TOPIC: 72 Starcraft Chieftain checkout

I'm considering a 21' Starcraft Chieftain. This would be my first aluminum boat. Definitely a project. Anyone have any particular things to watch for with this boat? Thanks.
DaveM.

I strongly suggest you spend some time going thru the info you find HERE

LOTS of great tin boat building, specifically old Starcrafts, at 42yrs old, a 1972 will fit right in.

Check out the nominated Chieftain rebuilds, 3 really great examples.

Similar to a fiberglass boat: Check the deck and transom wood. Check the exterior transom skin for signs of fatigue, check along the chine (side of the hull and the bottom of the hull) for signs of stress cracks around the rivets. If the deck is out, check the ends of the ribs (run left & right across the hull), the ribs ends and the hull below are prone to cracking around the rivets. That site I linked has several threads dealing w/ these cracks and a mod to prevent them.

I'm the same user name there

Good luck

John

Thanks for the reply John - found some really good stuff on that iboats site.
DaveM.

Yep, just don't let their mocking/treatment of fiberglass boats distract from the info. Not typically glassics, so there is that...

Tin or Glass we can't save them all, despite my Admiral's concern that I am attempting to.....

jbcurt00 wrote:

Tin or Glass we can't save them all, despite my Admiral's concern that I am attempting to.....

I resemble that remark!