1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

boatnut74

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

-Can anyone explain (pictures would be a huge plus!) how the wall to the cuddy is removed? We'll need to remove it tomorrow to pull the next floor piece and I'm unclear on how it comes out.

It's been awhile since I took mine out, but there were screws along the top, and i believe there were brackets on the inside of the cabin that screwed into the floor, then on the sides of the hull there were bolts that went all the way through the wall into some brackets.

-How is the top half of the cuddy held on the hull? I'm not planning to remove it unless it's necessary, but I'd like to know how it's secured just in case I run into a situation where I need it off.

You shouldn't need to take it off for anything but If you decide to (like I did) you can take off the rubrail and there are about 80 rivets to drill out and the whole "cap" will lift off.
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hello,

Thanks for the advice yooperangler and boatnut74, the rivets I'm dealing with going through the hull are solid rivets, I already have rivet guns and replacement pop rivets so those won't be an issue, I'm just a bit wary of grinding the heads off the solid rivets and popping them out without being ready to replace them.

I think I've gotten all the screws out holding the cuddy wall in place, I'll have to go back and take another look, double check, I can get it moving a little, but it's still pretty stuck and I don't want to damage anything taking it out.

80 rivets under the rubrail doesn't sound so bad, I might take a look at that later today.

Thanks for the advice!

Erik
 

ingalp01

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Just throwing a couple of things out... Gluvit on the rivets while you've got everything opened up? Have you replaced the impellor on the outdrive. I'd do that just because of how long it sat. Those are the only two "issues" I can come up with. Other than that, it looks like a great deal and a steal at $950.00. I agree, pulling the wires through the PVC is a good idea. Nice project, keep us posted...
 

yooperangler

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

-The seat framework in the cuddy is riveted to the hull. I know I can remove the rivets easy enough but I'm not sure what would be used to replace them? Are their any special tools I'll need to install new rivets?

Wondering why you need to remove these ? Planning a different set up for cuddy seats ? in the way ?Just curious. Some pics of the problem might help. I believe there are some bolt and collar type pieces You can use for replacement although I had difficulty finding em in aluminum gave up and used some I found at Lowes to replace a couple sheared off solid rivets on the bottom but the ones I used would look like carp if somewhere visible on outside. What kind of wood are You using for the floor?
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hello,

We've made a bit more progress this morning. We took out the cuddy wall, very few of the bolts holding the door frame in came out, I'm guessing they used interference nuts when they build the boat to keep anything from loosening up over time. As a result I used a die grinder to split most of the nuts and get it apart.

With the door frame out we removed the middle section of the wall from above the door and then with all the hardware and dash removed from the two remaining wall sections we wiggled them from side to side pulling towards the center of the boat until they broke free. With everything being as tight fitting as it was I'm thinking it will be a good idea to pull the cuddy cap before I try to install the new walls as it seems like trying to wiggle the walls into place would probably damage the new floor, especially if I use a vinyl floor covering.

Now we have the final three pieces of wood to remove, once this is done I'll pull the boat out of the shop, lay the new plywood on the shop floor and set the old floor over it to trace!

Feels like we're making good progress, I'll update with new pictures tonight.

Erik
 

yooperangler

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Sounds like Your flying to me great progress.
 

GA_Boater

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hi Eric. You found a nice Chief! And making good progress too. The PVC for wiring is a great idea. Best way to run wiring from the front to stern and protect it too. New future wires are easy to run using a "fish".

What kind of truck are you towing with in your first pic? Classic boated towed with a classic truck - way cool.
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Wondering why you need to remove these ? Planning a different set up for cuddy seats ? in the way ?Just curious. Some pics of the problem might help. I believe there are some bolt and collar type pieces You can use for replacement although I had difficulty finding em in aluminum gave up and used some I found at Lowes to replace a couple sheared off solid rivets on the bottom but the ones I used would look like carp if somewhere visible on outside. What kind of wood are You using for the floor?

Hi,

I need to remove the seat frames to make removing the floor in one piece easier (the floor is quite rotten and would definitely break apart if I tried to pull it out from under), I'm also replacing the original 1/2" floor with 3/4" as I like a nice stiff floor and need to relocate the frames 1/4" higher on the hull to allow the new floor to fit, removing them is also necessary to lay new floor covering.

Here's a picture of the area I'm writing about:
DSC_0009.JPG


I ground the heads off the rivets on the inside to remove the frames so I'm committed now.

For the floor I'm using Plytanium DryPly plywood, it's no marine grade plywood but it seems to be holding up fine in another boat I did a few years ago and for less than half the price of a good marine plywood I'll take the chance that it may not last nearly as long.

I'm debated on how to seal the floor, I know that epoxy and fiberglass are to popular options, I used fiberglass on my last boat and would really prefer to never repeat that experience. I guess that means I'll be looking for advice on epoxy sealers! And as a final question, I want this floor to last 10 years, if it lasts longer I won't complain but if in needs to be replaced in 2021 I also won't complain. For this lifespan is an epoxy sealer necessary? Budget is a major concern on this project and I really need to balance cost vs. lifespan.

Erik
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

What kind of truck are you towing with in your first pic? Classic boated towed with a classic truck - way cool.

The truck is a 1954 3R-14 Studebaker that I have "on loan" from my Grandfather who recently stopped driving and didn't want to see it sit idle. It's a great truck for towing the boat as the lake is only a few miles away and with 1st gear being a true "creeper gear" it never has any issues pulling the boats up the ramp.

