the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

[bob johnson]

ok I have some pictures of BEFORE on my upcoming Islander project. Dont know what year it is yet

6 cylinder in board..by MERCURY...KIEKHAEFER

i am trying the site picture upload for the first time...lets see how it works

i am getting the boat for free...the guy got it over 20 years ago with no outdrive from another guy down the road...he went and bought a rebuilt outdrive and installed it and parked the boat...and never moved it since. the guy has never used this boat!! it was originally from upstate ny around Lake George...so fresh water only

bob

 

[dozerII]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Great hull Bob,going to be a big project, have fun, at least you found the right part of the forum for help with the job.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

the outdrive is so buried from the old farmer throwing dirt down the hill from up near his farm stand that it has covered the prop and part of the back of the outdrive COMPLETELY


bob

 

[bob johnson]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

from the shape and the serial num,ber and the motor...is it anyones best guess the boat is a 1968??

i hope the motor isnt siezed...

but the floor rotted away and there is only remnants of the carpet material left!

but the hull and aluminum looks sweet...clean no corrosion at all...

i may be able to just buff the outside and ...not have to paint...it is that nice.

i would re do the interior anyway...I have a 28 gallon tank i can use that will go down the center..

i even have the key!! ha ha

inside width of the boat is 67" the outside beam measure is about 92 or 93 "!!!

the glass is all good...

i hope the oputdrive is still good and the gimbal..( the thing that goes through the hull...seems to have some vines growing through it....it is going to be a nightmare to excavate!

bob

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Wow, what a great hull. Should be fun. This forum can and will help. Tons of good advice here.

 

[Stevens520]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Neat project,better break out the brush cutters! It boggles the mind how folks go through the time and expense to put a rebuilt outdrive on and leave it in that condition. Congrats on the new boat, and am looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

I got a name for her. "Buried Treasure"

In another post you said the PO would pull it out for you after you get some tires on her. You might want to ask him to just hook up the tractor and pull it out to a spot to work on the trailer the way it is. I don't think any thing can be hurt. Just make sure the boat is secured to the trailer and slowly pull it out of the grave. I don't see any way of working on the trailer the way it is now. Just my 2 cents, Bob.

It's nice to see a "turn key" Islander.

 

[dozerII]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

The color of that boat is almost the same as my SS201 and it came back with this stuff almost like new.

Check out the first part of my resto thread on the the 201 and it explains the process.

 

[cj8mule]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

This is going to be a great boat to restore! All the mercruiser manuals can be found over in the mercruiser forum. There's going to be alot of maintenance items you're going to want to change. It's not going to cost that much, but worth doing for peace of mind.

. . . I need to find some freebies like that "buried treasure" to bring home.

 

[InMotion]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Great looking boat Bob!! Man... there's a whole ecosystem growing in and around that boat!!! Yup... gonna need some tlc... no doubt... but sure has some good looking bones!!!

Looking forward to seeing what's under the plant growth!

Jim

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Sure looks scary seeing all the greenery growing in there Certainly can't argue about the price! I am sure you will have a great time bringing her back to life. Looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Man... there's a whole ecosystem growing in and around that boat!!! Yup... gonna need some tlc... no doubt... but sure has some good looking bones!!! Looking forward to seeing what's under the plant growth!

Sure looks scary seeing all the greenery growing in there

Just missing the garden gnomes

You'll want to be careful if the skeg & prop are that buried, you won't want to try dragging the boat & trailer while it's still down. All that force transferred to the transom, motor & motor mount stringers that are all probably 2 or 3 years past mulch:facepalm: If it's been out there that long, you might get lucky & be able to manually raise the outdrive, then drag her out........

But as far as a 'good' way to manually raise the outdrive, yeah, sorry, I got no suggestions :redface:

Otherwise, AWESOME Buried Treasure

 

[Stevens520]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Just missing the garden gnomes

You'll want to be careful if the skeg & prop are that buried, you won't want to try dragging the boat & trailer while it's still down. All that force transferred to the transom, motor & motor mount stringers that are all probably 2 or 3 years past mulch:facepalm: If it's been out there that long, you might get lucky & be able to manually raise the outdrive, then drag her out........

But as far as a 'good' way to manually raise the outdrive, yeah, sorry, I got no suggestions :redface:

Otherwise, AWESOME Buried Treasure

Probably be easier to just remove it.It's going to need done anyway.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Well Bob, the price is right on this one! Nice!

Yah, I'd be thinking new axles, new tires, pull the OD, and some landscaping/excavation equipment just to get her organization there.

I also wouldn't be expecting anything out of that driveline.

On to the rescue!

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

That is one grown over sunofabeeech.
I'd pay real close attention to that hull for corrosion
For the out drive, a shovel would be the best bet...

 

[bob johnson]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

That is one grown over sunofabeeech.
I'd pay real close attention to that hull for corrosion
For the out drive, a shovel would be the best bet...

other than the shear size...the condition of the hull is the most attractive part.....the paint is solid...the hull is super clean.....it has never seen salt water....looking at the transom wood on the inside...it looks to be great...

I know I havent seen under the foam yet.... but the outside of the hull and all the rivets i can see look great....

the wood in this picture looks really good to me...

bob

 

[jasoutside]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

the wood in this picture looks really good to me...

The visible wood always looks best. It's the areas that you can't readily see that the rot starts (usually around the OD cut, corners n such).

 

[Stevens520]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

With all the leaves and weeds growing back there, it's a safe bet that the transom is rotted.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

making some movement on the big islander... the guy found the paperwork and gave it to me...he registered it in 1991 got it running in the yard with a rebuilt outdrive and then...never did anythign with it...I excavated the lower unit from its grave and the earmuffs where still on it!!!

i lifted the side i have access to and cut out the old axel and hubs.. I cleaned up the indie a little, i cut all the trees that were growing in and around it.and I got it prepped to slide away from the embankment. the farmer must have dumped 10-20 yards of dirt over the embankment and it slowly built up against the side of the trailer and the bottom of the boat!!

once he slides it on my 4x4's 3 or 4 feet, ill install and axel and hubs, and we can pull it out of there.

I got a manual for the mercruiser put out by mercury marine in 1973 for models 120-140-165( C-90-63635(REV-1-2/73)..I have a letter to the guy that owned it before the farmer, who asked Starcraft about the year of make... based on the serial number they say it was made between 1969 and 1973...and it most likely was made in 1971 as her best guess. the ladys name from starcraft was Connie Myers Manager Customer Serive and warranty...dated april 2 1982

she mailed him some photocopies of literature on the boats offered in 1971, and a manual for the 1971 model starcraft islander, and a manual for the current boats they made (1982)

the trailer is nice..its a tilt no less!!!

bob

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: the starcraft islander rescue.....sorta.....got some work ahead!

Carp it's like unearthing a dinosaur. Cutting the axle off it must have looked & felt MASSIVE towering over you. Nice work!

Hope the shimmy & slide works out great this week to get some axles under her again. And drag her out of there once & for all