1972 starcraft holiday

This is the boat that I bought off of ebay for 900.00 dollars without much expectation.I was told that the boat was solid and that the seller was not sure if the motor runs and that he thought the fuel cell leaked.So I clicked buy it now!Then it was off to michigan to retrieve the boat that I had bought without seeing first.I was however pleased at the sight of the boat when I got their.So the wife and I haul the boat home,a two and a half hour drive back to Ohio.With a trailer that I knew nothing about.We made it back without any problems!

Then I take the boat to friends house to have it wired (he is an electrician).And on the way home sparks start shooting out of the wheel!I limped the boat home and find out that the wheel bearing had broken in half.I can't believe that it had made the trip home from Michigan and then it breaks on a 15 minute drive!

Then I find out that the motor on the boat was junk.


I then pick up a used 140hp johnson (the highest HP rating for the boat).The boat really handles it well.








Now the boat has a fresh paint job.And I've had to do a little tweeking on the motor.


Boat with fresh paint,wiring and no motor


Boat in the water for the first time


I'm a duck hunter.and we use the boat for layout hunting.We use this boat for the tender boat and a little one man boat for hunting out of.The little boat lays over the gunwells and is strapped down.



Hope I was not to long winded.This site is awesome.I love seeing all the pics

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Thanks for sharing! I bet it performs great with that Johnson on there.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Yeah it really does perform great.I was a little worried about putting such a big motor on the boat(weight).But as you can see from the pic of the boat in the water it float rather nice.

I was in a rush to get the boat ready for duck season and with some of the motor troubles I have not had the time to work on some of the interior things I want to get done.But I will keep everyone posted on here as to my progress.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

That looks good. What size was the motor that came on it. You say it was junk what was wrong with it and what did you do with it? Oh and welcome to the STARCRAFT Club/Cult.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Thanks for the welcome.I can't say it enough this site is awesome.The motor that came on the boat was a 1971 mercury 80hp with no T and T.When I first got the boat home I got it to run and then decided to look at the lower unit oil.Well it had none!The lower unit was full of water.Well I thought,no big deal I will just put new seals in it.Well I could not get the bearing carrier out.Then we cracked the bearing carrier .No telling how long the LU sat with water in it.So I left the boat sit for a while trying to figure out what to do with it(I had not found this site yet).When I found the 140hp johnson for sale online and bought it.So I sold the merc with the controls minus the lower unit to someone that was in need of a power head.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Hi what is the length of your holiday (boat)? I have a 22 ft 1975 bought it with a 200 Johnson runs very well .

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

This is an 18 foot boat.So far I don't have the motor running quite right or propped right but I'm getting mid 40's on the GPS.I'm more than happy with that.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

mid 40's is good. i would be happy with mid 30's myself!

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Andy in NY.I would be happy with mid 30's and a boat that looks as good as yours does.I'm really not into going fast but it is nice to have the power to haul extra weight and battle big waves without feeling underpowered.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Welcome to iboats and of course...the Starcraft club sred

You could probably keep up with the ducks flying with that 140hp

Do you plan on using it for waterskiing at all? Probably a good setup for that as well if you are so inclined

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Huron angler-Thanks for the welcome!Yes I do plan on using the boat for waterskiing.I had a friend in high school who's dad had a ski nautique and we would ski up and down the river all the time.I also love to knee board.This summer should be a lot of fun.

I previously sold our pontoon boat(a 23 foot party bardge with a 40 horse johnson wich would top out at a blazing 17mph!)Speed is a whole new world to me!

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

sred137 said:

Huron angler-Thanks for the welcome!Yes I do plan on using the boat for waterskiing.I had a friend in high school who's dad had a ski nautique and we would ski up and down the river all the time.I also love to knee board.This summer should be a lot of fun.

I previously sold our pontoon boat(a 23 foot party bardge with a 40 horse johnson wich would top out at a blazing 17mph!)Speed is a whole new world to me!

Click to expand...

17 is respectable for 23' of pontoons being pushed by a 40hp. hell, im running a 50hp in a 16' v hull and only get about 26...

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

That was with 2 people on board. off of a GPS.It was a 1973 pontoon boat with the smaller dia. tubes.I think they run a little faster cause less drag.

26 MPH sounds actually good.My cousin has @ a 1985 16 foot with I think a 1986 merc.70hp he runs exactly 32 on the GPS

http://img163.imageshack.us/i/0621081340a.jpg


his boat is a real gem.I will have to post up a better pic

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Where the H--- is the Horizon behind that Merc. Motor LOL.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Ha.In that picture your looking in the direction of canada.That is The Great Lake Erie.On the right day you can take a 16 foot boat out but you must be aware of the weather.She can get nasty in a heartbeat!

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Hey sred, could you please resize your pics to 640x480?

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

Sure.Is it just the one of the merc that got a little big?I tried using a different image hosting site.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

They're all too big actually but the Merc one entered ludicrous size. Many photo sites let you resize your pictures right on their sites.

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

nice boat!....quick question i see you have a cover for it that i need. Do you think it was homemade?

Re: 1972 starcraft holiday

I really don't think so.It came with the boat so I really have no way of knowing for sure.It fits really good and all the side of the canvas are hemmed over.With snaps holding it down.If someone did it at home they did a really good job of it.

They are really nice to have for keeping water out and such.I would say if you have a local canvas shop in your area take it to them.Maybe even an upohlstry shop.I don't think that it would be too hard of a job for a shop like that.


Good luck with your search and thanks for looking!