1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

[caferocareal]

Just purchased this Starcraft Supersport. It is pretty clean and I'm into the retro look. I think I may put a bench of somekind in the back, but besides that I'm hoping to leave it alone. I know I'll need to replace some items.

I'm tickled pink and I think my wife and 3 boys are pretty excited about it. They wont be home until tomorrow.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Welcome aboard

You have just joined one of the largest collections of Starcraft people in the world!

So, what's the outboard?

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Hi Bob, thank you for the welcome. This is an awesome forum! I really like all the pictures people post.

My wife and kids came home last night and were happy to see the boat in the garage. Looking forward to our maiden voyage!

The motor is a 1976 85 horse Evinrude. I have a factory service manual on the way from ebay. The previous owner pulled the hood off and advanced the timing the first start of the day. The throttle lever doesn't push the timing lever very far at all (maybe 1/2" when pushed all the way down.) I'm thinking it is a bad cable since it has some of the sheathing worn off, or could it be in the control box. The plastic bushings in the motor housing seem to be OK, but I'm not sure.

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Hi, I have a question on the motor. I would like to add tilt and trim to the motor. Did this motor come with 2 types of tilt and trim units?. Does anyone have any idea? Here are pics of the motor. Thank you.

 

[djpeters]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

I am not sure, but I think there was only one style per a given generation of motors. It seems I remember Ezmobee saying when they changed. He will prolly see your thread and respond with better info. A few guys have aftermarket trim and tilt units but they are pricey if you have to buy new.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Welcome! Super nice boat you got there with a great motor. I ran a '73 85 on my 16' and it was a great combo. However, unless it's worth $400+ to you, I'd give up on adding TnT to a pre-'78 Johnson/Evinrude.

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Thank you ezmobee, I'm finding that out quickly. Wish I would have known before I bought the boat. Really all I want is Tilt, not so much trim. I can pull the motor up and put it down, but I would like to have it for my wife so she can use the boat.

I'm thinking of removeing the latch and changing one of the cylinders on the inside of the bracket to give me tilt. Anyone ever do this?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

We've got a GURU TnT guy on here. His username is RRitt. http://forums.iboats.com/member.php?u=72024 Maybe PM him for some ideas.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Nice SS you've got there, it's in really great condition from what I can see.

I use a CMC-PT 130 trim/tilt bracket on my '71 Merc that has none. They are somewhat pricy as well, but nice to have, maybe if you can find a good deal on a used one.

Another Starcraft here in Michigan, quite a few of us now

 

[concept10]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

The boat looks great, congrats on your purchase! First time (for me) seeing that logo setup on the side.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Nice SS you've got there, it's in really great condition from what I can see.

I use a CMC-PT 130 trim/tilt bracket on my '71 Merc that has none. They are somewhat pricy as well, but nice to have, maybe if you can find a good deal on a used one.

Another Starcraft here in Michigan, quite a few of us now

Yes the add on unit is worth the money.....

The 85 will serve you perfectly on that hull!

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Thank you Huron Angler. I'm looking for an original still right now, but if I don't find one I'll definitely consider this. Another thought I had was to buy a retro kit from this guy on ebay for $40 to make my motor fit on a later model tilt/trim unit. He's selling one all set up for $400-$550. Only problem is I need to buy a bracket and the tilt trim unit etc from the later model. I've got some time before the rain stops here so I'm not panicking, yet.

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Thanks Concept10, I really like the color scheme. It reminds me of my dads old Chrysler Charger I learned to water ski off of as a kid in northern Michigan.

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

I'm wondering if the PO put that logo on. I'm noticing that others have smaller letters for their logos. I was thinking of replacing them anyways because one of the sides is kind of scratched, do you have a pic of what the logos typically look like?

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Haven't gotten very far, I put the tops up and they look decent, but I need to change some of the zippers. I'll post pics soon.

I'm also working on the throttle cable that advances the timing. The lever for the advance travels forward OK, but the cable only moves the lever in the engine about a 1/2". Also the cable looks to be frayed in a few spots. So I'm planning to purchase a new cable and replace it. I'm trying to take it off of the remote control and I don't know how to disconnect the cable from the casing guide. The manual isn't very helpful with this procedure. Can anyone offer advice?

 

[caferocareal]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

A little embarased here,:facepalm: the throttle cable was easy, just didn't read the manual well enough. The vinyl floor covering is in really good shape except there is one small quarter sized hole near the back of the boat, almost covered by the gas tank curtain. Any suggestions on how to repair this. I was thinking of putting a thresh hold back there to cover it up so it doesn't become any worse.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Yeah I can't think of anything you could do to "repair" the vinyl. Just cover it up as you plan. Some aluminum flat stock might be classy

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

Yeah I can't think of anything you could do to "repair" the vinyl. Just cover it up as you plan. Some aluminum flat stock might be classy

I agree, and I will add that if you use rivets it will look like it belongs there

Some photos would help a bunch too!

 

[caferocareal]

I agree, and I will add that if you use rivets it will look like it belongs there

Some photos would help a bunch too!

Here is a picture of the hole in the floor.

I had it out up on Lake James in Prudenville, MI this past weekend. I took my whole family water skiing and on boat rides and it ran great on one gas tank. I ran out of gas on the one so I switched to the other tank and it ran pretty well except at full throttle. It would not stay at max rpm and so I squeezed the bulb and it seems as if it lost prime. I'm not sure if it is a problem with the tank or the line. Does anyone else have experience with this type of problem? The tank is really cool, it is one of the old steel ones with a really neat gas gauge. Everyone tells me to just go get one of the plastic ones, but I wanted to try to keep it.

Also I brought the boat home and put it back in the garage and after a few days my wife said the garage smelled like gas. I noticed gas was leaking all over the tank inside the boat. It seems the gas was coming out of the connection between the tank and the hose. I disconnected the hose and then the tank stopped leaking.

I noticed this boat has a few features that I'm not familiar with. I am not a huge fisherman, but am starting to understand the feeling of the itch after trolling with this boat on the lake this weekend for about 20 minutes and catching 3 bass. One striped, one large mouth and one small mouth. Anyways there is some sort of counter mounted to the inside of the boat.

The other feature that I like, that I have never seen on another boat are the 8 aluminum pocket brackets on the inside side of the boat that support 4 bows to support the mooring cover. Here is a pic of one of them.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1976 Starcraft Supersport 16

My outboards have tended to get a little "angry" when running a tank completely dry. So I try to avoid that. Those metal tanks are awesome. I'd definitely prefer it to a plastic one. I think there are new gasket kits available for them. I have definitely had tanks leak all over the place if they get a bit pressurized and the vent isn't open or clear.