Starcraft islander restoration

[DUGuy]

So to start this thread off I would like to show what I bought and condition. It is a 1987 starcraft islander recently painted with inboard motor. Seller said it ran 2 years ago but it has been sitting since in his yard. The floor is starting to get soft in some places and when we attempted to start it, the motor was not getting spark. I paid $750 for the boat and trailer. I think I got a heck of a deal for a project. What do others think?

My plan is to slowly restore the boat (due to minimal time having 2 month old twins). What are my options for power? I am considering attempting to mount a 90hp mercury outboard i own outright on the transom and sealing the existing hole with aluminum plate. Transom is solid but I know reinforcement will be needed. I would cut it down and mount in a splashwell. I'm just afraid that I might get in over my head. How hard would it be to weld a plate over the existing inboard hole?

I'm not a fan of the idea of an inboard due to fishing cold weather, but what would an install of a new inboard be roughly?

 

 Let's hear some thoughts on the idea. Here she is... 

Edited June 9, 2018 by DUGuy

[rolmops]

I have gone back and forth about replacing my I/O with an outboard and in the end decided against it. It is not just covering up the hole left by removal of the I/O. It probably means having to replace the entire transom because a 30 year old transom that was not designed to carry the weight of an outboard and which may have internal rot is not what you want to hang an outboard on. Then there is the lack of structure connecting between the lengthwise skeleton and the transom. You would have to make those connections. I could go on. Boats designed for outboard propulsion are structurally different from I/O driven boats.

As for cold water fishing and the risk of cracking the block due to freezing, you can drain that little 4 banger by loosening your hoses at the front and opening 2 drain plugs, one on the manifold and one on the block. That should take about one minute.

If it is a project that you are looking for, then by all means, go for it, It is not that hard. You will gain extra space and you will get rid of a ton of ancient wiring. If you just want to go fishing, then probably a simple repair to get the engine going will be all you need.

[Fishnut]

Those little 4 bangers run for ever. I would definitely get it running and see what you have. And if you decide to go with a out board at least you could sell the inboard and out drive for something if you know it works. As for the 90 hp outboard, if you go that way, I’d sell it also. That’s a lot of boat to be pushing with a 90hp. I would think a 150hp at least.

I would concentrate on getting the one in the boat running.

Points and condenser, distributor cap and rotor, plugs and wires.

Good luck.

 

 

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[L&M]

I would side with Fishnut. If it was drained/winterized properly or at least drained I would spend the least amount of money on parts & fresh fuel to get it running as possible and see what you have to work with. That 2.5L thats in it now is one of the best engines around for reliability & I wouldn't be afraid of the Cobra drive either if all is well with it .

 

[DUGuy]

Thanks for the responses so far. As you can probably tell, I have extremely limited knowledge with inboard motors. Any info on suggestions or how to diagnose the spark issue is appreciated. Fishnut has given me a place to start and I greatly appreciate the fast responses from several of you already! 

 

Do you guys think $750 is a deal for what you see? It appears all these boats sell for $3000 or 4000 when running. Also it appears by this website the islander is a very inexpensive sea worthy towable LO boat. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by DUGuy

[fisherdude]

My buddy has the same bolt 2.3 Ford motor the old Pinto Motors they have Mallard distributors Mary's out of business but you can still get points aftermarket the thing runs like a bear I get it running also Boat fish very well

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[MCF]

For 750 you got a deal, the trailer is worth that.  I agree with the above, get that motor working and see what you got.  If need be and its shot,

find yourself another 4 cyl motor and put it in.  If you are replacing motors do the transom at the same time.  Those motors are great on gas and if you take care of them will run forever.

[Jake3970]

Im in the process of repowering my 1984 starcraft islander that has a 150 outboard on it. Just got the motor and the splash well out today. We spoke with the dealer thats putting are new 115 mercury on the boat and the saod they said they never put 150 on them because its to much motor for the boat. 

Edited June 10, 2018 by Jake3970

[Knotlost]

You got a good buy. Your motor is way better than any outboard in my opinion. Probably an easy fix. Putting an outboard on it is going backwards in a big way. Winterizing it is a breeze once you learn how. You can’t just put a outboard on either as it would be a total redesign and rebuild. And you end up with a inferior setup. I have rebuilt six of these Starcraft of all different sizes. Check out knotlost.net to see the 26 footer I’m using now. Those 4 cyl are amazing motors run forever easy to maintain and repair, quite and use little fuel.


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[Xxx]

12 hours ago, Knotlost said:

You got a good buy. Your motor is way better than any outboard in my opinion. Probably an easy fix. Putting an outboard on it is going backwards in a big way. Winterizing it is a breeze once you learn how. You can’t just put a outboard on either as it would be a total redesign and rebuild. And you end up with a inferior setup. I have rebuilt six of these Starcraft of all different sizes. Check out knotlost.net to see the 26 footer I’m using now. Those 4 cyl are amazing motors run forever easy to maintain and repair, quite and use little fuel.


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YEEOOWW, that is a sweet looking ride!! Congrats to your rebuild!!! To the above Starcraft owner it’s going to be way to much work to rebuild her, so I’ll give you a grand for the boat today  you stole that boat, I have the same motor in a Larson, you can drain that unit 15 minutes. I use it around home on local lakes and pull the girls on water skies or 4 girls on our big tube. They are powerful and durable gas sipping motors!!

