Another Maine Starchief

[StarTed]

I like your paint choice. I'm thinking along the same line for my little SC.

I'm sure your paint job is much better than mine will be. Mine is just a fishing boat and I don't like painting.

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks, Ted and WM. I am afraid my paint job is not that good, but pictures can lie. I am not fond of painting either, though it seems lately like I spend a lot of time doing it. I really don't care too much about the extra 40% of the job I could have done, because I know what this boat will look like in two years of use. This is a boat, not a new car. I did use good materials because they help out with tough painting conditions, like humidity, sun, dew, no booth and bugs and pollen and airborne seeds. For what I will be doing, it only has to look good from 20 feet away and suit my tastes, not be perfect.
Ron

 

[laurentide]

What I like about your paint decision is that the area that takes 99% of the abuse doesn't have any. That should keep it looking good for a while.

Rigging for new power will be a tedious yet exciting process for what it leads up to. I saw a new Merc 150 at the ramp last week and I only knew it was running because of the exhaust turbulence in the water...whisper quiet. And the owner already has hundreds of trolling hours on it. He loves it.

 

[Patfromny]

Great job. The put back is the fun part. Aside from actually using her that is. I would definitely use nuts and screws for the cleats. I wouldn't trust sheet metal screws to hold the cleats in the tin. They would be fine for lights and things but anything that might have some pressure applied should be screwed through with nuts and washers on the inside. Would hate to see any damage done to the red baron. Lol

 

[oldhaven]

Another progress report. I have been slowly adding back the parts I took off. Sidewalls in, using the remnant half inch teak and holly ply I got off CL. The helm is in for good, and the controls are fitted, though not wired yet or cables run. I also have the instruments in and they are digital ones system linked to the Mercmonitor. Upper windshield on, horn mounted, inner rub rail, some deck hardware, but not all. I solved the reach in underneath problem on the rear chocks by making nut plates with rivet nuts. Next is doing a complete wiring job, including the CAN bus and the NEMA 2K stuff. The Merc system harnesses make a lot of the control circuits and instruments pretty easy, so I just have to do the lights and other electrics. I have an appointment to get the motor hung and rigged at the end of this month. I will be using Millennium Marine folding boat seats with the original Garelick fold down type mounts, so I have added some teak reinforcement wood at the inner gunwale. They will take some figuring out but I like the mesh seats. Also got the registration done, in anticipation of a launch date/shake down in July. I am afraid this will be like the launches at Bath Iron Works near here, which happen months before the ship is completed and turned over to the navy. I painted the top of the cabin white but that may have been a mistake because of the glare in the sun. I'll see after adding a canvas top. I am considering leaving the sides of the cabin bare aluminum and polished a bit to match the hull sides. My wife prefers red there, so that may be the eventual result.

I have not replaced the lower windshield yet, so it is still funky, and the interior of the cabin has not even been started, but that's how it will be until I can get to it. Rear sliding doors, cabin door mounting, making new side grab rails, all will be done after systems. Lots of little stuff to do. Back to work now.

Ron

 

[Watermann]

She's really coming together nicely Ron! :thumb:

Looking forward to all these splashes this summer but especially the Chiefs

 

[StarTed]

Good progress and nice looking boat.

It's the little things that seem to take all the time. Then there's the looking at it and just thinking.

 

[Decker83]

She is going back together beautifully.. The side panels look great..
Just keep on plugging away and she'll be done..

 

[MARUSS]

She is beautiful.
Gonna be a real head turner.

 

[oldhaven]

I am getting the systems work well along now. This is tedious and requires a lot of planning since all the old stuff was bad and was ripped out. I highly recommend the access door in the back of the helm for cabin boats, since I don't know how I could have done that much inside it otherwise. I still have some work to do on lights and securing wiring where it is still loose. The boat is going to the boatyard for the motor installation next week, finally, and not much else critical needs to be done before launching.





and I had to put this one in since the mock orange is just so pretty right now, though the lawn is brown from no rain. More boat time since I am not mowing.

 

[Watermann]

That's some really fine work you've done there on the systems, you won't regret spending the time on doing it right. :thumb:

 

[StarTed]

You do nice work. It's a pleasure to see your work and it's so well laid out.

