Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

[jasoutside]

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

I'd like to leave the cabin bulkheads as stained varnished wood, and my plan is to use a water-based stain, 3 coats of epoxy, one layer of 4oz cloth epoxied in, and then a few layers of spar varnish with sanding between the glass and each varnish coat. Does that sound about right? Thanks.

That sounds like uber excellent water protection:thumb:

 

[laurentide]

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

That sounds like uber excellent water protection:thumb:

Thanks, jas. The glass may be overkill, but I've seen this on wood strip kayaks and it looks great, plus I never want to do it again. I may do the same on the splashwell sliding door frames...with that cool perforated metal panel.

 

[jbcurt00]

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

Cool perf metal:

@ HD, other patterns available...

I don't know, but depending on the stain & the epoxy product you use, the water-bourne stain may inhibit good penetration by the epoxy. Water-based definitely causes problems w/ oil based finishes. And it raises the grain..... So I'd lean towards an oil stain if you want to stain it.

If you want to use a nice cabinet grade for the cabin bulkhead, maybe, but not for the splashwell door frame. It only takes a small defect or damage in the epoxy & etc to expose the non-waterproof (exterior) grade glue to moisture.

 

[laurentide]

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

^^Thanks, JB. I'll go with oil stain, then. For the splashwell doors I was just going to use the bcx stuff. I think starcraft just used ply panels and cut openings for the perf metal, which is what I'll be doing. If it doesn't work out I'll just wrap them in vinyl.

 

[laurentide]

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

Minor progress; I finally got the right fitting for the Tohatsu fuel connector, put new plugs in it, hooked up the gas tank, first pull...nothing. Second pull, lots of smoke.....and started right up! It runs like a top, no exaggeration. Throttle, forward and reverse all work, but it's not peeing at all, so I didn't run it long. Hopefully it's just a shot impeller, which I just ordered. Pretty psyched on the reward from this bottom-feeder craigslist roulette spin. I wish I could post video, but the camera is literally 10,000 miles away.

Oh, it's also lacking a kill switch, but the choke works pretty well!

 

[jasoutside]

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

Pretty psyched on the reward from this bottom-feeder craigslist roulette spin. :

No doubt, well done!

 

[GA_Boater]

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

There ya go. Makin' Tomato soup now.

 

[laurentide]

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

There ya go. Makin' Tomato soup now.

Oh yeah, Tomatsu POWER! :llama: (I'm just looking for an excuse to use a llama emoticon). I actually emailed the seller...he was psyched that I got it running. It was his recently deceased dad's engine.

I know they're gas hogs, but old 2 strokes are pretty amazing machines, durability-wise. Cheers guys.

 

[laurentide]

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

I'm not sure if this is considered bottom-feeding, as it's pretty darn nice, but I just received a hand-me-down first gen ipad (My dad was given an ipad mini and he never used this anyway). The first app I installed was simple charts, which looks totally awesome. All I have is my really old nokia flip phone for photos for a while...quality is an issue.

I know tons of people have mounted these on boat helms, but does anyone have a suggestion for a cheap waterproof cover and mount? I'm thinking ebay is my first stop. Thanks.

 

[ezmobee]

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

I installed Navionics on my Android tablet and it's awesome! I haven't tried any kind of mount yet though. I have a rubberized case on it though so it tends to stay where I lay it.

 

[jigngrub]

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

^^^^ the Navionics will be the best.^^^^

It'll show you the bottom contour of the lake and let you know where the shallow and deep spots are to help you to keep from running that tin beauty aground.

 

[laurentide]

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

Thanks, guys, I just downloaded Navionics, and it looks sweet! It's pricey for an app ($49 for the ipad version), but a whole lot cheaper than a marine chartplotter.

 

[ezmobee]

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

It's pricey for an app ($49 for the ipad version)

Wow, you got hosed! https://play.google.com/store/apps/...SwxLDEsIml0Lm5hdmlvbmljcy5zaW5nbGVBcHBVc2EiXQ..

 

[laurentide]

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

Wow, you got hosed! https://play.google.com/store/apps/...SwxLDEsIml0Lm5hdmlvbmljcy5zaW5nbGVBcHBVc2EiXQ..

That's the android phone version, I got the HD version for the larger screen. Yeah, still a lot of coin for a slightly improved image. It's also $15 cheaper for the Android HD version. One of the many reasons that I despise apple products...unless of course they're free!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.navionics.singleAppUsaHD#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDIxMiwiaXQubmF2aW9uaWNzLnNpbmdsZUFwcFVzYUhEIl0.

Here's a decidedly low-def photo of the "HD" version :lol::

 

[ezmobee]

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

I know it's the Android version. I was just commenting on the price difference. I was not aware of the HD Android version. https://play.google.com/store/apps/...yLDEsIml0Lm5hdmlvbmljcy5zaW5nbGVBcHBVc2FIRCJd Looking at the screenshots, it doesn't look like enough of an improvement of what I currently have to justify rebuying it.

 

[laurentide]

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

Yep, you're probably right about the difference being negligible. I was more just ranting about the itunes store and their pricing/monopoly strategy for iOS users.

 

[ben2go]

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

I'm not sure if this is considered bottom-feeding, as it's pretty darn nice, but I just received a hand-me-down first gen ipad (My dad was given an ipad mini and he never used this anyway). The first app I installed was simple charts, which looks totally awesome. All I have is my really old nokia flip phone for photos for a while...quality is an issue.

I know tons of people have mounted these on boat helms, but does anyone have a suggestion for a cheap waterproof cover and mount? I'm thinking ebay is my first stop. Thanks.

DO the first gen ipeds come with built in GPS receiver?

 

[laurentide]

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

DO the first gen ipeds come with built in GPS receiver?

Yes, the cellular model does. You don't have to use the data plan to use the GPS chip, though. Both Simple Charts and Navionics can be used without wifi...I just checked them both to confirm this. You do, however, have to download your chart before leaving your wifi area.

 

[ben2go]

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

Yes, the cellular model does. You don't have to use the data plan to use the GPS chip, though. Both Simple Charts and Navionics can be used without wifi...I just checked them both to confirm this. You do, however, have to download your chart before leaving your wifi area.

Sweet.Thanks for the info.

 

[laurentide]

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

Quick question, guys: I'm going to be powering this rig with an old Johnson 70, which, as demonstrated by a couple of others here, will work OK. It will still be slightly underpowered, though, so I'm thinking Smart Tabs. It's hard to find anybody who doesn't love these things, but I'm just wondering if this particular application makes sense. As far as I can tell, they'll assist in lowering the rpms and speed required for hole shot, and will also lower the slowest possible cruising speed, which may or may not conserve some fuel. WOT speed doesn't matter to me...with $4/gallon gas. Has anyone used them on a v5 hull? Good/noticeable results?

I just emailed them to get their recommendation on which tabs to purchase.

Thanks!