1976 Starcraft Chieftain 18' OB - restomod

[Watermann]

Yeah trailer jacks take a bunch of abuse over the years. I've never bought a really expensive one for that reason. I usually get one off the shelf at the tractor supply house for under 30 bucks.

 

[BWR1953]

Yeah trailer jacks take a bunch of abuse over the years. I've never bought a really expensive one for that reason. I usually get one off the shelf at the tractor supply house for under 30 bucks.

Good points! I'll keep the replacement affordable and simple. Thanks! :joyous:

 

[BWR1953]

This is the first year anniversary of our acquiring the Chieftain. Haven't done anything to it for the last year so I thought I should do something. Anything! :lol:

So I decided to be sure that it actually fits inside the new garage. If it didn't, I'd have some major issues.


Will it fit?



Yes!



Looks right at home to me.



Ready for a little work to be done.



The inside of the Chief is full of junk. Leftovers from the failed tarp shelter, boxes, blocks and whatnot. I'll get that stuff out of there and start looking into tearing the deck out. Not sure exactly when I'll start because I'm still finishing up my Kingfisher, but I'll start soon. One thing that needs to be done soon is to replace that trailer jack. Ugh.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

How much clearence between the top windshield and the door? After the slab, if you need to, deflate the tires to make her fit, or get smaller ones just to move her in for storage.

Im waiting patiently for the last year to see this one starting to materialize btw. Now to convince my admiral for boat two.... Im not even tryin for three yet!

 

[Watermann]

Looks like a perfect fit, my Chief won't fit in the garage, I had to put the upper WS on outside and she hasn't gone back in since. :grumpy:

Hey gone once you break that 1 boat barrier the skies the limit :lol:

 

[BWR1953]

How much clearence between the top windshield and the door? After the slab, if you need to, deflate the tires to make her fit, or get smaller ones just to move her in for storage.

Im waiting patiently for the last year to see this one starting to materialize btw. Now to convince my admiral for boat two.... Im not even tryin for three yet!

When I initially measured from the ground outside to the top of the windshield light on the Chief, it was about 7' 2" high. But that was just an estimate due to the measurement method.

The garage door is 8' tall, but I didn't realize that the door hangs down just a bit. However, when I pulled the Chief into the garage I would say there was about 10" clearance. Maybe. I was busy driving the truck and watching the garage sides and trailer wheels. That's where the clearance was tightest. I had the boy in the pickup bed checking everything including the overhead clearance.

For the slab, I'll excavate down 2" so that the 4" slab is even with the 2" steel square stock at the bottom of the garage. I'll actually be excavating the sand out from under the garage frame prior to the concrete pour.






If worse comes to worse, and I need to gain even more clearance, I can get a few more inches by removing or relocating the windshield light.

 

[BWR1953]

Looks like a perfect fit, my Chief won't fit in the garage, I had to put the upper WS on outside and she hasn't gone back in since...

Yah, when I ordered the garage, I took measurements as best I could of the Chief from ground to windshield and across the width of the trailer from the outside of each tire.

Then I ordered the smallest doors which would accommodate the Chief without adding hundreds of dollars to the garage costs due to larger doors. That's how I ended up with 8' x 9' doors. And they worked out just fine. I'm happy! :joyous:

 

[Decker83]

She really looks great sitting in the new garage..:thumb:

 

[BWR1953]

She really looks great sitting in the new garage..:thumb:

Thanks Decker! It was great having it in there even though it only lasted for one day. :grumpy:

I had to pull it out this afternoon and put the Kingfisher back in there. The weather forecast said no rain for the next 3 days which is why I pressure washed the KF yesterday and left it outside to dry. But noooo... it started sprinkling this afternoon and got darker like real rain was coming, so I had to pull the ol' switcheroo.

Once I have the KF transom completed and the 50HP Merc mounted, and the concrete floor is in place, then I can have both boats in the garage at the same time.

