Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

[laurentide]

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

Watermann, as far as I know that's the original location for the tell-tale, which does in fact spray almost horizontally out the back of the engine...maybe a PO altered its location? I'm just glad it's peeing strong

 

[classiccat]

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

motor sounds awesome!!!

you may have to make a right-turn to get a good view of the tell tale...seems like a pretty standard place to put them on the 3 cyls most likely due to room...pretty jammed-up with the coils & powerpack if they were to bring-it forward a bit.

maybe get the wheel & helm seat in place before deciding on remote control placement?

 

[laurentide]

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

motor sounds awesome!!!

you may have to make a right-turn to get a good view of the tell tale...seems like a pretty standard place to put them on the 3 cyls most likely due to room...pretty jammed-up with the coils & powerpack if they were to bring-it forward a bit.

maybe get the wheel & helm seat in place before deciding on remote control placement?

Yeah, that may be the way to go, BF. I don't even have the side panels ripped yet, so I'll just see how things lay out.

Thanks gents!

 

[laurentide]

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

I'm starting to get into some wiring, and while this may not be the right section of the forum in which to ask this question, you guys already know the design of this boat...so I'll ask.

For nav lights, I obviously have the red/green on the bow, and a stern light mounted on the starboard stern, which telescopes up about 36". I also have an anchor light mounted on the high point of the cabin windshield. My question is, since the actual stern light isn't visible 360 degrees, because it's obscured by the console/cabin from the front, do I have to wire the top "anchor" light to serve as an additional running light, as well as a dedicated anchor light?

I have two sets of hot/ground wires on the old anchor light, so it won't be an issue to wire it this way.

Sorry if this is is obvious (since it has the two sets of wires), but I just want to do this right and be safe. Thanks!

EDIT: I guess what I have mounted on top is a combination masthead/anchor (all-around) fixture. Since I have to replace that fixture anyway, I'll just get one of these:

So, yeah, never mind this post unless you think I'm misinformed.

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Chem - Look at figures 2 and 7 here: Basic Boating Safety Course - Navigation Lights on Your Boat

I believe you can get away with the cabin light as long as it's a 360 degree. Both wouldn't hurt.

 

[laurentide]

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

Chem - Look at figures 2 and 7 here: Basic Boating Safety Course - Navigation Lights on Your Boat

I believe you can get away with the cabin light as long as it's a 360 degree. Both wouldn't hurt.

Cool, thanks GA. I just bought a fold down stern light so I can run riggers and put a cover on the boat, but, since it's not nearly high enough, I'll buy one of those combo mastheads as well.

I actually want to use this boat at night a bit...next lighting project will be some red led strips under the gunwales.

BTW, GA, I followed your advice on the rear sliders and they came out great. I'll post some pics this weekend when they're painted/installed if this rain ever stops here.

Cheers.

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Good on the sliders. Hurry away rain!

 

[laurentide]

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

Hurry away rain!

Yeah, that's what everybody up here is saying! We're lucky in that we live up on top of a hill, but the soil is totally saturated right now and some folks near rivers and lakes are going to be in trouble this weekend.

At least I won't have to worry about launching at some of the typically shoaled up ramps this summer.

 

[MichaelP]

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

Looks like our weather pattern is finaly going to change, just in time for the 4th.

Here is a decent shot of how my controls are mounted.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/randor88/DSCF3715_zps7706e937.jpg
I can just barely make full throttle unless there is a long neck in the drink holder. :facepalm:

After looking around for a suitable kicker linkage I decided to make my own. You can get the ends at McMaster. I machined everything else out of aluminum myself so this only cost around $12. Threaded rod would have worked but I had some 1/2" rod kicking around. BTW I went with the 5/16" connectors. Works slick.
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/randor88/DSCF3711_zpsa103b84a.jpg
http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/randor88/DSCF3710_zps50734fb9.jpg

 

[ben2go]

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

Looks good to me.

 

[laurentide]

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

Michael, thanks for the pics...it really helps to see an originally identical boat. I'm a few weeks away from getting the kicker mounted, as I need to do some work to it and buy a bracket, but that looks like a great setup. For the remote, that's right where I'll be putting mine tomorrow. I'm more of a 12 oz can guy, so if I put a drink holder down there I should be good .

Y'all will have to excuse the dirty mess in my pics here. It's been raining/t-storming here for two weeks, and I've been tracking mud/sawdust/tree litter everywhere.

I got my ghetto console put together, and, much to my surprise, everything works (except for the decades old horn...I'll be buying a new one tomorrow during my first trip of this project to west marine). The rocker panel isn't fastened yet, still lots of wiring to do:

Rear sliders and wiring roughed in:

...and just a couple more pics of the dry fitted trim:

I did put a 40 amp breaker right after the switch, off of which I'll run the fuse panel, horn, and acc plug. Bilge pump has the auto switch right to battery, and there'll be a manual override switch on the rocker panel.

My plan is to run all the wiring through bilge pump hose...I've got a bunch of extra 'cause I ordered the wrong size the first time, plus I kept the stuff from the old boat.

I've got a long weekend happening right now, so I may get this thing more or less done this week.

Cheers guys.

 

[laurentide]

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

That "u" aluminum tube is one of the original seat legs, which I'll re-use on fold down plywood bases with non-threaded flanges so I can just pop them out.

...and I'll also be getting some perforated sheet aluminum and angle to finish the sliders and side panels tomorrow.

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Maybe a little messy, but she's coming along real nice, Chem. Heck, you can't build and clean at the same time anyway.

 

[laurentide]

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

Maybe a little messy, but she's coming along real nice, Chem. Heck, you can't build and clean at the same time anyway.

Thanks GaB, it doesn't help to post pics right after shots of MichaelP's boat

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Thanks GaB, it doesn't help to post pics right after shots of MichaelP's boat

Timing is everything. :lol: BTW - The sliders - :thumb:

 

[jbcurt00]

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

Nice work CW, looks like great progress, mess or no mess.

BTW: have you seen the mess generated just looking at the pending work on a glasser? Let alone actually working on 1.....

 

[laurentide]

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

Timing is everything. :lol: BTW - The sliders - :thumb:

Thanks! They're not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with them. There are a few "wavy" edges from free-handing a circ saw/jigsaw, but they'll be waterproof for at least a few years with 3 coats of rusto and they do their job.

Can't wait to put her in the water. I have the next two days off, which could be 14 hour boat work days, but I'm really enjoying this now. Nothing like getting close to the end of a boat project.

Another thing I need to think about is footrests, since I won't have boxes under the seats. I've got lots of plywood scrap, and some Nautolex, so I'm thinking heavy duty "L" shelf brackets from lowes. I'll be messing around with milk crates while making "vroom vroom" noises tomorrow.

Given my current state of near poverty, I may jump on this deal...decent vhf, antenna and nylon mount for $135: http://www.********.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Cobra-MR-F45-D-Class-D-VHF-Radio-Package-With-8-Antenna-Mount&i=75992

Cheers

 

[laurentide]

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

Nice work CW, looks like great progress, mess or no mess.

BTW: have you seen the mess generated just looking at the pending work on a glasser? Let alone actually working on 1.....

Ha, yeah, that could've been me :facepalm: I have to thank you guys for putting me on the right track!

 

[laurentide]

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

Hmmm, that link for the vhf combo didn't work...maybe it's a no-no on the site.

EDIT: Yep, iboats blocked the ********* site for some reason. Anyway, it's a Cobra with an 8' antenna for $135 after rebate.

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Does the site name start with O, end in S and have verton in the middle?