1979 Starcraft 16’ SS Refresh

[Moserkr]

Took a few days but finally got the gunnel wood boards installed!! Really happy with how they turned out despite being a pita to install. Onto the consoles, which are happening now while the admiral makes us halibut for dinner… yum!! Also spray painted the engine cowl (1st coat), and a SW trim piece. Motor needs a complete rebuild one day so just polishing a turd fast n easy so it passes a smell test lol. Hoping to get basic wiring and fuel lines in tomorrow, then test run. If she runs and is legal, soft splash on sunday!! Back to work…

 

[Moserkr]

Consoles are in. Cowl is looking good (from afar). Electronics and fuel lines tomorrow!!!!!

oh yea, mother in law stopped by. Thought the hydroturf was real wood! Lol. Looking alright…

 

[Moserkr]

Started at 8am, let the Admiral sleep in, and just crawled into bed. 15 hour day on the boat minus a quick lunch and dinner. Good news though…

Fuel lines are in!! No leaks!!!
Motors on and running great!!
Electronics are in!! Fish finder, safety lights, and one manual bilge. 2 batteries, 2 fuse panels.

Nothing turned out perfect and thats fine cause it works. I have to redo a lot of the electrical wires since I was missing some proper colored wires. But fuse panels are in, everything works, and batteries are in their boxes. Not much for pics, but ill see if i can upload a few with a video. Will take plenty of pics on her uncompleted soft splash, and of the work I did today when I have time. I powered through a lot non-stop, brain on auto pilot, just go go go.

Tomorrow, after a few hours of rest, just need to put on the hull numbers, guvment tax stickers, and the bimini. Will try to get my rod holders in for fishing, find my license for that too, and throw a bunch of other stuff in too. Oh yea, like seats lol. Needs seats. Long day…

 

[SHSU]

Looking good!!!

Two comments:
How far forward do the bunks run? Just curious as I know you have that fuel tanks up front. Would think your current setup is fine, but always something to double check

Second:
Your middle window I see has no locks. Just a suggestion to get something to close and lock when traveling. Last thing you want is glass breaking while doing 70/80 mph down the road on the way to the lake. Maybe just me, but something we think about since we have to drive a ways to get to the water.

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

5:45, woke up to the birds chirping. Slept like a log and felt great. Coffee, and by 6am back on the boat! Love feeling like an animal. By 8am i had done…

Bimini on
Seats in
Cleats tightened
Rear trailer straps on
Boat loaded for lake
Fishing pole holders in

Just have to do decals and a quick cleanup. Garage is trashed but largely empty of boat parts which is nice! Lake here we come!!


That was my post this morning that I didnt load lol. Got the boat to the lake, everything handled well as far as the trailer went and we drove slow. Found out my trailer tires are 20 years old and hardly used. Being replaced regardless now. Before i get to the “splash”…

@SHSU thanks!
1- bunks run to the front of the fuel tank and 6” into where it sits, but not all the way to the back of it. Seems pretty well supported though since i have 36’ of 2x6” bunks.
2- you are correct, windshield latches were not present in the pic. That because i have been using a screw through a piece of cardboard as my latch lol. I need to find replacements bad…

Boat was “splashed” today! For about 5 minutes…. Good news - barely a drop of water came through as she sat by the dock. The rest of the news…

Carbs have a flat spot when starting and although she fired up great at home, under water pressure and 1000’ higher in elevation, she really, really struggled to fire. Im sure they are in need of a full rebuild which is now top of the list and i have the kit already. The previous rusty gas tank, no filter, and lack of care from PO’s have taken their toll. Time to focus on the motor… speaking of which…

Lower prop shaft seal decided to go at the lake today too. As we struggled to get her started, little bubbles of fluid started coming out of the prop exhaust. I was lucky to have my FIL’s friend at the dock and he taught me some stuff about these old motors. Thats how I learned about the flat spot with the carbs.

So motor finally turned over but wasnt running great. Lower sounded off too if i went past 5-10 mph. We did a circle off the dock then brought her back, loaded her up, and called it a day. Still fun with kayaks and around 20 people for my FIL’s 50th bday. Guys in other boats were limiting on trout though and I really want to take my son fishing…

Bittersweet soft splash that im not going to count so no lake pics. Back to the drydock and onto the motor work. Need to start a motor(s) thread and will probably do that tomorrow. Have some decisions to make. Plenty left to do on the boat too beyond the motor work.

