Re: Post a pic of your starcraft!
Thanks for the compliments on my boat. The Chinewalker 15' boat you provided a link to does look pretty similar to mine in some respects but, of course, is different in a number of key ways besides being closed bow. The Costa Lotta is a foot longer and has what we call welter weight seats at the back on either side of the motor well. That one just has the four seats in the middle.
I should look at my insurance documents and see if I have the model number of the boat. I'm thinking I should contact Starcraft and see if they can give me an idea as to how many years they made that model and how many they actually made. As I said, I'm thinking it's a pretty rare boat. If I recall correctly, the shop we bought it from only had the one and to this day I've only ever seen one that was similar - a red and white one - but I only caught a fleeting glimpse of it from a bit of a distance so I can't say for sure if it was a bowrider or not. Over the years I've searched on the internet to find pictures of another one of that model and this is the only one I've managed to find that could be the same model but it is not the same year. Notice the way the windshield curves at the corners? My boat has square corners there so must be a different year. We were told and I believe the Costa Lotta is a '75.
http://www.zazzle.ca/1973_starcraft_american_card-137260308027843263
When I first saw this picture I thought the '73 was a closed bow but I just noticed the center walk-through part of the windshield is open so it must be a bowrider. Other than this one picture, I have not yet found a picture of another Starcraft bowrider similar to mine.
According to the tags on my boat, it's only rated for 100 hp but I think I can send those old tags into Transport Canada and get new one which may give it a higher rating. The 115 works well on it as it is a light boat. It's got a hole shot like you don't believe and gets on plane in the blink of an eye. You're up and flying along on your slalom ski before you can barely finish saying, "Hit it!".
In truth, the engine has been bored out and had over sized pistons installed so it's probably putting out a bit more than 115 hp but that's at the shaft. The hp on those motors was not measured at the prop like they are today.
The one shortcoming the boat has is that under certain conditions it can lean too far on its side and scare the hell out of you. All it takes is to be a little overweighted on the side to which you're turning or for a skier to make a bit of a cut just as you're making a bit of a turn to the side that the skier is on and the boat will suddenly lean uncomfortably far over to that side giving you and everyone else in the boat an awful fright. I am keenly aware of that tendency so I am very careful about how weight is distributed in the boat and I and the people I ski with know not to make a cut when the boat is turning if we're skiing on the inside of the turn. Happily, in 38 years we've had nothing but fun and safe boating with it.
At 32 mph and 22' off on the tow rope, the wake is only about 4' across and is literally no more than 4" high. You don't even feel it when you cross it. I love that! Being that the boat is so light, however, a bigger skier can pull the back end around a bit if he cuts hard enough but I can counteract that with some driving techniques. For a smaller guy like me (5' 9" & 160 lbs) it's not an issue though. It may not be anything close to a tournament ski boat but for just free skiing, it's a great ski boat. For such a small little runabout, it sure has given us an ocean liner full of fun over these past 38 years.
I will post a couple more pics if I can find some pictures of the interior.
