1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

[Shfftr]

New member and first post, so bear with me. I was hoping to get some input on this Starcraft model. From the pictures on Craig's List it looks to be in reasonably good shape,floor replaced 2011. It sits on 1965 Sterling tilt trailer. He is asking $850 for it. The reason for this is the 115hp Merc has no compression on #3 cylinder. I have read this problem is quite common among these older Merc's. I wanted to know if this price is decent for just the boat and trailer,considering the engine may be a bust. I would appreciate any input on either the boat or the engine before I venture into this project.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Steve

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

It's hard to place a value with no pics or your description. Replaced floors don't mean much unless it was done properly. Some put down an overlay and call it replaced and some use pressure treated - not good.

On the Merc, it could be a bad piston, broken rings or a bad bore. I wouldn't call those common problems, but expensive unless you do the work yourself.

Post the CL link so we have a little more to go by.

Welcome to iboats and feel free to ask more questions.

 

[Shfftr]

pictures 1969 18'

pictures 1969 18'


Here are the pictures of the boat. I realize that the PO could have just put new plywood over a real mess. I figured good possibility of having to remove his work and take it down to stringers. In looking at some members restorations at least metal stringer and not wood. I also realize good chance for soft transom. I will be retiring soon and don't mind taking it all down to the bare aluminum. I will also do the work on the engine. Have done a couple of auto and motorcycle engines so hopefully can do this too. thanks for your response

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

The SuperSport looks good in the pics. Seats look good, don't see tears or weathering. She looks complete down to the Jetson stern light. Only thing that looks iffy is the winch post/bow stop, but its fixable. All aluminum stringers under the floor is a big plus in these boats.

I've rebuilt cars and motorcycles also. A Merc Tower Of Power is a different animal. The head and block are one piece. If the motor needs bored out because of the no compression on #3, machine shops equipped to blind bore are hard to find. And it gets put back together from the crankshaft side. Not the easiest thing to work on, but not impossible for a DIYer to fix up. And if the motor is too expensive to fix, it still has a lot of valuable parts to fund another motor.

All in all, see what you can do on getting the best price after you look at her. $850 isn't outrageous, but less is better. If she follows you home, we have some great folks here and will to help you get on the water. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. The Starmada always needs new blood.

 

[roscoe]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Looks ok as a project.

Offer him 500 and see what his counteroffer is.

Winter is knocking on the door, and I'm sure he wants it gone.

 

[dozerII]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

:welcome: Shfftr, the hull looks to be in great condition, the trailer I'd be checking those tires and bearings pretty close. As GA said earlier the floors could be overlaid and that sure looks like what was done as the aluminum strips that tie the side panels to the floors are covered. $850 is a great price.

 

[classiccat]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

+1. Even $850 is reasonable but it never hurts to try to save a c-spot or 2!

if the powerhead is really shot, you can make a few bucks parting it out as well.

nice boat!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Good looking project, is it attached to your trailer hitch yet?

It looks like you've got all the parts & pieces of the interior & trim work.

Good luck on your pending project, and congrats on being able to retire soon...

Welcome to the Starmada :watermelon:

And by posting pix w/in 2hrs of your initial post of this thread, ya earn a pass on your 1st year annual dues

Dig into the list of resto's that Jasoutside posted at the top of the Starcraft forum. LOTS of great info in there.

Welcome again.....

 

[InMotion]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Welcome Shiftr... Looks like a great boat there! Should be a fun re-build --- especially if you can get some additional time from retiring -- it is a great hobby imo! You might even catch mbs --- which has no known cure!

Take care,

Jim

 

[Shfftr]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Hopefully picking it up next week. Couldn't make it this weekend, Daughters High School Cross Country team went to IL State finals. Her teammate,a foreign exchange student won the title. I appreciate the replies and I will definitely try to get it for a few hundred less. I also have a line a another Merc 1150. Hoping could marry them into one decent one with some spare parts left over. I don't know if I got the MBS, but, I have been eyeballing another project and I didn't even drag this one home yet. For years I have always coveted the islander and there is a 1977 22 footer for sale that someone started and ran out of motivation. Anyway,thanks for the info and will update the progress if and when I get this thing home.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

I don't know if I got the MBS, but, I have been eyeballing another project and I didn't even drag this one home yet.

