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Re: I Need A Shrink !
Looking good, Chuck. Looks like you had a beautiful morning for the maiden voyage. Like Brandon, I'm interested to hear your comments on the ride compared with the 23.
Dave |
Re: I Need A Shrink !
OK so here are some of my general impressions of the 25 seafari. Keep in mind that I have put less then 2 hours on the boat. Although the weather looks good in the video and pictures, it got a bit windy as the morning progressed. In the video we were running the boat in a protected part of the river and later we did get a chance to take her out in the open channel were there were some 2-3 footers with an incoming tide and windy. Boat got air-born twice.
Most of what I have been told or read about the 25 seafari is true. It is a very sensitive boat when on plane. One you are going to have to drive for a while to get used to. I suspect that the more I drive it the more I'm gonna like it. I just have to take it out and spend some time in it to learn what it is capable of. For starters going into a tight turn is a bit un-nerving. The boat banks like an F16 fighter. I think Clay said that the rub rail was almost touching the water. This makes you want to take your turns more slowly then say with a 23 seacraft. Running head on into a chop it is the same as any Seacraft nice and smooth. It requires use of the tabs when guys are moving about...I would say more so then a 23 seacraft. The boat runs light in the bow. Yesterday I did not have any fuel in the forward tank nor did I put any water in the 14 gallon fresh water tank which sits in the bow. I had about 60 gallons of fuel in the main tank. The boat needs more weight in the front so on the next voyage I will fill up the fresh water tank and probably put 15 gallons fuel in the forward tank. As far as comparing the 23 to the 25 goes I can tell you that the 23 is a more user friendly boat. It requires less use of the tabs when up on plane and is less sensitive in turns. Running head on into the waves there really is not much difference...I'd say the 25 is a little smoother. That may change when I get more weight up front. One thing that I noticed which is surprising is that the 25 is just as stable as the 23 when at rest. Not sure why that is. Overall I really like the boat. It is going to be perfect for what I intend to use it for. The enclosure I had built came out really nice so I will post some pictures of that soon. Bolsters are installed as well. Only thing left to do is the headliner and bow cushions. Also non skid the deck now that most of the traffic in and out of the boat has subsided. I am thinking about extending the tabs like Brandon did. I will post more pictures and videos of the boat soon. strick |
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But, but, but..... Now what are WE supposed to do in our spare time?????? We will anxiously await your next project. :D :D
Great job on the boat. |
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Has anyone else had a problem viewing the videos? My browser (IE) doesn't seem to want to connect or it doesn't recognize something in the URL.
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Congratulations, Strick! :cool:
Looks awesome and looks like shes a smooooth rider. Duoprop propulsion looks effortless. Your note about the lean on a hard turn is reminiscent of the upper right hand pic in the Seafari 25 article posted in the Literature section. Airborne, huh? like a freakin' F4 Phantom - what a good looking tank... Thanks for posting the viddies... Enjoy! |
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Strick...Thanks for sharing and congrats! I can view the video and I'm as far from tech savvy as you can get. Hats off, Steve
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Thanks fellas. Got the bolsters on today. Cleaning the shop as it looks like a tornado went through it. I will try to post more water shots and give more performance numbers when I get the tach and gps working properly. We hit 3600 rpm with Clays gadget that he had hooked directly to the engine yesterday so we have more tweaking to do. We were guessing the speed at somewhere in the 30's. Here is one more pic taken with Scotty's cell phone. Never posted a video before so I hope you guys can open them. I took them with the camera...low quality.
http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/636.jpg strick |
Re: I Need A Shrink !
Big Lew. you might try right clicking the video link and save link as to your desktop. It is a 23 MB file so it may take a while, especially if you're not using cable internet. Then try to open it using your windows media player from there. It is a .avi file so you may need to add the .avi codecs from windows downloads page... Real Player should have no problem playing it... Good luck.
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Re: I Need A Shrink !
McGillicuddy, you da man! Your suggestion regarding the videos worked great!
Most of us need to keep in mind that there is a BIG difference between a 23 & a 25' boat. If you've not run a larger boat it is tough to compare how they actually perform vs. how you think they will perform. While not necessarily slower, they do run more deliberately. That is they simply run with more presence or solid feeling than the smaller ones. |
Re: I need a shrink!
Chuck, that is one sweet looking ride! Looks like your water line came out just about perfect too! How do you like the duo-prop compared to the one in your Tsunami (assuming it's a conventional I/O)? What sort of vacuum are you running at cruise? Denny
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Re: I Need A Shrink !
