Possible Starcraft project

Hey guys,
Who are the Starcraft experts on this forum? I'm going to look at a possible project boat this Saturday. It is a 21' 1977 Starcraft center console bay boat. Is there anything I should know about this brand of boat? Anything to look out for? I've seen a few pictures of it, and it looks like it's in good shape. The only "deal breaker" that I have encountered in the past is severe hull corrosion, and I know to check carefully for that. There's no motor. Since it's not mine yet, I don't feel comfortable putting up photos. I have to admit that I am itching for a winter project, but I'm a little intimidated. My only tin to date is a 14' jon, and the most I've done on it is replace bunk boards and cut out a new floor. But anyway, as always I appreciate your input. Thanks.

Tin Yachtsman said:

Is there anything I should know about this brand of boat?

Click to expand...

Just that they have a LONG reputation for making some of the best aluminum boats you can get.

My dad and I had a 1977 18' Starcraft center console for a few years. It was a great boat, we used it mostly for fishing the Puget Sound around Seattle and north of there. Our boat had had a rough life before came to live with us, Had enough hours on it to wear out a 1977 75hp Johnson 3cyl. It then got a '94 Evinrude 90hp. With the 90 on it the boat would do @ 45mph, that's a lot faster than the Puget Sound will let you go in a smaller boat most of the time.
The only real issues we ever had with the hull were leaking rivets, they had all been gone through and re-bucked shortly before we got the boat while it belonged to a friend of ours, in fact we helped him do it. Our final consensus was that all 10,000 rivets were leaking very slightly and in unison. The issue was resolved easily enough by having a good bilge pump hooked up and carrying a spare just in case.

Tin,I have a 77 21' Starcraft mariner center console.When i got it, it was an empty shell without power.I installed floors,replaced the transom to accept a 25 inch shaft motor,found a console on ebay.I put a 150 Fuel injected Suzuki on it.Also when the floor was out I found a 30 gallon fuel tank to fit under the floor.Well built boats.With the 150 she goes 50 mph on the gps.My only problem is where I run in the salt water the waves kick up and due to the light weight I get thrown around and wet.But still a great boat,easy to trailer and for one guy to launch.
[img]https://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq167/reelized/mariner21.jpg[/img][img]https://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq167/reelized/mariner212.jpg[/img]

That's great! Exactly what I was hoping to hear. Reelized, I especially appreciate the pictures of your rig. It gives me an idea of what this one could look like after some work. I'm going to look at the boat in a few hours. If everything comes together, I may be able to put up some pictures this evening. Thank you!

So I went to take a closer look at the boat today, but couldn't pull the trigger and make the deal. The seller seemed like a good guy, the price was good, and the boat had potential, but it just wasn't the one for me. I was very close to buying it anyway and seeing what I could do with it, but I convinced myself to wait for another opportunity. Sorry to get everyone's hopes up for another "My Project" thread and then drop the ball, but it's only a matter of time.

Nothing wrong with walking away.I would do the same thing if it didn't have the right feeling.When I got mine I had seen it in the guy's back yard for about 5 years before I stopped and asked.Always wanted a 21' Starcraft.Now my only problem is I picked up a 74 Seacraft Seafari 20.I'll wind up pulling the power off the Mariner to use on the Seacraft and send it (starcraft)on to a new owner.But I'll still have my Tracker sportsman tin for the river,just cant see bouncing off of logs in a plastic boat.