'74 Chieftain 21' I/O is home, the rebuild begins !

[North Beach]

We should talk via pm. This is close to becoming a hijack Apologies Frankincub!

 

[Dantana Tin]

Sorry as well FrankenCub, but can't wait to see how your anchor system works out.

 

[FrankenCub]

No apologies necessary guys, I will eventually be getting to a point where I will need that kind of info so it all works out Whether they are correct for my '74 Chieftain is one thing, but I like how they look !

Hopefully the anchor system should turn out ok as long as I can hide it in the cabin somewhere. Will be a while for that.

 

[FrankenCub]

FC, they look like conduit clips. I'm still searching for a closeup.

I thought that's what they looked like, I was an electric apprentice for a few years and they caught my eye.

 

[FrankenCub]

Well haven't made any progress this week. The weather hasn't cooperated at all. Keeps going from cold to rainy to windy then a mix of all. Even the warm days have been wicked windy. Last night I thought for sure the Chief was about to roll off her trailer, I got dressed to grab some tie downs out of my truck and the wind calmed down. I should be getting the ply for the transom this week or weekend, will 2 bottles of TB3 be enough ? I think I read that you guys are using a trowel, which pattern is recommended ?
Hopefully I can get a lot of progress with the ply. If all goes well on the 7th I will be moving to a different property later this year so that will keep me busy getting that ready in between working on the Chief. Will all be worth it though, it's 8 acres and no neighbors ! I hate having neighbors, usually someone will complain if I run a few hundred rounds through my pistol on weekends. Out there, no problem. And I will finally have enough room to put up a garage, no working on my truck or boats outside :cheer2:

 

[Watermann]

There's nothing like having a boat hangar to work indoors. Only downside is I have a battle with the admiral over it every time I have a project. She seems to think it's for her to park in. Crazy huh? :der:

 

[classiccat]

... And I will finally have enough room to put up a garage, :cheer2:

Custom Hanger...now we're talkin'!

 

[FrankenCub]

There's nothing like having a boat hangar to work indoors. Only downside is I have a battle with the admiral over it every time I have a project. She seems to think it's for her to park in. Crazy huh? :der:

Custom Hanger...now we're talkin'!

Yeah for sure ! The older I get the more I don't like working in the elements. It won't be really big like I'd want, but I will settle for big enough to park the boat and my truck in the winter. My truck is also a fair weather toy so...
Luckily I won't have a parking battle with the wife, she's already used to parking outside, I'll use the garage to fix her Blazer though lol
She does feel bad that my truck has to spend winters freezin it's butt off in the blowing snow though, so maybe she ain't so bad.

 

[jbcurt00]

W 8acres, be sure to allow for future hanger expansion/addons. Build what you need/can afford now and perhaps later add a shed roof over a gravel pad along 1 side to park future projects or store current projects that are waiting on time or materials to complete the next step.

You waded into the deep end of the pool w the Chief right outta the gate. Most test the waters w a 16/18ftr and quickly get 2foot-itis and start looking for a 2nd or 3rd boat before the 1st project is finished.

Good luck on the 7th.

 

[BWR1953]

...Most test the waters w a 16/18ftr and quickly get 2foot-itis and start looking for a 2nd or 3rd boat before the 1st project is finished...

Hey! You talkin' ta me? I resemble that remark! ound: :rofl:

 

[FrankenCub]

W 8acres, be sure to allow for future hanger expansion/addons. Build what you need/can afford now and perhaps later add a shed roof over a gravel pad along 1 side to park future projects or store current projects that are waiting on time or materials to complete the next step.

You waded into the deep end of the pool w the Chief right outta the gate. Most test the waters w a 16/18ftr and quickly get 2foot-itis and start looking for a 2nd or 3rd boat before the 1st project is finished.

Good luck on the 7th.

That's pretty much the plan, big enough for the boat and truck at once yet tall enough so shed roofs will easily be tall enough to fit any projects while working on them. One off each side would be nice.

I didn't know there was a shallow end ? lol Same stuff, bigger parts I'm going backwards I guess, staring big then going to a small one. I mostly frequent lakes that get blown up bigger, not so often smaller lakes/dams.

The property is going up for tax auction so I guess it depends on how many people are spending money right now. A couple property tax auctions in the area this year have so far brought fairly low prices so I'm hoping it's a trend. Last year they brought pretty good money. A friend of mine just bought a little over 8 acres near me for $5k. I think he did really good. Most of the land in the area being advertised by realtors has been listed between $3-5k an acre. My fingers toes and ears are crossed

 

[FrankenCub]

Winter warning weather from the National Weather Service in Binghamton, NY. All areas Whitney Point and North are to shut down dry dock work and return you're normal winter season..... :mad-new::smow: Ok, so where's the :ice fishing: smilie ?

