Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

[NateWI]

Hi folks. I've been stalking this forum for a little while and would like to introduce myself a bit. Have been a fisherman for most of my life. Mostly out of bare-bones 14' aluminum of one kind or another...sometimes with padded seats!.

Well, I upgraded last year to a 1985 16' Sylvan SMA. At least that's what the plate says. It's a dual console and in fairly good shape though I'm sure I'll have to do the floor in the future. I don't know much about these kinds of boats but I know they come in a variety of configurations... AND I can't find much detailed info online.

Everything seems to work well though the live well is missing the pump and some of the plumbing which is one of my questions. Anyone know of a schematic or some other info of how a boat like this was plumbed? My particular model has the elevated front platform which is where the live well is. Some models used the box under the driver seat, not mine. There are two holes/ports in the transome that have been plugged. I'm assuming one hole was the in and the other the out? These are in addition to the general drain plug and the splash well drains. Sorry no picts of these holes at the moment.

Also, there is a lot of foam under the splash well. Is all this necessary? What does the foam do anyway if it's not under water? Sorry to sound so naive. This foam takes up a lot of room under the splash well. I barely have enough room for a 6 gal. tank and 2 batteries. The hydraulic tilt motor is located under here too. See picts of foam.

Anyway, here are some picts of the boat. Nice forum. I'm very impressed with the restoration threads!

Here's more...
http://s150.photobucket.com/albums/s99/njnovak/1985 Sylvan 16 SMA/

 

[cr2k]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

The foam is the required flotation for that size of boat. As to the plumbing it would be anyones guess. You might try running a hose in to each of the mentioned holes and watching in the livewell for any water. My guess is they were plugged due to leakage either from bad or rotten hoses or missing parts such as the pump. I do see a few thru hull fittings in the bow, either for deck draining or the live well.

Sorry I could not have been more help. I would just put her in the driveway, open every hatch and start running some water. Start with the live well and see if it drains out one of the transom fittings or in the bilge. If the bilge I would guess bad plumbing.

Clean looking boat and a good looking happy kid!

BTW that Mariner is a Mercury/Yamaha hybrid. A good unit.

 

[NateWI]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Thanks for the info cr2k. I knew Mariner was generally a product of Mercury but was not aware of Yamaha's involvement. It seems to run pretty good but could use a little fine tuning.

Well, I know the livewell has overflows (2), one thru-hull fitting on each side of the hull in the bow as you mentioned from the picture. The fill/drain hole in the bottom has been disconnected and there is a length of tubing lying in the ski/pole locker in the floor and I can see a disconnected hose lying in the bilge area. I assume they are the same hose. I need to get a helper as I can't reach and pull on both at the same time. There is an access hole in the floor near the livewell drain hole. I presume a pump may have been here...but don't see any wires. There are a few random disconnected wires in the bilge area. I've been trying to figure out if this system had one or two pumps but can't quite tell. Other than the overflows, the livewell appears to only have one other hole...in the bottom. So i'm guessing this system just had one pump for filling and draining and not recirculating.

I guess the recirculation would just occur with pulling in more fresh water and pushing the old out the overflows.

Do they make an all in one pump that can draw water in but also pump out? And when not in use, acts as a check vavle to not let water in?

thanks

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Nice looking ride !!. And Welcome to iboats.
Now where is that kid's life-jacket ???.

 

[NateWI]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Right. It's on the floor right behind him in the second pic. He had just jumped in after launching. We were both jacketed before shoving off. No worries!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Beautiful boat. It's in really superb condition for its age. Pretty sure we'll let you in the Startcraft cult, I mean club with that rig

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

. Nate are you teaching the little guy how to drive yet ??.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Nice rig Pretty much identcal to my Starcraft Supersport as I bought it. I'm restoring it to have the u-shaped bow seating rather than the platform for more passenger seating.

Congrats on the rig and welcome to our starcraft fleet(Sylvan has Starcraft DNA)

By the way...what's your top speed with the 80? I've got an 80hp Merc and I'm just curious.

 

[NateWI]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Thanks Huron. I've been watching your Starcraft resto thread . You guys do some pretty impressive work in that thread.

Not sure what the top speed is. I don't have a GPS and i'm still trying to learn how to use the depth finder that came with the boat...or if it'll even register speed. She gets up and goes pretty good though. Boat is rated for a 90 but the 80 seems good enough and I doubt I'd even know the difference in another 10hp. If I figure out the speed thing I'll let you know. Hoping to get out on Friday if the weather holds.

Good luck on your resto's!

 

[cr2k]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Bilge pump wires are usually brown + and black -. I know some of the fancy wake board boats use pumps to fill and drain the ballast tanks, one of those might work for you as they are reversible, and with the impeller not turning they would stop flow.

Sounds like the tubing you are describing may have gone to the fittings at the back of the boat at one time. Yes a lot of live wells just use the overflow as a "circulation" system.

I have only worked on the live well systems on a few bass boats and for the most part they are a major pain to access anything, Seems these systems are the first thing to go in to the hull before the interior.

 

[dozerII]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Great looking boat, and set up almost identical to my 84 SS, even the interior before I refitted it. The live well in mine was a factory welded aluminum one and leaked like a sieve. The had installed it with a cheap plastic hose that ran under the floor through th ski locker to the transome an it had holes in it every foot. It was the reason my interior was shot, needless to say it did not go back in the boat, I am now using a cooler and aireator.
Glen

 

[NateWI]

Re: Newbie - Not a Starcraft but want to share...a few questions

Bilge pump wires are usually brown + and black -.

How right you are. Of the disconnected wires found in the bilge aera, there is a black wire and a brown wire. They look like they've been disconnected for quite a while adn my first thought was "these are the pump wires".

DozerII - The driver seat in my boat sits on top of a welded aluminum box and I've seen other versions of this boat that utilize the box as the live well - mainly boats that had more of the U shaped seating in the bow versus the raised bow like mine. It always looks like an after thought in those boats though. I'm thinking of pulling out the box in mine or putting it somewhere else as it's not very functional where it is.

I'm going to fiddle around with it this summer. I really would like to have a livewell and not have to hang a basket or stringer over the side which is a hassle when I want to move the boat to a new location. I also really like the idea of the well being out of the way (in the floor or other).

Thanks for the input and comments!