TOPIC: 1970 SternCraft 17ft Bowrider??????

Friends,

i found a complete 1970 SternCraft open utility on a NICE trailer (made of 5" I-beam) this afternoon, which i'll likely buy.- it's 80 inches across the beam & 17 foot down the centerline.

it has the original 1970 Mercruiser 470, 4cylinder I/O engine.
(which was running 2 years ago when it was parked.)

the HIN: 007015037.

i've looked on several search engines & have found little about the company, so does anyone know:
1. where the boat was built,
2. what company actually built the hull
(the PO was told that there was not really a SternCraft "company", but rather than SternCrafts were built by another company & "assembled".- i have NO idea if that is correct or not.)
3. what engines were available in 1970 from SternCraft
and
4. does anyone have factory catalogues, sales brocures or service manuals for the boat?

thanks for reading this post.

yours, satx

Here is a link to the obituary of William C. Bell in 1986, retired owner of Sterncraft Boat Company:

nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE364116B1C9&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

All I did was go to google news archive and search "sterncraft"

Andreas

thompsonboat,

THANKS. - interesting.
(i wonder why my search of several search engines didn't pick this up?)

yours, satx

I did a bit more digging via newspaperarchive.com. Will scan and post images later.

Earliest reference I found was 18 June 1965 for Sterncraft Boat Co. They were advertising for assembly personnel in help wanted section of Grand Praire (TX) News in November 1965. Location was 500 Hiway 121 E., Lewisville, TX.

A 1977 article indicated they had 100 employees and made fishing, ski, and leisure boats 16 to 24 ft. long.

Lewisville, TX was home to Cruiser Craft (Phil Dill) and Texas Maid Boats. Nearby Denton was home to Amphibious Boats, Inc. and Hundley Boat Works. Maybe Sterncraft grew out of one of those firms.

Andreas

satx78247 wrote:

Friends,

it has the original 1970 Mercruiser 470, 4cylinder I/O engine.
(which was running 2 years ago when it was parked.)

The 170 (470) aluminum block I/O didn't come out until 1976. That boat would have a 120/140 GM 4 cylinder.

thompsonboat; jimandros,

THANKS GUYS!

Jim: truthfully, i'm pleased that it's NOT an aluminum block 470, as the book i looked at this AM says that the 470 had a cast iron head & aluminum block.
generally, aluminum & iron together have problems, when exposed to salt air & they expand at different rates when exposed to heat.

yours, satx

to ALL,

does NOBODY know anything more about the SternCraft Company?

yours, satx

Sometimes former dealers have information. Here's a reference to one in Texas:

books.google.com/books?id=sbT_LbiGE_oC&lpg=PA118&dq=sterncraft%20boat&pg=PA118#v=onepage&q=sterncraft%20boat&f=false

In order to find original literature or other Sterncraft boats, I would suggest setting up saved searches on Ebay or Google that will email you when new results are found.

Here are the three items I mentioned previously. This is all I have been able to find.
Andreas

HandyAndy; thompsonboat,

THANKS for your help.

fwiw, i find it "just a bit odd" that a company that employed 150+ people for over 20years has essentally NOTHING significant that is known about it today. - i've visited every search engine that i can think of & have found no more than "thompsonboat" has uncovered. - 1986 was NOT that long ago.

passing strange, don't you think?

yours, satx

No, I do not think it strange at all. Someone has to "put" stuff up on the internet for there to be any chance of finding it on-line. If no one out there like us is finding the stuff, scanning it and putting it somewhere on-line, it is "lost" in the dusty shelves of former company owners, employees, and maybe some boat dealerships.

The obituary gave survivor names. They might have some stuff and if they do, maybe they'd be willing to share.

I do this type of research all the time. The computer is a wonderful tool but certainly not the only tool at our disposal. Old school research is still viable and necessary.

Potential sources: newspaper articles; state of Texas incorporation filings (they may also be filed at the county level with the county recorder; family of the owner; past employees; city directory listings; former dealers; etc...

Andreas

And thus the role of FiberGlassics as a repository of information gathered by intrepid researchers:

www.fiberglassics.com/library/Sterncraft

HandyAndy,

unfortunately, the first info is for 1977. - SternCraft opened in 1962. - and sadly, mine is a 1970.
but it's good that we have what you found.

yours, satx

This is from the 1970 SternCraft Catalog. Is it either one of these?

Lee Wangstad

lee wangstad,

BLESS YOU! - my new baby is a BALBOA 17 =====> WOO HOO!
(it's NICE to have it's name.)

and it tells me which engines were standard & optional, too in 1970.

THANK YOU!

yours, satx

lee wangstad,

i hope that you're planning to download the entire catalog to the fiberglassics library.

yours, satx

Bless All of yall! My brother and ! are starting work on our grandfather's boat and it is also a 1970 Balboa.It is awesome i found yalls thread. we never really knew any thing about the boat. well exept it origionally had a 4 cylinder and my grand father took a long block 6 out of a chevy truck, to give it more go. if i find the owners manual or any thig else i will pass it on to yall.

Joshua

thunder56,

LUCKY YOU! - personally i think BOTH of us are lucky to have a Balboa 17.
(should you find any information on it, please share same.)

note: mine has a 120HP mercruiser with a "big fat crack" on the port side. - i'm "negotiating for" a complete 165HP out of a junk Glastron.

BEST WISHES, satx

1965 ad:

thompsonboat,

THANKS for posting the ad.

fyi, i'm looking for a complete 1970 straight six (Chevy-based) Mercruiser engine for my Balboa 17. - the current 120HP four isn't repairable.

yours, satx

Rasta,

this is what my 17ft SternCraft BALBOA looks like.

yours, otter

The pics didn't post.

Rasta,

look back up this thread at "lee wangstad"'s post. - the Balboa is on the left. - i don't own a functioning camera but that stock photo looks the same as mine.

yours, satx