 

[FrankenCub]

I started a trailer thread a while back concerning a possible swap. Can anyone take a look at this and possible offer some insight, or criticism?
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...rs-and-towing/10137636-trailer-swap-questions

I've been watching my local Craigslist looking for a bigger single axle trailer thinking I could sell this one to pay for the other, or even swap if someone needed a smaller trailer but I've only seen one bigger trailer. Everything else is smaller, most smaller than what I already have. Would be nice if I could adapt the Highlander.

 

[dozerII]

So what your reasoning for wanting to swap out the tandem? IMHO tandems are the best for any boat 18 ft or bigger. They tow nicer and distribute weight better. Other than double the maint because of two axles I still go tandem if possible.

 

[Grandad]

I agree with Glen. I found a world of difference towing my 21' on a twin axle vs smaller boats on a single axle. Better ride. Less shock on the boat. Tracks straighter. Less weight per wheel on soft mud ramps. And the one time I got a flat tire, there was no problem trailing from the large intersection I was in to an empty lot a block away where jacking one axle was easier anyway. - Grandad

 

[FrankenCub]

I think the biggest reason for my thinking was less maintenance and cooler running tires/bearings. It seems every trailer I've had always went through bearings and tires. Smaller diameter spinning faster. Even with a really good maintenance schedule and mechanic grade bearing packer they just don't last as long.
I guess better tracking down the highway and the flat issue are good points to consider. I probably could convert the other trailer to haul my tractor, which I'll need if everything goes ok with the new property on the 7th.

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Personally I would never go back to a single axle. As stated above they do track better, ride smoother, and the built in safety factor (flat tire, or heaven forbid bearing shot). Proper maintenance, bearing buddies that keep the hub completely filled with grease, and a good quality grease ie Royale Purple will help avoid any bearing issues. Using cheap grease in bearings only does your wallet a temporary relief. Quality grease last and protects and in the long run is a cheaper investment.

As a golf/commercial equipment mechanic I only buy and use quality grease as noted above. The rollers and reel bearing on the mowers will last an entire season without any bearing problems vs using cheap grease in which the bearings may only last a couple months. Some of the bearings in these units cost up to $50 per set vs the $11 I pay for a tube of Purple. You do the math.....and include my time in rebuilding a roller or reel with a bad bearing. In perspective..a 2 inch diameter roller on a greens or fairway mower is out every day in the wet dew mowing at a minimum 3 - 4 acres of greens and a fairway unit mowing up to 12 acres or so a day. So a greens mower would get maybe 28 acres of mowing/week. Now that is way more travel in a season than most people would trailer their boats. Make sense??

 

[FrankenCub]

Good point with the grease issue. Showing how long it's been since I've done any boat towing, I didn't have the quality greases available that I do now. There were some, and some synthetic motor oils but it was all really expensive. Now they are more widespread and accepted. Back then the only time I used synthetics and high quality oils was when I was racing motorcycles. A breakdown in oil or grease would be extremely costly. Now it's all I use. So maybe I shouldn't be so concerned with wheel bearings now.
Well, seems you guys are making good points and swaying me back to using the tandem, it will need a blast and paint. If all works out good with that property, that just so happens to have a nice sized pond on it, I can dump the Chief in the pond to refresh the trailer. Don't get any easier than that

 

[Watermann]

With my current trailer dilemma I'm looking at new hub assemblies for it since it costs more for bearings and seals. The grease was contaminated and gray causing damage to the bearings and races. I do like tandems but also 15" wheels on a 4500# single axle are nice and with proper maintenance will be trouble free. The only trailers I've seen along side the road are those with lawn mower sized wheels that blow out the tiny bearings being over loaded and spun out at 60 - 70 MPH.

 

[FrankenCub]

That's one thing I like about the bigger tires, our roads aren't all that great. The little secondary road I live on is actually in better condition than the mains around here, we've had great highway supervisors in our town. Even the interstate is needing serious repairs all over. Any given week I see trailers of all types with shreded tires along the highway and used to pick up some with the wrecker or take tires out to them when I drove wreckers. Not so much the full size tires, but the 12" on down seem to be meals for the roads lol. New York's leadership has driven the state infrastructure to hell. The bigger cities, omg, I'd rather drive country dirt roads.
I will most likely go the whole hub route also if the bearings are even questionable, that will give a chance to change from the 4 lug to more common 5 lug.