18' Starcraft Starchief OB Rebuild

[Gibbles]

Well i do dig the nipples :lol: And yeah... Part of why i have been holding off is just incase i need a template. I saw a few restores floating by that had the cowl blank, but i'm not much of a fan

 

[Gibbles]

Ok so going back to what I hope is just a spun prop...

I went outside to take a look, unbolted ect...

When in gear I cannot see if the prop is spinning on the hub, however when I got the prop out of Glens boat I had noticed that the hub was a little off center, and I had to force it together (looked pretty new, and unused), and even then bolting the prop down it had difficulty seating the propeller spacer (23-F523099-1), and I think it was the cause of the loose prop, running the boat pushed the hub onto the spacer is my best guess.

So thinking a very good chance of a spun prop, I pulled it planning on seeing if my favorite grumpy old man can install a new hub for me, I noticed that propeller spacer is cracked in three places...

I also see some wear that suggests the prop is spinning against the end bits that cap the prop off (F523299-1) but not totally conclusive...

And while running the boat it gets worse the more load, the RPM raises but the boat does not go faster, it started with what felt like a slipping clutch in a car as you give it more power.

With a full load of people in the front of the boat, and the big waves of the storm, I found it very difficult to get more speed, but I had no problem getting more RPM.

Any significance of that cracked prop spacer, it's pretty heavy and thick?

 

[Gibbles]

I also found a later part replacement for the "(F523299-1)" pretty much in later years they figured out that having the flare was a good thing, so if cavitation related, it might help me...

 

[Watermann]

Did you use a marker and put a line on the housing and hub, run it in the water and see if the 2 separated?

 

[Gibbles]

Not yet, honestly i thought i had it resolved. I stopped by my local marine shop today and spoke with the owner after chatting with one of his workers, the worker saw the wear and thought that it was slipping. The owner (a man i trust, and is very trusted around town) thought i would see rubber bits if it was spinning, but after me explaining everything i noticed he thinks its a good chance... And he has a prop i can try out, however its a modern type through exhaust but he thinks it might work... But wants me to bring the boat in for sure... My worry with the cone setup ect. He said well lets find out, if worse comes we can order a correct type... However i really would perfer a new hub vs a new prop, and i think i'm best served trying the other prop i have first... I hate to dirty a new prop, but i like the idea of converting to a new style for ease of options... So i dunno... (Sorry for the run on post, either this site or my phone removes my formatting when i post)

 

[Watermann]

Not a whole bunch of time left in the boating season to get her nailed down. I don't know about where you are but one morning this week I had frost on the boat cover.

 

[muggsy mac]

I just picked up a 65 Star Chief. Must replace the transom as well. What did you use for replacement lumber in this case? Enjoyed staying up till 4 A.M. reading your resto story, gives me motivation, thanx in advance, Muggsy mac

 

[Gibbles]

I forget the brand (airco maybe?) but read some of the other threads, it's used many times.

And I skipped the appointment with the prop guy, I don't like the idea of leaving the shaft end hanging out.

I also got the seats back in, I used these little clawed end nuts as a backing, but I found I had to twist the little claws the other way around as they required a large hole...

so I put the lit in a little jewelry kiln I got from my wife's grandfather's estate it heated them to a good 1500 degrees before they were soft enough to not snap when bent :lol:

Usually I can boat til like mid October, but I have a feeling of an early winter, so we shall see how it pans out.

 

[Gibbles]

Well i was planning on some fishing today, however its windy, raining, and 59f up at the lake so im doing some staring, thinking, and cleanup on the boat today.

Installed the original cushions to get an idea..

 

[Gibbles]

I also found my tach was sticking at about the 3k mark, so i pulled it apart last night, found the arm has a coil at the bottom that was slightly rubbing on the chrome plated magnet...

Finding no other way to fix it i noticed i could adjust the tension on the return spring, so i adjusted until the nedil would run the best, plus a tiny bit of extra tension...
Not sure how to tell for sure, but hopefully it wont mess with the accuracy much.

 

[Watermann]

Looks like there was at least some sun there at home when you took the pics. Your cushions look to me in the pics like they're in pretty good shape. I was thinking about making up some cushions for my cabin as well but before I did I wanted to see if I even spent any time in there. After 40+ hours on the water I found that I only went in there to get in the cooler mostly so now I don't know.

 

[Gibbles]

Yeah, mostly i dont spend much time in there, but add some pads and a mini bar and man you have a super cool fishing pad!

 

[Gibbles]

And the pads are ok, but i left them outside for a while... And i think some paint stripper hit the nose cushion and made it a little brittle in areas... But they are in pretty good condition, even if they smell like dirt

 

[Weep'n Willy]

some pads and a mini bar and man you have a super cool fishing pad!

