How do I know

"I realize this is an ominous

"I realize this is an ominous question - but... I found a free boat with an old Mercury 800 (Will post serial number when I get it.) 16' sears Boat is trash - but I am hoping the motor is repairable (weekend project.) The wires are definitely dry rotting and will need replaced. I pulled one of the plugs and it smelled like fuel and oil (not water.) The steering is not locked-up and the flywheel turns. Obviously the motor wont start (been sitting for at least 5 years.) Any suggestions as to what I can do to determine if this thing is worth towing home and tearing apart? Engine looks to be in pretty good shape - but I dont want to want to waste my time or too much $$ if I can help it. I "attached" a photos of the front panel, cowling and side of motor (if any of you can help identify the year of the motor) - Will go back for serial number today and add to this post. Thanks! Front Panel"">Cowling"">Side of motor

Has it got spark?

Jeff

Has it got spark?

Jeff

"Take it,if it doesn't wor

"Take it,if it doesn't work, break it and ebay it or just stick it in a box and ship to me"

That is a 1978 to 83'ish m

That is a 1978 to 83'ish model. Modern ignition (no points or rotors etc).

If it has compression (90 psi or better at each cylinder) it is an excellent candidate to restore.

It was rated in brake horsepower so by today's standards it's about a 70-75 horse.

Good design and excellent motor in it's day.

I would take it without a second thought....

Graham lamb is absolutly right

Graham lamb is absolutly right.Even if it has a bad cylinder it's free you can break it down and sell the parts.

"I am going to pick-up a compr

"I am going to pick-up a compression tester and try to check that -- the battery is dead for sure so I guess I pull-start that to try it? I dont know how to check for spark either - youtube, here I come! Thanks all for your comments. WIll let you know how it all goes down!"

"Man you must work out if you

"Man you must work out if you are going to pull it. Take along some jump leads and a spare battery. Pull the plugs,spray some WD40 or something like that in,let it soak awhile and try and turn the flywheel by hand,if it turns by hand then if you have a set of muffs hook up the water,you will need to change the impeller as a matter of course but no need to increase the chances of adding damage that can be avoided.
There is still the option of putting it in a box and shipping it to me. Wish I could get something like that for free.
Good luck I hope it works for you."

"There is a trick to pull her

"There is a trick to pull her over with a rope (usually the "emergency start rope" which you could never get start in case of emergency unless you were Hulk Hogan)

Anyhow, to check compression of a 3, 4 or 6 cylinder simply pull "all the plugs" - that way the only compression you actually have to overcome is the single cylinder you are testing - since the cylinders do not share anything on the compression stroke, it doesn't matter if the others are sealed or not..."

"Well, I am pretty psyched - I

"Well, I am pretty psyched - I am picking up this boat, motor and trailer for free this weekend - and, i just picked-up a 1964 fiberglass runabout and trailer for $80. I plan on stripping everything off the junk boat for parts, stripping, filling holes and repairing the hull i got and then putting the windshield, controls and merc 800 on the 16' hull. I think i'll start a blog once i get all the parts here at my house just for fun. if the merc isnt worth fixing i will tear it down for parts and take the $$ to put toward another motor. going to see if i can get a nice looking good running little boat for $1000 or less (time not included of course!) The motor will be the highest expense as I think $300 will cover the stripper, fiberglass and marine paint (I will roll-on) I want to "Break out A thousand" and go fishing!"

"Well congratulations on your

"Well congratulations on your new project!Good luck with everything and if you have any questions along the way feel free to ask.I sell outboard motors and parts and have done my fair share of glassing and restoration.I have a classic aquasport in the process as we speak.as for the stripper,be careful there, make sure it is fiberglass safe or it will eat the gelcoat and damage the laminate.Is the runabout currently painted or is it gelcoat? I would sand the gel and fill as needed you do not have to prime the gelcoat or the painted surface as long as it is bonding well and not peeling.I usually sand,fil,and fair then shoot it with a good epoxy primer before painting.But if you are gonna roll and tip the boat you dont need to use stripper,and you deffinently dont want to strip off all of the old gelcoat.If you give me a few details and some pics I can help guide you in the right direction,I love seing old boats come back to life.you should deff check the boat out your getting for Solid transom,Good stringers,Solid floor,delamination ect.To help determin if this is a project you even want to take on.Glass work is not fun and requires alot of reading,learning,time,and agravation.not to mention being itchy.But the shinest boat in the world isn't worth a darn if it is not structuraly sound.Take your time,do your homework and enjoy the ride. P.S. B.o.a.t doesnt stand for (break out a thousand) it stands for (break out another Thousand)...lol just something to keep in mind,and if you want to keep the costs down,make the right decisions the first time. Good luck with everything and if you need any advice feel free to ask me or others on here.There seem to be alot of very educated folks on this site.Have a good day, Charles Schroeder"

i just stripped the free boat

i just stripped the free boat and now have the windshield and all the hardware and the hydro steering and the motor. turns out it is a 1978 mercury 800 serial # 4836166. taking delivery of the 64 fiber starcraft today - hopefully we can make the windshield fit and get the motor running after i complete the work on the hull. for now i have a yard full of parts! anyone have any suggestions as to the best stripper to remove paint from fiberglass hull?

thanks!

