Rough and ready '74 Starcraft Chieftan 18' rebuild

[Streetgang]

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

+1 on jas BAH
no brainer

I just like how BAH sounds when it rolls off your tongue, that and increasing my vocabulary... putting "project location" into the mix also.

 

[laurentide]

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

Glad to see you got under way Andy. I agree with you on the trailer, they are just a pain in the @#$ we have to deal with.

Not that I have a choice really, but I'm definitely fond of the light weight and simplicity of the single axle bunk. The tandem would for sure be a huge PITA.

+1 on jas BAH
no brainer

I just like how BAH sounds when it rolls off your tongue, that and increasing my vocabulary... putting "project location" into the mix also.

"Project location" is a fancy way of saying "my mud-pit of a backyard." Two dogs + mud season = a sloppy mess.

Thanks for the vote of confidence on the trailer issue, guys.

Salvage operation today...the gutted glass hull makes a great rolling dumpster.

 

[brnschoneck]

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

Hmmm very good man u shoulda kept that motor though mayb it didnt need much to get going ull be suprised sometimes??? Good find though luv it id def keep the single side ,wouldnt be bad as a center though i guess if it fits ur needs ....cant wait to c her splashed

 

[brnschoneck]

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

Wow i didnt know about navionics cool i spent 150 on a portable gps lol !!! All well still good to have i guess...let me tell u mystery oil is good stuff i seen it free up car motors sittn for 20 30 yrs too bad it was bad ...awesome boat subscribeddddd

 

[laurentide]

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

Taking a boat to the dump...the hard way. I could have done this last September all in one piece.

I figured somebody might want the windshield, so I put it on the curb. Gone in like 10 minutes!?!

The cool thing is that all of my efforts will now be focused on the SC, and it feels like spring is really finally here. Cheers.

 

[laurentide]

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

I'm gettin' into a little bit now...as much as I can do after work right now. I should have demo/cleaning done by Sunday. Please excuse the mulchy mess for now.

Just some pics of my minor progress. This thing is sooooo much bigger without the splashwell...but, I'm going to put the tank and batteries under it, so I guess it's not totally wasted space:

....and I think I might need a new transom:

What do y'all think happened here? These are the two aft-most starboard rib ends:

Forward one:

Aft one:

That's the only major(?) issue...otherwise, no cracks whatsoever in the likely spots. I'm really not sure if these need patching or how I'd do that.

 

[laurentide]

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

Starcraft folks, any idea what these are?

Cracked plexi:

The only real dents in the hull, pretty minor but I'll still fair them:

It won't be necessary for getting this transom out, but for the new one, would you recommend cutting at my not-very-straight red line? As you can see, I have both caps.

Any recommendations on getting a swollen transom out? It's pretty mulchy, but it's still wedged in there real good:

Thanks guys, have a great weekend.

 

[jigngrub]

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

Mangle the swollen transom.

 

[GT1000000]

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

Starcraft folks, any idea what these are?

Best guess from this distance is they look like some kind of tie down brackets for what might have been a bimini top...

Where were they originally located?

 

[laurentide]

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

Mangle the swollen transom.

Yeah, that sounds easier than the come-along trampoline plan.

Best guess from this distance is they look like some kind of tie down brackets for what might have been a bimini top...

Where were they originally located?

I have no clue. The boat came home without a deck and most of the trim pieces just thrown into the cockpit. I'm gonna go with flipper flappers. It did have an ancient bimini frame, so that's very possible. I'll just file them into "unknown parts."

 

[GWPSR]

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

Starcraft folks, any idea what these are?

I can only imagine what the PO might have tried using them for, but it looks to me that in a former life they were the frame for the rear wheels on a grocery cart.

 

[jigngrub]

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

I can only imagine what the PO might have tried using them for, but it looks to me that in a former life they were the frame for the rear wheels on a grocery cart.

... or dolly wheel frames.

They look to be carbon steel, so they really don't have any place being fastened to an aluminum boat.

 

[laurentide]

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

I can only imagine what the PO might have tried using them for, but it looks to me that in a former life they were the frame for the rear wheels on a grocery cart.

... or dolly wheel frames.

They look to be carbon steel, so they really don't have any place being fastened to an aluminum boat.

Maybe it was a hobo boat in a past life.

Does anyone have any idea what might have caused that rib damage? It's just strange because there are no other signs of metal trauma in that area, yet they must be stress fractures of some kind. Why would the failure be in the support structure instead of the disparate connections? And just those two? Should I even worry about it?

Thanks.

 

[Teamster]

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

Maybe it was a hobo boat in a past life.

Does anyone have any idea what might have caused that rib damage? It's just strange because there are no other signs of metal trauma in that area, yet they must be stress fractures of some kind. Why would the failure be in the support structure instead of the disparate connections? And just those two? Should I even worry about it?

Thanks.

It almost looks like they were hoogled out for clearance for something by somebody,.........

 

[Teamster]

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

Bummer about the Bomber,...........

I thought maybe we were gonna get to watch a two for one Jas style,........................

 

[laurentide]

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

It almost looks like they were hoogled out for clearance for something by somebody,.........

That's the first thing I thought when I saw them because the rest of the boat's bones are nearly pristine. Bad resto job? It almost has to be. I'll get it cleaned up and post some more pics of that area over the weekend.

 

[GA_Boater]

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

Jeez, Chem. Do you have any more questions? LOL On the transom, just bust it up and get it out, you don't have much for a pattern anyway. The red line for the cut - I would turn your line 90 degrees and just trim enough for the ply to slide in. It looks like you only need a smidge and then seal the cap with 4200 when you re-assemble.

The W/S plexi shouldn't be too bad, flat helps a lot.

And now the big question. What the heck are your flipper-flappers? Not shopping cart wheel thingies, not bimini parts. They look like AL to me that were bolted to some steel (rusty marks) and they appear to be all the same with the same butterfly shape. Nothing I can recall seeing in any SC. I say put 'em on the shelf just in case you happen to find a place for them. If they're still on the shelf at the end, toss 'em.

EDIT - forgot about the rib ends. Looks like they got butchered to help drop the floor in those places, Mine are all flattened for the floor to rest on.

 

[laurentide]

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

Bummer about the Bomber,...........

I thought maybe we were gonna get to watch a two for one Jas style,........................

Had I known that I'd find this tin beauty over the winter, I would've kept the Bomber intact for a final season while I restored the Chief in proper fashion. That's why it's currently a "rough and ready" endeavor...sacrifices will be made.

 

[laurentide]

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

GA Boater, you haven't even seen the half of it. In a couple of weeks I'm gonna try to play the "name this piece of vintage starcraft trim" game, as it it all came in a pile of pine needles, displaced flotation foam, and rotten vinyl.

 

[GA_Boater]

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

GA Boater, you haven't even seen the half of it. In a couple of weeks I'm gonna try to play the "name this piece of vintage starcraft trim" game, as it it all came in a pile of pine needles, displaced flotation foam, and rotten vinyl.

Bring it on!! I love games like this. I'm weird.