1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

good plan on the tank. i did the same with one of those. 3d degree burns and plastic surgery suck.

basically, since you're not going to be pulling motor or rest of interior. having the weight out does make hull easier to flip/roll for painting. do transom at same time as rear floor. have you checked the Murkcruiser forum with your shifter Q?

crappy paint and all, you still got a steal.

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Thanks, Barato2 - Doing the transom at the same time as flooring makes perfect sense to me, too. Yeah, I've been looking at the Mercruiser forum, and although I have found some cool info, I haven't found how to get to the shifter connection... but I WILL locate it, and see if it will shift manually, without the cable attached. There are also some great videos, on you Tube, on some "how to's" for stuff like changing the bellows (which will also get done), and other Mercruiser stuff. Question: I have seen some of the 18's with bow rails - is that a stock item, on these? I'd sure like to find one, if it is. Gotta go, daughter is getting hitched, today... Later - J.P.

 

[dozerII]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Great looking 18 Chief jps, welcome to the Tin Brotherhood. Look forward to following along.

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Thanks, dozerll. I have been wanting a Starcraft, for some years, now, and it's great to finally get my mitts on one... Now to make her my own!

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

I have been looking at posts, on the forum, and decided to take a peek at my outdrive... luckily, I didn't launch her! It looks like the exhaust bellows (?) I can see, with the outdrive "up". It's ripped (rotted, whatever) all to poop! I don't know if that would have dumped water into the bilge, or even sucked water back into the engine, but I'm not going to find out. I'll get a kit for all of the bellows, and an impeller, too... any other items I should be replacing/inspecting while I'm in there? I want the outdrive in tip-top shape before the real work on the boat starts.

 

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

good plan there. what would have happened is that your boat would have sunk.
there are several bellowses there and you'll also want to check the gimbal bearings (the ones that the outdirve pivots on to tilt and steer). folks sharper on I/Os than me can no doubt think of more.


congrats on your daughter! plus sons in law = strong back labor to help with boat resto

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Decided I'd better get a couple of things looked into - - removed aft aluminum, to get a look at the transom, and what ever is going on with the shift issue. The transom doesn't look too bad, I haven't decided whether to just scrub the daylights out of it and paint it, or replace it. I may well just say to heck with it, and replace it just for avoidance of future problems, and peace of mind. - Shifting problems - - The Morse shifting/throttle unit, would shift into forward, but no further than neutral when trying to get to reverse. I pulled off the cable, and the shifter still would hardly move forward, and definitely not past neutral. SO, I pulled the shift/throttle unit off, and it was full of pretty much tar (old grease). I oiled up the cables until they worked freely, and then took the Morse apart, cleaned completely, put fresh grease on the parts, and reassembled it. Here is what I believe a Morse should look like on the inside - - Enough grease to make it smooth, but not so much that it's everywhere, and can dry into the mess I started out with.

 

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

transoms are kind of like struts on a car......if you think you might need to replace, you probably do. especially if you'll be using boat offshore, crossing river bars, etc....somehow i suspect farm ponds are not your rig's intended duty!

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Barato2 - Yep. She'll spend a lot of time in the North end of Puget Sound, and larger lakes. Not super rough water, but still, enough to put a load on her. Safety first, last, and in between. I might get another aluminum skin cut, for the stern, while I am at it. That way, the back of the boat is clean, and new, again - Here's another pic of the rest of the Morse, before I closed it up. - apparently, we have a limit on posting pics. -

 

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

that's probably overkill unless the inside of transom skin is badly pitted when you pull the wood....but no one ever had a boat fall apart for being overbuilt!

i think it's 5 pics per post.

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

OOPS! Barato2 - I didn't see your reply about the boat sinking, or the congrats, on getting Alycia married off (thanks, and ...whew!) LOL Her hubby is a great guy, but he may too bright to get involved in this form of craziness. - I will get a complete bellows kit, for the old girl, check the gimbal bearing , install a new cable kit, and impeller, at the minimum. I can't wait to get all of the mechanical/electrical stuff done, so I can get on to the restoration/customization portion of the program. Tomorrow's another day... I wonder what kind of mis-chief I can get into...

 

[dozerII]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Progress and marrying off the Daughter, all good in love and tin boats. You will probably want to order an engine alignment bar and tool set from the guys on Ebay, worth every penny. I sent you a PM with some other info as well.

