1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

broncojeff78 · Mar 29, 2013

Hey Guys! A neighbor of mine has a 1987 Starcraft that I think he is willing to sell. The tag says Islander 22 but the side says Chieftain. I have seen it across the street for a couple years now covered with shrink wrap and lately the shrink is coming apart so I can see what it is better. It has a 165 Mercruiser. The interior is complete but very dirty from being out in the weather the last year or so. He says it needs some kind of seal for the out drive because it leaks a little. Says its ok for day trips but he used to have it in the water all summer so he took it out. Seems like it should be taken care of before going in the water at all. The floor seemed solid walking in it and I didnt find any rot or soft spots that were out in the open anyway. There is a trailer with it with new looking tires. The guy's father wants $2800 for it. Does this sound like a good price? He says it was winterized properly too.

airshot · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

From what i can see it appears to be an Islander, but starcraft has been known to fudge names a bit to make older models look like newer models. Condition and maintaince are going to affect the price more than any thing. A 'real close" inspection would be in order, on both hull, interior decay, and motor condition. Unless you have some experience in boat inspections I would recomend a marine surveyor for a complete inspection. If it works out for you, you are gonna love your Islander, I have one and it has been my favorite boat of all time and I have had many different boats. As for the last part of your question, in my area if everything checks out, motor, outdrive, transom wood etc.. then the price is good, but if repairs have to be made other than maintaince items well then..............

Airshot

matt167 · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

An Islander has a larger deck with a small cabin. Chief's have a larger cabin usually with a sink on one side and a counter on the other, but they are basically the same boat in the 21-22' length. Need some more pics to tell. Unless I'm utterly mistaken, that 165 is actually a Mercruiser "485" 3.7L and not the more common 165 I6 which is a 250 Chevy 6cyl. The 3.7L is not a bad engine minus a couple flaws, but Mercruiser no longer supports it, and because they were the design/ manufacture, that means if it breaks down, your likely looking for used or NOS parts. If it's a clean '87 Chieftan, it might be worth $2,800 but I would swap the engine/ drive with a 3.0L ( powers that hull adaquate ) or a 4.3L V6/ Outdrive from a donor boat and sell the 3.7L to recover costs. Good 3.7's can get quite a bit because some still like them.

broncojeff78 · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I was thinking of offering him 1500 for it being there are a lot of unknowns. I dont think there is a sink but it looks like the port side front seat is also maybe a live well or cooler? The tag on the inside says islander 221. I think with a fair amount of cleaning and fixing up the out drive it may be a good boat..

GA_Boater · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

That motor is a 470 style 4 cylinder. While not a bad motor, a GM based set-up is preferred. Parts are hard to come by and are pricey on the 470. More bargaining power.

Was this thing built late on Friday? With the Islander tag and the Chieftain name.

classiccat · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

perhaps the top isn't original to the boat?

(sorry if I'm stating the obvious? :facepalm: :lol

matt167 · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I'v actually seen Islanders with Chieftain decals around that era. I think it was a trim line more or less as the big Chief was Not in production at that point

jbcurt00 · Mar 29, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I seem to remember someone tearing into an Islander or Chieftain and finding the other name written all over the inside surface (so it was done at the factory) of some of the cabin's parts & pieces......

So yeah, perhaps matt167's right.

No 1987 in the brochure list, but in the 1986 there's no Chieftain....

It's only a name. Either an Islander or a Chieftain would be great if you're looking for a biggen w/ a cabin

broncojeff78 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I have not offered the guy anything yet but I was wondering how much fuel the 165 would use and if it has enough power for this size boat? I am also looking at a 21ft Wellcraft with a 350 chevy V8 engine in it for a little less than what this guy is asking. The sound and power of the V8 is attractive but would it kill me in fuel every time I went out on it?

laurentide · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

jbcurt00 said:
I seem to remember someone tearing into an Islander or Chieftain and finding the other name written all over the inside surface (so it was done at the factory) of some of the cabin's parts & pieces......

JB, I can't find it but I think it was a Starchief with "Holiday" decals on the superstructure. This looks to be the same kind of deal...weird.

jbcurt00 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

chemicalwire said:
JB, I can't find it but I think it was a Starchief with "Holiday" decals on the superstructure. This looks to be the same kind of deal...weird.

That sounds right too....
Memory, it isn't everything, it's the......
Wait what were we talking about??

:facepalm:

broncojeff78 said:
I have not offered the guy anything yet but I was wondering how much fuel the 165 would use and if it has enough power for this size boat{1987 22ft Islander/Chieftain}?
I am also looking at a 21ft Wellcraft with a 350 chevy V8 engine in it for a little less than what this guy is asking. The sound and power of the V8 is attractive but would it kill me in fuel every time I went out on it?

