Another Maine Starchief

[classiccat]

Welcome back! Beautiful property you have there!

Perhaps the neighbor be willing to share...offset some of the expense recovery? :noidea:

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks CC. Congratulations on getting your project out and running. I know some guys finish up and come back for more with another boat, but I think this is the only big tin I had in me. I admire your perseverance.

As for the neighbors dock, I’d rather not be in his debt or responsible for any problems or expenses. That’s the way to stay good neighbors.

 

[Watermann]

Wow what a dream come true you have there, congrats on the new digs and great view.

 

[oldhaven]

hard to believe it has been 4 years since my last post. I am still here on Merrymeeting Bay in Maine, but have had some health problems For the last three, and still working on recovery. I managed to solve my mud mooring problems with an EZ Dock and a ramp, but have not been able to get the Chief in until this year. Using it here is a matter of choosing the right tide and having some knowledge of the shallows and mud flats at low tide, though the main river and Bay are good at all tides. Anyway, thought I should check in as I remember lots of project owners who just disappeared. I tried to put up a jpeg photo of 644kb and get a failure notice that administrator approval is required. I guess that is understandable due to the 4 year break, though the log in still works.
Ron

 

[BWR1953]

hard to believe it has been 4 years since my last post. I am still here on Merrymeeting Bay in Maine, but have had some health problems For the last three, and still working on recovery. I managed to solve my mud mooring problems with an EZ Dock and a ramp, but have not been able to get the Chief in until this year. Using it here is a matter of choosing the right tide and having some knowledge of the shallows and mud flats at low tide, though the main river and Bay are good at all tides. Anyway, thought I should check in as I remember lots of project owners who just disappeared. I tried to put up a jpeg photo of 644kb and get a failure notice that administrator approval is required. I guess that is understandable due to the 4 year break, though the log in still works.
Ron

Glad to see you're back. Health issues suck and several of us know about those.

The pic upload problem is a known issue that the Admins are working on.

 

[Scott Danforth]

We are experiencing issues with photo

 

[oldhaven]

Thanks Scott

 

[oldhaven]

 

[oldhaven]

 

[oldhaven]

 

[oldhaven]

This is a busy weekend. Thursday I took the boat out for the year, Friday I hauled the dock out and dragged it up the bank. Today I will pull the ramp out and be done for winter. It seems early but I know what October means around here, and we get coastal storms that can bring up big waves and wind in this shallow estuary. All in all I am very pleased with my adaptationo to the 6 foot freshwater tide and mud mooring.

 

[SHSU]

Since you are in saltwater, any spray down/cleaning when you dock? Curious how you handle the corrosion on the aluminum hull.

SHSU

 

[oldhaven]

Merrymeeting Bay, where the boat is, is actually fresh water, fed by the six rivers that flow into it. The combined flow is funneled through a narrow outlet about a mile from here into the Kennebec river and then out to sea. The incoming ocean tide in the Kennebec backs up the flow and gives us up to 7 feet of tide in the Bay. This is one of very few places in the world like this and we get unusual plants that are not just fresh water adapted, but are tide adapted. That’s a long way of saying I don’t have to worry about salt water corrosion. Even if I go out to the ocean on a trip I renter fresh water when I get back.

 

[SHSU]

Man that is nice. I run out of Galveston bay and power wash after every trip. Thought you had a secret I could use, but yours is unique to your location. lol

SHSU

 

[oldhaven]

One more image of the boat at low tide. I can pull it out of the water onto the dock if I need to for bad weather or maintenance, but it rests on the mud quite happily most of the summer waiting for the tides to bring in the 1-1/2 to 6 feet of depth required to get out into deeper water in the channel about 100 feet away. This provides about an 8 hour window for undocking/docking again. you learn to become very aware of tide cycles.

 

[SHSU]

Man it sits perfect. I guess the wet mud helps it settle and cradle the hull for support.

SHSU

 

[motley crew]

Man it sits perfect. I guess the wet mud helps it settle and cradle the hull for support.

SHSU

One more image of the boat at low tide. I can pull it out of the water onto the dock if I need to for bad weather or maintenance, but it rests on the mud quite happily most of the summer waiting for the tides to bring in the 1-1/2 to 6 feet of depth required to get out into deeper water in the channel about 100 feet away. This provides about an 8 hour window for undocking/docking again. you learn to become very aware of tide cycles.
View attachment 402142

that a really sweet starchief you have there i also have a 1970 starchief they are great boats i am envious of your boating area question does the mud at low tide dry out enough to walk around your boat all my boating is done on lake champlain nice area to boat many small coves and bays to explore rivers to run up also but no tide change must be fun to beat the tide back to dock

 

[oldhaven]

that a really sweet starchief you have there i also have a 1970 starchief they are great boats i am envious of your boating area question does the mud at low tide dry out enough to walk around your boat all my boating is done on lake champlain nice area to boat many small coves and bays to explore rivers to run up also but no tide change must be fun to beat the tide back to dock

Thanks MC. The mud is never soft and deep enough that I can’t walk around the boat, but I try to avoid it because of the mess and cleaning of boots afterward. The flats as shown in the photo only stay that way for about an hour before the incoming tide comes in and the boat begins to float.
do you ever run into Laurentide (forum name) on the big lake? He has or had a Starchief there back when I was building mine out. He was out in all kinds of weather fishing, and I got my inspiration for the canvas on my boat from him.
Ron F

 

[motley crew]

Thanks MC. The mud is never soft and deep enough that I can’t walk around the boat, but I try to avoid it because of the mess and cleaning of boots afterward. The flats as shown in the photo only stay that way for about an hour before the incoming tide comes in and the boat begins to float.
do you ever run into Laurentide (forum name) on the big lake? He has or had a Starchief there back when I was building mine out. He was out in all kinds of weather fishing, and I got my inspiration for the canvas on my boat from him.
Ron F

no i have not run into him but lake champlain is very big lake 12 miles wide at one point and 120 miles long with weather conditions that can be smooth as glass to 5 footers subject to change in a half hour worst case i launch out of westport ny if you care to look it up so i usually know the conditions wil be out in but have been caught before in sudden change its not a lake to be wily nily about i always have a bay or cove in back of my mind that i can duck into if needed most days are spent from port henry [champlain bridge] to wilsboro point anyways i know at least by sight almost every starchief or islander that operates in my area theirs probaly 5 to ten older starchiefs i see in a week is laurentides starchief the one that was stripped down to bare aluminum i think i remember seeing it on here but could not find it a minute ago if i remember it was a good looking boat and yes i am always looking for him and other old tinnys

 

[motley crew]

no i have not run into him but lake champlain is very big lake 12 miles wide at one point and 120 miles long with weather conditions that can be smooth as glass to 5 footers subject to change in a half hour worst case i launch out of westport ny if you care to look it up so i usually know the conditions wil be out in but have been caught before in sudden change its not a lake to be wily nily about i always have a bay or cove in back of my mind that i can duck into if needed most days are spent from port henry [champlain bridge] to wilsboro point anyways i know at least by sight almost every starchief or islander that operates in my area theirs probaly 5 to ten older starchiefs i see in a week is laurentides starchief the one that was stripped down to bare aluminum i think i remember seeing it on here but could not find it a minute ago if i remember it was a good looking boat and yes i am always looking for him and other old tinnys

i remember a picture of a starechief or cheiftain bare alum pulled up on a beach on lake champlain but i can not find it?