1971 Chieftain 22' restore

[mnmattie]

Hey guys,

This is my 1971 Chieftain 22' Project that I picked up last year. It's all original when I got it including the leaking gas tanks and rotten floor. I went through it last year and put a new floor and carpet in it. Now I'm at the point of redo the wall the separates the cabin from the deck and kinda learly on it since I'm not the greatest when it comes to wood work.

Here are some pictures of when I got her and with the floor out showing the 140HP motor. It also has a full camper top too.

I also am looking for ideas on how to redo the helm at the same time as the wall. Any help or suggestions would be great, thanks!

-Mattie

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Welcome! Super nice boat you got there.

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Looks very very similar to my 1986 21' cheiftain. I replaced the wall in mine also, just remove the old wall and cut new 3/4 plywood. I used marine, sealed all the edges with vulkum calk and primed and painted white. I also modified the door so it swings in, removed the sink, built a new shelf, and made a spot for a big fish box.
I had the fish box on the right, then swaped to the left and made the door swing in against the shelf. This gave me my seat back in the cabine where I used to have the fish box. I love the Cheiftain model for ocean fishing/camping, wish I had the 25 footer but those are rare.

 

[mnmattie]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Thanks, I love the boat!

Well after putting the floor in last year, I tried putting the original walls back into place. Problem one was that the wood is 3/4 plus it's laminated on each end so the 3/4 channel that it's suppose to fit into, is super tight. 2nd problem I had was that when I put the walls in, they weren't straight and I couldn't tell until i put the door on and tried to shut it. well not after pounding the walls in, I am not able to budge them at all to get them to move. So i'll have to cut them in half to get them out, make them out of fresh wood and start fresh and hopefully get it right this time.

Do you know where I might be able to find the trim that goes between the door and the wall? it looks like a C channel that's 3/4 wide with a lip for the door. I'll take a picture of it and post it since it's kinda confusing to explain.

 

[boatnut74]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Very nice looking boat. Looks almost identical to the 72 Chieftain i have. Looking forward to more pics and progress.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

I have two Starcrafts 22 holiday and a 16 ss love them. I did ,a few years ago ,have a 23 ft Reinell cabin boat. You will really enjoy the cabin on your Starcraft. I had some of the best long trips, due to the fact you are out of the weather and can anchor up and relax or do lots of things you can not do with a open boat. I still, for the weight and upkeep or lack of needed upkeep really enjoy the Starcrafts. my neighbor has a 19 Islander with a 120 OB and is in the Salt water a lot. We use my 16 SS in the river as the size and ability to launch and retrieve are important. I really like your camper back that is a complete Family boat. My 22 Holiday has a 200 johnson OB and a 9.9 kicker and is a joy on the Ocean. Need be it is very fast to get back to shore sometimes. Flat water it will do 50 but cruse at about 24-30 Max. Have a great summer if it ever gets here.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Mattie! You have a sweet rig there man!! She is a beauty!

Grab yourself a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and read on...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=316643

Not the same as yours, just a lil smaller, you'll get the jest. Bret did a totally super awesome job rebuilding his old rig you'll get tons of great ideas!

Work your way through that thread and then let us know what additional help you need.

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Do you know where I might be able to find the trim that goes between the door and the wall? it looks like a C channel that's 3/4 wide with a lip for the door. I'll take a picture of it and post it since it's kinda confusing to explain.

I found this site a while ago. Don't have experience with them but they seem to have about everything http://www.brunnerent.com/

 

[j_k_bisson]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Here is how I did my 1971 Startcraft Chieftian





I have more pics if you want. I might even have a few part in the garage attic. It's funny how you collect a bit with every project in you attic.

Let me know

 

[mnmattie]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Thanks guys, I love the pictures of what other people have done!

I used to have alot more pics of the work I've done so far but lost them all when the last computer crashed. So what you see is all that I have as of right now. I will go take some current ones today. The carpet is brown whick goes with the original theme of the boat and the seats are butterscotch. I like the color scheme but I'll eventually want to find another Chieftain and redo it with a much more modern look. I did go ahead and replace the interior ceiling with some wall paneling from menards (sahara series) and also adding a light above each seat just like in the 2nd pic on the first post, but with newer RV style lighting.

The seating is all carpeted and I will incorporate a table as well like you find in campers/pop-up tents.

The original icebox is in decent shape but I'll be looking at replacing that with a 12V cooler built into the cabinet to keep things cooler.

I also have to find a new fresh water holding tank and faucet for the sink as both are junk...suggestions?

-Mattie

 

[barato2]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

for the faucet, try a pump and faucet for a VW Westy or equivalent....i hate hand pumps and we've successfully used this setup in our remote cabin for a few years. for the holding tank, where does it need to fit and what's your budget?

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Mine does not have the alum trim, I just sanded the edges between the wall and door and put 2 or 3 coats of rustolum paint. I added a piece of wood trim to the door so the door will only swing in and a stainless latch on the outside to padlock the cabin closed and a latch on the inside so I can lock the door when I am inside the cabin. Seems to work just fine. Mine look original so I bet by 1986 they where making them cheaper and did away with the alum trim.
I added some alum angle to the bottom of the walls so I could anchor the walls into the floor.

 

[mnmattie]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

I'll keep an eye out for faucet options, thanks!

I've been working on building new cabinets. I'll get pics up, until then I'll show some current pics of the ceiling and carpeted interior.

 

[Kstar]

Re: 1971 Chieftain 22' restore

Looks like a nice job on the carpeting. Good luck on the restore.