Bench seat, bow seats, more electrical work, window frames, trailer tires bearings and wheel well covers, tach, volt meter, fuel gauge, paint touchups, and more!

 

[Moserkr]

Alright, Ill be hanging out in both sub-forums now but focusing on the motor. Heres my new motor(s) thread: https://forums.iboats.com/threads/the-story-of-two-motors-75-johnsons.747512/

We have a little vacation around the 4th so will see what gets done. Depends on what advice I get in the motor thread, if Im able to do the carb rebuild and fix the prop shaft seal. Next possible lake day would be in 2 weeks…. Will see how it goes. Summer is slipping away.

 

[SHSU]

Congrats on the "Soft" splash!!

I had engine trouble too. The first time out she worked great, but then for about 6-9 trips I had to rely on the kicker. Couldn't get on plane and was bogging.

Great thing about these older motors is we can fix them. Just some TLC and you should be good to go

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

Thanks. Funny thing is she’s a J75”TLC”TE…. Definitely needs it. Probably could have run her all day even with it acting up, but dont want to risk ruining the whole season and possibly the whole motor. Hopefully i get some help in the johnson section on her and the future stinger project with that new thread. Im comfortable working on them for the most part as long as I kind of know what Im doing and have the right tools (mainly). I know you did a ton of work to yours. Did you record any of that work in your thread or another place? Just doing a ton of reading again and theres bits of info scattered everywhere. Ive never rebuilt carbs or pulled a shaft out before lol. Right now im just cleaning up the garage and prepping it for when I tear into the motor. Lots of space now so im not complaining!!

 

[SHSU]

Thanks. Funny thing is she’s a J75”TLC”TE…. Definitely needs it. Probably could have run her all day even with it acting up, but dont want to risk ruining the whole season and possibly the whole motor. Hopefully i get some help in the johnson section on her and the future stinger project with that new thread. Im comfortable working on them for the most part as long as I kind of know what Im doing and have the right tools (mainly). I know you did a ton of work to yours. Did you record any of that work in your thread or another place? Just doing a ton of reading again and theres bits of info scattered everywhere. Ive never rebuilt carbs or pulled a shaft out before lol. Right now im just cleaning up the garage and prepping it for when I tear into the motor. Lots of space now so im not complaining!!

Jumped into your other thread and provided comment

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

Update from the motor thread. Even though the current motor has lower compression than normal, she does run and would keep me at 30mph all day last year. So I fixed the lower prop shaft seal leaks, and rebuilt the carbs. Hoping that helps her start/run better. Going to test her in a trash can of water as opposed to the muffs as soon as I get a little piece I broke fixed.

After that I am moving on to the stinger motor to resurrect her from the dead. I wont have a chance to get on the water for a few weeks still so end of july is my next splash opportunity.

Today I have downtime from motor work since parts are in the mail. Going to revisit my electrical system and work on finishing it/ doing it right. Need to clean it up too with how the wires are run so its not so ugly lol.

Ive decided that if both these motors of mine cant easily be fixed to run right at a decent cost, then Ill be looking for a new repower. Since the current motor is likely facing a rebuild, my only hope is the stinger. Once I hit a certain point in the budget, it wont be worth throwing new money at an old motor. Cant justify it. Hoping that stinger pulls through…. If it does, then Ill probably keep the old motor as a parts donor for it. Ive had my eye on a new mercury 60hp seapro though… man would that be nice to put on this old boat.

 

[SHSU]

One nice things about these older motors, their like older cars. You can still work on them and not have to take it to a dealer for a small hiccup. That being said, maybe I just like being able to tinker.... lol

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

I hear ya on having the old motors. I love the sounds n smells too. I just look at it from a financial point. Ill only throw in the towel if it gets to where im throwing more money at it than its worth. Having high hopes that i get em working.

