Re: Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild
All of this is true... especially the mocking part...
If I were you, I'd lean towards keepin' the cabin....
It's lookin' like things are definitely leaning that way at this point.
Now here is a great idea!!!
Keep the cabin,...Look back I might have given that as one of the options I thought about yesterday,....
Get the aluminum boat done a functioning so you can use it,...
And then finish the glasser and make it into your fishing only dream machine,....Best of all worlds!!!!
Well, part of the reason I'm not finishing it is the cost of poly resin and shipping. I think if I really want a pure fishing machine in the future I'll just get a little tiller tin boat.
The upper most glass won't do much for you in a Rough & Ready push to get it in useable shape for this coming season, unless you get new canvas. Canvas won't be inexpensive, so may not be a 1st year priority.
If you remove it, you'll have a smaller front profile, so less wind resistance while towing. Less structure up high, so a light weight (compared to a similar size glasser) tinny may not get blown about as much when anchored or slow trolling.... Less weight up high also lowers the center of gravity, which to me over comes the weight reduction of removing the upper glass.
These are all points to consider, but I'll provide a little more info: my ramp is only 1.7 miles from the house on a 25 mph posted street, so it's not a big deal for towing. I probably won't be going to other lakes very often, if at all.
I would seriously think about finishing both boats,...
Heck,....It looked like you have all of the demo done on the glasser already,...
Ha...you really do like this idea!
I'd advertise the glasser trailer on Craigslist for $150 and you get a free project boat with all the demo done to go with it... or just advertise the boat alone for $50, somebody will take it and you won't have to get all itchy cutting it up and have $50 taboot.
It's a well know fact that fiberglass exposure causes delusions of grandeur.
I'll post it up there and see what happens. I thought about converting the old bunk trailer to a utility, but it's not really right with the tapered front section. Unfortunately, there's currently a glut of cheap trailers on CL here, most of them nicer than mine. I'll see if anybody bites.
Add a bimini to keep rain/sun off you when stopped or make a convertible top for driving drier. I say keep the W/S..
And keep the cabin too. Plenty of fishing room in her, either trolling, casting, or D/Sing. First, it is nice when the weather blows up as a place to get out of it and most important, the Admiral already said she liked it.
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Yeah, I see the reasoning in both arguments for the top WS, but I think it will stay. I may just mount a cheap non-fitted bimini for now.
Wasn't the original plan to do as little as possible to get it in the water this spring? Which means little to no significant work to the cabin's interior..... So the boat won't be fully outfitted & thus underweight anyway. Rough & ready to me also means no canvas, and no bimini..... Long term, no, either (both?) would be a great addition, required even. But maybe in year 2 or 3 @winter boat work. Canvas is not inexpensive....
W/out the OB it towed ok, but tongue heavy. Putting the OB on, will hopefully improve tongue weight & towing. Less wind resistance, having no upper W/S, behind a smallish Subaru tow rig, would also improve how it tows, IMHO.......
Just put it out there, I got no horse in this race. I do like to watch 'em run though. No bets since Giacomo, that was kind of a high water mark for me.....
JB, thanks for all the input, man. I do think I'll just keep the WS on it, part of the reason being a lack of good storage space. I'd hate to damage it.
Slightly off-topic here, but I found it kind of reassuring to see this photo of an old Starchief 18 with an OMC 70 on it. Almost every other OB one I've seen has a 115+. I'm not gonna be pullin' skiers or anything, so hopefully I'll be good to cruise in the low 20s.
Another thing to go along with my quick, on the cheap plan is a question about gauges...about the only one that I'd see being important is a tach, and my control has the plug for it. Am I missing anything here? I've got sonar and will probably get a cheap-o GPS unit.
I'm loving all the help so far guys, thanks a lot! We're going to have a
high of -5F here tomorrow. I think my initial cleanup will have to wait 'till this cold snap breaks.
But it's just IMHO, and ask my admiral, my opinion is often wrong :facepalm:
