1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

In between the sanding and fairing on the cap and console I started cutting holes to accommodate the helm, controls and gauges.

Have the same wheel on my helm ! Found it could get slippery when it gets wet tried putting the para cord wrap on it made a world of difference. Good job for a rainy day

That's the plan and I have a guy for that, thank you. I also forgot about the key and kill switch. It will probably take the place of the troll switch which will be relocated north of the throttle control. I don't have a segue for this but going off the deep end a little, there are the things that keep me up at night. I had an idea for cup holder coolers. In the console I built a space for two cup holders. What I hadn't planned for was the 3 AM thought about how to keep my beer cold in mid July when coozies no longer work. Yes, I could drink faster and when I suggested this idea I was told I'm not drinking fast enough. But what if my cup holder was the same temperature as the cooler I pulled the beer from? These are the things that haunt me when I should be sanding and fairing but I'm finding every reason not to. So, I present to you, the first ever as I know it, center console cup holder cooler. The plumbing will be a nightmare as the cup holders themselves will have to drain the condensation separately from the ice water bath they are sitting in as the cooler itself will have to drain not only completely at the end of the trip but also as the ice melts so that I don't have ice floating near the top of the console while the water at the bottom is getting warm. Again, this is the shit that keeps me up at night.

Awesome!

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

I put the cap back on for the last time. I will need to make a few adjustments here and there to make it sit just right. I will also need to make a long relief cut where the new shearline dips down. the outer lip of the cap flares out a little and I don't want water intrusion underneath. I set the console, cooler and leaning post in place to get an idea of how much space I gained. Next up will be setting in the rear deck and livewell lid and glassing it all together.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

My steering wheel is in the process of being paracord wrapped and I started plumbing the console cup holder cooler. Once everything is dry fit I will sand and paint the inside of the console before fiberglassing it to the deck.

Doing a nice job on the paracord wrap — monotonous work but worth the effort!

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

The last few weeks has been slow going on the build. I've been visiting family and had family visit. But in the few Sunday afternoons and after work I was able to reach another milestone. I finally finished fiberglassing. The console is in place and rear deck, cap and gunwale supports are once again one solid piece. It took a lot of grinding and filling to level everything out in the back but I'm happy with the end result. The console and motor mount received a layer of primer while I wait for more epoxy to mix up the seemingly endless amount of fairing compound I'm going to need to make it look half way decent.

Go Johnny go....:)
Nice work for sure !

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

It's been a while since I've updated. I finally finished sanding, fairing, priming and painting. The weather has been lousy the last few weeks so I had to paint in between storms. The heat and humidity also did not help. The pics make it look a lot better than it does in person. I suck at painting and most of it will be covered with non-skid anyway. The color is a combination of white and ice blue. It's as close as I could get to the hull color. I cut all the holes for the rod holders, gas cap and rod holder/cleat combos. I will roll on one more coat of paint to cover any nicks and scrapes from rigging the hardware.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Tonight I was able to drill and mount the engine. It is sitting about 1.5" above the mount with room to go 1 hole up if need be. And just as my brother predicted the tongue weight was a bit too light. I hate it when he's right. Rather than starting with the moving the axles rearward I removed the jack, which needed replacing anyways, and moved the winch post forward about 5 inches. It helped significantly so don't let anyone tell you 5 inches isn't enough. Doing so added about 80lbs to the tongue. Next, I plan to extend the tongue about 2 feet and add a swivel jack and double spare tire carrier. In the fading light you can really start to see the blue coming through in the paint.

looks great! when are you going to splash it?

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

Should be launching next week. The trailer tongue got modified today along with the final motor placement. Since it was raining yesterday I spent some time bolting on the rod holders, cleats, pie plates, doors and hatches. All that's left to get it running is rigging the motor, wiring and connecting the steering. At some point next week I will also roll on the non skid but that is secondary to getting it on the water.

Nice looking build

Record time too! Less then a year nice job

Strick

Looks great ��
I'm getting a bracket soon and wonderingif i can get away with 26" setback. I would love to know how much setback is the bracket and how much space between the transom and cowling with the motor tilted up.

Today I drove the boat down to the marina I purchased the engine from. Everything checked out and the warranty paperwork was filed. When I got home I installed the throttle and shift cables and fired it up. It idled great on the hose and I can't wait to launch it this Friday. It's been a year since I started this project and I guess that's fast but I really hoped it would have been sooner. The weather has been awful. To answer your question about the bracket, it is a 28" set back and there is roughly 6" between the cowling and the transom with the motor tilted up. I'll try and get some pics when she's in the water.

Thanks for the info, sounds like I'm safe at 26 inch setback.
I've started and stopped for several years now so 1 year to me seems like light speed!
Congratulations on a beautiful boat. Hope you start enjoying her soon.

Great job! I'm anxious to see your numbers. I've been thinking about the DF140 fly by wire for my new project 20sf.

1988 SeaCraft rebuild
 

So I splashed the boat yesterday and started the engine break in procedure. I still need to add the nonskid, bolt on a few hatches the leaning post and rubrail but overall I couldn't be happier with the way she turned out. The motor is sitting 1.5" above the mounting bracket and I will be adding trim tabs in the near future. I wound up with a 14x21 prop. My cruise speed was 24kts at 4500 rpm and could stay on plane around 13kts. Trim tabs should improve the planing speed. I haven't tried to open it up all the way yet but I will update you when I do.

So I fully broke her in this week. With two people, full tank of gas and loaded down with ice I saw 33 kts at 6200rpms. I may toy around with a different prop to see if I can get those numbers up. Before starting this project I've heard nothing but good things about how well these boats handled and I must say it has been spot on. Going fast will keep you dry and the bow just eats it up. I couldn't be happier with it.

Cool! Congratulations on getting her buttoned up and in the water. Back in '02 (dang, that's nearly 20 years ago!) I put one of the original model DF140's on my 18' and I dug up my notes on performance for your reference: "43.8 mph by GPS in flat water/no wind, with a S/S 14x20 Suzuki prop," with 25 gallons of gas two adults and a dog IIRC. At the time another member here strongly recommended I try a14x22 aluminum prop, but I never got around to it. Enjoy the boat!

You should be able to get a little better. Low 40’s easily possible.

Strick