The boat that I am currently working on is just something I need to be
rid of. It is a 1973 18 foot Starcraft Holiday.
I got it with the idea of fixing it up for my own use but then got
another one very shortly after so this one became surplus.
I offered it for sale a couple of times as is, with no success so
decided I should improve it a little so that it might be more desirable.
It had to have a new transom seal in order to put it in the water and
try it out. The old one was so cracked, it would have sunk.
I have installed the seal and now need to check out a couple of
electrical issues and then should be ready to test it in the water.
The bilge pump and the blower are not working and I don't know if they
need to be replaced or if the wiring is faulty at the moment.
May find out this evening.
If I ultimately cannot sell it for what I want, then I could part it out
and more than break even except for my labour.
The engine runs fine on the garden hose, and is the 3.0, 4 cylinder GM
engine that has been used for ever and ever so it should bring several
hundred $.
The outdrive and prop look reasonably good but I have yet to try it out
so the outdrive is an unknown at the moment. If it works ok then it is
worth several hundred $ as well.
The trailer it sits on is worth close to a thousand $. I would need to
clean it up a little with some new paint but the wheels and tires are
good and I just put new lights on it.
The aluminum hull will bring a good $ at the scrap yard if I strip the
drivetrain and the plywood floor out so it is pretty well all aluminum
when they weigh it.
So, at the end of the day if I give up on selling it intact, I should
not lose money. However, as I said, I like the boat. It has a pleasing
shape and the hull is pretty decent. Starcraft made good boats back in
the day. There are lots of them still going. It mainly needs new seats
and carpet to look better.
And, it is an OMC outdrive which of course is a bit obsolete. Some of
the parts are becoming harder to find and there are not so many
mechanics interested in working on them. They were good drives and there
are lots of them still going but they have not been made in something
like 25 years. That is the downside and the main reason that I acquired
another boat and elected to devote my efforts to it as the keeper. The
other boat is 20 foot aluminum Lund and has a Mercruiser outdrive so the
parts are more available even though it too, is old and not all that
valuable.
I like the shape of the Starcraft better and have considered swapping
the drivetrain from the Lund to the Starcraft and then dispsosing of the
Lund hull but it is really more work than it is worth. I would not be
creating something of value that would justify my time.
I don't use a boat enough to justify a big dollar investment. I just
like the idea of having it available since we have the cottage at the
lake. My son has a 16 foot aluminum Alumacraft with an outboard motor
that we use for fishing. It is not as comfortable as a cruiser however
as it has only a side console with a smaller windshield that offers some
protection to the driver and no canvas top.
Randy
On 21/06/2013 10:51 PM, Kevin Kraly wrote:
The letters that make up the word BOAT stand for Break Out Another Thousand!
Also known as a hole in the water that keeps swallowing your money. Yes, I am a
boat owner. I have a newer boat, so I paid my money upfront. Do you know the
two happiest days in a boat owners life? The first one is a day he buys it, and
the second one is the day he sells it! Hopefully, we'll Have the time to get
our boat on the water this year.
Kevin in Laporte Colorado
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 21, 2013, at 2:09 PM, Randy Bennell <[email protected]> wrote:
Well, I know you have a yard full of old MB's that might yield parts but even
so, I am not prepared to agree with you.
I am currently working on a "free" boat that I got in the late summer of 2010.
So far, I have about $500 in it in parts and no idea how much time and I have
yet to have it in the water. I keep finding more things wrong with it. Most
recent is that the trim won't go up.
I don't need the boat and I just want to re-sell it but it has no value as it
is unless I want to part it out and take the hull to the scrap dealer, which I
am reluctant to do, because I like the boat. It has a nice shape to it and I
think it would be a shame to destroy it.
So, the bottom line, is that I will not really break even on this poor old boat
but I will preserve it for a while.
No such thing as a cheap boat either.
Randy who cannot resist a "bargain"
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