Monmouth's 1979 Starcraft Kingfisher Rebuild

[BWR1953]

For me it's usually measure twice cut once, ruin the board, go back to the hardware store, get another board, measure five times cut once leaving some Slop, measure again, cut the slop off, drink a victory beer.

ound:

 

[Monmouth00]

For me it's usually measure twice cut once, ruin the board, go back to the hardware store, get another board, measure five times cut once leaving some Slop, measure again, cut the slop off, drink a victory beer.

My mistake is always the victory beer before I even start working.

 

[Monmouth00]

So the boat will hopefully go off to my buddy for some metal work after the floor goes in.

I plan on using the boat to do some trolling eventually. My trolling time is severely limited by having the electric trolling motor humming away. I'll have two batteries, but I'm not confident I'll get as much trolling time in as I want before the batteries are dead.

I've got a 25 hp mercury two stroke, and because it's not advised to troll at slow speeds with it, I plan on using trolling bags to keep the motor running hot enough to burn carbon off my plugs.

Since it's going to my metal guy anyway, should I have him reinforce my mid-ships cleats? I'd hate to put too much stress on them by dragging two 18 bags next to the boat. Or can the cleats and my rails handle it?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Watermann]

With my rather heavy 18' SS and an 80# Terrova 24v last summer I trolled walleye for 7 or 8 hours and the gp27 batteries never dropped below 70% charge.

 

[Monmouth00]

With my rather heavy 18' SS and an 80# Terrova 24v last summer I trolled walleye for 7 or 8 hours and the gp27 batteries never dropped below 70% charge.

Wow! Really?

I have a group 27, and what I think is a 45-50# Minkota 12 volt.

The 12 volt is going to draw a lot more amps than the 24 volt.

I thought this would give me max 2 hours at full thrust. Am I wrong?

(granted, I'm not going to troll at full thrust)

Thanks!

 

[Watermann]

Too many variables to know for sure until you try. For me I'm trolling under 1 mph for the walleye so using very little power and the 24v control on mine is like a rheostat without set speed selections.

 

[Monmouth00]

Yeah, that's a nice set up. Maybe one day I'll upgrade, but the priority is to get the boat back in the water!

I'll be doing 1.0 to 1.5 mph trolling, and probably no more. Those fat lakers don't want to chase anything faster.

Again, I should theoretically get 2 solid hours at top speed, but I won't be trolling at top speed, obviously.

I'm hoping for at least three or four, and still being able to turn over the O/B when I'm done, which is why I'm going with a two battery and selector switch setup. I'm also installing a voltage meter.

I'll experiment one sunny day when there are 100 other boats on the water who can tow me in.

 

[nrf414]

For what it's worth, I have 2 group 31s in the bow connected to a 71# thrust and I've navigated an electric only lake fishing and came home with 70-75% on the batteries too. Amperage and motor efficiency play a big part in run time.

Best I can tell you is test it out and if you need more juice look at adding another battery if it's not too much weight. Should be fine though depending on environmwntal conditions.

 

[Monmouth00]

For what it's worth, I have 2 group 31s in the bow connected to a 71# thrust and I've navigated an electric only lake fishing and came home with 70-75% on the batteries too. Amperage and motor efficiency play a big part in run time.

Best I can tell you is test it out and if you need more juice look at adding another battery if it's not too much weight. Should be fine though depending on environmwntal conditions.

I'll have two batteries, but the 12 volt motor I have will only be connected to one.

The 12 volt system is not as efficient as your 24 volt one. It draws much more current.

Still, I'll experiment, and hopefully be able to get some good run time out of the one battery before I have to head back to the dock on the other one.

 

[Watermann]

Everything is anecdotal here so... I had a 12v Minn Kota 40 AT on my 16' SN and could troll on a single gp27 dc battery for 6 or 7 hours with no wind before the battery would croak. If it's windy there are tricks, troll with the wind, power back up with main motor and go again, saves tons of battery power.

 

[Monmouth00]

Everything is anecdotal here so... I had a 12v Minn Kota 40 AT on my 16' SN and could troll on a single gp27 dc battery for 6 or 7 hours with no wind before the battery would croak. If it's windy there are tricks, troll with the wind, power back up with main motor and go again, saves tons of battery power.

Anecdotal is fine - we learn from the experiences of others sometimes. Isn't that what this site is all about?

Yeah, the wind is the biggest variable. I've done some long lining/flat lining (whatever you want to call it) for hybrid bass in the wind. The plan is usually to just point the bow away from the wind and let it push you along. Turn the OB on at the other end of the lake, motor back, and start all over. I just use the trolling motor for minor course correction along the way.

I can't wait to get this thing back in the water.

Going to hopefully get the floor in tomorrow morning if the weather doesn't suck. (it might)

Can I just coat the screws with 5200 before I drill them in, or will it just wipe all the sealant off? I really don't want to have to pre-drill all the holes. I'm impatient - I just want to zap 'em in and move to the next one.

Thanks!

 

[Watermann]

Yeah the self tapping will wipe the 5200 off for the most part and leave a mess to clean up but the heads will be sealed up just fine. Heck those finish washers may even hide the squeezed out bead and help to seal the screw.

