looking for advice on a Starcraft

[Birdseye12]

Hey all

I've been following the forum for awhile and am blown away by the amount of great information on here. Great stuff! I'm looking for some advice. I had a neighbor pass away, who had an old boat in the backyard. The person in charge of his estate says he just wants the boat gone. I know there is no such thing as a "free" boat but makes a guy think. The boat is a Tr-150 Starcraft with a 50 horse Johnson outboard. Hull looks to be in good shape no cracks of any kind, just dirty. The floor, stringers, and transom I'm sure will have to be redone. The motor isn't seized and I feel I could get that running. The person In charge of estate didn't have much info. I don't have much experience in boat restoration but I am pretty handy and always looking for a winter project. (Beats watching the Vikings lose every Sunday). I currently don't have a boat but have always wanted one just for going out on lakes in the Minnesota area. My question is, is it worth it? I like the idea of building one back up that I know would be in good shape and would be my boat. What I don't know is if a tr-150 is a good boat model to do that with or would be better to just leave it be. I have some photos of it, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Woodonglass]

Appears to be vintage 60's. Could be a HIN plate on the transom that'll tell you. Title??? Not sure what the Title and Registration laws are in Minnesota but you should check. If it's been out in the elements uncovered for more than a few years then more than likely she's gunna require a full structural restoration. That could mean approx. $2K in materials and 200 man hours of labor. If you're up for that and you like the looks of the boat then just know that when you're done you'll have a boat that'll be better than it was from the factory and will last until your grandkids are done with it.

 

[Birdseye12]

Thanks woodon, no title to be found but the owner did check with the dnr and a bill of sale will suffice to transfer ownership. I will check for a HIN plate. Are these models pretty common?

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup, LOTS of Tri-Hulls back in that era. Very Stable boats. A 15 ft boat with a 50hp is a nice little boat. Is that Johnson an electric shift?

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome to iboats, Birdseye.

Since you've been reading threads here, you already know a free boat never is free. That's a good start. :smile: There were plenty of tri-hulls back in the day and as WOG said, they are a nice stable boat.

She been sitting in the weeds for a while, any idea how long? After you drag her home don't spend any money until the paperwork for the boat and trailer are straightened out. That's a just in case it doesn't work out.

What you can do for free (there's that word again) is clean her up. Squirt some oil in the spark plug holes to lube up the cylinders and do a compression test. Some auto parts stores have a free tool rental program.

Good luck and keep plugging away - Soon you will be on the lake if you're lucky and she doesn't need too much work. We're always here to give encouragement and help.

 

[pckeen]

Take it - absolute worst case scenario is you scrap the boat, part out the motor, and sell the trailer.

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Take it - absolute worst case scenario is you scrap the boat, part out the motor, and sell the trailer.

+1 to that and definately don't put money into it until it's legally yours.

Middle of the road case - You find a TIN Starcraft on CL for cheap because it comes with no motor or trailer.

 

[Birdseye12]

Going off memory I'm not 100% if it is electric or not and I don't have it sitting in my shed yet to go look at. Are the electrics bad news? Thanks for the welcome GA! That is the plan once I get her home. It hasn't seen the water for a few years. I can see the potential, best case I end up with a nice little boat that is mine to keep, worst case I end up with a lesson that is also mine to keep . Going to work on getting the paperwork in order, and get it home. Just wanted to make sure I did my research before I said for sure I'd take it.

 

[pckeen]

+1 to that and definately don't put money into it until it's legally yours.

Middle of the road case - You find a TIN Starcraft on CL for cheap because it comes with no motor or trailer.

Now there's good advice. Most people begin with the restorable boat then find a donor....nothing wrong with doing it the other way round.

 

[Birdseye12]

Have a question on the "bulkheads and bilge" of this boat. The factory bulkheads are just lathes across the top of the stringers and the bilge area was just an open spot under the splash well. Seems very hokey but maybe this was common for older fiberglass starcrafts. When I start putting this back together would it be better to build bulkheads and a bilge area or would replacing it to factory be the way to go? Thanks in advance.

 

[Birdseye12]

No Title

Here is a few pics of what i mean.

 

[Woodonglass]

I recommend putting her back as she was. If you do the glassing right...she'll last another 40 years.