the boat: I THINK the previous owner died a few years ago, and left the boat to his cranky, sour, elderly brother, who sold it to me. Couldn't get anything out of that old coot except it last ran in '12. Has a '13 registration sticker on it. Boat LOOKS clean and un-molested, but has that patina of having sat outside under a tarp for the last 3-yrs about it. The bow is oxidized on top, but should buff off OK. Hull looks clean and un-damaged. Steering linkages all move, didn't try to move the engine controls. Came with relatively NEW and un-used full set of custom snap-covers and clear windows. Took the engine cover off, float bowls look dry but clear, engine overall looks good with no obvious "molestation".
Q1: How do I proceed to see if the engine runs? This will be a big determinant as to whether I keep it and get it into the water, or just flip it and make a couple of bucks as-is.
Q2: When I snapped the covers on, the tension pulling from the stern pulled the entire windshield upper frame OFF the plexiglass, and it looked like factory holes attaching the frame to the plexiglass had long ago pulled out of the plexiglass; basically, you can re-insert the top frame back onto the plexiglass, but if you snap the canvas cover all across the snaps and apply the slightest tension pulling back, the frame slides right off. There's nothing to hold it to the plexiglass. My guess is this is a chronic problem, just wondering what the best solution to fix it is.
Thanks for any responses, my wife thinks I'm going to clean it and sell it, but I want to get it into the water first......
The only things I know about the boat: I THINK the previous owner died a few years ago, and left the boat to his cranky, sour, elderly brother, who sold it to me. Couldn't get anything out of that old coot except it last ran in '12. Has a '13 registration sticker on it. Boat LOOKS clean and un-molested, but has that patina of having sat outside under a tarp for the last 3-yrs about it. The bow is oxidized on top, but should buff off OK. Hull looks clean and un-damaged. Steering linkages all move, didn't try to move the engine controls. Came with relatively NEW and un-used full set of custom snap-covers and clear windows. Took the engine cover off, float bowls look dry but clear, engine overall looks good with no obvious "molestation".
Q1: How do I proceed to see if the engine runs? This will be a big determinant as to whether I keep it and get it into the water, or just flip it and make a couple of bucks as-is.
Q2: When I snapped the covers on, the tension pulling from the stern pulled the entire windshield upper frame OFF the plexiglass, and it looked like factory holes attaching the frame to the plexiglass had long ago pulled out of the plexiglass; basically, you can re-insert the top frame back onto the plexiglass, but if you snap the canvas cover all across the snaps and apply the slightest tension pulling back, the frame slides right off. There's nothing to hold it to the plexiglass. My guess is this is a chronic problem, just wondering what the best solution to fix it is.
Thanks for any responses, my wife thinks I'm going to clean it and sell it, but I want to get it into the water first......
