87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Picked this boat up in the early spring...Had the common Cobra shift cable problem. Finally got it on and fixed. The OMC 4.3 runs great! I did a full tune up, changed all the fluids, etc... As far as I know this boat has only been in freshwater.

Here are my questions... I vacation in Ventura, CA. There is a harbor that is 1 mile from the place we stay. I was considering renting a slip for the week and leaving the boat in the salt water. Do you think this would be okay to do? Or would you take it in and out of the water everyday and flush it?

Second, does anyone have any idea what my range on this boat would be? I'm not looking for an exact number, just a ballpark guess. I know it holds at least 20 gallons of gas (I put over 20 in when I filled it up).

Finally, in decently calm seas, would you take this boat several miles out in the ocean? I have a VHF radio and the Boat US towing insurance.

Thanks for the help!

Starcraft Boats rock!

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Heck I would sleep on it at the dock if I could. yea I'd leave it in, bet I would give her a good washing when we got home, and there's a cleaning solution you can use to rinse the inside of the engine, (while running).

Have a Safe Great Time !!!

I would want to know total REAL fuel capacity, you may have thought it was full but trapped some air.

Figure on a 5GPH Max Usage, know your full.. If you can bring a spare 6 gal. Can. Running at Cruise say 2200-2800 you should use up the least per hour. (guessing) Also keep the boat as light, trimmed well, and light on the bow while underway. ( also if you have a bimini I'd keep it down while underway ).

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Saltwater ain't acid. Go ahead and leave it in. I took my 30+ year old boat to the shore with us on vacation with us for the first time last year and we had a blast. Used the boat every day. Took it for a freshwater run when I got home. An automatic bilge pump is cheap peace of mind.

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Thanks guys!

I bought an auto switch for the bilge and am putting it in in the morning. I figure I bought the boat to enjoy it and I might as well enjoy it! Some people in other parts of the forum really talk down on the salt, but I'm gonna go for it!

I plan on topping the tank off again to make sure its full.

The only other thing is how far do you think I could venture out?

Thanks again.

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

You would be fine with that boat on nice days.
Make sure you have 2 good bilge pumps working, marine radio, highly recommend a kicker motor (if your main goes out crossing the bar you could end up on the rocks with no kicker), make sure you have a good anchor and 300 feet of rope, about 10feet of anchor chain, that way if you are drifting towards shore with a dead motor you can anchor and wait for a tow.
I would highly recommend you build a plywood cover for your open bow, that way if you take a wave over the front it does not fill your boat up with water. You could easily swamp your boat if you got caught out in bad weather and started taking water over the front. I would also recommend a hand held water proof radio, handheld gps, flares, all in a emergency bag incase you have to go in the water. Always wear life jackets you never know what will happen.
I fish the pacific ocean and there are times when the weather looks ok, but it can pickup quickly. listen to the weather reports, bar reports, and such. Make sure your boat vhf works and you have atleast 1 working gps, better to have two. I have one handheld mounted on the dash with a 12v adapter that I leave on all the time and another in my emergency bag.
One running all the time is a very very good idea, if you have an emergency you might not beable to wait for the gps to power up.
Last month opening halibut day a boat sank 21 foot off the oregon coast, they started taking on water very quickly and by the time they realized it they had just enough time to radio for help once with gps coordinates, then they had to go in the water. That is why always wear life jackets. With that one call they got a nearby boat there within minutes and coast guard was on scene in about 15min, they where 12 miles off shore. The coast guard scrambled a 42footer, 22 footer, and helicopter to their gps coordinates. That was with one mayday call with gps coordinates.
I almost slipped over board last year leaning over the side for some reason, my feet slipped on fishy floor, I caught my self but it was a good reminder on why you wear a lifejacket.
I commonly get the lower windsheild wet and one day I got caught in some bad weather and the top windsheild was getting lots of water on it almost every wave and I was going 2-3 mph. Ocean can get rough.
Get well prepared, and go have a great time on the high seas. I am going soon to fish the oregon coast.

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Sorry to jump in. I'm a new owner of a 1988 Medalist 1601. what is the "common Cobra cable problem"

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

It's all over the iboats forums if you do a search or want more info than I give but in short...

From what I understand on almost all late 80's and early 90's OMC Cobra outdrives the shift cable fails regularly, potentially causing major damage to your outdrive if not repaired, and repaired properly. There are actually two cables: one from the controller by the steering wheel to the engine, and one from the engine to the outdrive. The later is the one that is the problem. The cables can be had from as cheap as $70 on ebay or as much as $200 on some websites. The cost of the cable is nothing compared to getting the cable put on with the right adjustments. If it isnt put on right it can mess up your gears, costing lots of $$ to fix.

The symptom I had which led me to investigate this issue was a VERY tight shifter. It took almost all my strength to get it in gear, and I couldnt even get it in reverse.

Again, this is my amateur knowledge ... There are a TON of good posts with links with detailed professional info.

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Hey! I've got exactly the same boat...colour and everything. Only mine doesn't run! Bummer!

Just got it so I hope to resurect it for the spring for some good family fun.

John.

Re: 87 Starcraft Medalist 1901

Johnny--

cool. start a new thread and get some pics up.

and remember, no Q is too stupid to ask; if they haven't run ME off from here, their expectations on boating expertise are pretty low