Chieftain 24 pod

[MuskokaHunter]

I sent my 1974 Chieftain 24 ft to the welder for a pod . I got 1 2019 150hp g1 evinrude 25" shaft . If I make the pod so I can do a single outboard in the middle then setup the pod to support the twins on the outside chines how funny would that look . Have the option to put on a single and twins .
Pod with a swim deck too is what I would like . Welder said it be big and goofy looking . But I don't mind I think. Any Ideas or opinions. Side note I been trying to read everything on here and online for a bit I have been reading most of, if not all the rebuilds on here. Thanks for your time .

 

[redneck joe]

Welcome to the forum.

Are you converting from an i/o?

At my age I don't care if I look goofy, on the water or elsewhere. Do what you want if it functions like you want.

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Welcome to the forum.

Are you converting from an i/o?

At my age I don't care if I look goofy, on the water or elsewhere. Do what you want if it functions like you want.

Yes I'm converting it from an I/o had old Ford 302 I sold and the old mc outdrive . Already gutted completely just aluminum shell now . I'm also getting the welder to add a new floor frame lower all one level. I may want to lift the roof later to be taller so I don't have to duck . But that's way in the future.

 

[MuskokaHunter]

it did get it to run pretty smooth, I put the electric points on it .my old man was mad when I sold it.

 

[redneck joe]

Ok make sure to add extra support to the insidw of the transom. The torque load is way different for the two.

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Ok make sure to add extra support to the insidw of the transom. The torque load is way different for the two.

Yes sir . He said he cut out the old transom and reweld a new thicker aluminum plate 1" I think . That's going to be heavy,use that to start off of I want him to add those supports on the inside as aggressive as he can. Huge L brackets x 4 or 5 . Then the floor reinforced to tie into it ,with a new real middle support down the center of the hull. Try to make it all one and heavy duty .

 

[redneck joe]

Cool. Im at my limit on technical help but keep posting others with a bigger brain will follow along.

 

[IslandExplorer]

Nice Chieftain! Your adoption photos look so much like mine, same hull, engine, and Leaves! Had a whole terrarium complete with ants going. Looks like you cleaned her right up proper. Other than losing the ol 302 dinosaur drive I like your plans of outboard bracket with swim platform. Thats the best realestate you can add if it doesn't have a platform already! W
Afterall what's a boat without water access? Doesn't seem goofy at all, make it to suite just how You'll enjoy it. Most people prefer outboards vs I/O these days and totally understand their reasons.

Now as for the 1" thick slab- I think that would be massive overkill unless you are needing protection from gunfire haha so maybe go lighter like 3/8 and it'd still be crazy strong. I don't want to insult you or your welder friend but there is caution to be taken if you decide to start welding a hull like this. It definitely was not intended to be and there are reasons why welded hulls are generally much thicker, all over, vs the thicknesses our vintage SC riveted boats run. Even an A+ land-based welder through no fault of their own would not be familiar with these sorts of issues typically.
Personally I'd stay with the original hull skin and add a new thicker plywood transom inside for vibration dampening and ease of installation. If bracket attached high and low it wouldnt need a 1" thick plate to lever off of. Its all about spreading out the load and the effects of leverage.
I did a lot of mods to the floor layout on mine and a lot of it had to do with wanting a simpler, more level floor like you.
One point of caution in your grand schemes is to keep in mind that like most boats in this size range these riveted hulls flex, quite a bit, and all the materials overlap and flex together in a semi compatible way. If you add something super rigid like a thick monolithic metal slab floor or transom you might have some tearing issues where, say, a much thinner more flexible material meets a way thicker much more rigid one. I had that issue before on another aluminum boat once. Just food for thought while planning your modifications for your future adventures.
Also, where possible, if you can rivet a welded assembly to the hull vs welding it helps it have that slight allowance for flex while also not putting too much heat into the original Starcraft hull. The OG hull has rubber like material sandwiched tight in the hull seams. If it gets hot it burns it up making a gap and the seam is no longer structurally sound. I have completely avoided welding to the thin aluminum hull myself. Partly for this reason.
I think you have an awesome starting point and a lot of decisions and also smiles ahead of you if you see it through and get her back out there. Lots of great help on this site. Best of luck to ya!

