New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Hi everyone, I'm Dan...

(pause for everyone to say Hi Dan)

...and I have a boat.

Just brought home a little Starcraft 14ft Mustang circa 1968 w/ a Mercury 200 (20hp) outboard out back (not sure of the year of it...). It belonged to my wife's uncle (God rest his soul) who died much to young a couple years ago. My wife's aunt has had it in dry storage for about 30 months I'm guessing and decided she was ready to let it go. My wife and I were planning on maybe getting our feet wet, so to speak, in boating next year sometime, but my wife's aunt pratically gave it to us, so we took it.

I know my wife's uncle loved the boat and took care of it, but I know sitting for a couple years is seldom a good thing for motors. Looks like it had a half tank of gas in it all this time - need to address that. And it looks like there's a small bit of damage to the wet side of the boat that will need to be addressed as well. I will probably be leaning on you fine folks rather heavily these next couple months, so please accept my thanks in advance.

Its currently set up as a simple fishing boat. There are two pedestal seats in the boat plus a mounting point for a third on top of the closed bow. All drive controls are manual at the outboard. Ideally, I would like to change most if not all of that. I know its not a ski boat, but I'd like to use it to tool around the lake and enjoy the fresh air and sights with my wife and four sons (ages 11, 8, 4 and 9mo) for a season or two and decide then if boating is really for us and at that point decide what to upgrade to. If we're lucky, it'll tow a tube with a kid on it. If you guys think its worthwhile, I intend to manufacture some seating for it, a driver's seat where its supposed to be - right behind a steering wheel - and a bench down the opposite side and across the back. Is it terribly difficult to convert an outboard to cable driven controls? How about the repair to the hull?

Anyway, here're some pics of the new money pit.

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Thats a nasty gash , Is it below the water line??? Do not even get the boat close to water till it is repaired. Should be your first priority. If you have done fiber glass work ok if not that kind of damage will need to be done perhaps at a body shop that does fiberglass work. Is the tear visible from both sides if so fairly easy fix. The boat look clean and well cared fo except it and its rock friend. Have fun. we are mostly tin boat nuts but most have had some experience with fiber glass. boy I can feel the itching starting already you will get top advise from this forum, and a bit of razzing about the fiberglass, but what the Hey its still a starcraft.

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Puget's right on that crack over the roller. Over time fiberglass gets brittle with age. It probably needs a whole new coat of glass on it. I notice what looks like several other surface cracks in the glass also. How is the false bottom? If there are any cracks in there, and maybe even if not, you will may need to replace the stringers and that is a real job. Some of the glass sites may be able to tell you more. As for the cable steering, it's easy enough to do but teleflex or something like that is a better way to go, also not hard. You will need to find a control box also, easy to install and you can probably find a used one. I had an old glasser boat back in the 70's with a 25 horse Johnson on it that you could ski behind, so you may be able to also. You have a speed prop on tho it looks like, they are for going slow, for fishing. You can run the engine faster and still go slower. A power prop has 3 blades. It is for going faster. They are all money pits, and take a lot of time to keep in good shape. But I think you've got some work ahead of you in that one.

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Puget here again. With the rust showing by the OUCH it seem there may have been a lot of water in thr hull which should be dry by now. It would seem bow heavy if any water remained. If the glass repair diden't scare you off. Get a few friends and flip that over on some boxs or such. Be much easyer to repair and a considerably neater job to do. You will need to sand or light grind to get into the glass and fill the hole first, then a few layers of glass and top off with a resin coat.
a good source of info on boats needin glass repair can be had at a good NAPA parts dealer.

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Thx both of you for jumping in.

I haven't found any other cracks. What you're seing is likely scuff marks and grease (towed this thing from about 3mi south of the IN/MI border to Atlanta, GA and stopped every 2 hours or so to regrease the bearings via greaserts.) I may have been a little overzealous on the grease, but I didn't want to burn 'em up.

Another question for ya: how is the floor generally held down? In my first quick looks, it looks there are a few screws along the side where there are straps for holding fishing rods secure. Are those same screws holding the floor down? I'd prefer not to break anything, ya know? And I figure there's some trick of the trade I'm just not familiar with.

Looking up teleflex next. And a fiberglass repair book. Would one of those $40 kits from BassPro do it? The current prop is marked with an 11P. Any suggestion for a replacement?

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Once you get into fiberglass questions.....you're quickly out of the area of most of our tin-head expertise. I'd recommend posting a thread in the Restoration section of this site. That's where all the glass guys hang out.

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Pnambic said:

Hi everyone, I'm Dan...

(pause for everyone to say Hi Dan)

Click to expand...

Hi Dan!

Pnambic said:

...and I have a boat.

Click to expand...

Glad you are here today to accept your addiction. Acceptance is the first step!

Your prop is an 11 pitch (or so it seems by your post) and anything that fits a 20hp (there will be a range here) Mercury with an 11 pitch should work.

Fiberglass boats are a beaut when they are shined up and looking nice, very fine lines but when they need repair, they are a pain. I hear that actually getting in to fiberglass repair is not that hard to learn, just takes time with material setups, drying, sanding, etc. oops hull extension threaad (Ill update here with a link when I find it) give the GREATEST how to fiberglassing if you read it. NOTE - Better reserve a few days to get through it all!)

Welcome!

Chuck

Re: New member in GA (Lake Lanier area)

Unless the floor is soft and damaged DO NOT REMOVE IT. Some glass boats the floor is glassed to the sides its all one set up. Only if there is water in the lower hull and I would drill a test hole ( SMALL ) to see if its dry. I just removed a floor that the PO had drilled holes in and swamped the lowere hull. I will not even secure it tightly as water now has a bielge pump and a drain. Only enough screws to hold it in place and stabalize the hull. But thats me and no children any more at home and I will only use the boat in the River. With a PFD. To old to swim anyway. Good luck the boat looks pretty good with what I see.