1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

[tgordon1234]

i picked up a 22' starcraft i believe its an islander today, it has a 250ci gm motor that doesnt run and hasnt run in nearly 3 years spins by hand i did what i could to turn it over by hand (only was able to a little bit) it appears someone has been in there before things are changed and rerouted ect. floor is soft. anyway got the thing home determined the starter is no good cant figure out how to get a socket or wrench in there to remove the damn thing. while crawling around in the engine compartment i notice the transom is heavely rotted. couldnt see it that well when i looked at it prior to buying it but i took a gamble. well low and behold its rotten. solenoid for trim down is no good (not a big deal) basically im asking all the experts here how bad is it do a transom im aware the motor and outdrive have to be removed. i wanted to put a starter in it and make sure it ran first but i cant get to the damn bolts. i paid 500 for the thing with a trailer. i know what the cost new my dad bought a 21 foot brand new in 2001 but time is an issue for me as well as dumping a lot of money in it. interior is pretty rough too.
haul is solid no corrosion or dents or anything that i can see. looks like a hack did motor work on it though lots of loose bolts and brackets ect.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

welcome to iboats:welcome: looks like a good deal to me, nice project boat:encouragement:

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Yes indeed you have an Islander there. Was it a good deal?? only really to be answered by you. Obviously it will need some major work done to her to bring her back to life. The hull from what I can see in the pics looks pretty good. If you are willing to spend the time and money on it to restore the boat it should be well worth it and you will ultimately know the boat inside and out and also build the insides to your likings. There are many Islander restos, some in this section and several others in the Starcract section of iboats. This link will list all the starcraft restos. http://forums.iboats.com/starcraft-boats/starcraft-rebuilds-restorations-theyre-all-here-494143.html Read through a few of them and it will give you an idea on where to start. Good luck.

 

[classiccat]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Welcome! We had our eye on that rig...it was listed in CL for a little less (post #6658). Regardless, I think you still got a fantastic deal. Hull & its jewelry look to be in great shape!

 

[laurentide]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Hey she's even a MC set up. I wonder if a guy could get him to throw in the milk crate and rotten blue tarp?

I guess the milk crate was an extra hundred :noidea: (Sorry, stealing from another thread in another forum...but hey, it's relevant!).

I really like those islanders a lot. Check out jasoutside's Islander thread...lots of reading in there, and lots of great ideas!

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/1976-22-starcraft-islander-rebuild-369247.html

 

[daveydoodle]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

The good deal depends on time and $ to put in , my 2 3 wk makeover is now 3 yrs. The more I learn and do it & see it happend with lots of advice here , the more pleased I get. Not to mention the pride and satisfaction. Just found mine would be 30k new , have meyby 4k in it and the best part I like my older 87 style better anyway. I'm from Mi , have meyby 4 mo of good boating weather, cannot justify those big bucks either.. Good luck. If you love old tinnys u are half way there.

 

[geneseo1911]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Looks like a darn good deal to me with that Merc....I assume it's a 260. That thing should fly. The engine is basically a 350 Chevy, so even if you have to drop a long block in it it's not too bad. Motor's pretty easy to pull...shouldn't take much more than a 1/2 day if you've been around engines much. Hardest part is finding a way to lift it over the gunwhales......I recommend a forklift. I've never done a tinny, but the Starmada crew makes it look pretty easy. A heck of a lot less painful than on a 'glasser. A few sheets of plywood and a little motor work and that will be a sweet boat. You'll not find a stronger group of tinny lovers than here.

BTW tin experts....is that screen door on the cuddy factory or "aftermarket"?

 

[pckeen]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

$500 - great deal. A decent price on a project Islander without a working engine can be almost twice that.

 

[Landof9000lakes]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Looks like a darn good deal to me with that Merc....I assume it's a 260. That thing should fly. The engine is basically a 350 Chevy, so even if you have to drop a long block in it it's not too bad. Motor's pretty easy to pull...shouldn't take much more than a 1/2 day if you've been around engines much. Hardest part is finding a way to lift it over the gunwhales......I recommend a forklift. I've never done a tinny, but the Starmada crew makes it look pretty easy. A heck of a lot less painful than on a 'glasser. A few sheets of plywood and a little motor work and that will be a sweet boat. You'll not find a stronger group of tinny lovers than here.

BTW tin experts....is that screen door on the cuddy factory or "aftermarket"?

250ci GM in this case I think means in line 6 (I6)


Speaking of which I'm curious how parts availability is for those packages. I would like to find one of these Islanders in the future.

 

[geneseo1911]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Oops...I read that as a 3 instead of a 2. That would make more sense. I have small blocks on the brain.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

I think it's a super deal!

Though, yur in for a long haul to bring her back to something special. Buckle up and jump in!

 

[Brenn]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Thats a killer deal.If that were in the seattle area it would be literally 4 to 5X that much.

 

[SnapperMassacre]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

ive got one for sale not far from me in way worse condition...not ran in 16yrs and rotted to almost nothing...guy was asking 2k! You scored a sweet project! Im jealous.....

 

[daveydoodle]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Here is the deal I missed out on. Was at a local boat shop 2wks ago getting a tlr. A guy had just brought in 17 ft Lund open bow he picked up at a garage sale 200 bucks, I like those old lunds so mich had to walk over to check out. Had brand new ply floor and transom,and the customer had another 150 in it for a minor elec prob on the nice 70hp or so merc. Decent tlr too-- it was the yr they made the med blue hulls meyby late 70s. Still in state of shock

 

[tgordon1234]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Welcome! We had our eye on that rig...it was lisE]ted in CL for a little less (post #6658). Regardless, I think you still got a fantastic deal. Hull & its jewelry look to be in great shape![/QUOT

yes i was counting the gas money to go get it as well as tire failure on the way home finally got the starter out today its locked up pretty tight ( the starter) i was able to crank the motor using a screwdriver on the flywheel so thats a good sign. dropping the starter off to be rebuilt tomorrow, i want to hear her run before i go all crazy on taking her apart thanks everyone for the posts i didnt really expect to hear much back so fast !!

 

[Brenn]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

hopefully you get good news with the motor

 

[tgordon1234]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

hopefully you get good news with the motor

hopefully i will know this weekend

 

[tgordon1234]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

dropped the starter off at a local place today and holy crap they had one already rebuilt on the shelf for 54$ so we shall see this weekend if she runs

 

[Brenn]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

sweet

 

[achris]

Re: 1977 starcraft islander deal or no deal

Hey tgordon, welcome aboard btw...

When you go over to the Mercruiser forum for engine/drive advice (plenty of really good guys with centuries of engine and drive knowledge), just remember to take the engine and drive serial numbers with you.... Makes it that much easier and quicker for them to help you with anything you need ....

Cheers.....

Oh, I agree with the others... Nice deal...

Chris.....