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Here's 1 chieftian done by him already. I kinda want this but the outboard mount all the way across and higher on the outside for the twins. Even if I have the twins on the outside I could still put the trolling motor in the middle

 

[MuskokaHunter]

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Here's another he did but he did the floor the way I would like it but no pod

 

[redneck joe]

Looks like that floor is slippery?

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Looks like that floor is slippery?

Ya I want to do marine plywood stained not.. shinny

 

[IslandExplorer]

Wow, that Chief looks like a brand new industrial grade fishing machine on the inside! Loads of simple flat floor space. Very streamlined. Has that boat pictured above been in the water much since? Interested how the hull did with those square plates welded down in the bilge V. I didn't think you could do stuff like that on a thin skin riveted boat in a flex zone without having all kinds of weld cracking issues after a few outings.

That bracket with platform looks very nice and professional. Diamond plate looks sweet. Nice thing about those pods is you get to keep all your boat space with no motor in the way and the pod's buoyancy can even compensate for a lot of the weight of the motors. Seems like a sweet setup.

You know, you might actually like the kicker spot on just one side and the nice easy swim ladder access on the other. Do you plan on swimming much off it? I built my platform to make swimming and hauling out big fish extra convenient. The 3 motor spots def gives you more options overall tho. Building a custom boat is just Full of tough choices/tradeoffs. I must've changed my mind a thousand times building mine.

Looking forward to seeing which way you go with this very interesting build!

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Here's what I got 2019 evinrude g1 150 25" 380 ish hrs but it's counter rotation I can still run it as solo but I figured it would be harder to find another. Going to go with normal rigging and not icon I priced that out its expensive 500- 1000cad for the dual shifter kit still need the motor actuators at another 1000$ pre motor

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Wow, that Chief looks like a brand new industrial grade fishing machine on the inside! Loads of simple flat floor space. Very streamlined. Has that boat pictured above been in the water much since? Interested how the hull did with those square plates welded down in the bilge V. I didn't think you could do stuff like that on a thin skin riveted boat in a flex zone without having all kinds of weld cracking issues after a few outings.

That bracket with platform looks very nice and professional. Diamond plate looks sweet. Nice thing about those pods is you get to keep all your boat space with no motor in the way and the pod's buoyancy can even compensate for a lot of the weight of the motors. Seems like a sweet setup.

You know, you might actually like the kicker spot on just one side and the nice easy swim ladder access on the other. Do you plan on swimming much off it? I built my platform to make swimming and hauling out big fish extra convenient. The 3 motor spots def gives you more options overall tho. Building a custom boat is just Full of tough choices/tradeoffs. I must've changed my mind a thousand times building mine.

Looking forward to seeing which way you go with this very interesting build!

I do want a way to swim off it but more for fishing. Having a deep floor will make it difficult to land one so I would like a way to jump to back fast and land it on the pod . (If it's a real big one)

 

[MuskokaHunter]

I do want a way to swim off it but more for fishing. Having a deep floor will make it difficult to land one so I would like a way to jump to back fast and land it on the pod . (If it's a real big one)

I don't want to cut any doors in it. For easier access I would rather a set of stairs or few steps to jump over the rear. I want to all one super solid aluminum transoms. I will deal with vibrations and noise after. I want a hull that will be forever. No wood other than floor my feet like that

 

[MuskokaHunter]

Wow, that Chief looks like a brand new industrial grade fishing machine on the inside! Loads of simple flat floor space. Very streamlined. Has that boat pictured above been in the water much since? Interested how the hull did with those square plates welded down in the bilge V. I didn't think you could do stuff like that on a thin skin riveted boat in a flex zone without having all kinds of weld cracking issues after a few outings.

That bracket with platform looks very nice and professional. Diamond plate looks sweet. Nice thing about those pods is you get to keep all your boat space with no motor in the way and the pod's buoyancy can even compensate for a lot of the weight of the motors. Seems like a sweet setup.

You know, you might actually like the kicker spot on just one side and the nice easy swim ladder access on the other. Do you plan on swimming much off it? I built my platform to make swimming and hauling out big fish extra convenient. The 3 motor spots def gives you more options overall tho. Building a custom boat is just Full of tough choices/tradeoffs. I must've changed my mind a thousand times building mine.

Looking forward to seeing which way you go with this very interesting build!

Idk about how long that boats been in the water I will ask him I got these pic about 2 years ago. Im building mine more for the great lakes.