Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

[laurentide]

My silly updates continue :laugh:....the bad news: I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.

The good news: The mityvac stayed right here at 10 psi on the dot for an hour. I pulled the spark plugs, shifted, turned the prop (the LU is still attached to the mid) in forward and reverse for a while, and no drop in pressure. Silly me and too many washers on the plugs!

The mityvac and oil pump hose fitting are a great tool in the arsenal of shade tree outboard mechanics. Thanks CC for pointing me in this direction :thumb:

I'll see y'all in a couple of weeks. I'll be putting around on a pontoon boat down in West Virginia for a few days with a couple of friends, then coming back and turning the boat over the canvas shop for another few days. Truth be told, I'd rather be fishing here, but it's not often a guy gets to hang with some awesome childhood buds. Cheers!

 

[GA_Boater]

Hey - Have fun, Chem. Are y'all gonna be telling tall tales?

 

[laurentide]

Hey - Have fun, Chem. Are y'all gonna be telling tall tales?

Tales for sure...I'm not sure what kind yet . Thanks!

 

[jbcurt00]

Um, hello? WHERE in WV?

I might know a guy there :watermelon:

Enjoy your trip

 

[laurentide]

Um, hello? WHERE in WV?

I might know a guy there :watermelon:

Enjoy your trip

Paddling in W. Virginia (Jennings Randolph lake), motor boating at Deep Creek lake...I say West Virginia because most people aren't aware of that western MD panhandle area :joyous:. The actual house is in MD. Thanks!

 

[dozerII]

Have a great time on your holiday Chem

 

[laurentide]

Hey guys! The solarium is complete! These old Chieftains have a very odd contour from windshield to cabin for this application. The side curtains have to go out from the narrower windshield to the wider cabin, but I think she did a great job. The vinyl still has to relax a bit, as it's a little wavy right now. But, I love it!

I'm pretty excited to extend my season into December...and I may look into a propane heater when the time comes (I know...heavier than air, but they come with leak detectors). Now I just have to figure out a storage solution. I'll probably just pull it all apart, lay out the vinyl, and roll the bimini into the boot before putting the tarp over it. A canopy in the backyard would be a great solution, and I may go for one of the electrical conduit kits next year.

I went over the dark side last weekend, and spent pretty much the whole time on a 26' glass "sport boat." Way overkill for pulling kids around on tubes, but it had a GM 496 with a switch that took it from through-prop to through-hull exhaust. I've got to say that a straight pipe 496 sounds really, really awesome! It was not a slow boat. That said, I was glad to get back to my big natural lake and my slow, spartan tinny.

Cheers guys!

 

[Watermann]

That looks great Chem! It will give you some nice wind free fishing up inside there. I see you pulled off those side rails, as you know I like the clean look of the Chief without the rails. :thumb:

Dang your trailer makes me want a tandem even more tho... :lol:

 

[dozerII]

:thumb:Looks really good Chem, you must have found a real expert to build it for you.

 

[laurentide]

That looks great Chem! It will give you some nice wind free fishing up inside there. I see you pulled off those side rails, as you know I like the clean look of the Chief without the rails. :thumb:

Dang your trailer makes me want a tandem even more tho... :lol:

Thanks! Yeah, the side rails were nice before I got the top, but pretty unnecessary with the bimini supports and now the vinyl there. I like the look, too.

I'm digging the tandem. I just gave it its first long-ish ride, and it pulls like an old fashioned baby carriage. It tracks very well and reversing is a breeze compared to the single axle I had.

 

[GA_Boater]

Seeing the wet street and drops on the vinyl - Were you leak testing? :smile:

Looks great and not hard to see out of. :thumb:

 

[laurentide]

:thumb:Looks really good Chem, you must have found a real expert to build it for you.

She's a young woman who just bought the business from the original owner...she's been doing it for about 8 years. She did really nice work.

Seeing the wet street and drops on the vinyl - Were you leak testing? :smile:

Looks great and not hard to see out of. :thumb:

Ha! Yeah, it had been raining...not a drop on the dash or seats! I'll be using that 303 vinyl protectant that I received from the sponsor giveaway here to keep it clear.

