Another Maine Starchief

[oldhaven]

Thanks for the kind words. we have had the place since 1983 and spent a lot of our summers and falls there, and visited often in the winter. It is boat access only and we were just getting too tired of dragging a small light boat in across the lake, then making a hard landing on slippery rocks with gear and two big dogs in the boat. Getting old sucks, but we do have many wonderful memories. Time to pass it on to someone who will get as much out of it as we did. We have two young people interested who want to live there year round, Grizzly Adams style. Hard but doable.







Ron

 

[laurentide]

Congrats on the new Merc! Now that the G2 etecs cost more than a new economy car, I think those 2.1 liter Mercs are a great choice if buying new. It would certainly be my first choice, FWIW. Awesome power to weight ratio with all the good 4 stroke attributes. You may be able to skip the kicker altogether now, as those engines come with computerized RPM control....down to 550 RPM's I think?

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks CW. It was your initial advice that sent me looking at the new Mercury's. I took advantage of the Mercury promotion that ends this month to get a factory rebate that made it more affordable. It seems a bit strange to put brand new technology on an 800 dollar antique boat, but the end result will be economical, reliable, and pleasing to my antique eyes.

 

[laurentide]

Oldhaven, I guess you do need the "troll control" gauge if you do plan to get the engine down to the 1.5 mph range. It's $525 at the dealer...cheaper and quieter than a kicker I suppose without the extra weight. I do know that these engines are just as reliable as a new automotive engine, so redundancy isn't a huge issue. A lot of guys on Champlain just started running these this season without kickers and I've only heard Good things.

 

[oldhaven]

Oldhaven, I guess you do need the "troll control" gauge if you do plan to get the engine down to the 1.5 mph range. It's $525 at the dealer...cheaper and quieter than a kicker I suppose without the extra weight. I do know that these engines are just as reliable as a new automotive engine, so redundancy isn't a huge issue. A lot of guys on Champlain just started running these this season without kickers and I've only heard Good things.

Good news there. I can probably sell the 8hp Merc 4 stroke I was going to use, buy the control package and have money left over for other things. I will also save 84 pounds of weight on the transom, an extra set of controls and fuel hookups and a mount. My goal is to make the boat as light as possible, with 1/2" deck and minimal functional furniture, like the original type fold down seats. If I can get at or under the advertised weight of 860 pounds for the boat and distribute the added weight or fuel, gear and passengers correctly, I should do pretty well with the 90HP.

Ron

 

[Watermann]

Oh heck yeah, that 90 will be great.

 

[oldhaven]

Oh heck yeah, that 90 will be great.

Hi WM, Hey I wanted to ask what you think about the Deck Armor you used on your SN. It has been a couple of years since anyone asked, but is it still holding up OK? I think I remember you used vinyl on the Chief. Any pro's or cons either way? I like the idea of the simple deck coating rather than vinyl , though I know it is not as finished looking and more functional. I found a piece of the original deck covering under the cabin bullkhead where it had been cut out earlier in this boats life. It is a rather coarse vinyl type material that almost reminds me of the SN deck coating you used. I'll try to get a picture of the covering remnant up.


Ron

 

[oldhaven]

Here is a picture of the original deck covering on the 1967 Starchief. The color scheme that year was burgundy, and it looks like that included the decks. the texture is quite pebbly or coarse, and I kind of like the color. this was under the cabin bulkhead wood out of the sun, so is probably pretty close to how it was when new.



Ron

 

[BWR1953]

Nice color!

 

[Watermann]

Hi WM, Hey I wanted to ask what you think about the Deck Armor you used on your SN. It has been a couple of years since anyone asked, but is it still holding up OK? I think I remember you used vinyl on the Chief. Any pro's or cons either way? I like the idea of the simple deck coating rather than vinyl , though I know it is not as finished looking and more functional. I found a piece of the original deck covering under the cabin bullkhead where it had been cut out earlier in this boats life. It is a rather coarse vinyl type material that almost reminds me of the SN deck coating you used. I'll try to get a picture of the covering remnant up.


Ron

I posted an update on my SN thread earlier this year with some pics of the surface. The guy most interested in seeing it fail didn't comment... :lol: I have to say that the rusto deck armor has been very durable and believe it or not way cooler on bare feet than the carpet was. The biggest problem is how long it takes the stuff to cure and become armor. Until then it's easily damaged as would any wet applied surface coating.

I remember seeing some of that same material in my Chief but it was pretty much ratted out so bad I couldn't tell you what it was supposed to look like when new.

 

[oldhaven]

Still a good review then. I am a few months away from that point, but that type coating will be one of the top options. thanks WM.

Ron

 

[64osby]

I'm seriously considering the Deck Over for the Oh Scrap project. I like the look of H2O's work.

The factory vinyl in the Mariner is still going strong after 40+ years. Originally green white vinyl is now green grey and gets very hot in direct sun.

 

[oldhaven]

I'm seriously considering the Deck Over for the Oh Scrap project. I like the look of H2O's work.

The factory vinyl in the Mariner is still going strong after 40+ years. Originally green white vinyl is now green grey and gets very hot in direct sun.

