I am looking into picking up a 1967 starcraft bahama for cruising around the Nj bay.  Before I do, I have a few basic questions as I am relatively new to boats

1. The boat is, for the most part, restored.  New stringers, rebuilt motor, etc.  Assuming it is structurally and mechanically sound, any issues taking this fiberglass boat into brackish water?  

2.  The boat has four seats but is rated for 5 passengers.    Any reason I couldn't bolt a 5th (small folding seat) down?   It could see two adults and three small children at most.

3. Any other major considerations?

Sorry, my boat sank with all my firearms onboard.

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but as I just went through the learning curve for my first boating season, i do have some of this fresh on my mind.

1.  If you're keeping it in the water, fresh bottom paint and zincs and you're good to go.  If you're only day tripping and trailering, then wash it good after each trip and flush the motor and you're still good to go.

2.  I don't see any reason why you can't do that.

3. Knowing your area is the most important thing.  Most bays around here are quite shallow, and you need to be mindful of channel markers.  I would invest in a chart plotter and a good paper chart, then study the hell out of it.

Also, which bay are you planning on being in?

Old fiberglass can age poorly depending on how it was built and treated.  If it is soft anywhere it should be avoided.

As to #1 - shouldn't be a problem - I like to give my boat a good bath in fresh water (including the engine, with earmuffs) after it is in the salt.
#2 - Also not a problem as long as there is a good solid place to bolt the seat.


But, save your self the hassle and just dump 3x your planned budget into the bay.

Take all the money you were planning to spend and buy hookers and blow, you will have less headaches in the long run.

get a good survey done on the boat before you lay your money down.

Why are you looking at a boat that old?

1.  No issues with fiberglass itself in brackish or saltwater.   Salty water is much harder on the trailer, the motor and all the metal parts of the boat.   Proper boat maintenance is to completely wash down the boat and trailer with fresh water and run fresh water through the motor after being in salty water.   As far as fiberglass, regardless of fresh or salwater use, you'll want to check for water rot (softness) of the underlying wood in the floor and transom (back wall of the hull).   They get that way from sitting and having standing water in the boat from rain.   Newer fiberglass boats are made completely woodfree to avoid those rot issues.   A galvanized trailer will last longer than a painted trailer if using it in the salty water.

2.  No issues with adding the fifth seat as long as it's in a safe spot that doesn't upset the balance of the boat much.   By safe spot,  I mean, if you hit a submerged obstruction, would the passenger be thrown into something that would hurt them or be thrown forward of the boat to be ran over.

3.  Good luck.

Boat, 1967....  RUN AWAY

The age itself isn't so much of an issue as the way it was built and abused.  The 60's era boats tended to be very solidly built, but heavy.  When they went to cored boats everything went to hell.  I wouldn't touch any sort of cored fiberglass that age, even it it looks good.

This.  Even if you got crabs or herpes from the bookers and blow you are still ahead of the game compared to an old boat

The only piece of wood on any boat I buy from now on will be mine.

Pay the money and buy a woodless boat.

Should have expected that

This was meant to be a reply to the first  post.

Check not just the seating capacity, but the weight capacity.

That includes equipment as well as bodies. Don't board 5 people then load it down with coolers, etc.

BOAT   break  out  another  thousand

Most states have gotten onboard with the boater safety course stuff and there are courses available online.   That would be a great way for a novice to learn the basics.

Like anchoring from the bow, venting gas fumes before starting, etc.

Thanks for all the replies.  To answer a few of the questions posed above,

1. Boat would be taken in trade.

2.  I am not looking for a boat this old, but not in the market for a new boat (see post above) cash would be minimal.   This just happens to be a trade I  looking at and I do want a boat for fishing, cruising, crabbing with the kids.  Nothing special.

3. Nj bay around ocean city. - not open water -trailered in and out of the water for each run.   Stored in a garage

What is the difference, cored vs non-cored.  I am taking a look at it this week and would like to know what to look for.

Edited for spelling.

Understood.  Looks like 5 people at 150lbs each.  

I have spent my entire life around boats. Grand pa owned a dealer from the late 60's to late 90's. He repairs and sells used boats right now. I have worked at his place and other boat dealers for a long time and got out the biz in 2009.

How much do they want for the boat? I ask because there are a ton of better and other boats out there that can be had. It's an antiquated design on the hull. You didn't tell us anything about the engine/drive that I saw.

Boat is a modified vhull.   Motor is the original evinrude 60hp.  Supposedly rebuilt and running.  Boat is inspected and has stickers on it to 2015 (will need to replace with Nj sticklers.

No real cash outlay but trade value for boat and trailer is about $1k

First, one of the keys of strength of any composite material is how far apart the layers are apart from each other.  Further apart=stronger for any given layup.  Having said that, you have to keep the layers attached.  



In the early days of glass boats they were not real sure how strong they really needed to be so they put a lot of fiberglass in them.  It is not uncommon on older sailboats to have a hull 1/2" thick and around the keel several inches.  Works well, but is very heavy and expensive.



A little time goes by and people figure out you can put a light/cheap material in between the layers of glass, save weight and keep it plenty strong.  Core material can be foam, roacell, wood, end grain balsa, you name it.  There are issues.  The typical foam breaks down over time, a delamination occurs due to impact, wood rots, etc.  The problem is once that compromise occurs it is a bitch (impractical) to fix.  This is when you hear people talk about "soft spots".   The quick fix is to drill holes, eject epoxy and vacuum bag it back together.  But soft spots are like herpes, it may not be showing, but it is still spreading.  



The other issue is the polyester resin used in most boats is very brittle.  Years of pounding in chop or going on and off the trailer start causing small cracks which eventually grow into big cracks.  



Like I have said before, the only thing more expensive than a cheap boat is a cheap woman.  



 

60HP motor from the 60s? Buy a gas station, you'll need it.

Any 2 cycle outboard is going to eat you alive in gas cost.

 

Run away. Too old, gas hog, parts obsolete and on and on..
<-----boat mechanic.
Read Me!

what is the value of your life and that of your fellow boaters?

make sure that damn boat is safe

Nah, I had a 25HP 98? Evinrude that would run for multiple fishing trips on a tank of gas. I couldn't complain in the least about the run time. I HAD a 60s 60HP 2 stroker, 2 laps around the lake and it was time to change the tank out. It really was horrendous how much fuel it could suck down.

Or two 300 lb guys and a 150 lb woman.