Re: Post a pic of your starcraft!
,.........Hi Smitty , sweet ride . is that a 40hp johnny you got there ? i have a '73 American V14 i'm working on . not many out there . mine almost went to the dumps along w/ another boat on blocks . sat for 10 years cause the owner fell ill. had a small tree growing in the back but i think theres' still a few more years left in her . ,...upgrade??? looks just fine the way she is .
Thanks for the comments! The motor is a '75 70hp Johnson. You can't kill this thing, and we tried. (That's a whole other story)
I am glad to hear that you are bringing yours back from the brink too. Luckily, mine was in pretty good shape when I got her. I can see how making these boats shine again could become an addiction.
We use this boat for pleasure cruising, skiing and fishing so we need to adapt for all three. With Cheap Thrills (every boat has to have a name!) primarily being used in saltwater now, maintenance becomes an issue. Hence, the following repairs and "upgrades":
-New floor: Old one was rotten. New one has double layer of glass and will be top coated with Kiwi grip non skid for ease of hosing out salt spray and nasty bait mishaps.
-Remove upper vinyl wrapped bolster on both sides and fill, fair and prime old mounting holes and paint a stripe to keep "the look". This will also be easier to keep clean.
-The lower bolsters that form the pocket on each side will be restored to their original shape and be wrapped in padded vinyl, a la, the original. (Thanks to the brochures that were posted on here, as well as online image searches)
-We are closing in the bow portion at the height of the seat, coating with non skid and making a new cushion to cover the whole area and keeping the side bolsters. It will make for a larger "sun pad" when cruising, and a great casting platform for shrimp and fishing, which around here is a must! Also, storage below will be a help.
-New stripe: The boat had a wavy red double decal stripe when we bought it, but we have stripped it off and are going to go back with the original Starcraft stripe design. You can still see the witness lines in the right light. It is just too iconic and stylish not too! I would love to strip all of the hardware and give her a whole new paint job on the topside, but the water is calling, and with 100 degree days around the corner, I'm listening.
-Other than that, it's new vinyl cushions all around (not face screwed this time), new back to backs to keep it real, and a couple of small touches to up the wow factor (ie: rope light accents for nighttime booze cruises and a whopper of a stereo so my wife can "hear the music from the end of a ski rope!")
People ask me all the time, "Are you sure you want to do all that to this boat?" and my reply is that I fell in love with it and that's all that matters. We are having fun with it, and giving a great American product a new lease on life! Besides, this boat is light enough for me to haul without buying a new vehicle, handles great on the water and is more versatile than most of the newer products on the market.
Also, it's paid for! "Cheap Thrills"!!!