 

[SHSU]

If we were to throw in the towel when we reached the point of how much the boat/motor was worth, many of us wouldn't have boats...

lol

SHSU

 

[jdvasher]

Spent way too much time on the consoles last night but i think they turned out nice. They are a little lighter than the rest of the wood I stained, but I like it. Wish the other wood turned out like them, but they will at least stand out.

Those Consoles look great man, Nice work

 

[Moserkr]

Those Consoles look great man, Nice work

Thanks!!

 

[Moserkr]

Well…. Been a long month since my last splash attempt, and a few weeks since I even had time to work on the boat. Archery season starts in 2 weeks and unless I fill my tags quickly (doubtful), I wont be on the water much anyway. My kids been sick all week and since we cant take him to a friend’s bday party around people tomorrow, we are going to try to hit the lake if he feels up for it! This is his first day in 5 without a fever.

Today I tested my rebuilt carbs and new lower prop shaft seal in a trash can full of water. I also used the proper start procedure written on the air cover lol. Thats helps. She fired right up, and after an hour of replacing all the leaky connections that omc secured with zip ties, the new zip ties are keeping fuel in and air out! So she is purring like a beautiful kitten, ready to go roar at the lake!!

I really think the trash can test and starting procedure have given me a little more confidence in the next splash attempt. Still lots of work to do on her blah blah blah we are going to the lake tomorrow!! (God willing). If we go I will take pictures no matter what. Wish us luck!!! Hahaha

 

[SHSU]

SHSU

 

[Moserkr]

View attachment 346844


SHSU

Hahahahaha

 

[Moserkr]

This morning started with me testing the motor again in the trashcan for a warm up. Found a few more tiny fuel leaks where the lines split to the carbs. Old fuel lines just couldnt be sealed tight with zip ties, so I got new fuel line and replaced the leaky sections quick. Then we headed for the lake! Went to our favorite spot up here, Union Valley Res.

Once we got to the lake, we hurried up and waited for the $h!t show at the launch to move. Someone was charging their boats battery in 1/2 of the launch spots…. Miraculously they got it going, launch cleared, the three people ahead of me launched quick, and then it was my turn.

Lake and launch was so low that i barely put the trailer tires in to sit her in the water. She wasnt coming off the trailer unless she fired up. Realized I left the starting fluid at home too so it was all up to the ugly duckling to fire on her own. I set the idle lever to start, pushed the key in and heard the primer solenoid click, then crank, crank, crank, VROOOOM!!!! We were running!!! She fired right up. I unhooked the boat and the Admiral backed the truck up a few more feet so we could get off the trailer.

Splashed!!!!! Its official, as of 8/1/21, I am back on the water!!!!!!!!! Not only did it go well, it went above and beyond expectations!!! The UD (ugly duckling) ran better than ever. Idled smooth, fired up on demand, and sounded like she was getting more air/fuel than ever before. Took the boat faster than Id ever felt her go before too. Forgot my fish finder so didnt have GPS to tell me our speed.

But thats where we ran into a self inflicted problem. With the fuel tank up front, she rides a lot lower in the front - obvious right? It was all good until we hit WOT. Then it feels as if we hit a wall, and the motor pulses and strains, as the bow dips a little too far, slowing her down and taking us out of a plane. It was choppy so it was obvious going through chop. No issue if its perfectly smooth. I feel like this issue will be resolved when we add more weight to the rear with the big bench seat thats planned. It will easily add 50-75lbs. I can also move the anchor to the back, which weighs 25lbs, so that will be a 50lb difference (25 from front to back). Any other ideas of why this happens are welcome, but Im 99% sure its from me shifting the center of gravity so far forward with that fuel tank. If I end up not being able to fix it by adding weight to the back again, then Ill slap on the 4 blade prop and just go slower with a lot more hole shot. I estimate we still cruised at 25-30mph no problem, and it felt like she had 35mph in her.

Bilge wasnt perfectly dry either but i know where that issue is…. My 4 big motor bolts were put in quick and I didnt use enough 5200. Easy fix one day. Running the bilge for 5 seconds every few hours wont bother me for a while.

Will probably get out the next 2 weekends then Ill be out hunting for the next few months. As promised… pictures of a happy family and boat!!

 

[MNhunter1]

Congrats, she looks great on the water!