Cushions in the cabin are pretty much mandatory for me. The grandkids put them to pretty good use out on the water as well as my one daughter when she came and joined us for a couple days while on our 10 day fish vacation. And the nice thing is they are also great on dry land as well. I have spent many an evening sitting inside the cabin surveying the boat, having a few beverages, and thinking of other ideas to improve the boat.

 

[Gibbles]

Yeah, I have been spending time staring drinking, and thinking in the cabin, seems to be a mandatory thing, especially since I'm not just doing a carbon copy of what was once there... :watermelon:

there have been a few times where I gave the FIL the wheel, and I hung out in the cabin having a nice cold beverage, put my feet up and had a pretty good time.

In rain/wind everyone pretty much leaves me to drive the boat and runs inside the cabin :lol:

And those little spaces where the consoles use to be fit a cooler perfect, my original plan was to extend the bench out, but now I'm thinking more of cooler space...

I also have that 28gallon tank that the thirsty engine needs so badly, and a trailer that is really light on the front, especially with 3 x 6 gallon tanks in the rear.

I can see a problem with extended weekends on the lake, my 6 gallon tanks will end up more as a reserve since they really don't last long unless I stick with that 9.8hp kicker
but I actually prefer the 20hp kicker, since I can actually get a little speed with it, it still runs super slow, and I can run all day long on a few gallons...

I found the huge tank almost perfectly fits in the cabin walking space...

so I could toss it onto the front floor, turn the cabin area into more of a bed/lounge and have more fuel...

except my plan has been using these stainless folding shelf hinges, mount them low, and have a folding bench extension to convert the front into a floor.

Other idea would be some sort of side support, or table sockets in the floor, plywood pieces and some hinges (in hopes of making It fold up for storage), and have a little insert for the bench to full bed conversion...

Then comes the rest of the ideas for the cabin, nose area has been my favorite wasted space, perfect for a little storage compartment with some shelves (thinkin minibar :lol.

Still a lot to do, lately the last few weekends I have been in the "get organized mode" cleaning up the garage, building/extending the shelves in there, and filling the attic full of our crap.

My garage has never been this clean, playing with the idea of seeing if I can fit the boat + trailer in the garage this winter in order to get the rest of it completed, but it might end up in the backyard again this winter...

We pretty much bought the house, did a little work, new roof, and then went right onto boat building, no wonder the neighbors thought I did it for a living... except for the whole never selling any... :lol:

Yup I still have two bedrooms that have been nothing more than storage for all of the crap we have had our entire lives (both our parents were like "great you have a house now!, here is all of your stuff we have had in storage for *.* :facepalm.

I have also been collecting 2x4's for that shed we need.. but that's after I have my weekend getaway completed...

 

[Watermann]

Yeah the wasted cabin space, I've got one thing to fit into there, the admiral says there NEEDS to be a head so... you know what that means.

Fuel capacity is a must and while mid-ship is best, forward is better than the extra weight in the stern.

 

[Gibbles]

I wish I had spent more time and money when I had the deck out and ordered a fuel tank to fit under the deck, but you know how it goes :facepalm:

I even saw some fuel tanks local that would of fit perfect in the nose, but I was low on time and money at the time.

And a head will be one of the requirements, I liked what the other Starchief restorer did, he put in a little door in the nose wood piece, and piped in a nice toilet!

Depending on how my fuel system ends up, I need to get a head I installed...

See I'm the kinda guy that hates camping grounds, I kick it in 4x4 and find a real camping spot..
need to go? np I have shovel and some tp
#2 and need some privacy from a trail?
np I just pull up to the hole, rest against the grille guard and relax while you do your business

I tried that with the wife, she ended up holding a #1 for 6 hrs until I could find a camp ground :facepalm: :lol:

I can see this being a problem on some of those larger lakes, having to make my way all the way back because someone needs to use the rest room... yeah no.

 

[64osby]

No head on our boat but have been looking at grandads thread and may try some like that, but on a basic plan.

The camping issue I can relate. I like rustic camping. The Admiral will only camp where there are nice warm showers.

Been looking for a reasonable travel trailer that will meet her needs and let us get away from the masses.

 

[Gibbles]

I actually found a guy local that has a toilet i could use... $50 nib fot a $110 unit...

I might give him a call tomorrow on it.

And i got a pretty good pat on the back today with an offer to move to redmond WA. For the same company i already work for...

I was also told my job is secure where i am,

Pretty cool

 

[Gibbles]

And i picked up a SS prop off of ebay for $50.

I also got the more modern flare and a new cone...

Hopefully this does the trick.