 

[66Holiday924]

Blue Seas Systems makes an awesome battery switch. It is a little pricey but if I were going to be trolling, or taking my boat out on big water frequently, using the hell out my battery I would invest in it. It's worth the peace of mind. You don't want to put yourself in the position of not being able to start your boat, especially on big water. When installed, you have two batteries, and it basically, automatically alternates between them, always leaving one strong enough to start your boat. While you're running it directs the charge from the alternator to the starter battery first, when it senses it is fully recharged then it charges your "accessories" battery.

 

[Monmouth00]

Blue Seas Systems makes an awesome battery switch. It is a little pricey but if I were going to be trolling, or taking my boat out on big water frequently, using the hell out my battery I would invest in it. It's worth the peace of mind. You don't want to put yourself in the position of not being able to start your boat, especially on big water. When installed, you have two batteries, and it basically, automatically alternates between them, always leaving one strong enough to start your boat. While you're running it directs the charge from the alternator to the starter battery first, when it senses it is fully recharged then it charges your "accessories" battery.

Thanks!

I'm not sure of the brand that my buddy chose, but it basically does all that you described.

I am very lucky that he had his own business and used to install electronics on million dollar yachts up and down the Jersey Shore. Everything he's chosen is close to top of the line. I'm getting a ridiculous discount because his former business partners are letting him buy it all for their wholesale cost.

He's trying to convince me to put in a 6 speaker stereo system with a 12" sub - and lights that change color to the music.

I want the boat to look pimp, but not that pimp.

 

[66Holiday924]

Blue seas P/N 7650 or 7649. The black box is the sensor and it's what makes it different from other switches. It automates switching between batteries for you. It has really high reviews. Blue Seas is top of the line for boat electronics.

Lure your buddy over with beer and pretend you have your electronics all screwed up. He'll feel obligated set it right for you.

 

[Monmouth00]

Blue seas P/N 7650 or 7649. The black box is the sensor and it's what makes it different from other switches. It automates switching between batteries for you. It has really high reviews. Blue Seas is top of the line for boat electronics.

Lure your buddy over with beer and pretend you have your electronics all screwed up. He'll feel obligated set it right for you.

Oh, I'm not giving him a choice. I told him he's wiring the boat for me! If he's lucky he'll get a sandwich and a beer for his hard work.

I'll suggest the Blue Seas model. I'm sure he can find it. The switch/fuse panel he's putting in is Blue Seas too.

Thanks!

 

[BWR1953]

Man, you're really moving along. I'm envious!

At this point, I'm "planning" on a re-splash on the first day of spring.

Had​ a chat with the boy and my wife about it this morning. They're on board. If I'm real lucky, we'll be able to paint next weekend.

Did you run into any "hidden" issues?

 

[Monmouth00]

Man, you're really moving along. I'm envious!

At this point, I'm "planning" on a re-splash on the first day of spring.

Had​ a chat with the boy and my wife about it this morning. They're on board. If I'm real lucky, we'll be able to paint next weekend.

Did you run into any "hidden" issues?

I'm really lucky to have a wife who is on board with the project. I've also been pretty diligent. She knows that I like to start and finish projects , so she understands when I disappear into the garage for hours at a time. I'm dragging my boy along for as long as his attention holds too. He usually works with me for a few hours and then I'm free to get real work done.

I'm Also planning on a spring splash. I do well with deadlines, and I'm a bit crazy about planning all week to work efficiently when the weekend comes. Spring is coming soon so I'm trying not to waste any time or effort.

I was super lucky that I knew what I was getting into, and didn't find anything that I wasn't expecting. The 63 rivets that needed replacing was a bit of a shock, but all in all, the hull was in fairly good shape. No serious damage and minimal corrosion.

The weather was awful this weekend, so the floor didn't go in. That means a delay getting the boat to my metal guy. I can't afford too many more delays. It throws off my whole schedule.

Instead, I primed and painted the metal I'm reusing. The boy says it looks "kinda awesome" and even the wife complimented it.

Now comes the time where I have to start spending some money to get accessories. All the little pieces that add up quick. New lights all around, a new bilge pump, New electrical outlets, wire, switch panel, etc. Oh, and paying a good amount of money to have the metal done, and the outboard worked over.

We ain't out of the woods yet!

 

[Monmouth00]

I started to put some paint on the console yesterday, and noticed my steering wheel looks a little shoddy.

I originally wanted to take it off so I could paint the console a bit easier. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how the darn thing separates from the console. It's got three bolts that protrude from the bottom of the console, but it looks like those three just spin freely when I try to get the bolts off.

I imagine I have to remove the shroud around the column, but don't want to break anything trying.

Anybody remove one of these late 1970's Starcraft steering wheels before? Got any tips?

Once it's removed, I'd really like to clean it up. Can it be sanded? It's fairly faded too - I've heard of people heating plastic and rubbing linseed oil into it. Does that work to bring back the shine?

Thanks to all!

 

[66Holiday924]

Can you post a picture or two?