My 1969 Starcraft Starchief.....all 18' of her

[Lanie J]

I knew the wiring was a mess but didn't realize it was also a nest.

 

[Lanie J]

Found another nest also you can see where mama bird sat on the trailer

 

[laurentide]

Good news on the engine. Have you checked transom integrity? With the condition of the old deck I'd at least take a close look for rot in the transom wood. It's not a hard job if it comes to that. You'll likely have to pull the splashwell out to do the deck, and at that point you'll see what you've got. I look forward to watching your progress!

 

[Lanie J]

We cleaned the the inside and decided to replace some of the foam. Off to Home Depot. We reused the thick angled center foam, cleaned it up some and put thin sheets as filler

 

[Lanie J]

Cut the floor, using marine grade 3/4" plywood. Installed the blind fasteners (nuts for the pedestal seats my father made). Floor is in place. Was a busy Saturday and Sunday.

 

[Lanie J]

Got her covered Sunday night since we were expecting rain. Add you can see, lots of nasty foam for the garbage.

 

[Lanie J]

On Saturday evening my son and his father made a new dash for the boat. It will look great.

 

[Lanie J]

There is still a lot to do but evenings after work doesn't give a lot of time, as you all know. I did stitch up one of the old seats that the thread rotted on. Yes I know they sell new ones but my father would want to know why I changed them. I won't get her looking beautiful by next week, but I will get her on the water to take him for a ride. Next step is to fasten floor down. Look for new vinyl for the side panels. I would love to find something that looks like the 60's. Going to sand off the rough edges of the cabin walls, rehang door. Would like to replace it all but that can be next year's project. Thanks everyone for the support. I feel guilty that the last 2 nights I didn't work on her. Also sorry for all the posts. I wanted to get up to date.

 

[GA_Boater]

Great update! Have you looked at the transom wood? Also you should think about replacing the impeller. They like to deteriorate when sitting.

 

[jbcurt00]

BTW: You can post up to 6pix per post

Looks like quick progress. How are you finishing the plywood decking?

When you get to redoing some of the work at a later date, choose a different flotation foam. The styrofoam bead sheets aren't the best choice.

 

[Lanie J]

Thanks GA_BOATER. In 1996 or 1997 my ex husband and I tore out the transom and replaced with marine plywood. He fiberglassed the wood to help preserve it longer. The transom is good and solid. So far a strong stream of water is coming out. Will keep eye on it.

 

[Watermann]

Wow, your really tearing into the ole gal!

I know we all go different routes in our restorations and if you get the chance read some of the other Chief threads then you'll see how much different we all are in our efforts. On the motor, that's great she fired right up and runs after sitting for so long, normally that doesn't happen. I would take that as a great omen! Definitely put a water pump kit in that lower unit, the water stream doesn't tell the whole story, the rubber becomes brittle, worn and is normally replaced every other year. You don't want those vanes to break off and get inside the power head.

I agree with JB on the foam, not the best choice to use that type of foam for flotation. I also noticed that you ran the decking long ways, it should be ran across the boat for strength and that's how the floor supports are designed to have it lay. I know it uses more to do it that way but it's the correct way to install it. If those floor supports are at all loose, they need to be re-riveted down too.

Keep up the forward progress :thumb:

 

[Lanie J]

Well guess it's a good thing the floor is only resting there. Will pull it out and run it across. Thanks for the heads up

 

[laurentide]

Here's some pics from my boat when I started to put things back together. Maybe it'll be helpful, maybe not. But I went for a mostly complete gut job, just leaving the cabin berths intact. For whatever reason I decided to use aluminum "T" channel to hold the deck pieces together on top of the finished decking, opposed to what most folks do which is re-use the connector strips or build your own doublers. The only advantage here is that my deck can be drilled out and replaced in case I need bilge access. Hopefully I won't.

Gutted:

Foam...blue stuff from Lowes:

These sort of show how the deck went down in mine:

After the dry fit they were coated in epoxy resin and then wrapped in marine vinyl. The "T" connectors were riveted between each panel:

Anyway, that's just one way to do it. There are a bunch and they're well documented in jasoutside's resto link at the top of the page.

 

[Lanie J]

Wow very nice. Lots of room to work in. Since I pulled the floor back out tonight. Recut the wood, would be the best time to get new foam. The other still smells.

 

[Lanie J]

Off to Lowes

 

[jbcurt00]

Wise decision @deck & foam. Else progress looks GREAT & no moss growin' on this Starchief build

 

[Lanie J]

Need suggestions on wood finish. Will be covering with indoor/outdoor carpet. Won't see wood. Just want to preserve it if possible

 

[laurentide]

Spar varnish?

 

[Watermann]

^^^ Yup, I use Helmsman clear gloss spar urethane a good 2 coats and see if it needs a 3rd, it depends on the wood soaking it up. I know it's a bit pricey but buy it by the gallon, I used almost 2 on my Chief.