 

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

I wonder what kind of mis-chief I can get into...

now that you mention it, Miss Chief wouldn't be a bad name for the boat....

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Stipped the aluminum aft deck plate, above the engine, down to the zip primer, and will primer it, this week... Four flipping colors! The worst was the final insult of battleship gray. I also forgot that I have a Mercruiser out drive from an 81 Sea Ray (305 V8) The shift cable in it is perfect... now, if it will fit mine, and I can figure out how to get it out of the outdrive, and into mine (sounds like a Mercruiser forum question), I'll have saved a little money I can use elsewhere... Like, on the aft deck - we're seriously contemplating laminating teak and holly 1/8" ply to some 1/2 marine ply, and using it for the deck. I could Cetol it, and have a nice looking deck out of the deal. Also buying a 12'X26' heavy duty portable carport, tomorrow, to put the old girl in so I can work on her all winter with heat, and lighting. Also came across a screaming deal on a 5.7 merc with a 2012 Alpha One Gen 1 (from Marine Engineering) outdrive, all of the controls, and cables, and a bunch of other stuff for $400 locally... wonder if I could get that into my boat, without sinking her stern first, at launching. I'd probably have to make the whole cabin a fuel tank! She'd sure get to the fishing hole quickly! AHH... the dreams of a boat owner... But I'm thinking it over - I'll send pics of the primed aft deck when I get it done, and sanded. It's in really good shape.

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

LOL - I like it! You may have just named her!

 

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

now let's see....if you mounted the V8 amidships and used about a 4' driveshaft......

 

[bob johnson]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Stipped the aluminum aft deck plate, above the engine, down to the zip primer, and will primer it, this week... Four flipping colors! The worst was the final insult of battleship gray. I also forgot that I have a Mercruiser out drive from an 81 Sea Ray (305 V8) The shift cable in it is perfect... now, if it will fit mine, and I can figure out how to get it out of the outdrive, and into mine (sounds like a Mercruiser forum question), I'll have saved a little money I can use elsewhere... Like, on the aft deck - we're seriously contemplating laminating teak and holly 1/8" ply to some 1/2 marine ply, and using it for the deck. I could Cetol it, and have a nice looking deck out of the deal. Also buying a 12'X26' heavy duty portable carport, tomorrow, to put the old girl in so I can work on her all winter with heat, and lighting. Also came across a screaming deal on a 5.7 merc with a 2012 Alpha One Gen 1 (from Marine Engineering) outdrive, all of the controls, and cables, and a bunch of other stuff for $400 locally... wonder if I could get that into my boat, without sinking her stern first, at launching. I'd probably have to make the whole cabin a fuel tank! She'd sure get to the fishing hole quickly! AHH... the dreams of a boat owner... But I'm thinking it over - I'll send pics of the primed aft deck when I get it done, and sanded. It's in really good shape.

that motor doesn't weigh much more than the common 6 cyl 165 hp units the factory installed for years.... I think the 250 CI 6 cyl weighs close to 800 lbs dressed...I bet the 5.7 weighs less than 1000 lbs dressed.... the extra weigh has less effect in I/O format than it would have cantilevered off the back of the transom like an outboard....bob

 

[barato2]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

all true, but AFAIK, factory never put the 165 in the 18' hull, just in the 22s....you have little enough cockpit space in a Starchief/Chieftain18 as it is!

dumb Q: why doesn't anyone turbocharge the four? stationary, constant-rpm engine with unlimited coolant supply is the perfect place for a turbo...

 

[jpstude]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

:joyous:Bought a 12'X26' portable garage. It's assembled and Miss Chief is in, for the winter. This way, I can get out of the weather to work on her.
After following one of the Starcraft Maniac's adventures restoring his, outside, in Michigan, in the winter, I decided I'm not doing it quite like that. I was raised in AK. lived there for well over twenty years, and I'll be darned if I ever freeze my rear off again. I'll put heat, and a stereo, in the garage/doghouse (LOL), and if I had my way, I'd hook up to the satellite feed and put a flat screen in there, too. Then I could watch football, and work on the boat, at the same time... sounds right to me. - - Yeah, I know, I haven't leveled the garage yet, or secured it to some cement pads, but at least she's inside. Now, I can get to work on her...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1978 Starcraft Chieftan 18' - Starting point

Good looking work space! Congrats, looks like a great work space!

Have you considered what you'll use for flotation foam once you get there? Those 4X8 foam panels might come in handy, as, well, you know, insulation...:watermelon: