Recent content by djcamera

Integrated TT on my 1986 Mercury 75hp finally breathed its last. Long story, but it's dead. So I hung the motor on an aftermarket unit that I found in storage. It's a CMC PT-130, age unknown. Ran the wires and jerry-rigged the control handle rocker switch, and it seems to work really well...

I needed a CDI/switchbox for my older Mercury the other day. My local parts guy had one (he only carries OEM), but it was $360. He was as shocked as I was. Amazon carries a few. Non-OEM, or course. They're in the $35-$50 range. Here's what I'm talking about: AMAZON LINK I knew the OEM...

Thanks. I never did that before. Will study up and try it this weekend.

Motor is a Mercury 75hp from 1986. I just swapped out the flywheel, stator and trigger from my parts motor. Do I necessarily HAVE to do a link-and-sync afterward, or should they be good just plug & play? Everything's running OK, but I'm not sure if it's optimized 100%. By the way, it has the...

The prop is not the same as my old one. I never thought that could be the cause of the different behavior. I'll compare the two next time I'm at the boat. Good idea. It's amazing to me how 3/4" in motor height or 1" in prop pitch can impact how a 3,000 pound machine acts in the water.

I recently repowered my 1975 Starcraft 16 SS. I put on the exact same motor as the one that died: a Mercury 75HP made in 1986. Identical in every way, down to the model number. All the years I had the old motor, I had the feeling that it was mounted too low. I had no problem getting on...

Good tips. Thanks.

My '86 Mercury 75hp locked up in October. So I found a guy with the identical motor for sale, but with a bad lower unit. Guy says the motor has sat for at least five years. In central Florida. I swapped the gearcase and hung the new motor last week. Tomorrow I'll finish the wiring and I'll...

Here's my old Starcraft yesterday (11/3). Lake Allatoona, Georgia. Gonna be 80 on Monday. One of our local launch ramps stays open all year. There's a few of us diehards that bundle up in Jan/Feb.

I have one of those "smart" battery boxes with the tester button on top and cigarette lighter plug on the end. The top does strap down, but it certainly doesn't "seal" the box. I feel confident that it's sufficiently vented. Never heard these boxes criticized for being potentially dangerous.

Awesome project! I stripped and painted my old Starcraft this summer. Used chemical stripper and then the sander. Sprayed Rustoleum self-etching primer on the bare aluminum, then I rolled-on enamel with hardener added. The stripping/sanding was by far the slowest/toughest part of the whole...

Interesting idea. Then I assume you mount the fuse block through the bottom of the Tupperware box? And pop the top off when you need access? Cool. Well, the new fuse block has an insulating/protective cover on it, so I don't have a need for that function, but I like the idea of the clean...

My 1975 Starcraft SuperSport. Mercury 75HP. Lake Allatoona, Georgia. Pictures here of this summer's paint job: https://djcamera.com/boatpaint/ and floor/carpet replacement: https://djcamera.com/boatfloor/

42-year-old aluminum Starcraft. My new 12-circuit blade fuse block with integrated negative bus arrives in the mail today and I'm so stoked to finally clean up the wiring mess. Currently there's a small glass fuse panel with a spaghetti wad of wires, doubled-up negative connections, etc. My...

So this is my trailer. I just painted it and I'm going to complete the overhaul with new wheels and fenders. Stores like Cabela's and Overtons carry trailer fenders, but I want to make sure I can just remove & replace them without too much modding or drilling, etc. So can I expect replacement...