Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

[third times the charm]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Well CW, looks good from ky. Hey I think it's not bad at all for your first attempt. Like I said, I'm going to practice on my trailer first. But after seeing the roll and tip method, I will definitely be getting a hvlp paint gun.

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Yeah, it definitely didn't work out for me. My choices are to re-do it in the dark gloss, re-do it in white, or go to bare metal and figure out a different topside color scheme. I'm thinking hard about just stripping it now, and taking some of my lessons learned to apply to painting the topside. I'm sure it's just my inexperience/impatience, but roll/roll ain't for me. Plus stripping with a pressure washer would take a couple of hours of work tops so I can focus on the important stuff, not paint.

EDIT: another factor in my current dilemma is the fact that the hull, while very sound, has lots of dock rash and dings. Oxidized metal may be the best way to go since I'm not gonna fix those.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Rat boat, 1970 Ford Pinto finish on the outside and Bently luxury on the inside!

You won't see or think about the outside of the hull when you're wallowing in the luxuries of marine vinyl and other fine amenities of the inside.

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Jig, I took your advice and sanded it all back down, got a good (better) surface, and repainted with a good natural bristle brush. It's far from looking like a spray job, but I'm happy enough with it. Got the topside done as well. There are a few goofs I need to fix when this batch cures, but metal painting is done, for all intents and purposes.

Lots of imperfections, but I give the Rusto an A+ for gloss:

Thanks for bearing with this rookie painting ordeal. The next pics should feature epoxied wood and a transom going back in.

Thanks for the help and encouragement, guys. Cheers.

 

[GWPSR]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

It's startin' to look kinda like a boat! Not bad at all. Shiny!

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

It's startin' to look kinda like a boat! Not bad at all. Shiny!

Thanks...here's to putting phase 1 behind me:

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Your last boat pic - She looks so lost and forlorn leaning on the tires and no glass or interior and stepladder laying in the back. But she is shiny! You earned more than one PBR!

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Your last boat pic - She looks so lost and forlorn leaning on the tires and no glass or interior and stepladder laying in the back. But she is shiny! You earned more than one PBR!

GB, I hear ya man. I need to start giving her the accoutrements she so well deserves...like a deck and transom. She'll be on the trailer in a couple of days, so that'll help.

I wasted a bunch of time with more than 1 PBR trying to cut foam...I should have taped it and submitted it to America's Funniest Home Videos. I think I'm going to get my poor man's table saw set up (an 8' plywood guide for a circular saw) and do it that way. Believe it or not the thing I'm dreading most about the whole project going forward is rebuilding the recoil mechanism for my little lightwin kicker....it's like one of those cans of spring snakes.

 

[third times the charm]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Hey CW, the boat looks great. Love the paint color, that rusto has a niceeeeee shinyyyyyyy finish. I may have to rethink my color options, so I can use rusto myself. You definitely deserve this

Progress is always better then regression

 

[Patfromny]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Hey Chem

I just finished my foam and I cut it like sheetrock. A sheetrock square and a razor. I cut about half way through and just broke it off from the back with my knee. Worked great for me and I cut about 250 pieces or so. It broke off very cleanly this way even on curved pieces. Make sure the blade is brand new though.

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Hey CW, the boat looks great. Love the paint color, that rusto has a niceeeeee shinyyyyyyy finish. I may have to rethink my color options, so I can use rusto myself. You definitely deserve this View attachment 191945

Progress is always better then regression

Thanks man. I used one quart of royal blue and an 8 oz can of gloss black for the navy...but then I realized that Lowes sells the "topside" navy :facepalm: next to the 5200...only a couple of bucks more.

Hey Chem

I just finished my foam and I cut it like sheetrock. A sheetrock square and a razor. I cut about half way through and just broke it off from the back with my knee. Worked great for me and I cut about 250 pieces or so. It broke off very cleanly this way even on curved pieces. Make sure the blade is brand new though.

Excellent, I'll give this a shot. Thanks.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Aluminum boats aren't supposed to look that pretty, hit it around the bow area a few times with a hammer and the "key" both sides.

boat looks great, now quit futzing with the paint and get to work on the much more important inside.

 

[third times the charm]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Aluminum boats aren't supposed to look that pretty, hit it around the bow area a few times with a hammer and the "key" both sides.

boat looks great, now quit futzing with the paint and get to work on the much more important inside.

^ he has a point, sit in it, make pretty engine sounds and pretend your enjoying the water, that's what motivates me. Then I open the check book:facepalm:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Hey CW, the boat looks great. Love the paint color, that rusto has a niceeeeee shinyyyyyyy finish. I may have to rethink my color options, so I can use rusto myself.

The additional hardener increases the gloss level........

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

:facepalm:
It turned out great CW... Looks WAY better from over here in WV then before
But yep, it looks like a boat in want of an interior :laugh:

Good luck w the foam......

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Foam cuttin' and circular saw - Oh My. Yes you should have videoed that. 2X4 as a straight edge and sharp knife does a great job. If you have a long enough knife, cut through or score with a shorter utility knife and pop along the score.

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I got very lucky with my timing on the paint, and in the fact that I did use the hardener. We have a pair of white pines on our south neighbor's property (and all over our neighborhood, actually), and they absolutely dumped pollen all over everything last night and this morning. Fortunately, the fresh paint was cured enough to be unaffected. I'm 100% pro-hardener now after all my disparaging commentary about the health risks.

Thanks for the foam tips, too. The 2x4 and a fresh utility blade work great.

I love having almost 4 hours of daylight after work this time of year. I need it to get this thing done!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

I'm a bit "Bum-Fuzzeled" at your problems with the roll n' roll method. What rollers did you use? I know several members that did it with "Spray Like" results.

 

[laurentide]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

I'm a bit "Bum-Fuzzeled" at your problems with the roll n' roll method. What rollers did you use? I know several members that did it with "Spray Like" results.

Wood, I used the 4" foam rollers. I attribute it completely to user error. I have no doubt that others have had great results (I've seen them in fact), but it wasn't for me. I went back to what I know from my teenage wooden boat painting days. The brush marks are almost nostalgic

While it's certainly not "spray-like," it's good 'nuff for me for right now. Perhaps I'll give it a go again when I have more time to get it right (or I'll buy a compressor and go HVLP). Thanks for the tips despite my outcome.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

There are Differnet 4" foam rollers. Did you use the Ultra Fine Cabinet rollers like these...
http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/1...foam-roller-covers-5-pack-reviews/reviews.htm