1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So here are the pics of the swim platform and fishbox with the final coat of epoxy before paint. I also received a jewelry box from Gemlux with some of the pieces I need to finish. Man, they are expensive! I still have to order a bronze high speed pick up, 3 ball valves and a few hose barb adapters.

Always call Gemlux to order stuff and mention the THT discount. It will save you quite a bit. I always check out their clearance page as well. I got some sweet deals being patient. https://gemlux.com/collections/marine-hardware-on-sale

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Thanks for the heads up Kmoose. I'll remember that for next time.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Fish box is painted and plumbed. Fuel tank is glued down with 5200 on 1/4" x 3" wide strips of PVC. Next up is to fiberglass a couple bulkheads/supports on top of the tank to hold it down and support the floor.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So it's been a while since I've updated my build progress. Rain and cold weather has slowed things down considerably but in the last two weeks I've been able to get a few things checked off the list. The fuel tank is glued down and the bulkhead and hold down pieces are glassed in place. The deck supports are glued in with thickened epoxy and the livewell was supported and glassed in. I also fiberglassed the bow section of the liner back together.

I hope that you have a lot of glass connecting that pair of sawn through stringers/ through transom knees? I couldn't tell from pictures. Those box stringers are some of the primary load carrying members in the hull, and I didn't see that reconnected. I think I saw foam there.


Maybe I missed it? I saw a picture of the tank installation and it looks like the through-transom knees aren't connected to the box longitudinal stringers?


Without this connection the bending load exits the knees near the transom, goes through the hull and back to the stringers forward, peel failing the tabbing and bending the hull from slamming loads. If the glass is there, but isn't thick enough, it will progressively fail.



Apologies if this has already been addressed.


I do like the all composite bracket, in that it should never rot.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Hey FishStretcher. I appreciate all the feedback and questions/concerns. I think you can see it in some of the earlier pics and the one of the livewell looking aft. The box stringers that were cut were refilled with foam and glassed to the coosa Stringer/transom knees/outboard bracket. The last three feet of stringer where it meets the new coosa stringer received a third layer of 17OZ glass over the two the rest of the stringer got and the four layers that are holding the coosa stringers. Now that the livewell is in I plan to add one final layer to really sure things up and smooth everything out. This boat was already missing the in deck baitwell but I plan on keeping the hatch and gutter for bilge access and wet storage so I want it to be as clean and smooth as possible

Nice!!!!!

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

It doesn't seem like it's been a month since I've updated this build thread but I guess it has. I finished rebuilding the front liner and have it resting in place ready for paint. The storage box has been raised and moved forward to allow for the raised stringers and new fishbox and the anchor locker has been modified to fit this new configuration. The rear edges will still need to be trimmed a bit to allow for the forward bulkhead. The bulkhead will span the width of the boat where fishbox meets the rear of the storage bin all the way to the top of the gunwales. Everything forward will be decked over. The bilge has been painted along with the area outside the box stringers. I don't plan on re-filling those voids with foam because I like the idea of possibly installing hatches for spear gun storage later on. I had always planned on using the old in-deck livewell hatch as bilge access but because I'm laying the new floor directly on the stringers, the old hatch gutters would not sit properly. This meant having to build a new hatch gutter insert. The new floor will be 3/4" honey comb but to avoid dealing with the exposed edges I went with scrap coosa for the gutters. These will then be glassed together before gluing in place. Then, I added new fuel vent and supply line and ran a piece of PVC pipe from the tank bulkhead to the livewell brace. Lastly, I opted to relocate the drain plug to the bottom of the bilge rather than out the transom. The reason being is that even with the trailer cranked all the way up there was still quit a bit of water remaining in the bilge. The water you see in the picture was still draining from the recent pollen cleansing. I will add a clamshell to the underside to redirect the water flow passed the drain.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So Its been a fairly productive weekend. I was able to get the deck started and bow liner painted. Since this liner will be enclosed I decided to go cheap on the paint. I went with Rustoleum Topside paint. For the price it's not bad. The hard part was trying to color match the exterior gelcoat. The downside with the rustoleum is the few color choices. my gel coat is 1 part ultra white and 1 part ice blue. Apparently just adding a bit of royal blue to white paint will not get you there. I was able to get it surprisingly close by adding a slight amount of a different brand of key lime yellow I had from another project. I decided to roll it on because, again, it will be enclosed and out of sight, it was windy today and because it's just extremely awkward to move in and out of the boat by myself if I were to spray it. For the deck I cut the 3/4" nidaplast, set the new hatch gutter in place and fiberglassed the underside. I opted for the unfinished nidaplast because of the $200 price difference. I also added some Coosa reinforcements where the nidacore meets the hatch gutters front and back and gave it an extra 2 layers of 17oz biaxial glass. The pic shows the rear deck section in place but the topside has yet to be glassed. The underside of the second section is currently setting up. I'm debating if I should glass all of the sections together before gluing it down or doing it in sections. I would love some input. Lastly I cut out the old fishbox hatch gutter and prepared it for the new deck by removing the old coring material. Most of which was, not surprisingly, soggy. I will be filling the drain passages on the old hatch gutters because the new orientation won't really allow for proper drainage. I will likely just drill holes so the water drains into the fishbox.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I'm just about finished building the deck. I have the front section glassed including the fish box hatch gutter. I have the three sections glassed together and reinforced the seams with some 3/4" coosa. I had to pull the boat out of the canopy so that I can install the 13' long deck in one piece. This is the first time the boat has been out from under the carport since I bought it back in August. It looks bigger out in the open.