I did some looking this morning, and the reviews and experience of users of the Restore and Deck Over vary widely for its intended use on house decks. Some are very pleased and others want to sue. I am not sure, but I think think the difference for boat decks is that the bottom and the edge sides of the boat deck have often been carefully sealed, and the deck substrate is usually waterproof exterior ply at a minimum, or even marine ply. Even with a breathable sealer or a few penetrations, the wood substrate never gets as wet as a house deck where application can only be done on the top side and not even in the cracks very well. The deck often sits under two feet of snow all winter and it melts in the spring over a long period of dampness. PT lumber used on some decks is terrible about absorbing water and never seems to get dry in a damp climate, so the inevitable peeling of the deck causes frustration. Watermann obviously takes care of his boats and tries to keep them dry and covered when not in use and was very careful about preparation and application, and I am sure that must have made a big difference and is worth emulating if we want to have his success.

I really like the look and texture of the burgundy factory vinyl scrap. I also read some very interesting articles today on using traditional canvas or Dynel covering over plywood decks that I have to think about for a bit.

Ron

 

[laurentide]

I'm not trying to convince anyone that one deck covering is better than any other if done right, but I do really love the Nautolex on my boat. It's tough, comfortable, and relatively easy to clean. The storm gray color isn't super hot in the sun. It seems to hold up to fishing abuse very well.

It's not cheap, though. Watermann's deck looks great too. For some reason I thought he had vinyl as well, as it looks very similar.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah Chem I went with the same Nautolex as you did in my Chief, it's been real good so far..

 

[oldhaven]

This last week I built a wooden frame for covering the boat during the dark months to come, and pulled the boat into a safe spot to hibernate. I took the upper windshield apart so I can replace the cracked and fogged glass. That is one heavy item to be so far from the keel, and I wonder if scratch resistant tempered poly-carbonate might be just as effective, cheaper, and much lighter.

Also began to accumulate tin specific tools I did not already own. A pneumatic pop rivet gun, clecos and pliers, and this used rivet gun and rivet sets off ebay:

I expect to pull the transom knee brace and the z channel next year, so these will come in handy and I am also ready now to buck any leaky rivets in the hull. I recently got a Porter Cable polisher for the Fleetcraft project, and it will see some duty on the aluminum hull too. I will resist the urge to get the plywood for the decks and transom until I actually start on them, since the wood would be in the way and might warp during winter storage.

Ron

 

[Watermann]

On the rivets question: I found that my Chief had the 2117 alloy rivets in 3/16" dia which has the dimple in the center of the brazier head. Since I had quite a few layers to cinch together when installing patches I used both 3/8" for 2 layer replacements and 7/16" rivets with 3 layers of AL. I also used 5200 on the rivets to make darn sure they would have NO leaks below the water line.

I got the cleco kit that came with an assortment of different sizes and the pliers but mainly used the 3/16" brass size and the 5/32nd when I reset the cabin on the hull too although it used blinds not solids.

I ordered my some of my rivets here http://rivetsonline.com/solid-aluminum-rivets-5-32-to-3-16.html

 

[oldhaven]

On the rivets question: I found that my Chief had the 2117 alloy rivets in 3/16" dia which has the dimple in the center of the brazier head. Since I had quite a few layers to cinch together when installing patches I used both 3/8" for 2 layer replacements and 7/16" rivets with 3 layers of AL. I also used 5200 on the rivets to make darn sure they would have NO leaks below the water line.

I got the cleco kit that came with an assortment of different sizes and the pliers but mainly used the 3/16" brass size and the 5/32nd when I reset the cabin on the hull too although it used blinds not solids.

I ordered my some of my rivets here http://rivetsonline.com/solid-aluminum-rivets-5-32-to-3-16.html

Just the advice I needed. Thanks. I have 3/16th clecos and will get some of the 5/32nds, I am rebuilding my 40 year old compressor so I can try out the rivet gun, and it will come in handy for painting too.. It needs a new pressure switch, which I have been meaning to do for years. Nice how these projects get me off my bottom and out in the barn. Thanks for the link to the supplier. I have some aluminum patching to do here and there, mostly on the transom, as I mention above.. I have no problem with pop rivets, done a million of them, but I have never done solids. I will use the new tool over the winter with a bit of practice to be ready. I may look at installing the chine braces used the 70's Starcraft's to stiffen the hull, if I get enough confidence in my solid rivet skills.

Ron

 

[Watermann]

The rivets are cheap but the shipping isn't so be sure to make it worth your while and get all the rivets you think you'll need in one shot. I strongly urge the replacement of the gunnel 5/32" blinds in your Chief as mine were either loose or completely missing. You'll also need large flange blinds to attach the decking.

 

[oldhaven]

I found the large flange blind aluminum rivets at the same site. They'll be in the order. Someone was trying rivnuts for the deck, to make removal easier, but I can't recall if that was successful. I'll check the gunwale rivets, but I think it requires removing the rub rail bolts, yes?

I spent the day hand driving about 100 #14 x 3" silicon bronze flat head slotted wood screws into mahogany keel, bilge keel and internal keelsons in my other project, sealed with black 3M 4200 against the hull. My forearms are killing me, and I have black all over my hands. I have a feeling riveting will be more fun.

Ron