 

[laurentide]

This is hopefully my final post here using this miserable camera (new Moto on the way, yay!). After a whole lot of scraping and scrubbing, I finally got to what I originally wanted to do with this hull: bare, soon-to-be-oxidized aluminum.

I realize this decal is not period correct, but I love the old arrow logo. I did mess up the back end of the arrow when transferring from the tape, but it's on there and I'm not messing with it. Hopefully the other side will go smoother:

It's not perfect, and it's not getting polished or anything. I just don't want to have to paint it again. The port side still needs a little paint removal...that factory stuff is baked on good!

When that side is done, I think I can actually say, um, "I'm done!" At least for now

Have a great weekend guys.

 

[Watermann]

Heck yeah if a guy has the hull for such a finish then that's the way to go, I do like the look of AL in the buff. :lol:

I had way too many holes to repair on both my boats to not have painted them. For instance on my SN, the spray rails are riveted on and not formed like SC did, anyway when I got it the PO had somehow hit it with an axe or hatchet leaving a gaping slit that had to be filled.

 

[laurentide]

Heck yeah if a guy has the hull for such a finish then that's the way to go, I do like the look of AL in the buff. :lol:

I had way too many holes to repair on both my boats to not have painted them. For instance on my SN, the spray rails are riveted on and not formed like SC did, anyway when I got it the PO had somehow hit it with an axe or hatchet leaving a gaping slit that had to be filled.

Watermann, I think we had the same PO . There are a couple of ugly spots for sure. Dock rash, dents, and, most significantly, this gash that seems to be pretty well repaired (I'm still scraping the bondo out of it :lol:

As you can see by the solid rivets surrounding it, there was a heavy backing plate put in after this sin was committed...here's the view from the cabin:

It's something I can live with, and it can't hurt to at least be able to check the area for cracks now and then.

There are some benefits to having a "work boat" level of finish...you can let some stuff slide as long as it works. A SOTY contender I am not .

^That said, I could always jb weld that stuff and put some aluminum paint over it. Might be a good idea.

 

[classiccat]

Dang Chem! For a second...I thought you picked-up another chief...one for me to drive if I ever visit :lol:

Looks good! I'm in the same "boat"...my hull has so many repairs, paint would make them less obvious...however I also want a work-level rig...wearing those battle-scars with pride!

 

[GA_Boater]

When that side is done, I think I can actually say, um, "I'm done!" At least for now

It's a good thing you added "At least for now" LOL

I like the old arrowed SC too. Nice finished, but not done touch, Chem. :thumb:

 

[laurentide]

Dang Chem! For a second...I thought you picked-up another chief...one for me to drive if I ever visit :lol:

Looks good! I'm in the same "boat"...my hull has so many repairs, paint would make them less obvious...however I also want a work-level rig...wearing those battle-scars with pride!

CC, I like to get in and out as fast as possible, and my paint job just wasn't up to the task of dock bangin' and piling scraping. Now it's no worries...a few scratches is just part of the charm :lol:. I have a ton of my time invested in this rig but at the end of the day it's still a cheap old metal boat that I can bang up a little and not feel bad (don't get me wrong...I love this boat!)

It's a good thing you added "At least for now" LOL

I like the old arrowed SC too. Nice finished, but not done touch, Chem. :thumb:

I kept trying to think of a name for the boat, but in the end I decided on clean and simple. For vhf purposes I go with "Growler." There were three old shellfish schooners in my hometown, Prowler, Howler, and Growler...I like the last one so I stole it

 

[GA_Boater]

Do they sell growlers of craft beer up there? Good name, now drive it like ya stole it.

 

[laurentide]

Do they sell growlers of craft beer up there?

You know it...it's a beer snob paradise up here. I just buy what's on sale at the supermarket :lol:

But, yeah, they used to call cans of beer "growlers" long before the craft movement...so it's kinda appropriate for a tin tub!