New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

[inthedirtagain]

Well, I did. I finally got a boat to scoot the family around. I traded my 1986 Suzuki GS450 for a 1966 Holiday. After a week of breakdowns (steering cable) and bad schedules, we were finally able to meet at the dock. With an original Evinrude 100-s, the boat only managed 25mph with two adults and two kids. That is according to the dash speedo, since I forgot to bring my GPS. I drained the lower unit to check condition of the oil. Oil was changed at some point this year, but didn't look new or to be mixing with water. That's a plus.

It'll need a new prop, but I'm not sure what to put on it. It aluminum with 12-14 stamped into it.

 

[grzzzz]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

Looks familiar!!! I have a 66. The flat, 4 piece wind shield is, i find quite unique to 66s. The first number is diameter, second, everyone says pitch, which in a manner of speaking represents pitch but is actually, in a perfect would, on paper, the number of inched you will travel per revolution. I am not the prop expert on this site so I'll let them chime in. But, the pitch can certainly affect the speed. It is a perfect balancing act between getting the exact pitch that you engine will perform at pique performance. To little pitch, you get WOT and not the speed. Prop not working hard enough. To much pitch and you will never reach WOT, engine working to hard. Mine is a I/O so can't help you much more. I'll try to attach pics, never works for me but I tried.View attachment 108787View attachment 108788

Good luck.

Grzzzz

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

Nice boat, welcome to the Starmada. Is it an 18'? If so, that prop seems way off. I run a 17 pitch on mine with a 90HP on an 18'.

 

[inthedirtagain]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

It is an 18ft and the prop is definitely the wrong size. Every calculator that I've tried suggests either a 13 or 14in prop, with a pitch between 15 and 19, depending upon speed or holeshot. As it is right now, the boat gets up on plane very quickly, but just doesn't seem to move out all that fast. The onboard speedo (pitot) reads that it is topping out around 25mph, but the tach doesn't work, so I have no idea what rpm my WOT is at. I'm taking the boat out again tomorrow with my engine analyzer hooked up to it (this tach does work) and my GPS. Between these two, I'll be able to nail down exactly what I need for a new prop.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

I'd go with a 13 1/4 x 17 for starters. I just upgraded to a Turning Point Hustler prop. It didn't do anything for my top speed (39 MPH) but it completely eliminated some blow out issues I was having from a dead stop and in hard turns. The inexpensive Solas Amita props are fine as well (though the price difference between the 2 is pretty minimal).

 

[inthedirtagain]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

Im new to the boating scene, so I'm not sure if I understand what "blow out" is. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that when the prop is turning, but not propelling the craft forward? I think I need to find a forum with a list of definitions for us newbs. You're running 39mph with a 90hp? Makes me wonder what kind of internal condition my O/B is in!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

Yep blow out is just like spinning the tires on a car. Loses it's "bite". Get a tach and a new prop. I'm betting you'll see some nice performance.

 

[inthedirtagain]

Re: New Starcraft.......only 45yrs old!

Put a tach on it today, with a GPS. I don't think I'm getting full throttle out of it, because even being underpropped, I max'd out at 4700rpm and 29.5 mph. I'm waiting for my shop manual to arrive so that I can be more comfortable messing with the motor. I played with the trim on the O/B today hoping for some improvements. The bow rides hi, but that is also where I get my best speed.