Help identifying a boat that I picked up.

[Glutton-for-punishment]

Hello everyone I am new to boating, 7 months ago I went to a marina (pudget sound marina) in lacy Washington and fell in love with a 1979 suncraft 18 foot boat. They had the title to the trailer and boat and were asking 3000.00 for it, they took me out for a spin in it to show me it worked and that was it I had to have it. I explained to them that I was there to buy a boat and that I was new to the whole thing, I asked them to show me somthing that would be lake ready ( this was my mistake trusting them as they had outstanding reviews ). So in the 7 months of owning it I have rewired the boat to get rid of the tube fuses and install a marine grade circuit breaker, repaired the chips in the gel coat and the keel, replaced two coil packs, added a voltage gauge, added a bimini top, replaced the fuel lines, and rewired the trailer and added new trailer lights. In the near future I am going to replace the trailer tires, hubs, and get a new stator for the 1979 evenruide 115. I also discovered while I was replacing the speed sensor on the transom that the transom has water in it.... So my plan as of right now is to rebuild the transom using marine plywood and fiberglass and while I'm at it I might end up doing the stringers as well if needed. I have tried and tried and tried to look up information on this boat manufacture but can find nothing about it. Does anyone know anything about this brand or boat?

 

[Glutton-for-punishment]

More pictures.

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, all the information that is important is in the title and registration. I assume you have that. if not, you own a yard planter

now, assuming you have a title and registration in hand. what does the title say the boat is.

beyond that, what other information do you need. other than 4 boat manufacuters (out of about 150,000) there is no manual or other useful information.

if your transom is junk (high probability on any boat over 15 years old) then you should also plan on stringers and doing the floor.

all the information you need on restoring a boat is going to be found here: https://forums.iboats.com/threads/how-tos-and-other-great-information.283508/

read links 14, 15, 18, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b in their entirety.

 

[Glutton-for-punishment]

Hello and thank you for your reply the title for it says suncraft model 18 the boat is a 1979 and I am planning on redoing the transom and the stringers. Thank you I will check out that link.

 

[dwco5051]

Welcome aboard. Sharp looking boat. Your screen name shows you know what you are in for getting it where you want it to be. A lot of time getting there but the end result will be something you will be proud of.

I noticed in the one picture your rider is wearing the most uncomfortable type of PFD made. Get some that are comfortable to wear. As some one that had to wear a PFD for 8 hours at a time for work I would suggest looking into an inflatable (Like the Mustang Line or similar). Makes for a happier passenger.

 

[Glutton-for-punishment]

Yeah I can definitely see all the problems and stress coming my way but I feel like once it’s done it will be exactly what I want and something I can depend on. I’m going to use coosa board for the transom and stringers, but I’m also going to rebuild the floor so that I can add a live well and expand the size of my bilge area along with adding in more storage areas in the floor. I will probably end up replacing the seats and adding a ladder on the back. I will look into those she definitely hates the orange life jacket lol, thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Scott Danforth]

why build with coosa? if you rebuild correctly with wood, the boat will last another 30 years. truth is most people sell the boat they buy within the first 5 years.

 

[Glutton-for-punishment]

I was worried about it rotting out again in the future, I hope to keep this boat for my kids. I would love to have a cuddly cabin but realistically speaking for me this is probably as big as I can have due to my constant moving around. I’m active duty military and I tend to pcs every 2-3 years.

 

[Glutton-for-punishment]

I’m open to using wood, I’m still looking into how to replace the transom and stringers.

 

[JASinIL2006]

If you use wood and just properly store and maintain your boat, you can save a ton of money over using Coosa. Much of the problem with wood boats is how they're made and cared for; you can remedy both by building it better than it came from the factory, and by taking care of it to minimize chance of it rotting again.

There are many, many restoration threads in the Boat Repair and Restoration area of this board. You may not find your exact boat, but I bet you can find something close enough to guide you in your project. And there are lots of us here who will help by answering questions, giving advice, etc.

 

[Glutton-for-punishment]

Thank you very much I appreciate all of the support, it’s nice to have a place where someone new like myself can come to and ask for advise or guidance.