1974 Chieftain 25 "Adventurer" Restoration

1975oday22

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 2, 2022
Messages
598
very well done. love the pool ball..... now comes the fun part of it all..... Install engine, get them wires all ran.... oh ya . you forgot one thing on yer console..... have you guessed it ... or did i miss it? lol ..... the ignition.......
 

IslandExplorer

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Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
460
very well done. love the pool ball..... now comes the fun part of it all..... Install engine, get them wires all ran.... oh ya . you forgot one thing on yer console..... have you guessed it ... or did i miss it? lol ..... the ignition.......
Thanks! A friend randomly gave me that pool ball a long time ago bc they knew 13 was my lucky # (and favorite color orange) so I figured this would be an interesting new life for it vs the shelf life. Ignition I have left out till last bc it only needs a small drill hole and I haven't decided where I want it yet, might be to the right of the wheel I'm thinking instead of the guage strip. Once the console is close enough to done I'm putting the engine in for sure.
 

Gibbles

Commander
Joined
Nov 14, 2009
Messages
2,027
Only thing bugging me is the trim switches.
everything else has a theme, and the switches seem too nice.
a little use should correct that, or some light sanding to add a little "Age/wear"?

:unsure:
 

IslandExplorer

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
460
Only thing bugging me is the trim switches.
everything else has a theme, and the switches seem too nice.
a little use should correct that, or some light sanding to add a little "Age/wear"?

:unsure:
Yeah, it doesn't quite fit in still. It was painted thinking I was doing a white and orange console then suddenly went military crate on it so it's an oddity for now. Once the rest of the orange surfaces in the boat are painted it might fit better. Wish I had new guages with the orange glow I wanted but those will probably have to wait till next year..
 

1975oday22

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Joined
Sep 2, 2022
Messages
598
very sharp looking..... great work.....:) now move onto the wiring .... this project gets better and better by the minute. now the fun stuff .....
 

IslandExplorer

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
460
very sharp looking..... great work.....:) now move onto the wiring .... this project gets better and better by the minute. now the fun stuff .....
Thanks, I was worried drilling through the pool ball would've been a problem but it wasn't bad. I have the wiring harness for the guages but I am trying to figure out if the guages will be operable or not... They are very weathered and the previous owner took all the light sockets out apparently so they were open to spiders and things. One had a mud dobber nest. Might try to crack one open and see if they are easily revived.
 

IslandExplorer

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
460
Fuel gauge was in worst shape and needle is gone (disintegrated while flooded with rain water likely) so decided to experiment with it pulling it apart for mock rebuild.
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1975oday22

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 2, 2022
Messages
598
love the orange..... really sets the gauges .... better make sure they all work before getting to far into the paint....
 

IslandExplorer

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
460
love the orange..... really sets the gauges .... better make sure they all work before getting to far into the paint....
Thanks, me too. Now everything clashes equally! 😅 I know hardly anyone likes orange.. but there is going to be a whole lot of it elsewhere on the boat so I'm not peeling away from the tangerine course.

I think the gauges work but I'm not fully sealing them shut until they are tested. The fuel gauge is without its new faceplate as I don't know what to do about it yet, the needle is gone..
 

IslandExplorer

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
460
So to elaborate on the overall plan so it may or may not make more sense if anyone is interested but also to see this laid out for myself:
Color:
This boat was originally two tone, Avocado/White, later painted monotone / all white.
Plan is for the entire cockpit deck to be excessively orange. Picture opposite of a creamsicle. I know it's bright, so is white, don't want grey. Even the cabin exterior may be orange as well, like SC would've done. I really like the classic two tone paint schemes that went away after the 70's and 80's. Starcrafts and trucks (like my 87 Bronco II for example) of the era looked great two tone.
Overall purpose:
This boat will be in the bay mostly, but also cruising to near shore areas just off the coast in good weather. Leisure cruising, exploring, fishing, coastal cleanups, and tending to a few lobster pots hopefully. Trying to keep it economical for what it is. I've gotten surprising economy out of a very mild built but clean running 302 on land so hoping it'll chug this aluminum hull around nicely.
Cabin focus- making the cabin to better accommodate cooking, reading, hobby research, and for entertaining.
Cockpit focus- open utilitarian for versatility, railings for safety and bulky light gear storage(beach chairs, paddle board maybe). Small aluminum jib crane for pots.
Aft- largest possible swim platform I can make work. Full width and 24"+ depth is the goal. Easy access to platform, steps. Integrated kicker motor mount for backup propulsion - the real "don't leave home without it".

This is what mine must've looked like originally in its two tone scheme:Screenshot_20231110-155841.jpg
 
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