1966 starcraft chieftain

[Watermann]

I know you don't mean angle 'iron' rather AL.

That cross brace should be replaced above the motor, the wood looks to be in poor condition.

I don't see that you added the 1/2" 'horse collar' to the inside of the transom where the assembly bolts.

 

[bogee]

That crossbrace is getting replaced, just waiting to do it until I figure out what I'm going to do with that old vinyl thats hanging on it. That will be a simple little project. I have that on my list with the cosmetic stuff. The 1/2 horsecollar wasn't on the old transom wood I ripped out. I went back and forth with a couple local boat shops about that. If it was in my bolts thru the transom would have been maxed out. All 3 told me to just put back in what I took out. After rolling it around in my head for a bit, I decided not too. Figured it was a spacer at most, unless it went across more of the bow it didn't really add anything structurally, and it would have set the engine back a 1/2 inch. It didn't look like the front engine mount was ever messed with so I didn't add that. It wouldn't have been a big deal to add as I replaced the front engine mount, but went with what was there.

 

[bogee]

I will know tomorrow if it's not raining when I slide the outdrive on I guess.

 

[Watermann]

A quick search of the forums, this is the first post I came upon.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...ckness-on-an-1985-mercruiser-140-with-alpha-1

 

[bogee]

Yes I saw that post and looked at a lot more. I'm good with the paralell but the thickness has been bothering me for while. The boat was running good except leaking when we had it out. It poured here today all day and I didn't get to look at real well. I'm going to take some measurements with the alignment tool and the drive, My lower unit is all wrapped up and stored and I have to unwrap that and look it over. It wont be that hard to pull a couple bolts and add the horsecollar if I need to. I want to make sure who had this before me didn't do something off the wall and shorten the shaft or something out of the ball park like that. I seen this awhile back and should have looked at it better then. Good part is if I need to move the engine with the new decking in I can just throw a piece of ply in and an engine hoist right in the boat to do it. I even checked out the installation manual, it gives a 2"-2 1/4 thickness. Right now it's a crap shoot on what I'm gonna do with it. There are a lot of back yard machine shops around here and some "crazy **** gits dun to git er in" around here. I want it mechanically right, so I need to really look at this. This is how I got it in the pic.

 

[Watermann]

I believe you that your motor set up came that way.

The thought someone would try to cut down the SS driveshaft rater than adding a horse collar is something beyond what I'm willing and able to believe. Looking at it should tell you if it's been hacked off or not. The driveshaft will bottom out in the coupler when the drive is tucked in with the transom only being 1.60" (the wood and transom AL thickness). I can imagine it being difficult to get the alignment right as well without there being the 2" thickness.

The assembly is the standard that needs the added 1/2", you can see how much of the assembly studs are protruding from the nuts. I'd bite the bullet and add the collar. :encouragement:

 

[bogee]

Took me awhile looking at this, 1 week with the flu then Christmas. Just starting to feel better. Took a lot of measurements, over and over and double checked. If I do nothing the driveshaft will slide in all the way and come within a 1/16th of bottoming out on the coupling. That being said, if it is engaged that far their is probably very little wiggle, or at least not the designed wiggle in the shaft. I'm going to finish fastening the floor down, at that point I can throw an engine hoist up in the boat and pull the engine out and back, I can use the back gimbal ring as a template and make and seal a collar. Right now I need 3/8 to 1/2 inch. If I'm lucky it will only cost me a new gasket at the exhaust elbow and a sheet of plywood to lay on the deck just to spread the weight of the engine hoist around and I will use the new plywood somewhere. All in all not a really big deal to do.

 

[North Beach]

Thank God I didn't have to replace the transom in the LL!!!! BTW we have the same hull/setup. They made the Sunchief for 3 years ending in 66 and began producing the Islander in it's place in 67. So 67 was the first year for the islander.

I love the way you're "Ripping" thru this!!!!

 

[bogee]

It can be a real pain in the rear, I was real tempted to just put it back together, but It wouldn't be right, so I will move the engine to the front of the boat just enough to get to the gimbal plate and add a horsecollar. I seen this earlier and figured whoever put this in would have done it right, but I'm beginning to think there is more of a story to this boat then what I got.

 

[North Beach]

Usually the case....

 

[bogee]

Engine slid front, gimbal plate off. Horsecollar is drying in the basement with 1st coat of varnish!

 

[bogee]

Hey! It's thick enough now. I might have gotten away with it for a little bit, but now it will be right!

 

[Watermann]

There you go, it's always a good feeling to have things as they should be, takes a load off the mind when enjoying your work later on. :thumb:

 

[bogee]

Hoping to pick up a new exhaust elbow gasket at the boat shop tomorrow, want to get the engine slid back into it's mounts Tues. while it's in the hight 30's and sunny. It's soon going to get real cold here. Has to it's January. It's been warm so far though!

 

[bogee]

A little better today! At least I'm back to where I was last month and just a bit farther. Snow and lots of it supposed to fly this weekend!

 

[bogee]

Working on Engine alignment today, a cold 25 degrees. No matter what I did, raise or lower It didn't seem to make a big difference. With thumb and 1 finder I could get it started and push it in. It did make a difference coming out though. The grease is a lot more scraped off the bottom of the alignment tool so I guess I need to still go down? Or up, the coupler sits right around the the rear engine mounts and the grease is more bear at the back of the tool. This is a pain in the butt!

 

[Watermann]

Opposite, raise the front of the motor and back of the motor goes down.

 

[bogee]

Good day today on the chieftan. Motor is aligned fairly well. Have it to the point where the tool goes in and out with just a thumb and forefinger. Sometimes the grease creates a vacume coming back out but thats to be expected. Would probably slide really easy if the grease wasn't so cold. Engine is locked down, finished fastening down all the new decking. Have a new piece of 3/4 marine plywood cut and painted for the back of the boat to hold up that piece of aluminum from the transom to where the rear seats sit. Will double check alignment when I finish putting the lower unit back on in the warm spring. Going to get really cold here this week so I have some inside stuff to paint and clean up, seats and stuff. Spring isn't far away but I think it will be ready!

 

[bogee]

I'm thinking about getting rid of the old vinyl covering on the walls of the boat.The strip across the back behind the seats could be saved, but thinking in the long run I might be better off to strip it off, inspect the wood and replace with a nice carpet on the walls. Still thinking about the deck, I don't know if I want carpet or just a coating. Hopefully it will see a lot of fish blood, but the carpeting is cheap and an epoxy coating would make it hard to ever pull the deck up it needed to happen. Just planning for my first nice couple of warm days in the future, Which won't be this week. But a lot of the stuff is inside and I can do in the basement.

 

[bogee]

Also I'm thinking about building a couple bases for the seats up front. They are high enough you need a footrest, I was thinking maybe a base,and then rear facing seats behind and eliminating the ones at the back. It would make it easier to get to the downriggers I plan on installing. And the bases would make good storage cubbys.