That looks great.
Hope to have something that looks similar, just a little longer in the near future. Did you build in any crown? And if so, how did it do retaining its set with the glass on just the first side?

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

It's a bit flimsy with just the one side glassed but that flexibility will be needed for adding some crown to it when it's installed. The outer deck supports are a bit lower than the stringers.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So the deck is glued down and I was able to get two layers of fiberglass on it before running out of epoxy. I will let it fully cure for the next couple of days before I try walking around on it to see if it would need any more. Next up will be the bow and stern bulkheads.

That is a major accomplishment/milestone. Bet it feels great to have it in.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Yes, it feels like I'm finally rounding a corner with this build. Now I can start planning the final layout with the cooler, console and leaning post.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So it turns out the center console I had planned for this boat doesn't exist. Who knew, right? The original console was the wrong size in every dimension for what I wanted so rather than narrow it, remove the front seat and raise the height I decided to build my own. I would have preferred to build it from 1/2" divinycell foam but since the sheets I bought earlier are already earmarked for the cap I decided to use 1/4" oak plywood instead. Also, I couldn't justify the freight charges to buy more foam sheets. I made a rough mock up of a console using some pink foam boards from home depot which wound up looking like an upright piano. I then tweaked those measurements to get a console I could live with. It is 31" wide, 24" deep and 46" tall with slight tilt to stern to allow for a more comfortable seating position for a person on a cooler in front. I ripped 2x2's diagonally and glued the plywood panels together. I still need to add the trim panel around the foot rest and toe kick, then I will round over the inside edges before adding a layer of 17oz. fiberglass. The 2x2's in the seams with have enough meat so that I can bevel larger radii giving it a more modern look with softer corners then I'll glass the outside. I also laid down a coat of epoxy on the deck to fill some of the print through and level things out a bit before sanding and fairing. Lastly, I glued in the bow bulkhead in preparation for fiberglass.

Have you thought about putting a spot at or near the top of your front recess for a long thin switch panel? Recessed in a bit so the knees don't hit it.

I thought about that but I'm worried it might interfere with the steering and it would make it difficult to see while driving. I will likely mount all the switches on the upright panel.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I glassed in preformed battens on the port side to stiffen the hull. I will be reusing the top portion of the cap and glassing it to the hull sides via under gunwale rod holders as well as the bow and transom bulkheads and decks so I'm not sure I actually need to. I bought them early on in this project thinking I would so why not now, right? The front bulkhead is fully glassed in place. It received 6" tabs on the bow side and a full covering on the stern side. I chamfered the corners of the console, rounded the hard edges and set it in place to make sure it would fit properly. I have been going back and forth about what do do for a leaning post. I've been eyeballing the Stryker swing back in aluminum but my brother is trying to convince me to go custom. I must say his does look really good but I don't know that I can justify the extra dollars.

A thought. You are building your console. Why not make a fiberglass leaning post.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I thought about having a fiberglass leaning post early on in the project but I prefer the look of aluminum.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Well, I reached another milestone yesterday. I was able to purchase a 2021 Suzuki 140A. It will still be a while before I get it mounted but from what I was hearing if I didn't get it now I might not get one this year. I lucked out, the nearest marina had 1 in stock. The other two I called had no clue when they would be getting any more. I opted to rig it myself because, even though they said they would hold it, I didn't want to risk it getting sold to someone else.

Perfect engine for that boat...no speed demon but she will start every time...

Strick

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I cut out and rounded the edges of the coosa board pieces for the rod holders/gunwale supports as well as the rear deck cap. The gunwales will be roughly 8" wide at the stern and will increase in width as the bow flare increase moving forward so that it is plumb with the deck.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

The cap went under the knife today. The core was ~75% rotten. You can see roughly how it will be laid out. I will be cutting the coaming off completely at the stern and have it increase moving forward of the front rod holder/ gunwale support so that it is 3-4" tall to allow for some foam padding. I will have to do a bit of trimming and make a few relief cuts so that it will follow the new hull shape before re-coring it with 1/2" Divinycell H-80. The deck portion will be supported with the remaining pieces of the pre-form battens. I was surprised with the difference they made stiffening the hull sides. I think the easiest way to do it will be to cut all the foam to shape, glass the undersides, lay it in place, set the cap on top, screw it back to the hull and finally glass it all together.

Looks good! What are you putting in the bow area? That cap looks like you'll have a lot of head scratching and dry fitting ahead of you.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I think I got most of the head scratching out of the way. The bow storage area will be for life jackets, towels and eventually batteries for a trolling motor.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

As the demolition of the cap continues I took some time to start building the cover for the fuel fill and vent lines. I would have preferred to use coosa but the scraps I have left are too small to be useful. I was able to use a single piece of nidacore without having to fill the edges by making a couple of miter cuts and folding it into shape before fiberglassing it.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I'm still grinding away on the cap. The outer section that screws to the hull is taking longer because the areas that don't have any wood coring is thickened resin. I'm having to grind it level with the rest of the cap so it will sit flush with the new divinycell foam core. The good news is that it with the core removed I should have no problem getting it to follow the new shearline with out any relief cuts. In other news, my Strykker swing back leaning post arrived. I'm pretty happy with the quality and the price was right. I did have to make a slight modification to make it more user friendly. The bar under the seat that stops the back rest is a bit too high from the factory. Because of the this it feels like you're constantly sliding off the front. I drilled new holes about 2" inches lower on the side supports, ground a bit of material from the bar to accommodate for the bend and the back rest now goes back far enough to sit comfortably. Now I just need to countersink the new holes so the screws sits flush.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

A few quick updates and some pics. The bilge is nearing completion. The seachest is in and wired. A few more hoses to plumb and it will be done. Relief cuts were made to the old cap so it will follow the new hull shape. The new coring material is laid out upside down and glassed. The deck portion was supported with leftover preformed battens and was given a bit of crown to better shed water. I'm hoping to set it in the boat this afternoon. I will need all hands on deck for that maneuver.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Ok, the new cap core material is in place. With a minimal amount of weight you can see it takes it's shape quite nicely. Once I finish grinding the other half of the cap, I will glue and glass it all together. Also, you can see the front access hatch and cooler. It's a Kenai 65. I went with this one because it had the sleekest lines and smallest footprint for it's size. I'm trying to mount the console as far forward as I can.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So I finished grinding the rest of the cap and made some relief cuts so it too will follow the hull shape. I made some clamps from a 10' section of 6" PVC pipe in preparation of glassing the core material to the cap sections this weekend.

I cut the hole for the front bulkhead hatch and have it sitting in place. I glued the inner and outer sections of the cap to the divinycell core material with thickened epoxy and clamped it in place. You can see the relief cuts I had to make in the outer section. I have a piece to fill the gap above the hatch that still needs to be glued in. The whole thing came together surprisingly easy and exactly how I wanted. I'm really happy with the new lines. Next up will be fiberglassing and filling the low spots then a mountain of sanding and fairing.

nice work , been following for a while and you do stay busy after it

love the pipe clamps on the cap

told the wife ....... see all that stuff in my storage rack does have some future use and I am not a hoarder.

keep the pics coming

Thanks for the feedback Chuck, it is very much appreciated. It feels like this project is taking so much longer than it has but I know I'm getting close to the finish now. I was out of town for work all this week so progress has been halted but I was able to find an anchor hatch and gutter set from my local boat recycler on my way home today. I've been stopping by every other week or so looking for one but today I finally scored one for $20. I removed the old hardware, coring material and excess glass. I plan on moving the hinges to the long side so it opens to stern. I wanted to keep it centered on the deck so I had to move it back a bit from the bow so that I'll have room to mount a trolling motor in the future. I must say I really lucked out with this one because the crown in the hatch matches the crown in the deck perfectly. I could not have planned it better. I also added a piece of leftover cap material to fill in the space at the bow bulkhead. Tomorrow I will start glassing the deck and gunwale cap to tie it all together.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I started glassing the deck cap together today. I have 4 layers of 1700 so far. I think another 2 or 3 should raise it to where it needs to be to meet the original cap. After that I will glass the whole thing once again.

Looks great. You're getting closer.

Random question is the brown duck in the background a Khaki Campbell?

Thank you. Yes it is. The white one is a Peking.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Here is where I'm at now. I added glass the core so it is flush with the existing cap then filled any low spots with thickened epoxy. Lastly, I laid up a layer of stitched 1708 to tie it all together. Once it sets up I will flip the now fully formed cap and add a final layer of 1700 to the underside before screwing and gluing it to the hull permanently.