1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

[ricohman]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Cool project and very nice work. I've always liked these Chieftains and I'm sure this one will be a beauty when your done.

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hi Everyone,

Time to revive this thread from the dead.

Unfortunately not much work has been done since my last posting, our season (farming) began and I went from having plenty of time to feeling like I have no time at all. Between a steady stream of equipment coming through the shop, engine rebuilds, and a fair bit of field work I don't think I've touched the Chieftain beyond putting the cover on it.

Hopefully I'll change that this weekend. I have the boat backed into the shop, I'll be working on the electrical this afternoon and if everything works out will hopefully be putting down a coat of epoxy mixed with black beauty sandblast media on the deck.

I had a new lower windshield made up from 1/4" Lexan, I could use some advice & guidance from anyone who has done this replacement before. I looks like the sides and top of the frame are pop riveted into the front of the cuddy, I've drilled out the rivets and can't get the frame to break off with gentle persuasion, I'm assuming it's caulked in place? Any advice for getting the frame off without damaging it or the cuddy structure? I'll have pictures posted this afternoon.

I also unfortunately damaged the "weatherstripping/bedding" that the windshield sits in on the bottom, does anyone have any ideas where this material can be purchased? I'll take a picture with dimensions later, I haven't had any luck finding anything even remotely similar.

Also want to note that I've purchased a new paint gun (CA Technologies Jaguar) for other shop projects but might be tempted to put it to good use on the boat. I have plenty of new interior work that will need to be finished and may also decide to do a total repaint of the hull. That's a long way off on the bottom of the list though...

It's nice to be back!

-Erik

 

[Teamster]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Yous should be able to buy the window "glazing" I think it is called from any glass shop,......

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Yous should be able to buy the window "glazing" I think it is called from any glass shop,......

Sorry, I think my description was a little off. The piece I damaged is the one the windshield frame sits in/on. Glazing goes between the window and the frame, correct? I'm not having any issues finding replacement glazing.

Here's a few pictures:

The material is 1.400" wide, nominally .375" high at the center, and has holes cut through the bottom where the bolts run to tie the windshield frame into the deck.

I checked with the glass shop that made my new windshield and they had never seen this type/profile of material before.

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hi Everyone,

Still looking for any information on the piece of material pictured in the above post.

I've also made a bit more progress and would like to give an update with some really crappy pictures, looks like my DSLR might have bit the dust so I'm stuck using a cell camera...

I've made up a piece to fit near the transom where the original jump seats would fit. I won't be reusing the original seats nor will I be replacing them so I needed something to fill the void.

Here's what I came up with:

From this:

To this:

-Erik

 

[Teamster]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Any chance yous can jb weld the damaged piece sand it out and paint it???

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Any chance yous can jb weld the damaged piece sand it out and paint it???

Potentially I could, heck I might even be able to glue it back together where I cut it. I just can't imagine that this is a material that isn't available ...somewhere? If I can't find a replacement I'll probably end up gluing the original back together and reuse it.

Now for a new question. I have a tube of 3M 5200 that I'm going to use around the bolts for trim tabs, and swim platform mounts. I noticed on the label that it's only "good" for so many hours after the seal has been broken. Is there any way to preserve it longer? I was planning to do the trim tabs in the next day or two but not get to the swim platform for another few months. I can always buy a new tube if I need to but would rather not spend the $20 needlessly.

-Erik

 

[boatnut74]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

I had a tube of 5200 I used and just put the cap back on. I used it a few months after that and it seemed to work fine. You might just have to dig some out of the tip of the cartriage that has hardened.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Regarding 5200, in some iboats post they said keeping it the fridge helped keep it longer. I have a tube I opened in March and have been using it on and off since then. And never kept it in the fridge but I cap it tightly between uses. I tossed the tip after the first use, it didn't help the running. Messiest stuff invented by Man!

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hello Everyone,

Time to revive this thread from the dead once again.