Those are drastically different boats & motors. Some may suggest that the additional weight of the fiberglass Wellcraft will NEED the V8. And burn fuel getting that weight on plane.

How old is the Wellcraft?
Since you've also got the MFG, I figure you've looked around the resto threads so you know what a large cuddy glass boat entails if it's been even slightly neglected by any previous owners. And where to look for signs of doom & gloom below decks.

Good luck, you may not get many 'GO GET THAT WELLCRAFT!' comments in the SC owners group forum :facepalm:

broncojeff78 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

Its an 84 Wellcraft Elite 210. Being my old MFG really would only have issues on the transom as the stringers I believe are aluminum I am not really sure where or what to look for on a fiberglass cuddy. I dont really know exactly what to look for on a big aluminum boat like the SC either. I walked around it and the floor didnt seem spongy and the only visible rot was a pad over the front door that had fallen off. As far as below decks I dont know what to look for or how to do it. Airshot mentioned getting a marine survey done. How much do they cost and are they worth it for less expensive boats like these? As far as the Wellcraft is concerned, I was also thinking the parts for the 350 were more readily available but you guys make a good point with it being heavier and might kill me on gas.

jbcurt00 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

Dig in & start reading some of the Islander/Chieftain/Starchief threads to get a feel for a large tin resto.
Starcraft Rebuilds and Restorations, they're all here!

Off hand I can only think of a handfull of large cuddy fiberglass threads. But I'll likely never own one, so following the resto thread of 1 isn't high on my list. But there are 2 large Victoria (Bayliner maybe?) threads currently active.

In NY, I suspect it'd be $250-500 for a marine inspection, leaning towards the higher end. Seems like a good bit against a $2800 (OR LESS) boat purchase. And like home inspections, mistakes are sometimes made, and errors/omissions happen.

Read thru some fiberglass resto threads over in the resto forum. If funding is at all a concern, unless it's perfect (a 1984 Wellcraft for less then $2800 likely isn't) the Wellcraft will likely be a much larger, much more involved, more expensive & more time consumming resto then the same size aluminum boat.

A leaking bellows is not good, and should be addressed before use. The seller may not make a big deal of it, he's trying to sell it, but yes it is & can cause problems w/ the outdrive. Water in the outdrive is never good...........

The 470/165 motor & outdrive can be swapped for a V6 & outdrive from a 'donor boat'. Jas Islander thread has a donor motor swap....

broncojeff78 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

Went over with the wife and kids and took another look at it today. Here are some pics.

broncojeff78 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

Some more

jbcurt00 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I don't know, it looks like it has some good (seat vinyl looks great) and some bad (shredded cover, outdrive condition)....

Leaking bellows lets water below deck, and that's not good. Although it certainly isn't as bad as water below a glasser's deck.........

If I was in the market for an 22' Islander, it'd get serious consideration, but $2800 sounds steep for a questionable outdrive. Might make him an lower offer, and see if he'll counter. Then make your acceptance conditional on seeing it FLOAT (Look thru some Islander/Chieftain restos & see how they look while floating, might help you know if it's got a lot of water below deck or waterlogged foam) and the motor running then engaging the outdrive & moving forward & reverse.... Then use that as a negotiating point on price.

But generally for a 25yr old boat, she's in pretty good shape. No soft spots @ the deck? Anywhere you can step do. Anywhere you can reach in & feel around inside seat boxes, under seat storage in the bow, in & around the motor and below deck. If you have to stick a camera or cellphone in places you can't reach or see into..........

mark942 · Mar 31, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

2800.00 seems a bit much for what you have posted about this boat. Run from the V8..........IMHO

dozerII · Apr 1, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I'm thinking the same as these guys, $2800 is at least a $1000. too much. The out drive looks like it has seen a lot of salt water, the trailer looks to be pretty rough, and the whole boat looks like it hasn't been used for a long time. I would certainly want to here it run and go for a sea trial.

jasoutside · Apr 1, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

That looks like an awesome "project" boat! But being a project, I kinda think it's priced on the hight side. Though, we have seen some crazy high dollars thrown at old alum boats up in the NE part of the country eh guys.

Um, are we sure that's a 470? Kinda looks like an I6 from where I'm sitting (on my phone). Major difference between those two engines! One is pretty good stuff and the other is a large black anchor.

Stevens520 · Apr 1, 2013

Re: 1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

I see 4 plug wires coming out of the distributor cap. Hard to tell what kind of shape she's in; from the pictures it don't look to bad. But there is that nice looking chocolate streak running down the companion seat box. How do the floors feel?

1987 Starcraft Chieftain purchase.

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