1965 Starcraft Holiday Restomod

[MNhunter1]

Congrats on the splash! Looks like the co-captain of the tow vehicle was happy to be assisting

 

[boaterdave90210]

Congrats on the splash! Looks like the co-captain of the tow vehicle was happy to be assisting

I didn't even notice that before! That is her signature "wave" though lol

 

[boaterdave90210]

Went out to the boat this weekend - haven't been able to do much recently... busy summer so far! We did narrow down the problem to the front MerControl box and not back in the carb.

Basically, I can shift into forward & reverse, and I can throttle up in reverse. When I go to throttle up in forward, the engine warm up lever moves a little bit, but can't get any real movement out of the lever. Feels like something is stuck but not sure what. I've found a couple youtube videos on the old MerControls, but the shop manual I have doesn't have anything about it. Anyone know where I can find a diagram or any info about it?

 

[boaterdave90210]

So doing more research, it looks like im missing a detent pin that helps lock it into neutral. I picked up a couple metric spacers at home depot, so I'm gonna see if those work as a makeshift pin. I did ended up finding an old MerControl unit pretty cheap on Ebay - should be here this weekend. If all else fails - I can just use that one

 

[jdvasher]

So doing more research, it looks like im missing a detent pin that helps lock it into neutral. I picked up a couple metric spacers at home depot, so I'm gonna see if those work as a makeshift pin. I did ended up finding an old MerControl unit pretty cheap on Ebay - should be here this weekend. If all else fails - I can just use that one

That might be your best bet. I've been through similar situations on my project and finding a part that works as is will likely save a lot of time and money in the long run. I just worked may way through a bunch of weird engine things from my frankenstein motor that someone pieced together. I learned a lot but wasted and lost countless hours out on the water with my kids.

 

[boaterdave90210]

MerContol came in and works like it should! Doesn't have the detent pin in there, but the spacers I got fit in perfectly. I'll end up cleaning everything up on the new one and just installing that. We have some family friends that want to see how these old ones work, so we'll have them over for the install.

While waiting for that, we decided to start painting the outside. We borrowed a pair of boat jacks to lift it up enough to get under the bunks. Couldn't quite get the jacks that low, so we had to jack it up from underneath with our "OSHA Certified" hydraulic jack. Even the primer coat looks pretty damn good!

 

[boaterdave90210]

Finished up the painting today on my lunch break - 2 coats of white & a blue stripe. Not too bad for an amateur paint job! Can't wait to take the tape off and see it in the sunlight

 

[jdvasher]

Finished up the painting today on my lunch break - 2 coats of white & a blue stripe. Not too bad for an amateur paint job! Can't wait to take the tape off and see it in the sunlight

What paint did you go with?

 

[Moserkr]

Looks great to me!

 

[Watermann]

Very nice and clean look. Oh yeah out in the sun is always better.

Always pull the tape within 2 - 3 hours after painting or risk tearing into your paint job leaving a jagged line.

 

[boaterdave90210]

Very nice and clean look. Oh yeah out in the sun is always better.

Always pull the tape within 2 - 3 hours after painting or risk tearing into your paint job leaving a jagged line.

Ahhh ok that makes sense - I'll pull them this morning, hopefully its not too bad. I plan on touching up some of the spots I missed with a small brush too once I pull the tape

 

[boaterdave90210]

What paint did you go with?

I did a layer of kilz oil based primer, and the final coat is Rust oleum marine topside paint with a foam roller. That stuff paints really well!

 

[jdvasher]

I did a layer of kilz oil based primer, and the final coat is Rust oleum marine topside paint with a foam roller. That stuff paints really well!

Looks good. Im planning on painting mine at the end of the season.

 

[boaterdave90210]

Well I rebuilt both Mercontrols and tried installing them last night. Kept having the same issue where it wouldn't throttle up in forward. Took it apart and the throttle cable felt kinda stiff. I was able to throttle up in reverse, but I'm wondering if the angle in forward gear, coupled with the stiff cable is preventing the throttle from going. I just ordered a new cable, so we'll see if that helps at all.

Might start a thread going over the inner workings of the MerControl. I've taken that thing apart so many times now I should be an expert

 

[boaterdave90210]

New cable is all it took - now able to go full throttle! Gonna take it out to the lake tomorrow for another test drive. Got a good pic of it outside with the new paint job - not too bad for an amateur. Got my dad working on the rear seat bases. Then its just wet sanding/ waxing and a good detailing to round this thing off

 

[boaterdave90210]

Lake test # 2 was a success! boat ran perfectly, no shifting issues, and was able to get WOT easily with the new cable. I still need to bolt down the rear seats, get a new prop and do a full detail but she runs and drives perfectly! Can't remember if I shared the boat name yet, but we did end up naming it "Howie" since that's the grandpa's name. At the end of August, we're going to do the final reveal to grandpa and do the champagne christening ceremony. I'll keep y'all updated on how that goes!

 

[Watermann]

Looking forward to seeing the final launch

 

[boaterdave90210]

Final reveal and christening went perfectly! Grandpa got to see the final product and teared up a bit when he saw his name on the back. He wasn't sure he would make it out on the water, but we were able to hoist him up and take a couple laps around the lake before the storms came rolling in. I'm really happy with the way she turned out, and wouldn't have been able to do it without these forums. (thank you everyone for the advice!) Here's to many great years out on the water

 

[Watermann]

That is awesome! Congrats on the launch and all the hard work seems to have paid off in lots of smiles.

 

[classiccat]

Congratulations on the beautiful Holiday!

What a great story of Grandpa Howie getting a ride on the splash!!