Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

[laurentide]

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

Must be nice for the guys in your end of the world to be able to get out on the water. This is a pic of my favorite port all iced in. One nice thing is they have the dredge in there and are going to start dredging the harbor which will be great as the lower water levels made her increasingly shallow.

Checked out your Champlain site and nice to know people like to share info and are friendly at that. Over here on the great lakes we encounter what we refer to as "Combat Fishing". Hoards of boats all trying to fish on top of each other cutting others off and tangling into their lines,,,,,,radio is full of people yelling back and forth. Such is the fun when the salmon near shore in August.

Yeah, Willy, this nonsense does still exist here, but more from recreational boaters in huge cruisers. The blow boats also really like to take advantage of their right of way. But, overall, it's a really nice, open community. 68 is pretty much all good info and joking around.

Dredging is always great to see!

 

[laurentide]

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

Man, sorry, dropped this elsewhere & forgot to drop it here:

Perhaps it'll ^^^ me just enough motivation to keep the cold off while ice fishing.... NICE catch!!

And yeah, that's a great vintage ad!

 

[Weep'n Willy]

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

The blow boats do the same over here. I keep the video recorder handy as those that harass can be cited and video makes the case.




These pics were from around 7 miles out from port, they take dead aim and see how close they can get to you.

 

[laurentide]

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

Gents, I'm kinda thinking spring right now and I have a bunch of projects planned for this rig. One of them is what I'm calling the "poor man's autopilot," consisting of my current kicker, locked straight and doing most of the pushing, and a new-fangled 24v electric Minn Kota with i-pilot to do the steering on a pre-set gps course. They're pretty slick...or so the internet tells me :lol:.

My question is for anyone with an 18+ foot Starcraft with a bow mount: will I need a 60" shaft for the electric, or can I get by with a 54"? Also, I'm thinking about the Powerdrive 70#, as I won't need a foot pedal for my purposes. The i pilot has a remote. Will that be enough thrust just for steering the bow? It's a $500 upgrade to get to the Terrova 80#. Many thanks!

 

[Teamster]

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

I would want the longest shaft and the most pounds of thrust that you can get,....

I've fished with guys that troll that way, I can't bring myself to do it though,....I don't like fumbling with the remote,..That's just my old school way of thinking I guess,...

I'm content to have a "troll master" or something like it for speed control on a kicker and a tie bar to the main and just steer with the wheel,......If I'm in a wheel boat anyway,....lol,....

The biggest reason I like that setup is in my opinion it make reading the planner boards easier as they react to changes in direction,....Clear as mud???????????????????/,............................lol

 

[laurentide]

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

Teamster, yeah, I hear you on the wheel steering, and it's a bunch of money to drop on a fishing tool, but for solo trolling, which is 90% of the time for me, this would allow me to relax and focus on fishing a little more. I do have the tie rod hooked up now.

Maybe I'll get some tax money back and go up to the 80#, 60". Thanks!

 

[dozerII]

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

Teamster, yeah, I hear you on the wheel steering, and it's a bunch of money to drop on a fishing tool, but for solo trolling, which is 90% of the time for me, this would allow me to relax and focus on fishing a little more. I do have the tie rod hooked up now.

Maybe I'll get some tax money back and go up to the 80#, 60". Thanks!

Hey Chem, I just purchased a MG 55 54" for the 18 Holiday an it is loads long enough, I also had a MK PD 55 54"on my 18 SS and had no problems with the length, you do run in a lot bigger water than I do with probably a lot more rolling wave action. On the SS201 I had a MK Terrova 80 with Ipilot and loved it, if your fishing alone the feature you will love the most is "anchor hold" when you get a fish on press the anchor button and the TM will hold you in the same spot for as long as it takes you land the fish. An 80lb thrust on your 18 would make her plane almost.

 

[dozerII]

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

double post

 

[laurentide]

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

Awesome info, dozer. Thanks very much. 70# and 60" might be my sweet spot.

 

[laurentide]

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

I may have just found a super cheap tow/beater/dump run vehicle, but I wanted to ask if anybody has any experience with the Ford 300 inline 6. I know it'll pull the boat no problem, and 2wd is no sweat, but are these solid engines? Thanks!

1991 ford f150

 

[Teamster]

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

I had an 87 f150 with the 300 6 cylinder,..........

Ran like a top for the first 235,000 miles or so,.......

I was told they were indestructible,....

Well, I managed to blow mine up!!!!

But it served me very well for a bunch of miles,........

I wouldn't be scared of another one,........

 

[laurentide]

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

Thanks Teamster. Gonna go check out the rust situation on the frame tomorrow. A couple of google searches agree with your assessment of that engine. Cheers!

 

[Teamster]

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

Judging by the lack of body rust in the pics my guess is the frame should be okay,......

The fuel tanks and tank straps should be checked out, But those are an easy fix if need be,..

WHEN the ignition module fails it is an easy and cheap fix, Advance Auto Parts is the only place that carries in the store the thumb screw nut driver that fits to change it out,...........

Other than that it should be a fine truck, Heck if I found one that looked that decent in WI for that price I'd be all over it,

 

[Pcolafisher]

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

I've had two of them and both were great! If still available I'd buy a new one. My current are the 7.3 diesel for towing in Pensacola and 5.2 liter here in TN. My 74 and 83 would be better!

 

[laurentide]

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

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I missed out on this one by a few minutes...she got a call right before me from someone else. Too good a deal for a place where most of those are just rusted out.

The search continues...

 

[laurentide]

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

I pulled the trigger on an old XJ today. I ended up paying a little more than I initially wanted to, but when you find a 15 year old jeep with this little rust you've gotta accept the rarity of such a find and the price that goes with it. Should pull the Chief nicely, though, and still get decent mileage when not towing.

I also went down to the lake today. 100% frozen over, except for the lane made by the icebreaker ferry. Spring may come a bit later this year for boaters here.

 

[classiccat]

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

Nice find chem! Looks like a fine tow-vehicle :thumb:

I feel your pain; the Hudson River here is 1-mile-wide & completely frozen.

 

[laurentide]

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

Thanks, BF! After watching this local PBS segment on the Hudson striper run, I've got to put your neighborhod on my short list of fishing destinations within trailer distance: Outdoor Journal - Hudson River Stripers, Doe Camp, Podunk ... | TV Schedules | Vermont Public Television

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Your new. good looking Cherokee should be a good tin tower, Chem. I used to have an older 4X4 Cherokee with the 4.0 and towed a 19' glasser IO. It made a great tow combo. A lighter tinny will be a breeze.

 

[laurentide]

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

Your new. good looking Cherokee should be a good tin tower, Chem. I used to have an older 4X4 Cherokee with the 4.0 and towed a 19' glasser IO. It made a great tow combo. A lighter tinny will be a breeze.

That's great to hear, GA, thanks. I'm happy to not have to worry about the Admiral's Subaru, and I should be able to expand my boating territory. This Jeep has a "new" used compression tested 4.0 with the good cylinder head casting (pre-2000), new shocks, brakes, tires, battery...I bought it from a hobbyist mechanic. Major shop envy after seeing his 1 ton electric lift that slides on an i beam over the bay in his barn!