Starcraft Capri 17 questions

[crackedglass]

I was given a 1973 Capri 17 today, it's been sitting in a barn unused since 1975, the interior is trash, mostly just badly rotted from age, the carpet is green astro turf, and the floor has the rear panel removed from where I was told they intended to install an in floor cooler. The lower hull has no visible foam, the stringers all look great, the transom holds my 325lb self with no flex, and the wood deck is dry and intact. Through the cut hole I can see that the floor don't sit on the stringers in this boat, it's at least 4" or so above them. I take it that was to level the floor over the trihull form.
There are sheet metal tabs between the floor panels, and light wood strips run between the seems supported with a few more strips atop the stringers.

Anyhow, the question is, first, I'd want to put the floor back to stock, no hole, no cooler, what's the best way to patch or cover a cut hole in the floor about 2'x3' which is directly between two panels of the original floor?
Next, it's got a siezed Mercury 50 on it, most likely the original motor, but its just sat too long. It looks like new but is locked up tight. I pulled the plugs and shot in some penetrating oil but I doubt that will help.
The manual says it's rated for a 135hp, but the Coast Guard plate says only 110hp?
I have a 1995 Mercury 115 ELPTO that would fit, its that or an Evinrude 50 from the mid 70's. I'd like to see this boat set up with two pedestal seats and a painted floor for fishing, no other interior at all. It's pretty light, I can lift the bow or stern off the trailer myself, so it's not all wet and water logged like so many others I've seen.

Has anyone had a Capri apart or have any adivice on the floor or motor?

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Starcraft Capri 17 questions

I've owned two of that model over the last few years, but I've yet to get one completed. I've ended up trading or selling each one before getting it done. My uncle had one years ago which we all used as teens, they were great boats and very stable.

The rear deck and stringers are a bit odd in those, I believe the Capri and American models shared the same construction. Both of mine had the same split in the rear floor, its always the last seem in the deck panels. The problem is that they didn't put the cross braces directly under the seems in the deck plywood. They used galvanized clips to attach the edges of the deck panels and those clips rust away pretty fast. When the clips fail, the thin fiberglass on top just breaks along the seem and you have an open floor. If someone cut a cooler into that floor, then they most likely cut away most of the clips and possibly the only rear support.
Here's a cut away view of a 1974 from the sales brochure of that year:

If you look where the seam in that panel is it lines up with the front of the back seats or the splashwell, the floor is doubled there as well. The distance down to the stringers varies, it's greater to the center stringers vs the outer stringers. They just had one by strips cut to fill this gap on which the floor sat. These strips often either rotted away or came detached and fell into the bilge leaving a soft, bouncy feeling deck. Neither of mine had any rot, but I've seen a few that were pretty nasty after being left outdoors for years uncovered. It's a judgement call whether you want to fix what's there or just start over. I'd probably just start over since that will let you build a much better deck with supports that will stay in place. The way I see it a repair is just a short term patch, it's only a matter of time before another seam lets go. I was also going to use a slightly thicker plywood for my floor, probably 5/8" pressure treated with a few layers of glass and resin over top. If you repair the existing floor, you will need to support the remaining edges of the floor, and put in a new section. I removed the rear panel in mine, added a double 3/4" marine plywood support atop of the stringers and several cross members made of plywood laminated in glass to support the new rear deck panel. I over built the one I did fix to support my 300lbs. These boats were built pretty light, which is one of the great features of that boat, it don't take big hp to move it. My uncle had an old 50hp on his, but I'm not sure if that was a 15' or 17' model. They make great river and lake fishing boats since they are super stable, and their probably the most forgiving of all the trihull designs when it comes to taking waves. I was going to hang a 70hp Evinrude on mine but found a boat better suited for that motor and let my Capri go. I'd have liked to keep it but just didn't have the room. I wasn't a big fan of all the upholstery all over those boats, they have a hundred holes and a mile of vinyl padding and side panels in them. I was going to toss all of that in favor of a pair of pedestal seats and maybe a casting platform up front.

I didn't like having the open front area where the bow rider seats are, I was going to install some sealed hatches up there for storage and maybe build a closed off panel to block off the area between the consoles with something other than just vinyl.

 

[crackedglass]

Re: Starcraft Capri 17 questions

I plan to toss all of the original interior, I'm just not a fan of all that vinyl padding. I'm not sure yet whether I'll fill and paint the remaining screw holes or just attach some wood panels as trim along the gunwales. I figured adding two long pieces of PT 5/4 boards on each side would do wonders for the gunwale strength over all, especially since I've had a few gunwales show cracking where I contantly step on them getting in the boat at the dock.

I'd want to beef up the deck a bit so it can handle two pedestal seats, the rest would be left open for fishing.
I agree, the front bow rider area and seat cushions must go, I'll just make up some glass covered wood panels on hinges for each side. I'll marine tex the screw holes up front as well.
It's going to be a fishing boat, not a luxury boat, so function comes first. I like how light this is and the fact that it's got so much open space for a small boat. I do have to decide on a motor, it's rated for up to 135hp on the CG plate and I have the 115 Mercury 2 stroke here but I'm wondering if I can get by with a lesser engine and make a better boat out of it? I don't want it to be too stern heavy and that Mercury 115 weighs about 350lbs or so.
It most likely had it's original engine on it when I got it, the 50 hp Mercury 500 but I never ran this boat with it.
Any suggestions as to motor size on one of these?