1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

[jasoutside]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Hey Michael, I can think of better flotation solutions than firewood. Do a search here on iboats and you should find some good ideas.

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

No wait its not finished. I'm going to pickle that fire wood in about 5 coats of epoxy. More on order.

Thanks gents. I'm please with how the paint turned out. I keep on comparing it to my F150 and aside from a couple thick spots and minor hull imperfections the quality is very close. Now I hope it stays on. On the straight on shot I can tell my camera lens is dirty.

 

[erwinner]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Lookin' real sharp there Michael!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

You're Really NOT going to be seen on the lake in THAT Rustoleum Boat R U???? Man there is No Accounting for some peoples tastes!

But seriously folks.... That is ONE NICE LOOKING FLOATING TIN CAN!!!!!!!

 

[Teamster]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Wow,...

That looks great!!

 

[erwinner]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

If he had a tiller he'd be about ready to splash, eh Teamster?

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

I'm very tempted to drop my 3.5 kicker on it and splash.

 

[erwinner]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

If you were closer, I'd bring out my 15!
But I don't see any reason why you shouldn't take it out with the 3.5.

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

You're Really NOT going to be seen on the lake in THAT Rustoleum Boat R U????

Thanks for your kudos there Wood. But to be clear; It's all Petit Easypoxy below the gunwales but all Rusto on top sides with your recipe modified a bit for my gun.

ER - Don't tempt me further bro. I'll wait till its more presentable with all the bling to get her wet.

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

looking great and giving me plenty of ideas. I love the paint scheme, especially the stripe up on the cuddy. Kind of looks Coasty'ish if it were red. I am leaning toward a similar scheme but using interlux rochelle red as the top coat and I might even copy your stripe on the cuddy. Thre are many that say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

MP - What a change! Looks great. Gonna be real sharp when you finish. How is the dolly working out now that you are adding weight?

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Adam - Your right. I got the idea for the stripe from another member who did it in blue. Don't remember who it was but I'd like to give credit. Maybe someone here remembers. I just saved a pic in my collection.

GA - Funny you mention that. I had to move the dolly back about 18". Still working fine but those tires are flatening out.

Got the bow carpeting in last night. I'll do the final trimming as I add more parts. Used 3M90 and a little bit of Locktite Power Grab. Its a bit cheaper than PL and doesn't seem to expand due to gassing out like PL. I'll report later.

Thanks for the kind words all. I don't see my progress going as fast as I'd like to see it in the near future. There will be a point where I'll have to put it away for the winter and that's coming quick. Snow predicted today and tomorrow.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

The blue one was Brett's (wrfalpacas‎). Carpet looks great. I used that Loctite stuff on mine too cuz they didn't have any PL the day I bought it. I have no idea if it's holding or not Floor doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

OOooo, carpet in the cabin. Yours will be so much more comfortable than mine. Nice!

 

[tomynoks]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Yep, I like that carpeting in the cabin!! What kind of carpeting did you use Mike? That would be much nicer and quieter for sleeping in...

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

The foam and carpet should quiet down the pounding. Having bare aluminum inside just felt so cold and sort of sterile. Its just indoor/outdoor stuff from Lowe's, 6' wide and $3.15 per running foot. I have it on the floor of the SS and its holding up really well Just a PITA to clean.

We got about 6" of heave white stuff Saturday night so much of the day was spent deer hunting (skunked) and last minute yard work but I did manage to get the aluminum frames cleaned and painted yesterday. These are the ones that get rivited to the inside of the cuddy.

As for that Locktite Power grab...I don't think it holds carpeting as well as PL and it gets brittle. PL for me.

 

[tomynoks]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

MP~ Thanks for your posts buddy... thanks for the battery cable application info.. I originally raised my deck 2" so I could have all my batteries below deck. I have 4 since I have a 24v trolling motor. Now I know that I still can! That big wiring isn't cheap though... so I'm gona sell some furniture to pay for it when my wife is away!! lol.... Have you ran your battery cables yet? Just wondering how much you used. I'm thinking it will take about 15'... if I remember right. Also, what are you covering your deck with? I went with Nautolex Shark... good deal from defender dot com I haven't forgotten the cap either... We've had family in town for a month now it seems...and $$ is short... and the boat is always last.. Next week things should be good..

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Hey there bud. You and Brigghp2 are the ones I got the idea from on putting the batteries below deck. I'm going to try and make room for 2 side by side just aft of the cuddy entrance. How did you arrange them in yours? The cables I have are 16' and look to be plenty. Had I put the starting battery in the foxhole 16' wouldn't make it. I ran all my cables through 1 1/4" PVC conduit before installing it. Made it much easier since I ran more than I needed. 2 engine leads, 1 ground and 5 more for lights pump, tank sender etc. I posted some pics a while back but I know how it is trying to find something in a long thread. Wish I was as organized as Lakelover with his index on post 1.

Leaning toward the Nautolex and I really like the shark.

Cap is waiting for you whenever your ready. Do you want me to mod the one you have?

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

I've been taking full advantage of the great weather so some progress. All the cuddy wood is cut and has 1 coat of epoxy, picked up Rustoleum spar varnish for those this am. Bulkheads and side pieces for the cockpit are cut and dry fit. Can't decide if those will stay natural wood or not , if so the sliding doors under the splash well will get the same. Just seems a shame to cover all this swanky wood with vinyl. Maybe the dash would be natural too. The plan is to carpet the raised seat boxes.

Took my splash well to a local fab shop and we came up with an affordable plan to cut it down. Here is a shot after I cut it. I'm removing 7" from the well and 2" from the top part that attaches to the gunwales. This will net 9" of more cockpit space. Hope to get that in by turkey day.

I'm also including a couple shots of the foam. Its Polyethelene, same material Jason has under his deck but in a different form. I was able to make compound cuts by laying out both ends, sandwiching it between 2 boards and cut away. Worked great and was able to pack most of what I had under the floor.

The way things are going I might be ordering my steering pretty quick. I'm working until the first good snow storm.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1974 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB refit

Nice work getting all those pieces cut, sanded and sealed. I know it's a whole bunch of work!

I'm sure you'll appreciate that extra space in your rig with the splashwell amputation.

Great thinking on that jig for your chaninsaw