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  1. J

    Water keeps filling boat cover, please help!

    Hello, I live in a pretty rainy area and I can NOT seem to figure out how to actually cover my boat. I have an old starcraft so it has a covered bow but the rest is pretty open. It's a 22 footer so the open area is probably 12 feet by 7 feet or so. Long story short, no matter how I cover it...
  2. J

    Extra cost(s) breakdown of storing boat in a saltwater marina?

    Hi all, I have what may be a pretty dumb question but I couldn't find a comprehensive answer anywhere so apologies if this has already been asked a million times. I currently keep my boat on a trailer but I would like to eventually store it in a harbor (in the ocean, so... saltwater). Right...
  3. J

    Anybody have dimensions for seat area on late 60s-early 70's islander 22?

    Apologies in advance, but I am visiting family and not near my boat. Someone on craigslist here is selling a really nice seat with a metal base that would be an upgrade for me, and I'm wondering if it will slip right into the area in between my doghouse and the sidewalls, near the stern. I'm...
  4. J

    Centering boat on trailer (solo) without trailer guides? or DIY guide advice

    I have a 22' starcraft islander and a trailer without side bunks or guides or anything. I'd really like to be able to get out into the harbor the day before a fishing trip and catch baitfish, but I've found that when I'm solo, it's extremely difficult to center the boat on the bunks if there's...
  5. J

    early 70's Mercruiser 165hp inline 6 w/ MC-1 drive not going into gear (sometimes)

    Hi all, I have an older mercruiser 165hp from... my boat is late 60's but the engine was replaced. I think the engine is early 70's somewhere? It's an inline 6 cylinder GM. It has an old pre alpha drive (MC-1, to be exact). So my problem is, everything works great 98% of the time. It pops right...
  6. J

    22' starcraft islander, crack(s) in hull -- aluminum repair options?

    Hi all, I have been trying to track down a leak in my 22' starcraft islander for a while, and today I think I finally found it. That's the good news, that bad news is that it seems to be coming from a crack in the hull. These boats are aluminum, so I'm looking for advice on options for aluminum...
  7. J

    adding access hatches to Islander (tracking down a leak)

    Hi all, So. I have a leak in my Islander (late 60s), and I can't tell where it's coming from. I have inspected every single rivet on the bottom of this boat and none of them "appear" to be loose or anything, and I've tried everything I can think of to track it down. It appears that I should...
  8. J

    Trying to reprop, but how can I tell if my engine gets to WOT?

    Hi all, I have an old pre-alpha (MC-1) drive coupled with a GM 165hp inline 6 motor. A few months back, I replaced my outdrive with a different MC-1 drive, but instead of the 165hp drive, it was the drive for the 120-140hp motor. Asked around here and the consensus was, no big deal, but the...
  9. J

    Mercruiser - GM Inline 6 (165hp) starter?

    Hello, I have an old mercruiser with a late 60's GM inline 6 (165 HP) engine. I've been through 4 starters in the last 5 years or so, just because they rust and freeze up. I think I'm buying marine starters, I keep buying this one...
  10. J

    Removing very, very, very stuck propeller (Mercruiser MC-1)

    Hi all, I'm swapping out propellers and mine is stuck. Very stuck. I bet it's had 30 years of saltwater corrosion built up and I can't get it to budge. I've searched this forum and other forums and tried basically every trick to get it to pop, but nothing doing. Hoping that by creating my own...
  11. J

    Want to verify that I have the right prop (Mercruiser MC-1)

    Hi all, I have a mercruiser MC-1 (pre-alpha) that had a bad outdrive and got replaced with a similar but slightly different one. The consensus here is that I may need to re-prop, but I'm not sure yet and it seems worthwhile to test. Just to verify: the goal is to go out into the water, and run...
  12. J

    1966 Islander - Anyone had success installing a porta potty or other toilet solution in the bow/cabin area?

    Hi all, I have an older ('66) islander 22 and I'm looking to add a small emergency toilet on board. Plan B is to just get a porta potty and keep it on board somewhere, and that's totally a fine way to go. But I'm also realizing that I have a really nice, mostly empty storage area up in the...
  13. J

    Replacing trailer axle... what are the considerations?

    Hello all, I think it's time for me to replace my trailer axles. My bearings/hubs are pretty rusted and now that both my tires have gone flat, this might be the motivation I need to replace the whole axle assembly. Just to make sure I'm doing things right... what are the considerations that I...
  14. J

    Mercruiser MC-1 Hydraulic Ram Hose Leaking

    Hello, I have a pretty major leak on my pre-alpha (MC-1) tilt ram hose. Ram works fine, but I'm concerned about this hose. Normally I'd just replace the hose, but I can't quite figure out how the hose attaches to the ram. One of the hoses just screws in like normal, but the other one looks like...
  15. J

    Received a Ray Jefferson 5000M Marine Radio, but don't know how to use it?

    Hello all, I recently received a Ray Jefferson 5000M Marine Radio. I have never had a radio in the past (I'm mostly in a lake or a small bay), but I feel like it would be really good to have and know how to use. I got it hooked up to my battery and it turns on and everything, but I just don't...
  16. J

    switching out lower unit on Mercruiser MC-1 - what to look for?

    Hello, I have an old but decent MC-1 on a GM inline 6 / 165hp. Swapping out the lower unit and a friend has an MC-1 lower unit in good shape. Problem is, it say on there it's for 120/140 mercruisers. What's the difference between the lower unit on a 120/140 and a 165? Could I use this lower...
  17. J

    Anyone know anything about Corvair(?) or maybe Traveler boats?

    Hello, I recently picked up an old (1960s) aluminum dinghy-type boat. Title says "Traveler" and the side says "Corvair" (see image: https://ibb.co/sKWNkVv). Not such which of these would be the manufacturer, or one might be the model or something? Couldn't find anything on the internet or in...
  18. J

    Any way to definitively tell between a johnson 9.9 and johnson 15 hp outboard?

    Hello, I bought a used johnson outboard. The cowl cover says 9.9, and the manual it came with is from a 9.9, but the model number on the nameplate lists it as a 15. And, the nameplate looks way newer than the rest of the engine. Just curious—is there any way to absolutely differentiate between...
  19. J

    what are these trailer bunk brackets called?

    Hello, I am in the process of fixing my trailer. It's kind of a bizarre trailer... it's missing basic stuff like cross members, etc. Part of why it's so odd is that it has the bunk brackets mounted right to the frame, instead of on the cross members. Some of the brackets are rusty, so I'd...
  20. J

    Testing and maybe Reviving dead/low Deep Cycle Marine Battery?

    Hello, My trailer has been having issues, which means I haven't used my boat in like a year.... just tried to give it a start to make sure everything is still all good and I think (both) batteries are dead or low. Light, blower, trim, etc all work, but when I try to crank the motor, the...
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