Oh happy day!!! Strick, she looks wonderful at rest as well as in motion. Next time you take her out, see if you can get someone to get a video of you from the side. I'd LOVE to see that! Enjoy the fruits of your labor. You deserve it!
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Re: I need a shrink!
Needs more rod holders.
Pretty morning. The color looks great in the water. When does Lisa get to drive? Cheers, Sandy |
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Denny- I've not been in the Tsunami for some time so I cant really compare. Bill is replacing the windosw in that boat so as soon as he is finished we are going to take both out and get some running shots of both water craft. With the duo prop there is less bow rise and more forward thrust...so the boat is on plane before you really know it. Vacuume gauge is not hooked up yet,,,,looking for the right fitting that goes on the manifold.
Sandy- Lisa will get to drive if it goes up for sale. strick |
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Wow! Nice Chuck. Wish I coulda seen her splash. Must be relieved to put another one in!
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"she's tipsy" :D :D
Man that felt good to go for a ride! I didnt get out in ours this year. Thanks for that Strick! Little bit faster than I'm used to though :D Looks like you have lots of room to fill up those tanks. She appears to sit up pretty good in the bow, compared to ours. LMAO @ F16 fighter... Glad you had a good maiden voyage, she looks absolutely fantastic! One of my favorite things about our 25 is, playing with her knobs... :D I imagine with adding the plates, it'll make those tabs a lot more sensitive. I've never used ours without the plates, and I don't know how sensitive yours are now, but I barely have to touch the switch when people move around...but again, I enjoy it and consider it normal. I'm sure you will like the addition. Brandon |
Re: I need a shrink!
Thanks guys
Some pictures of the enclosure as promised. I like it a lot but the damn thing is a real pain to set up. It's a tight fit all the way around. Do these things stretch a little as time goes on? Still to be made is some straps which allow the center rear piece to be rolled up out of the way and a bag for the Bimini when it's folded up. http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/638.JPG http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/639.JPG http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/640.JPG http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/641.JPG strick |
Re: I need a shrink!
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http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...inglass709.jpg http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...nisideview.jpg Your enclosure looks great, but I know what you mean about the clear stuff being hard to put up! However the isinglass won't stretch! About all you can do with that stuff is lay it out in the sun to let it warm up so it's a little more flexible. I thought the windshield was tall enough on the 25 that you wouldn't have needed a clear filler piece above it. That piece is the biggest problem on mine because it's over 2' tall! I wanted plenty of shade over helm so had them bring front of bimini pretty far forward. Hard to see in the pictures but the front clear piece attaches to top with a nylon zipper just forward of center bow, so it's slope matches windshield. Those nylon zippers don't hold up well in our strong UV in S. Fla. so will insist on brass zippers if they're still available when I have it redone. Denny |
Re: I need a shrink!
They definetly stretch over time. Mine was pretty tough to get on each year the first time I put it all up. Wax on the snaps helps them break loose after a long Sturgeon season too ... :D
Greg |
Re: I need a shrink!
Thanks for the tips fellas- The material is sunbrella. I suspect he made it tight fitting in anticipation for stretch down the road. The fella really did a good job on the enclosure. He even put some leather reinforcement in critical areas.
Denny- The windshield is very high on the 25 so about all I really need the clear in the front for is to look up at the sky. :D Greg- I'll be sure to wax all the zippers! I took the boat out again today for a couple hours with my 11 year old son. He really had a good time and I'm glad he liked the boat. When I was his age I used to go fishing all the time with my grandfather in a similar sized boat so I got a flash back in time watching Clayton in our boat today. Weather was overcast with light showers and 15-20 knot winds. On today's trip I filled the fresh water bladder in the bow with about 14 gallons water to see how the boat would handle. The extra weight made a noticeable difference. The bow seems to have a little more punch to it with the forward weight and there was less water slap on the bottom of the hull then on the first voyage. On the next trip I will fill the forward tank 1/2 full and see what that does. Between the two tanks I can hold close to 130 gallons fuel total. This boat is actually very stable at drift and anchor. More info and pictures on the next trip. strick |
Re: I need a shrink!
It came out INCREDIBLE!!!! Love the enclosure. Congrats...wish I was done!
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Re: I need a shrink!
Made another run in the seafari today. This boat is beginning to be a lot of fun as I learn how it handles. The added weight of the fresh water tank in the bow and 20 gallons of fuel in the forward tank has helped with stability quite a bit. The boat is very responsive when up on plane. Lisa and I took her for a spin this morning. After an hour or so I asked her what she thought and she replied that it was the best boat I've had so far....so I guess it's the best boat I've had so far [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
Here are a couple more pictures of this morning and a couple videos of me playing around as I learn how it handles. Warning there is a lot of rock and roll in the videos as they were shot from a floating dock and with a crappy camera. http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/644.JPG http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/645.JPG http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/647.JPG http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/642.AVI http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/643.AVI http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/646.AVI strick |
Re: I need a shrink!