BTW - while pulling the Chief out of the garage, I stopped and measured the overhead clearance... it was 5 1/2 inches. That'll do.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

Good to hear no clearance issue! Cant wait till i can add something similiar. Gonna be awhile though....

 

[strokendiesel002]

Alright! You sir, are a patient man, have an admirable Admiral and an excellent first mate! I am also excited to see this take shape! While not the prestigious SC, I have a 79 Sylvan 16 Sport with an '79 Mariner 80. I have never had a mechanical issue in 20 years. Electrical issues, are a different story (i understand this is somewhat common for late 70's early 80's Merc/Mariners). I just replaced every wire inside of the cowl this last summer. If you are like me and want to save a few bucks, but still want factory/ better quality, you'll be mulling over tracking down NOS/ superceded part numbers and aftermarket. Should you get to this point, I'd be happy to share my experience using both!

More importantly, Thanks for sharing another journey with us!

 

[DLNorth]

I'm another guy looking forward to this journey.
And we also have a SS16 w/1976 850, a great combination.

I think a couple of the 4 cyl's on the back would look so much better.
Well, 2 of the 6's even more but that might be a bit overpowered.

Keep the pics coming.

Dan

 

[BWR1953]

Thanks for the support, guys! Much appreciated! :joyous:

Being a patient is what gives me patience. :crutch: :lol:


QUESTION: Would this stainless steering wheel be appropriate for my Chieftain? The Chief doesn't have a steering system in it at all right now.

I've been planning on using a 16" wheel (for more leverage on the twins) and this one is on craigslist for 25 bucks. The price dropped by half this weekend. The only problem is that it's located 75 miles from home. A fair trip just for a wheel. And I'm not sure if the shaft size is correct?

Here's the description and some pix.

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16 in. ( actual 16 1/4 diameter) stainless steering wheel with 3/4" tapered shaft cast aluminum hub...

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[strokendiesel002]

Well, I'd have a hard time passing up a mini road trip for something as cool as that provided 2 things.
1 - you have both the time to make the trip and a partner or two for the trip to pass the time with.
1 - As you're going to be installing a new steering system altogether, I'd be reaching out to teleflex, or whoever you're going with, and asking if they have a steering system that will control 2 outboards, and able to be directed by a wheel with a 3/4" tapered and keyed shaft!

In all honesty, if it matched the look I was going for, for that price I'd get it and take it to a local machine shop to have the shaft altered to fit whichever steering system i was told I should get by tele, but then again, I drive 150 miles/ day or more lol

Looking forward to more!

Jimmy

 

[Watermann]

3/4" tapered steering shaft is standard for helms. You can either tie bar the motors or buy a double cable helm. 50's could be tied together pretty effectively.

 

[BWR1953]

Thanks for the advice guys!

I did pick up the steering wheel today. The seller was kind enough to actually drive it 20 miles to the VA Hospital where I had an appointment this morning. Then he knocked 5 bucks off the price too, so only $20 for this nice 16" wheel!

Oh yeah, the seller also said he has a friend/relative with a couple of aluminum Starcraft boats just sitting in his yard... I'll be following up on that as well.

The center insert is a little boogered up but I'll worry about cleaning it up later. Overall, the wheel looks great and as I mentioned before, I think the 16" diameter will provide quite a bit more leverage when moving the twin 70s compared to a regular 13" wheel.

Am thinking that I may just go with a tie-bar for the motors and a single cable. But that decision will happen sometime in 2017, not today. :lol:

 

[Decker83]

That was a great deal on the steering wheel..:horn:

 

[jbcurt00]

Thats probably a generic sized center cap on the 16in wheel.

Great grab and intel on aome stashed SCs. Good luck w that....

 

[strokendiesel002]

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bpo/6075116900.html

Just saying... Twins!

correct thread this time!

 

[BWR1953]

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/bpo/6075116900.html

Just saying... Twins!

correct thread this time!

Cool price on those old motors! They look to be in pretty good shape and should make some local buyer a good deal. Transport to/from here might cost a coupla bux though! :lol: