I went diving every other weekend, year round, 20-40 miles+ offshore, for years, in a 20 seafari. 3 divers, 10 tanks, 150 lb ice, 56 gallons of fuel(16 in a barrel on the deck), etc etc. Comments about not shedding water in a head sea are just ignorant. Believe me, you can fish 3 guys, no problem at all. 4 might be a little tight for fishing, not my area.

The boat likes weight, makes it ride better, and its tough enough to handle more than you can. It can be wet in a steep chop and cross wind, but what 20 footer isn't? That is what the windshield is for. With an 1/0 v8, you will probably have the torque to slow way down but still plane when its snotty, big advantage. Put tabs on it and that's a done deal.

Great find, congratulations!

Connor

CsickNick fishes giant bluefin around Stellwagen with I think one or 2 of his bro's.

He has a recent140 zuke on the transom. He wrangles 300 lb fish into the boat fills the cuddy with ice and a 75" fish and heads for home. He has an enclosed hard top, a raft and radar up top, and God knows how muckh his gear weighs.

Move the weight where its needed (don't take more than you need) and slow down and employ the trim tabs to your advantage when the going gets rough.

It is tight quarters for fishing and I personally fish more comfortably with 2 than 3. 4 guys is too many in my mind. Here's a link to one of Nicks threads.

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ight=csicknick

Pprussel,

Give it a chance. I have the 23' with an I/O 260 and am looking to go to 300+. It needs new power. I love it!

A little different in an following sea. Don't try to overwhelm it. Start by riding the back side of the wave in front. Then begin to spool it up to where you are just comfortably riding up/pushing through and moving down the front. Use the weight to your advantage. It will keep your butt in the water and that is good. Don't be afraid to try a few different things. Moving your movable weight around and playing with your tabs. Start with them a bit more down. Take a friend along and tell him it is a reconniscence trip - not fishing. Then he knows what to expect.

The boat's abilities don't change, the Skipper's' understanding of the boat does. Let it teach you what it likes. Should take an afternoon in a good blow. You'll have a few stories to tell - good and well...?

There is a guy on here from Western Massachussetts that boats the Great Lakes. He didn't believe how he could balance it out and make everyone come up to him at the dock and ask what the hell hull he was in. He couldn't believe what it would do in a following sea and chop!

Good luck and ask questions when you get back.

Wow, great link to Csicknicks thread. Cant wait to try mine out. Take her out and see how it rides. Alot of these guys throw these big mucking 4 strokes on the back with not much freeboard at the cut down transoms. You have a full closed in I/O, so you can give her a few seatrials for sure. If you end up being uncompfortable with it replace it with a nice 4.3 MC. That boat is worth a repower for sure. Congrats on your find. :)

Seafari 20 V8
 

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies. Here are a few more tidbits. The 350 Mercruiser evidently came with the boat from SeaCraft, has 121 hours on it (see the hour meter in the pic). There are expensive extras like the downriggers, lots of electronics, the Todd helm chairs, the Honda kicker with electric throttle and steering connection to the drive, and much more.
We hope to put it in salt on Sunday if all goes well. Going to take it slow and see what we have under us. Should be fun and I'll post a report.

Here are a few more pics. Hope I am doing this correctly.
PPrussell

So nice! I see she's got tabs, perfect!


That is a big kicker. Mine had a 150 outboard for main power. I found when I put a relatively heavy kicker on a bracket(for a Bahama trip with the wife, light load forward) that it did not like the extra weight aft. It was still fine running when it got snotty, but, at rest, you could tell it was a lot of weight aft. You might try running with and without the kicker to see how it does. Enough weight forward and you may see no problem at all.

Connor

You say you have big swells? where are you at? I agree that the kicker looks a little on the large size. The stern drive is all the weight you are going to want back there. Maybe put it in the bow or sell it and get a yamaha t-8. I saw your post on THT. Good luck with the seatrial.

strick

Yeah, we were looking at several boats, a Tiara 25, Skipjack 24, the Sea Ox 20. When you stick your head in the bilge, the Tiara quality is tops. Huge gel coated glass stringers, for example, better than Tolly, who also does it great. The Skippy has the best fishing layout and well built, but has that rep of transom and stringer rot. I never warmed up to the Sea Ox, due to the WA layout, prefer the cuddy.
As for the weight aft, we were going to carry our 6-man valise rescue platform, fishing tackle, rods, porta potty, ditch bag and heavy weather clothing in the bow. Hoped it would offset the kicker. We fish on the wire most of the time and the kicker is required to keep you around 2 knots. That keeps the balls down when you are in the 100-200' depth range.
Hope we are not making a mistake with the small SeaCraft here for this type of ocean fishing.

Where is "here"? I believe I saw a CF registration on the hull. Are you in Cali?

Yup. Good eye. Any other owners in Cal area? Like to hear from you.