Strick,
She looks great! Dare I say that your 25' marine life assault vehicle appears "nimble?" Wow! Great vintage video. :D :D :D P.S. Starting to get used to that $3500 rocket launcher ;) |
Re: I need a shrink!
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Re: I need a shrink!
Very cool, Chuck. She does look sweet in the water, both idling and on plane. Can't wait to get mine wet.
Dave |
Re: I need a shrink!
I keep getting compliments about the boat from fellas at the dock and gas station. This is only the third time out and I've probably already got 17 compliments. So that's an average of 5.6 compliments per trip :rolleyes:. One guy even yelled out his car window "Nice boat" as I was doing 60 down the freeway. Too funny.
Gillie- Yes she is. This hull is not a slug by any means. I'm really happy that I put the duo prop on her. I think it helped the performance quite a bit. I did a lot of talking to member Big Fluke about how his 25's ran and "Bigshrimpin" forwarded me a letter that he got from Potter a couple years ago in regards to the boats capabilities. So the homework seems to have paid off. Quote:
Dave- I was hoping the videos help with motivation. Your gonna like this boat! give me a call any time. strick |
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My oh my!! I go off for a couple of weeks and look what happens! Strick, she looks absolutely gorgeous!!! I'm almost embarrassed to post any pics of mine. When you get the vacuum gauge mounted, I'd like to compare readings.
It does get your attention when you turn, but it seems to lay over to a certain point and no farther. Keep turning sharp and it gets like a power slide in a car, she practically spins around, way faster than seems reasonable. Connor |
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WoW great job you can really tell the effort that went into bring that boat around Thanks for the pics
Kevin |
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Strick
Your boat is equal to your boat building ability Top Of The Class as usual. You set the standard for everyone else to try and follow if we can keep up. Well done, well done FellowShip . Just for the Grins :D :D Official 23 SF Antique Classic SeaCraft Owner |
Re: I need a shrink!
Thanks fellas....most of the guys on this board have been there and done that so they know the amount of effort and time that goes into one of these projects. It's no small undertaking that's for sure. The reward is great.
The boat has about 7.5 hours on it so far. Still waiting for my cushions for the V berth and the seat boxes. As mentioned earlier there are still lots of things to finish on her and I will post as I get things done but right now I'm taking a small break and trying to get some fishing done before the water temp drops too low. http://www.casdvm.com/photos/25%232internet/648.JPG strick |
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Dave |
Re: I need a shrink!
Strick, the boat looks amazing nicest Seacraft I've ever seen. How come you didn't put a bracketted outboard on?
Basswacker |
Re: I need a shrink!
Thanks. I take that as a huge complement considering some of the boats I've seen restored on this board.
I decided to go with what the boat came with in order to save $$$. The motor and out drive were already there. I have fantasized about twins on a bracket at times...maybe some day. I have had some private discussions with other members on the board that have the same boat. There are CG issues with this hull design but I think it would work. strick |
Re: I need a shrink!
Strick,
Have you posted performance numbers yet Did I miss it My question mark isnt working :D Brandon |
Posting this in hope that Strick still roams the forums here. I was lucky to buy Strick's 25 a couple years back. I added radar, some extra bait capacity, new heads and props, but overall she was just fine the way she came. We have caught tuna, marlin, seabass, dorado, yellowtail etc. on her during this past El Nino year. She makes the trips to the Channel Islands a breeze and looks great on the mooring in Avalon. I am hopeful to get ahold of the build pics that used to be posted on this thread, but they look to be pulled down. And by the way, we simply named her "Seafari". Seemed to fit best.
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Recent Pic of Seafari 25
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Here is a pic of what she looks like today. Thanks to Strick for making her look this way...
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Pajaro, excellent name - befitting for sure, nice to see more pics of her. Perfect for the Channel Islands indeed.
Keep on posting... |
Wow, that is a beautiful ride. I would love to have one but I am just not up to getting involved with such a project..... Though I probably should.
The options for power and format are streaming through my head. I wonder how one would perform with a modern diesel I/O or a pair of new 200 4 cylinder Zukes. When thinking of a small island hopper for the future it seems very appealing. |
Kenny, Raton de la Bilge can fix you up. A Little north of Atlanta in that big lake.
That would "test the vows" with Mel. I'll stand by down here for the sonic boom! |
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