Tin addiction 18' Starcraft Chieftain

[Watermann]

Wanting to try out some of the upgrades this morning I backed up to the boat with the Avalanche. What do you know the wind started howling so I checked a local weather station online near the launch and see sustained wind of 22 MPH out of the north. :mad-new: The admiral hates being out in the wind, she doesn't enjoy the rough water at all. Maybe tomorrow...

So I had got a pic here of the new wheels and tires I got for the trailer from Carlisle.

So while doing YARD WORK the mail lady brought me an early delivery, a new spare tire mount and wheel cover.

That got me out of yard work and into beer thirty. Have a great weekend guys! :very_drunk:

 

[Tnstratofam]

Waterman every time I see a pic of your Chieftain I'm amazed at how beautiful she is. She is stunning both on the trailer and in the water. I like the new wheels, and the spare tire cover is sharp as well.

 

[laurentide]

Looking great!

No non-boaters understand how much the wind can mess up your weekend plans. Nor do they understand how much time you have to put into this hobby off the water. I guess that's what windy days are good for!

 

[Decker83]

I have to agree with tns.. That boat is AWESOME!!!!!!
The wheels look great and so does the tire cover..
Nothing greater than to get out of yard work especially if its boat work..

 

[Watermann]

Thanks for swinging by and the kind comments. I picked up a couple of gas lifts and SS brackets from iboats for the sun deck/motor cover. The next time you guys go by a parts house check out the Gunk engine protector, man that stuff makes everything on you motor shine like new. Your supposed to wash the motor first, I use Super Clean and then the Gunk, it even smells great too. It protects and makes it easier to clean in the future. Good stuff I give it 2 :thumb: up.

 

[hayko1971]

yep, you sure set the bar high with this one, very pretty tin!

 

[Watermann]

Got out on the water this morning, drove 30 min to the launch, the Avalanche tows the Chief like a dream although backing up an empty trailer with it not so much the top of the tailgate is like 5 feet off the ground.

The new shifter is so smooth when dropping her into gear you can't even hear a clunk now when the LU gets it's command to go. Much better throttle control too when coming in to dock, well worth the big price tag for the upgrade.

Cruised the Columbia River south 5 or 6 miles to another town to take the admiral out to lunch at a restaurant right on the water with nice new docks to tie up to with outdoor dining right above so you can watch your boat. There's a confluence of a smaller river, the Methow River that joins up with the big river right out front of the aptly named 'Rivers Restaurant'. While having my half pound patty burger with ham and bacon here comes some people up the foot path along the river. They had to stop and take pictures of the Chief which was the only one moored at that dock, we got a kick out of it.

No wind today, the river was perfect for the admiral as you can tell by the smile as wide as the river.

Nice spring day today, meant for being on the water!

 

[hayko1971]

So jealous! Not a ripple on that water!!

Course my water is ripple free also... But ice will do that!

 

[Jigginglow]

Yep, I doesn't get any better than that, unless of course you could drop a line in the water! Very nice looking Chief, definitely something to be proud of.

 

[dozerII]

Looks awesome Rob, the new skins and wheels are pretty cool. No boating here yet hopefully next weekend.

 

[tgp***]

Every time I see your boat, I start searching for an 18' chief.

 

[jbcurt00]

Looks great, good times! A whole season this year

 

[Watermann]

So jealous! Not a ripple on that water!!

Course my water is ripple free also... But ice will do that!

Just the ripples we made, not 1 other boat was out.
Yeah that's some hard water you have there, the Columbia River NEVER comes close to freezing over.

Yep, I doesn't get any better than that, unless of course you could drop a line in the water! Very nice looking Chief, definitely something to be proud of.

I've had the SN out on the water for walleye but I got the itch for some bass fishing now. Thanks Jigg, the best part of having one of these old SCs is knowing your the one who made it what it is!

Looks awesome Rob, the new skins and wheels are pretty cool. No boating here yet hopefully next weekend.

Thanks Glen, a local tire shop got the wheels for me $54 ea but the rubber was almost double that. It's fun working on tin but being on the water inside it has the edge.

Every time I see your boat, I start searching for an 18' chief.

Hop on it then! We need to see some more Chief restos.

Looks great, good times! A whole season this year

Yeah the admiral has issued orders from high command that we'll be out on the water every weekend this summer. The problem with the Columbia below Chief Joe dam is the salmon season as It draws tons of fishermen. The launches are all full and a guy can almost walk across the boats. Good thing we have lots of other options when it gets crowded.

Thanks for stopping by guys :yo:

 

[GA_Boater]

What a thread.......er........Starcraft - It gets better every time you update, WM. And the tips, now including Right Guard deodorant for the motor. :thumb:

Did the lunch launch to feed the Admiral lead to more yard work avoidance? What a plan! :lol:

 

[java230]

That is some seriously smooth water! Lake Pateros area?

 

[classiccat]

Congrats on a fine spring outing there Agua!!! :thumb:

 

[MNhunter1]

Beautiful beautiful Chieftain WM! Always enjoy your pictures.

 

[astor]

Ok, now you got me looking for new aluminum wheels, Those really look nice! what a clean, well done looking boat.

 

[Watermann]

Thanks again guys for turning the wheel my direction and stopping by with your words of praise. It really means a lot to have fellow Starcraft and tinny restorer types give their approval.
You guys all know how much time, effort, love and money goes into these timeless craft. :yo:

Not that it isn't nice to have a few rotten glasser types stop by too. :lol:

 

[Watermann]

Guess it never ends, the constant flow of time, effort and money into our favorite hobby. Just wanted to let the IO guys know about the upgrade I did for the starter on the Chief. The original massive field coil starter had to go since it was showing the first signs of becoming weak by turning over the motor slow when cold and gaining speed as it went.I could've gotten by until it decided to puke but with my luck I'd be out on the lake when it decided to let go.

So I did some research and decided to upgrade to an OEM MC permanent mag starter motor. The new starter is a little over half the size of the old one, is gear reduction and high torque. (OEM new $180) If you decide to go this route just know that they need to have new mounting bolts as the old ones will be too long. The difference is amazing in not only how these new starters sound but how fast they turn the motor over. Another note, be sure when checking part numbers and ordering that you get the starter with the correct number of drive gear teeth, mine was an 11 tooth but some flywheels use the 9 tooth.

You can't hardly pull your hand off the key before the motor fires off. Yeah I do have some topless Mercruiser vid to show how well this starter works. :heh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLn-C_TYKg