[DUGuy]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I will be having a friend look over the engine with me to see about the spark issue. I want to pull the floor out and check the foam to see if its waterlogged. Then redo the flooring in it. Hopefully the motor is a simple fix and I can learn the ins and outs of an inboard. Knotlost that is an outstanding rig! 

[DUGuy]

Thanks everyone for the replies! One $4 dollar condenser and it runs like a top. I appreciate your help. She splashed for her maiden voyage yesterday and no issues. Here is a picture. Nothing else done other than getting the engine running. 

Edited June 17, 2018 by DUGuy

[Hopppy]

Congrats and happy Father’s Day-

coming from a father of twins you’ll want to pick your projects wisely. That time saved will be better spent on the water. 

 

[DUGuy]

Started to take out the flooring... anyone have a step by step proper way to redo it so I'm not tearing it up again in 5 years? I think of like to do vinyl on top of plywood. 

[NymphO]

And so it begins....lol. I just spent the winter re-doing my boat from bottom up. There was all kinds of great ideas thrown at me. If you check my posts you will see a thread called "sea nymph help". I tried to be specific about everything I did. If you have more questions that you think I can answer, pm me and I'll give you my cell#.

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[Knotlost Charters]

If you put wood down, then lay plastic (vinyl floor) over the top how does the wood dry back out? Its in a boat so it will get wet even if its from humidity, and once water gets under vinyl it will stay there forever.   It will rot...  Vinyl is for factories that only care about fast and easy. 

 

1. take all out and dig out that foam, get rid of that, clean down to the metal good take your time.  powerwash the after the foam is out, that will get the last bits of foam out. Foam traps water and holds it there. its awful, only reason its there is so they can advertise the boat as unsinkable, and its not anyway, so get rid of it. This is a big time consuming mess, so dont rush and try to hurry take your time you will be glad you did later when nothing is plugging up your sump pump.  PS take all your pole holders out and do it right.

 

2. Paint Gluvix on any the seams at the bottom if it needs it, inspect, and repair with new rivets, any and all the bracing that you have now exposed.

 

3. Get some plywood from lows called AraucoPly 1/2 inch. It's almost identical to marine grade plywood at 1/3 the price, it holds up to boil for 45 min with no delamination and is 7 ply with no voids. DO NOT USE TREATED LUMBER OF ANY KIND>

 

4. lay it out and cut it and decide how you're fastening it to the deck. I used pan heads into the alum supports so I could remove it if I wanted to. Drill your holes a bit larger then needed so there is room for a coat of epoxy,  then coat and paint epoxy onto every edge and hole of the wood top and bottom let that soak in, two coats on the bottom and edges. On the top I used 2 layers of fiberglass on the top (none on the bottom) with epoxy. finished it and painted it turned out perfect just like factory.

 

This takes a bit more time to do it this way but only maybe 2 times as much but lasts much longer. And when you repaint the floor is brand new looking again. 

[NymphO]

When you install vinyl it goes down with a roll on adhesive that you coat all the wood and the back of the vinyl. Not that it couldn't happen but it would be very unlikely that water would get under the vinyl. Just be advised the vinyl does get slick when wet. I did vinyl knowing I'd put a removable carpet over high traffic areas so I could take out and clean when needed.

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[DUGuy]

You guys both just gave me a great starting point. Thanks! 

 

NymphO you did and outstanding job on your boat. I would just drop mine off and let you take over... let me know what I owe you. Lol. Your thread is very beneficial. 

 

As for Knotlost, what epoxy did you use to finish the wood? Is fiberglassing hard or just a messy job? 

[Fishnut]

Hell of a buy for 754.00 $ when you get done it will be worth 6 to 8 times what you paid for it..

Ps, don't cut corners on the new floor or they'll bite you in the end. and go back and reference Nympho's rebuild he did a hell of a good job..

[DUGuy]

Started a separate thread but found some riggers for a great deal. Dads buddy used to fish lake O but no longer. So I got them for free! Don't want to get ahead of myself but figured I would show them here. 

[NymphO]

U can drop it off, but I won't start till after fishing season, and lakeO doesn't freeze. Lol. U will do fine. Personally, I ran my rig till winter as is, then started the build and barely finished in time for salmon. You will definitely be faced with situations that will make you want to cut corners and move fast so you can get on the water, resist the temptation and do it right. U may lose time on the water but it will be worth it.

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[DUGuy]

Little more today... 

[DUGuy]

Two more toys have arrived. Like Christmas. I picked up a new to me 2004 15hp four stroke and a brand new panther bracket. Going to be connecting the ez steer to the main when I get to it and it arrives in the mail. Raining here and no garage so no work on the floor today. 

[Knotlost Charters]

7 hours ago, DUGuy said:

You guys both just gave me a great starting point. Thanks! 

 

NymphO you did and outstanding job on your boat. I would just drop mine off and let you take over... let me know what I owe you. Lol. Your thread is very beneficial. 

 

As for Knotlost, what epoxy did you use to finish the wood? Is fiberglassing hard or just a messy job? 

 

Epoxy isn't messy if your carful, pretty easy really for quallity of the end result.  You need a few tools, not very expencive but needed, use the right rollers and get your stuff at . http://www.uscomposites.com

You can call them and they will help you with all your questions and what you need to do what you want. 

 

 

 

Here are two pieces of my floor just before putting them into the boat. 

[KawiKid]

Keep the updates coming, i just purchased a 1989 220V Islander, great condition just going to clean the interior over the winter, need some ideas!