Classic Mastercraft Prostar 190 Fully Refurbished But For Spares Or Repair 260hp

Re-listing after selling and then the buyer being unable to complete! Please give me a ring before making an offer. So after a lot of soul searching I have made the difficult decision to sell my pride and joy, a late 80’s Mastercraft Prostar 190 fitted with a Ford 351W 260hp engine . I bought the boat about 10 years ago with my cousin in quite a sorry state after the previous owner had given up on it after finding that the block had cracked as a result of not winterising it correctly. We then spent about 8 years completely refurbishing and rebuilding the whole boat and trailer.

Mid-way through the refurbishment by cousin unfortunately passed away but I was determined to finish the boat and had fully intended never to sell it. This era of Prostar in my opinion are one of the best with no wooden stringers and the classic retro looks based on a hull that is basically still in production now. It makes flat water for skiing and a nice wake for boarding or surfing with the right set up. The hull and interior, whilst a bit dirty, are in really good original condition given its age. The refurbishment involved sourcing a replacement block from the states and completely rebuilding the whole engine with new...Top and bottom shell bearingsCam shaft bearingsPiston ringsTiming chain and gearWater and fuel hoses and clips throughoutCore plugsEngine water pump and raw water pump impellerDistributor and coil converting it to electronic ignition (much improved starting and running) Thermostat and drive beltEvery engine seal and gasket Both cylinder heads were also completely refurbished with new valve stem oil seals and refitted with new bolts.Unfortunately when I completed the engine and started it I found that the gearbox was dragging in neutral so I also had the gearbox professionally refurbished with new clutch packs and seals.

In addition to this the boat also then had...A new transom mounted engine blower New throttle and gear cablesNew automatic bilge pump wired and switched correctlyThe stuffing box refurbished with new packing and greaseA new kill cord switch Carburettor rebuild with new seals, gaskets and electronic chokeNew exhaust hose and flapsNew durite battery isolator A new fuse box with associated wiringThe interior professionally cleaned and then carefully refitted correctly with new stainless fittings.The prop professionally refurbished and balanced with a new prop nut. The ski platform removed and then refitted with new stainless mounting bolts that were professionally fibreglassed in as the orginals had corroded.The engine, gearbox and risers all painted before refitting.Ancillary wiring cable wrapped and connectors replaced where necessary.At the same time as this I also lifted the boat off the trailer for refurbishing. This included all new brake master cylinder, brake pipes, brake shoes, bearings, seals and the trailer then painted. I would guess that the trailer has travelled less than 50 miles since these parts were fitted and has only been in freshwater twice (we kept the boat on a mooring and have had it lifted in and out). It is fitted with a really nice high quality ski pylon and comes with a full cover although this has had quite a few repairs over the years.

The boat was launched last spring and used last summer on Windermere. It was winterised correctly and has been used quite a bit in the good weather since April this year again on Windermere. Up until recently it has been absolutely fantastic and always gets complimentary comments. It has only completed 73 hours since all of the work above was finished - I fitted a new clock as the final piece of the refurb! We now get to the sad bit, unfortunately a couple of weeks ago something let go in the engine.

Since buying the boat we have moved to the Southwest so it was being used by family in Lancashire. We had the engine checked out by a local engineering firm and they have diagonosed a broken camshaft, conrod and piston. The broken conrod has not come through the side of the block but there could be further internal damage. The engine is back in the boat but it has not been full re-attached. The sump and starboard side exhaust manifold have been removed and are in the boat as well.

I just haven’t got the time, the heart, or the finances (I daren’t add up how much I have spent on the boat) to go any further with repairing it so have decided to put it up for sale. From the engine debris my best guest is that for some reason a piston has either become detached (gudgeon pin?) or has broken up which has then caused the other damage. Once opened up it could be a relatively easy repair with a new piston and camshaft alternatively it could be totally US, hence why it is spare or repairs. If you have a running engine you could drop it in and have a very cool boat in no time! I ideally I would like to to sell this to someone who is going to repair it or replace the engine, but I might consider breaking it for parts if there is enough interest in doing this.

These are now getting really rare and can only increase in value. Before the engine failure I had the boat insured for £7000. Sold as a spares or repair with a stack of receipts (including the gearbox) and a free rebuild manual! The new parts on the boat alone are worth significantly more than my asking price.The boat is currently on my parents driveway in Preston (PR5) so would need to be collected from there. The picture of the engine on a stand was from the original rebuild.

Any questions or for a chat abou the boat please call John on phone.