My Chieftan project

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: My Chieftan project

Well it was cloudy and snowy today so wasn't able to get her out in the sun but did get the tape off and managed a couple cell pics.





Have the bottom paint picked out and that will hopefully go on next week.

Steve, the paint is base coat/clear coat blended at the paint store on the numbers we gave them from automotive colors. If I recall right, the estate green and the kiwi green were Ford colors, the sandstone is a dodge color and the bottom will be a beige color which is a Hyundai color.

 

[astor]

Re: My Chieftan project

Wow, even that light, that paint job looks real classy. Nice work!!!

 

[Watermann]

Re: My Chieftan project

Man that clear coat makes her shine!

 

[Gibbles]

Re: My Chieftan project

looks good!

 

[barato2]

Re: My Chieftan project

you have both the most ambitious and the best looking paint i've seen in a while....far end of the spectrum from my "good enough" approach, and your results show it.

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: My Chieftan project

Thanks guys. It has been a tedious job but the results are worth it. The unfortunate part is the cost of the paint and clear coat. Certainly not something I would make a habit of doing. Originally had planned on just 2 colors and then it bloomed to 4 when we started mock taping lines to see how it would look.

 

[pckeen]

Re: My Chieftan project

That looks like a new boat - even with the cost of the paint, that's a truly professional restoration - will look fabulous on the water.

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: My Chieftan project



This winter sure has been hard on the deer in our area. They have been ravaging the bird feeder daily and even took the bell shaped bird feed hanging in the tree. I sure am ready for spring already.

Although I do enjoy the deer and deer hunting the below pic shows why I do not like them while driving. This pic was from a few years ago when I was towing the boat down the expressway on the way to do some spring salmon fishing. It was still dark and we were only about 10 miles from where we were going to launch and out of the median it came on the run. No way to stop. At least I was able to stop safely with no damage to the boat.

 

[redneck joe]

Re: My Chieftan project

whats for dinner?

 

[barato2]

Re: My Chieftan project

at least it didn't come through the windshield. we have to dodge a lot of deer and elk in the NM mountains near our cabin, and i always stress to the Admiral hunkering down behind the dash if possible, once an impact seems inevitable. missed em all thus far but i suspect we'll get one some day. one reason i've added lots of auxilary lighting to the Taco de Pescado......Hella si, tacos de venado no.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: My Chieftan project

That deer tenderized you truck buddy!

 

[InMotion]

Re: My Chieftan project

Yikes! Glad you were ok!

Nasty... buddy hit a moose with a Toyota corolla... neither faired well! Least you had a truck!!!

J.

 

[Watermann]

Re: My Chieftan project

Yeah I don't much care for those Venison Hood Ornaments myself.

 

[barato2]

Re: My Chieftan project

one situation where the sheer height and bluff front of a truck is a good safety factor. +5 on glad you came through OK!

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: My Chieftan project

Winter still has a strong grip with another 4" - 6" inches of snow predicted for tonight. Was -16 this am and supposed to hit 45 Thursday. Wow. But it hasn't halted the power of the internet to purchase things for the boat. Got my new fuel fills and vents in, still waiting for the new bow light, water fill, and drain fittings. They should be in tomorrow according to UPS tracking.

Got some serious brain strain this weekend delving into the prospect of hydraulic steering. Auto pilot is being considered for the future and seems they all run via hydro steering. Lot of info on it for outboards including package deals but for outdrives it is a different story. Balanced, unbalanced, power assist or not, number of wheel turns lock to lock, and front mount/back mount/tilt mount helm. Spoke to customer service today at one of the companies and think I got it figured out now and what I need. Now got to spend some time searching for the best prices. I wold rather install this system now before I get the engine and stuff in than to have to work around or even have to pull it back out to get it in. Comments and/or suggestions welcome.

 

[laurentide]

Re: My Chieftan project

Willy, I have zero expertise to lend you regarding hydraulic steering or AP, but I did a lot of research on various fishing forums to find an affordable alternative. What I came up with is using a minn kota i pilot bow mount with the appropriate thrust for your hull size, and using your main/kicker locked straight to provide the bulk of propulsion power, so the electric motor just does the steering. You can store a few 2 mile tracks in the i pilot, or use the auto pilot to stay on a GPS waypoint. People use this system on the Pacific ocean, so it should work for you on the big lake. I've heard great things about the spot lock feature as well.

Cons are: at least two big, heavy deep cycles are required, and it's not that cheap...but cheaper than a true AP system. Best prices I can see are about $1K for the I pilot, then parts and your labor for the 24v installation.

I hope to have this up and running on my boat this season, so I'll let you know how it goes if you don't go for the full AP.

Paint looks incredible, BTW.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: My Chieftan project

delete

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: My Chieftan project

I use an autopilot from raymarine. The "sport pilot +", it doesn't need hydraulic steering. This is the third boat I've had it on. All you have to do is take off the steering wheel and mount it under, then find a place for the electronic compass. The compass is supposed to mount low and as close to center as possible, mines in the fuel tank compartment. I use mine for trolling and for running and it will follow waypoints from the GPS using NEMA signals from my Hummingbird, or just point it in any direction and it will keep the course until you decide to turn. I think its the best thing I've ever had, really helps out when fighting and landing fish. Its like having another person on board that doesn't drink beer or fall asleep.

View attachment 223715

You can just see it under the wheel. Excuse the messy wires I was still doing the install when this was taken and was checking to make sure everything worked before I tied them out of sight.

 

[laurentide]

Re: My Chieftan project

I use an autopilot from raymarine. The "sport pilot +", it doesn't need hydraulic steering. This is the third boat I've had it on. All you have to do is take off the steering wheel and mount it under, then find a place for the electronic compass. The compass is supposed to mount low and as close to center as possible, mines in the fuel tank compartment. I use mine for trolling and for running and it will follow waypoints from the GPS using NEMA signals from my Hummingbird, or just point it in any direction and it will keep the course until you decide to turn. I think its the best thing I've ever had, really helps out when fighting and landing fish. Its like having another person on board that doesn't drink beer or fall asleep.

View attachment 223715

You can just see it under the wheel. Excuse the messy wires I was still doing the install when this was taken and was checking to make sure everything worked before I tied them out of sight.

Sorry to hijack Willy's thread, but that's great info for me as well. Thanks. Maybe even cheaper than the electric idea after buying batteries.

 

[Weep'n Willy]

Re: My Chieftan project

Thanks for the input guys.

Chem, I have head good about the i-pilots but that is just too many batteries for me. Battery life is another concern as we often make a full day of it on the water.

George, thanks for info on the Ray unit. Will have to look into that. No solid decision yet but have heard some good things on the Garmin system. Spoke with Uflex yesterday and a marine service center and was given quite a bit of info on both the hydro systems and the Garmin.


Now on to today's accomplishment. Disclaimer: Warning do not attempt this at home.



The flying Chief. We got her up in the air and off the trailer. Got the bottom all scrubbed down and getting her prepped for paint. Should be completed on Thursday. Then on to finishing the interior.