The boat was launched 10 days ago. A close friend was along to keep me from doing anything particularly stupid on the inaugural launch. All went well and, thankfully, concerns about the cabin weight in the front were not justified. It sits in the water nicely. The cockpit does drain aft. I briefly opened up the new motor and saw 48 mph. Cruise numbers are approximately 30 mph at 3000 rpm and 3 mpg. (Amazingly, my old 21' Parker with a 175 Johnson 2 stroke at the same speed/rpm got half that mpg!) More detailed performance numbers will follow, but that 250 Etec is pretty sweet thus far.

My schedule and the weather have not cooperated for getting good photos to post, so I've been working on the aft cabin bulkhead/doors, using 1/2" starboard with acrylic windows to keep the weight down. (Don't want to push my luck on the forward weight issue.) We had our first cold snap this past weekend, so that enclosed cabin with a little duck blind heater is going to be really nice for winter boating.


http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1625.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1631.jpg

Damn Bill!!!! Beyond sweet!! Congrats.

Very nice. Thanks for posting the links on the headliner. I'm in the same boat as strick so to speak. What is the exterior finish on the boat/pilothouse? What color? Looks very good with the teak.
Dave

Super nice....should be mass produced. Thanks for sharing.

Came out very nice, conrgats

sweet! love it

very nice !
that's a really shap boat - nice lines !

Awesome!!
If I ever do a cabin Seacraft I will have to follow your foot steps.

The boat is slightly bow heavy due to the top/cabin and glass windows, but not objectionably so. Adding accessories or equipment (Bait well, water tank, extra battery, etc - or a monster 4 stroke) in the stern would help the balance, but increase overall weight. Acrylic windows would have been lighter, but get hazy over time.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1656.jpg

There was a post questioning the view from the inside.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1649.jpg

The main purpose behind the top/cabin was protection from the elements during cold weather boating. An aft bulkhead with doors was the final step, and installed last weekend. The 1/2" King XL Starboard and 1/8" lexan are pretty light, but the Starboard is too flexible and will need stiffening on the door edges - another minor project to ponder.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1658.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1651.jpg


Double doors allow a large opening, and the ability to remove the hatch over the fuel tank.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1650.jpg


That's home base in the background.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1652.jpg


I found some 15' flexible LED strips for sale on Amazon, but they weren't waterproof, so I inserted them into cheap clear plastic tubing and sealed the ends with silicone. They run the full length of the gunnel and are on a dimmer. A leftover piece lights the wiring behind the helm station. You can see the "Mr. Buddy" propane heater in the forward cabin, which will provide way more heat than needed.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1661.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1664.jpg

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1667.jpg


Ample storage and easy access was one of my fantasies, so the conversion from I/O to outboard bracket provided some readily accessible bonus space. The I/O engine compartment floor is easily removed. (I didn't have the skill to do water channels in the hatch - a future project.)

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1665.jpg


There is a removable 3-section PVC shelf that runs across the transom for the oil tank, battery, etc. The door is held up/closed with neodymium magnets, which are scary strong.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1666.jpg


On the reported performance, I mistakenly stated 30 mph at 3,000 rpm and 3 mpg. That should have been 4,000 rpm.

This was a huge project for me and I am thrilled with the results. Thanks everybody for all the positive comments, and for the contributions of some very talented and dedicated people to the forum. I couldn't have done it without you!!!

"This was a huge project for me and I am thrilled with the results".....as well you should be!!! Sounds like it's exactly the way you wanted the finished product, very nice job!!!