Hard to believe that it has been over a year since my last posting. Long story short I've been dating a women for just about a year now who was a victim of domestic abuse & family violence and she has taken up the free time I had been spending on the boat.

Things are starting to settle down a bit and I'm finding time to get back to my projects.

Right now on the boat I'm dealing with the aftermath of my sandblast media and epoxy disaster. I still believe the idea is sound but my timing and execution was awful and the epoxy began to set before I was able to ensure the sandblast media was evenly dispersed. This resulted in an awful looking finish that while being completely functional I decided I needed to take out and replace.

After trying a few methods I settled on a the Milwaukee 9" grinder with a coarse wheel to remove the epoxy/sandblast media mixture. It's slow going work but I should be done in another 1-2 hours of grinding.

I was then planning to reseal the deck with another coat of epoxy and then use ******** Tuff Coat rubberized non-skid coating as the final deck finish.

I'm also simultaneously working to finish the epoxy coating on the seat boxes and the other interior wood so I can get the wood painted ASAP.

Optimistically I'm hoping to have the boat back on the water by the 4th of July.

I'll try to keep this thread updated as I continue working!

Does anyone have a recommendation on paint to use over the epoxy coated wood? I want something that will last without cracking or peeling but I also have a budget to stick to and would prefer to not use high dollar marine specific paints unless they're really necessary.

It's good to be back!

-peace,

Erik

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Welcome back, Erik. Glad life is less in the way.

A lot of guys use Rustoleum over epoxy. I used it over spar varnish and I'm happy. And it's not a budget buster.

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hi GA_Boater,

Are you talking about Rustoleum "Marine Coatings" paint?

Thanks,

Erik

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

I used plain old Rusto. Some have used the Rusto Pro. The marine stuff can be harder to find.

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

GA-Boater,

How many years has your paint been on your boat?

I've used Rustoleum Pro when I painted some farm equipment and was happy with the way it worked both with brush/roller, and through a gun.

I've never used it on anything wood though.

-Erik

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

A couple of years so far. But it still looks good. This only painted ply wood, no metal.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hey welcome back!:thumb:

Take good care of her (woman 1st, then boat)

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hello Everyone,

I'm still plodding along on the boat, free time is still in short supply so I'm trying to make the best of the little bit I have and juggle it between the boat, my truck, and the VW diesel Vanagon I picked up last Winter which all need attention paid to them.

I'm still grinding off the epoxy and sandblast media deck that I have in the boat, I'm probably about 70% finished with it and should have it out with another three hours or so of grinding.

I'm interested in using ******** "Tuff Coat" as a deck finish, does anyone here have experience with "Tuff Coat?" I'm thinking "Tuff Coat" on the open deck and possibly marine carpet in the cuddy just for a softer surface underfoot.

-Erik

 

[ErikF]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

Hello Everyone,

I made a deal with my little brother today, I pulled the starter out of his car and he finished grinding the epoxy mess off my deck.

So the deck is clean and ready for finishing (finally!).

I also did some work on the electrical, rewiring the dash panel where I left off last Winter and now I'm having a very interesting issue. The engine starts fine with the key switch but the starter will not disengage after the engine is running, the only way to disengage the starter is to turn the key OFF which also kills the engine. Also if I have the key in RUN position and then try to start the engine by jumping the trigger post on the solenoid the engine will crank over fine but will not start.

I'm pretty sure something is sticking or arced internally in the key switch but that doesn't seem to explain why I can't start it by jumping the solenoid?

Any ideas?

-Erik

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

I think you have a pair of wires switched on the switch, Erik.

Was that a fair trade, car grease on your hands and E dust all over your loving bro? For shame. :facepalm::lol:

 

[pckeen]

Re: 1971 21' Starcraft Chieftain (eventual restoration)

How did the removal of the deck paint go? Is this something you can cover up with some marine vinyl - Nautolex or something similar?