Here's a better picture:
DSC_0009.JPG
 

CheapboatKev

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

What a great looking boat at an even better $$$$

You do know that it would be very cool to paint the boat to match grandpa's truck right?
 

jasoutside

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Wow, what a super cool combo!

You do know that it would be very cool to paint the boat to match grandpa's truck right?

Kev, you read my mind!

Anybody else think that Chieftain should be painted Fire Engine Red?

Yup, thought so.:)
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Wow, what a super cool combo!



Kev, you read my mind!

Anybody else think that Chieftain should be painted Fire Engine Red?

Yup, thought so.:)

Time for another update. The floor is out, the foam is in good shape, the hull is clean, on to the next step!

Tracing the old floor:
DSC_0011.JPG


Regarding painting the boat red ...I'll have to think that one over, it would be neat to have a matching truck/boat combo but painting is not on the list of work for this year, guess I'll have plenty of time to bat the idea around.

-Cheers,

Erik
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Last update of the night,

We made a little more progress, all of the pop rivets that held the old floor in have now been removed from the hull, the first piece of the new floor has been cut and dropped in the boat for a test fit, so far everything is looking good, I see a few "braces?" that will need to be modified to work with the thicker floor but nothing looks like it will be too much trouble, tomorrow I'm hoping to have all the new pieces cut and test fit assuming the weather cooperates and I can work outside!

-Erik
 

GA_Boater

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

You're going to town, Eric. Yes, budget in a red paint job and a water cannon on the bow. LOL The old Stude is nice!
 

yooperangler

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Great progress and love the old studebaker Another vote for the red paint job or at least a red stripe. I'm using the thin 3 to 1 epoxy from US Composites seems to be pretty user friendly and adds alot of stiffness to the 1/2" aruco ply. It isn't cheap but at this point I'm thinking its worth it brushes on easily enough and a little bit go's a long way Put second coat on front of transom and a couple other little pieces yesterday only took total of 4 tbsp's.
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hey Everyone,

Made a little more progress yesterday, with all of the old floor traced we set to cutting out the new, it was slow going cutting the 3/4" plywood with the jigsaw so I jury-rigged a sawzall and two speed squares together to help the project along, this along with a circular saw for the straighter sections made quick work of getting the new floor cut to size.

We did a test fit in the boat and everything seems to be fitting up nicely with no pieces being too tight nor too loose.

I'm using the thin 3 to 1 epoxy from US Composites seems to be pretty user friendly and adds alot of stiffness to the 1/2" aruco ply. It isn't cheap but at this point I'm thinking its worth it brushes on easily enough and a little bit go's a long way Put second coat on front of transom and a couple other little pieces yesterday only took total of 4 tbsp's.

Can you go into a little detail about this epoxy? I did some quick checking and it looks like a product I might want to be using, the price also seems much better than what I remember seeing for marine specific epoxy coatings.

I'm considering using Overton's rubberized non-skid marine coating for the floor finish and see it requires an epoxy primer for application, can you foresee and issues using an epoxy primer on an epoxy coated floor?

I'm also curious about your experience using the epoxy, how is it to apply, is the consistency easy to work with? How much open time do you have with it?

Thanks for the comments on the truck ...and the ideas for painting the boat, I'll keep them in mind for next year, new paint isn't in the budget right now. ;)
 

yooperangler

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

I have found it to be very easy to work with the thin consistency makes it easy to brush on. I've been leaving between 24 and 48 hours between coats due to high humidity etc.. still seems a bit tacky after 24 hours on second and third coats first coat dried completely in 24 or less.
I have no idea about the epoxy primer over epoxy floor question but perhaps mfg of product could answer that one best. Only downside I can come up with so far with the product is probably have about 15 or 20 minutes working time before it starts to harden up so use small batches and or be ready to work fast. I'm using the 3 to 1 ratio medium thin.
http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html. I bought the 2 gallon kit and am hopeful It will be enough for everything I need. The first coat seemed to penetrate into the wood well. I'm putting 3 on transom (seems to be overkill to be honest ) and probably 2 on floor with vinyl on top of that . Hope some of this is helpful.
 

ErikF

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hey Everyone,

Not much of anything to update on this weekend but I do have some questions.

I'm now ready to do the epoxy coating on the deck pieces, I'm looking at the US Composites epoxy kit that Yooperangler used, is this a solid choice? I've seen it used in other restorations so I'm thinking it's a safe choice, just want some confirmation, what are the other options, again I'm looking to find the best long term value.

I also need to build a new wall for the cuddy, I was thinking of using the same wood I used for the deck, treating it with epoxy and then painting the wall, thoughts on doing it this way? Suggestions are welcome if there are better ways to do it!

Last question doesn't relate to the current stage of restoration but I'll need to know eventually. Does anyone know what material is used on the underside of the cuddy cushions? A family member thinks mine can be reworked and restored with new bottoms and a new zipper but we're both unsure of the material and I want to make sure it gets done right the first time.

Hopefully I'll be decided on an epoxy by the end of the weekend so I can get it ordered and hopefully be coating the deck next weekend!

-Erik
 

jasoutside

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

I did a whole lot of looking and figuring, bang for the buck US Composites seemed to win the day. A lot of the guys around here use em.

For your cabin walls you can go with pretty much whatever you like - paint, vinyl, stain, varnish...
 

boatnut74

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Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

It seems alot of guys go with the 3:1 kit from US Composites. I have used this myself and had good luck with it.
 
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