You'll soon be enjoying it.

When's the splash?

 

[classiccat]

That's some high-n-tight work right there ...too pretty to cover up!! :thumb:

 

[Alumarine]

As the others said, very nice wiring job!

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks all, and thanks to those of you who have posted your own wiring jobs and especially links to schematics and guidance. I had not done this before on this scale, and I learned a lot here on the forum. I did not want to repeat the mistakes of former owners including using the hull for a ground for some of the lights. I included a lot of capacity and redundancy so I can add things later. The Mercmonitor and its input into the MF display required installatIon of a NMEA 2000 network, so that was an added complication, but should be worth it. If anyone sees something that looks wrong, please pipe in. For instance, I hope the fuel system is not prone to air lock due to varying heights of components and lines.

Fuel plumbing is complicated by the two tanks, but I can now select which one to use, though only the main tank will be read by the Smartcraft gauge, and I'll have an analog gauge for the second tank. I still have to install the fuel fill for the fwd tank, and that will likely be the primary tank.

First launch will depend on how long motor rigging takes, and when I feeI can safely do it, but I would love to get it out there by mid July

 

[laurentide]

Wow Ron, extending the side panel under the well makes for a really tidy area. Everything looks great. I love the veneer on the panels. I hope you get to spend a ton of time on this boat, 'cause it's gonna be a sweet ride.

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks Andy, I really appreciate your comments. The panels come out with six screws each, so I was able to do them out of the boat without too much standing on my head until I put them in with hardware attached. That will make maintenance easier too. The extension idea would be even better in later boats with more room under there at the outboard ends. I had to mount the battery at the sliding door line due to the limited room under the SW. I wanted to put it up front, but there was no place that was not in the way, and I want a clear deck with no seat boxes that most use for battery mounting.

As for the wood in the boat, I really like it but talk to me in a couple of years when I have to revarnish it...vinyl might look good to me by then.

What is it about boats that attracts those little mud dauber wasps? I had barely gotten the rub rail inserts in when a few discovered the holes in the ends and were traversing the length of the insert like the tunnel of love. I put on the SS ends to stop that and had to caulk them because they were still getting in there. Now they are inspecting every dark spot and unfilled hole in the boat. I will need to get it out a lot or it will turn into a hornet nest.

Ron

 

[laurentide]

It's carpenter ants for me. I know they don't nest in the boat but it takes them about 20 seconds to climb up the trailer after I park it.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

Thanks Andy, I really appreciate your comments. The panels come out with six screws each, so I was able to do them out of the boat without too much standing on my head until I put them in with hardware attached. That will make maintenance easier too. The extension idea would be even better in later boats with more room under there at the outboard ends. I had to mount the battery at the sliding door line due to the limited room under the SW. I wanted to put it up front, but there was no place that was not in the way, and I want a clear deck with no seat boxes that most use for battery mounting.

As for the wood in the boat, I really like it but talk to me in a couple of years when I have to revarnish it...vinyl might look good to me by then.

What is it about boats that attracts those little mud dauber wasps? I had barely gotten the rub rail inserts in when a few discovered the holes in the ends and were traversing the length of the insert like the tunnel of love. I put on the SS ends to stop that and had to caulk them because they were still getting in there. Now they are inspecting every dark spot and unfilled hole in the boat. I will need to get it out a lot or it will turn into a hornet nest.

Ron

While I had mine stored under a tarp I had a box of mothballs in there when I pick the boat up there were quite a few dead mud daubers and various wasps laying on the carpet.

 

[oldhaven]

Well, I finally got the new 4 stroke on the boat. I still have a lot of hooking up to do, and sorting out the cables and lines to get organized, but I heard it run in a barrel and it sounded great. Just towed it back from the dealer a couple of hours ago. It doesn't even look too strange on the old girl, but it is big. The steering is good, the digital engine outputs are showing on the monitor and I now need to get the main fuel tank connected. I also have to move the boat and winch tower ahead on the trailer about 5-6 inches as I am a bit light on the bow. 363 pounds on the transom makes a difference. Hurrah!

Ron