YES, YOU DO!

No cure has been found to date, but no one is trying real hard except some wives!

Hope it goes well at the look over.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

No cure has been found to date, but no one is trying real hard except some wives!

Post Duracraft, mine has self-nominated to be the fund raising chairperson.....

Good luck shift.

 

[Shfftr]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Thank you for all the information. I did purchase the boat,the owner would only come down $50. Oh well,I seem to always be on the buy high sell low program. If all goes well will have it redone and up and running come spring.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Good on ya and welcome to the Starmada, home of the best and the brightest and of course, the handsomest bunch of nuts on the Internet. Now we need more pics, but we always need more pics.

 

[Shfftr]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

The boat was due home today, but, torrential rains and tornado warnings put that trip on hold. Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer and I can get it. I will send more pictures as I work thru restoration. I know I have to replace floor even though it is strong. The PO used treated lumber and I want to remove it before it ruins the aluminum. I have even thought of glassing the tl and reuse it, but that may be a bad idea. Besides with the floor removed might like to install a fuel tank and maybe a live well and additional storage. I will take pictures as I go,I realize seeing pictures of a project may give someone else a way to do something or avoid problems.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Good plan on getting the TL out. Some say you can glass over it, but you still have to put plenty of holes in it. And every hole, no matter how well you seal it, is still a potential place to start the bad stuff. Dump it with no second thoughts.

 

[Shfftr]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

Good plan on getting the TL out. Some say you can glass over it, but you still have to put plenty of holes in it. And every hole, no matter how well you seal it, is still a potential place to start the bad stuff. Dump it with no second thoughts.

Will do,all treated lumber out. I didn't think of all the holes needed to be drilled and the probability of the copper seeping out and destroying the aluminum. I can use the TL for a template,should make job much easier. Plus having floor out makes for good time to build any storage or live wells and maybe an in the floor fuel tank. Now I need to finish two other projects in garage to make room for this one.

 

[barato2]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

i'll add my welcome. nice boat, love the orig colors. good plan on the treated-ectomy....i agree, copper compounds will leach down. maybe you can build garage shelving with it to store all the bits removed during resto?

don't get your heart too set on the underfloor fuel tank in the 18' hull. many of us have researched this and i even went so far as to order a Moeller tank that should have fit, but it had been discontinued. about the only way to do this is to 1) raise the floor, not easy in an SS where you have to worry about console fit; 2) get lucky and find one used that fits under existing floor; or 3) drop the beeg buxxxx and have a custom one made. or you could weld one up yourself if you're a whiz TIG welder but that's a lot of hours of welding. there's nothing on the market i'm aware of which will fit between the stringers and under the floor.

 

[Shfftr]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

I appreciate the advice. I had thought about raising the bow floor and eliminating the seats,this should give me room to add the tank,but the more I think about this,the more I may try to keep it as original as possible. We live in Chicago area now, but have a retirement home in Florida. It is on the Braden river giving access to the ICW and the Gulf. I realize salt water and aluminum boats don't mix. I thought butchering it may not be the best idea. I have seen a number of other people's restorations and it seems a crime to modernize it. I have had some folks say dump the Merc Inline rather than repair/rebuild but it seems to fit the boat and I grew up where everything was rebuilt till you couldn't do it anymore. This throwaway society just drives me crazy. Just brought it home,now need to empty garage of other projects to get this one in there

 

[barato2]

Re: 1969 Starcraft 18' Open Bow 115hp Merc

honestly, anything that is commonly available for as little as 300 (my 18 Holiday) or even free in some folks' case is NOT a collector's item you need to fear building into what you want. that said, yours is nice and original enough that i could see why you might want to leave it that way.

on rebuilding it till you can't.....have a gander at that Starcraft forum, i hear folks there are into resurrecting the dead. reasons for maybe not going with the Merc have nothing to do with it being worn out or ready for scrap, more with special tools needed and REAL pricey parts compared to equiv vintage OMCs. (just for fun, price a distributor cap for your TOP). and they won't chill beer like chryslers.

salt is not death to aluminum. i would add an anode if you're going to be slipping the boat in salt, esp in a marina (possible electrical leakage into water accelerating galvanic corrosion). lots of folks use these in salt....basically just rinse it well afterward.