"is it paint,or gelcoat? you D

"is it paint,or gelcoat? you DO NOT want to remove all the old gelcoat.if it is deffinently paint and it is not bonding well,or you intend on rolling on new gelcoat(which you can't do over paint.you can paint gelcoat but you can't gelcoat over paint)I have used citristrip for stripping and it worked pretty good,but can be messy.My suggestion is if its original gelcoat just sand,fair,and fill as needed,Prime the hull if painting(you dont have to if gelcoating,but make sure the surface is not to smooth.Wash hull good before starting and wipe down well with wax and grease remover before sanding and definently before painting or gelcoating.Do a google search,you will learn tons about what it is you want to apply.Best of luck again."

Did you get the title with the

Did you get the title with the starcraft?

"yes, i have the title... turn

"yes, i have the title... turns out it is a '64 starcraft fury - and i will (hopefully) hanging the 78 merc 800 off the back. i will reinforce the transom with glassed 3/4 ply and a custom made piece of steel - then jackplate (b/c it is a 20" driveshaft)

move the gas tank and battery to the bow to helo offset the motor and do heavy foam and glass in the deck. installing a bench seat with a live-well in the rear.

i figure it will run 65 with 2 pass hitting it hard - and 40 cruising with 4.

the hull is rock solid double-wall fiber and hard transom. fingers crossed the merc will kick and run for a decent $$!"

65 mph is a bit...optimistic.

65 mph is a bit...optimistic.

Jeff

"Id say more like about 25 MPH

"Id say more like about 25 MPH w/4 people, maybe 35-36MPH w/1 person and 1/2 tank of fuel all depending on the design and weight of the hull.It may feel like 65MPH on water though..Takes alot of boat to hit 65 GPS MPH on water......or let me rephrase that...takes alot of motor....FYI a 19' bass boat with a 150HP Optimax Direct Injection will do 63ish MPH and that has twice the HP and toque and just a little bigger boat!

I do like the project you are working on and hope that all works out well and you'll have a nice little runabout to cruise around in!!Good LuckIt always feels better when you do all the work yourself on a project!"

"Id say more like about 25 MPH

"Id say more like about 25 MPH w/4 people, maybe 35-36MPH w/1 person and 1/2 tank of fuel all depending on the design and weight of the hull.It may feel like 65MPH on water though..Takes alot of boat to hit 65 GPS MPH on water......or let me rephrase that...takes alot of motor....FYI a 19' bass boat with a 150HP Optimax Direct Injection will do 63ish MPH and that has twice the HP and toque and just a little bigger boat!

I do like the project you are working on and hope that all works out well and you'll have a nice little runabout to cruise around in!!Good LuckIt always feels better when you do all the work yourself on a project!"

sorry double post

sorry double post

"<[img]"http://www.marineengin

" 35-40 with two people and 10gls US, perfect conditions.40mph with a two blade 13 1/4-19" prop . I'm guessing,based on what I used to get with a similar set up until I ran the prop."

"You are telling me that a 14

"You are telling me that a 14 foot fiberglass boat with an 80 HP motor on the back is going to go 35-40?

Well, we will see - If it doesn't hit 50 I would be very surprised as the last owner said it would do 32 with his 25 horse engine. Guess time will tell.

How about this: Let's set the over under at 40. I am taking the OVER.

I am also going to start a new thread - will be called '64 Starcraft Fury Project. Will add photos. I really appreciate all your help!"

"My prediction is 44 mph.

N

"My prediction is 44 mph.

Not that I think the motor will have no power left at that point, but I'm sure that at 45 mph the boat will start to become dangerously unstable on the water.

Have you ever watched those hydrofoil races where the guy cartwheels down the river after hitting a ripple?

It all comes down to simple math (ok, maybe not so simple)

An "unaltered" conventional planing hull can only travel about 8 times it's displacement speed before it becomes unstable (and tries to fly). So there is a point where simply adding more horses results in a zero gain because you can't use that extra power.

On a 14 foot hull assuming a very generous waterline length of say 13 feet, the hulls displacement speed would be 5.55 mph - multiply that by 8 and you get 44.43 mph.

Any speed greater than that, without hull modifications, will result in "not enough of the hull touching the water to be able to control it".

The coast guard standard for max horsepower for a given boat uses that formula (along with a couple of others to determine the rating on a given boat).

Rule of thumb - if you hang a motor equal to about 80% of the max rating for the hull, you will have all the power than you can ever safely use.

But I can wait for the "on water tests" to prove my theory "