Could someone help me identify this boat. It is a 1973 I believe.

hcpcjj

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Thinking about purchasing, but owner knows little. I believe it has a 2.5 Mercruiser engine.
 

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hcpcjj

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Haven't seen it yet. Owner is out of town and doesn't know the model. I was hoping to do some research before I went and looked at it.
 

GA_Boater

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Welcome aboard.

That doesn't look like a Mercruiser out drive. A 73 model will have a HIN number on the upper starboard stern. That will ID the manufacturer and year if it was built in 1972 or later.
 

hcpcjj

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Thanks, but I was hoping to figure it out and do some research before I went to look at it.
 

southkogs

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That's a OMC Stringer stern drive. If the boat is an '83, then it's likely a mechanical shift. That design was done away with in the mid-80s, and it ... shall we say ... not highly appreciated in the boating community :D Parts are getting harder to find, and the drives can be a little finicky. I like them, but you're going to be your own mechanic, and the drive will want as much attention in the garage as it does on the lake.

Regardless of the hull, consider that buying that boat you're getting into a vintage drive system that's been obsolete for decades. You're going to have to want to take care of it. If you're looking for a 'put it in the water and go' boat (in as much as they ever are) ... this ain't the one.

Welcome aboard.
 

JimS123

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No question its a stringer OMC that "nobody" will work on. The hull looks like a Starcraft.
 

Scott Danforth

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the drive being white is a 1978-1980 OMG stringer. from 1981-1985 they were silver/grey

just because its a OMC stringer, look at other boats. (unless you like working on marginally designed things with minimal parts support where the company went out of business decades ago)
 

MTboatguy

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Not a good one, NOS parts are almost not available, so most anything you will need will be used or rebuilt and they are not cheap.

THat does look like one of the Starcraft fiberglass models from the 80's, I just can't remember the name right now of the model.
 

GA_Boater

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Looks an awful lot like these in the 1982 brochure;

82v16.PNG
 

Old Ironmaker

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From dabbling at my buddy's Marine shop I wouldn't spent the fuel and time to look at her. He has 4 old OMC I/O's sitting there that are virtually anchors now.
 

shrew

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Just looking at the limited pictures, the marine carpeting looks too good in comparison to the marine vinyl.

1) Replacing the marine vinyl alone will probably be more than the value of the boat.

2) On a boat of this vintage, when the carpet is new and the vinyl isn't, there is a very good chance there is rot underfoot.
 

Plantman54

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Oct 28, 2018
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I've had an OMC since 82. Currently going through and system refresh. Have had no problems all these years other than age.Can find parts if you use all available media and marine parts sources. Know of many trusted OMC mechanics. The reference of the "boating community" not liking OMC is false. If you look after them, they're great
 

JimS123

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I've had an OMC since 82. Currently going through and system refresh. Have had no problems all these years other than age.Can find parts if you use all available media and marine parts sources. Know of many trusted OMC mechanics. The reference of the "boating community" not liking OMC is false. If you look after them, they're great

The "Boating Community" is a very large entity. Some like Fords and some like Chevies, and you'll never get a consensus. Of course, "everybody" knows a Chevy is better.

My first ever ride in an I/O was in an OMC stringer. The guy convinced me it was the best. But when i looked around they were grossly outnumbered by Mercruisers. OMC outboard dealers were even selling Merc I/Os. When I went to buy my first I/O powered boat I ended up with a Mercruiser since the OMC was not offered in that model.

Truth is, OMC never liked it either...LOL. Mercruiser outsold them for years. The only reason they built it was because of patent liability. As soon as Mercs patents expired, OMC discontinued it and brought out the Cobra. IMHO, it was superior to Mercs, but the Boating Community didn't go for it, as evidenced by their low sales volume.

I personally like Pontiacs. But they don't make them either. They always WERE in high demand, but I still can't find parts for a virgin 39 year old classic.
 

Plantman54

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I liked Pontiacs as well and where are they now?

When we decided to refresh our OMC, we never considered selling and finding a Merc. I've done my own tune-ups since day one. Other than ball gears, impeller pump and a new transom boot, everything worked fine for all these years. Our refresh as costly as it, is still cheaper than getting a new boat and I love the 3.8. It's been totally reliable. Had it not been for a marina screwing up before winter, we would have just rebuilt that one but we found a younger 3.8 with low hours so we're going with that one. Also rebuilt the trim cylinders. Even had new rubber grommets made. Total bill, about $6,000. As I said cheaper than a new boat and this should do us for another 10-15 years. I would have been happy with a Merc if the boat came with one but it was an OMC and it's been awesome. Our replacement has about 600 hours on it. Rebuilt the carb, distributor, replaced the water and fuel pump, replaced the valve seals, welded a crack in one of the manifolds, new gaskets, paint. Will be awesome.
 

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