1970’s StarCraft 21’ Cuddy Cabin

[1975oday22]

that hole by your control, is for steering and wiring to come thru. and yes those are the vents for the gas lines. one of those holes is for a vent the other holes are probly gas fill, and water. the aluminum sheet goes right up against transom on top. so edge is against transom. . for the vents you have there .

 

[AlamoJack]

You’re right. Just finished arguing with the wife about it and she won. Totally goes right there. I was hung up on the rivet holes, but apparently he modified the back of this more than I realized.

 

[1975oday22]

dont argue with the admiral. not a good thing. lmao. but yes it goes there.

 

[1975oday22]

you will need some kind of bracing there in order to reattach the aluminum and make it solid again

 

[AlamoJack]

you will need some kind of bracing there in order to reattach the aluminum and make it solid again

I’ll have to dig through the pile again. I have a veritable mountain of aluminum brackets, bars, odds and ends, fittings, whatever. Some are obviously out of the boat, with half drilled rivets and such. Perhaps the framework for this sheet is still here.

 

[1975oday22]

the front vents belong here in the pics and the others are gas fill. the very forward is the water fill. as thats inside the cabin. the 2 back vents go on the piece that you have now . i have marked the front vents. they should be the same on both sides...

 

[1975oday22]

this is blower hose to vents from the bilge area

 

[1975oday22]

this is where your hose will go from bilge pump by the looks of it your also gonna need a new cable for steering. or just buy new helm and cable both. less then 200 ....

 

[AlamoJack]

this is where your hose will go from bilge pump by the looks of it your also gonna need a new cable for steering. or just buy new helm and cable both. less then 200 ....

I realize the cable is shot, but it does still move the steering quite fluidly. I’ll have to look into outlets for replacing it. Any advice there?

 

[1975oday22]

I realize the cable is shot, but it does still move the steering quite fluidly. I’ll have to look into outlets for replacing it. Any advice there?

amazon would be cheap or vevor. but both have the kits .... just have to find out what size yours is and check them out

 

[AlamoJack]

I’ll look into replacing that cable, or maybe the whole helm. What I do have is rather rough.

Does anyone have any thoughts on putting those two 22 gallon tanks in the rear beside the engine? It seems a good location, especially considering the newfound very large transom/engine cover. I am still hesitant, due to weight distribution. Are these StarCraft CC’s naturally light in the bow or heavy (as built)? Again, I know almost nothing about boats, and less about how to build them properly. However, I am a mechanic, and know a little bit about weight distribution when it’s on wheels.

 

[1975oday22]

be better off putting those tanks under the seats where they would equal the weight out.

 

[IslandExplorer]

I totally agree, definitely farther forward like under the seats for balance. These boats are so light for their size (which is awesome for mpg and trailering!) so the engine and drive is a huge portion of the boat's total weight. The fuel tanks farther forward will be a better balance for sure. Otherwise you will need to find another way to put some substantial weight up front. My Starchief 18 (very similar) has them like that and it not only helped keep the boat more level at rest but makes it plane really fast and easy. Twin 20G tanks on top of the deck, against the gunwales, all the way forward against cabin wall, under helm and copilot seat boxes.

 

[IslandExplorer]

Also- great to see another Chieftain owner diving into the refit process!

There are some very helpful and knowledgeable people here to help so don't get discouraged if you feel like you've hit a wall or something. I think these classic old boats are great and comparatively very easy to work on and customize.

 

[AlamoJack]

Today’s question: does anybody know what these buggers are, where they go, and why they have holes in them? They appear to have been riveted on all 4 sides, and one hole has one last remaining plastic bushing in it, about 1 1/4 inch diameter.

 

[1975oday22]

those look like the start to seat boxes for the bow cabin. if you look close you will see the said bushings on mine. they belong there. as for rivets on all sides , im 100 percent sure those that you have are for the seating / storage

 

[1975oday22]

i have marked off where i believe they go. check the rivet holes against these 2...

 

[AlamoJack]

Thanks guys, I do believe you’re right. I was puzzling on the round edge on the short side of the panels, and that makes sense if you lay them sideways. Back to the aluminum pile to find their partner brackets for the forward section of the bow.

 

[AlamoJack]

I totally agree, definitely farther forward like under the seats for balance. These boats are so light for their size (which is awesome for mpg and trailering!) so the engine and drive is a huge portion of the boat's total weight. The fuel tanks farther forward will be a better balance for sure. Otherwise you will need to find another way to put some substantial weight up front. My Starchief 18 (very similar) has them like that and it not only helped keep the boat more level at rest but makes it plane really fast and easy. Twin 20G tanks on top of the deck, against the gunwales, all the way forward against cabin wall, under helm and copilot seat boxes.

Thanks for the input, that’s rather what I was assuming. Seemed like a big honkin’ engine and outdrive with a pair of 20 gallon tanks in the back would be a bit much. Kind of a bummer, would have been a great place to stuff them. I’ll have to figure out how to build some sturdy boxes to go over the tanks and then mount the seat pedestals to.

 

[1975oday22]

here is a shot of my seat boxes with pedastals will get measurements and thickness of ply.....in a bit