1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

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benta

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I'm about to re-deck my 1977 Starcraft Chieftan 22ft. Anyone have max total weight this craft will tolerate? I have 1" solid wood available...is that going to be too heavy?
 
classiccat

classiccat

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

howdy!

what kind of wood is it...and what are you powering it with?
 
jasoutside

jasoutside

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

Well, the lighter the boat, all the better.

1" solid wood should be reserved for some cool furniture project. Exterior grade, or marine grade plywood is way better. (all sealed up)
 
rheagler

rheagler

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

Yup on what Jason said. I used 1/2" MDO plywood for mine.
 
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benta

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

I'm running the 165hp 6cyl. Using this free wood will cause me a lot more work, but I come cheap. 3/4" marine plywood is $80/sheet.
 
ShowMeGuy

ShowMeGuy

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

I used the upper end of exterior plywood.. It was about 40-50 bucks a sheet I think... Just seal it up with Epoxy or fiberglass it to seal it up. I'd bet you'll be set for a long long time.
 
GA_Boater

GA_Boater

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

I would be concerned with the durability of solid wood. Splits and the like. You don't need marine ply - good, sealed exterior ply is the way to go for a lot less than $80/sheet. Free isn't always the best choice.
 
Weep'n Willy

Weep'n Willy

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

You may want to check on what the additional height would do as far as cabin walls, side walls, etc. You may end up doing more mods than you would like. I stuck with the 1/2" and believe it is plenty thick enough.
 
barato2

barato2

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Re: 1977 Chieftan 22 new deck

i'm with the "use plywood" folks. weight is the big advantage of tinnies over glass hulls, and even using 3/4" plywood instead of the 5/8" the factory used on most of the bigger boats will screw up your interior panels etc alignment.


if you have this wood and it looks nice, use some of it for superstructure and trim. like a wood "leaning rail" on inside of transom or gunwales, so you don't burn your thighs on hot aluminum while hooked up to a big fish......
 
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