23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Hello again !

I havn't been on for a couple of months and during that time I've decided to try to have my 1974 23 restored.

I contacted Metan Marine in Mass. but they want 12-15 grand; a tad high.

Do any of you know anyone in the New York area, especially Long Island, who could handle this project at a better price? I am willing to spend but 15 thousand ??? Sheeesh !!!

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Otterly - good to hear things have picked up for the better.

What are you looking to have done? Keep the I/O? Bracket for outboard?

There was another thread within the past month about a fellow on Long Island that did great work and was familiar with Seacrafts - but I don't think he was cheap. Do a search on long island and fiberglass, you might find the thread...

Ahh - here you go: http://www.classicseacraft.com/cgi-b...c;f=5;t=000022

There was some more talk of him too so do a search on his name instead...

Welcome back.

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Cool; I'm new to the site here, but I just booked a total patch and spray job with Imron for my 1975 CC. Every shop I spoke with in North Jersey quoted me at least $8,500 to start and thats just for "standard" prep and paint without patching, with patching most guys quoted me $10,000 without even seeing the boat. Most prices were $130-$150 per linear foot just the hull sides, no interior deck paint. I also found it hard to get someone to even commit to a date they could start. I'm in for about $11,000 or so on my job because my topsides need alot of patching and sanding. Also, if you spray the interior and topsides, you've gotta also apply new non-skid...more money.

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

$8500 for painting and prepping just the hull sides from the water line to the deck joint (behind the rubrail) seems awfully expensive to me, unless of course your hull looks like swiss cheese from a shoot out with the DEA.

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

HA GUYS
I HAVE BEEN READING YOUR COMMENTS ON SPENDING BIG $$$ FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO RE DO YOUR BOATS. I GUESS I AM COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I SPENT ABOUT 150 DAYS OF HARD BUT REWORDING WORK RE DOING MY BOAT. THE ONLY THINGS I HAD SOMEONE ELSE DO IS MOUNT THE MOTOR (DRILL THE HOLES AND CONNECT IT I DID ALL THE REST), BUILD A T-TOP (I INSTALLED IT AND PULLED ALL THE WIRE), AND MAKE THE NEW GAS TANK I INSTALLED IT AS WELL. BASICALLY I DID IT ALL, REPLACE THE DECK, RE DID THE CAP, RE DID THE TRANSOM, BUILD A LIVE WELL FROM SCRATCH, SAND, PAINT, AND ON AND ON AND ON I NEVER DID ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE AND PROBABLY NEVER DO ANOTHER I LIKE FISHING MORE THEN BOAT RE FABRICATION. FOR ME, I WOULD NEVER BUY A OLD SEACRAFT AND THEN HAVE SOMEONE ELSE DO ALL THAT WORK YOU WOULD SPEND TO MUCH $$ FOR THAT. WHY NOT JUST GO OUT AND BUY ONE NEW OR 2-5 YEARS OLD THAT IS SOLID? IN THE LONG RUN THAT WOULD BE CHEAPER THAN HAVING OTHERS DO YOUR BOAT WORK FOR YOU. I USED THE BEST OF EVERYTHING AND A LOT OF SWEET EQUITY IN MINE. I SPENT ABOUT 50% OF WHAT A NEW BOAT WOULD COST ME BUT IF I HAD OTHERS DOING THE BOAT IT WOULD HAVE COST 75% OF WHAT A NEW BOAT WOULD HAVE COST OR 100% OF WHAT A FEW YEAR OLD BOAT WOULD COST. JUST A THOUGHT FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

I agree 100% with Fellowship, and I did the same with mine.If I had to pay to have it done, I simply couldn't justify doing it.The only thing different is that I really had fun doing mine.Tell you what, if I could get that kind of $ doing that kind of work (and I didn't have a family to support,) I would seriously consider doing it.Anyway, why not just buy one that has already been done?

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

What? That requires a response:

First of all, any SeaCraft built after 1980 isn't a Potter built boat, so buying a late 80's built boat or newer is like getting a Mako, it isn't the real thing and shouldn't be compared to a vintage Potter built boat...regardless of who performs the restoration or at what expense...

Secondly, I don't have 150 days to do ALL the work on a boat, in 150 days I can make alot more money at work than it cost to do ALL the restoration work on my boat, thats the math...besides, I've seen a lot of really bad do-it-yourself paint jobs...

Thirdly, I said $8500 for the entire boat was quoted, thats NOT just for hullsides to the deck joint, thats for the entire boat, that's the going rate in my area for a professional Imron application ...excluding DEA damage and other modifications...

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Yeah but Jeff-
You could still get a Potter hull that has been recently restored.For example, when I bought my hull the guy had one that he restored for sale.Brand new restoration, less than 10 hours.Potter hull, pristine Imron robin's egg blue,off- white cockpit,recessed hardware, new tank, new wiring, everything perfect,straight yanmar diesal inboard with motor in the console, sitting on a 64 roller galv trailer brand-nu.He was asking mid 30's for it, and would have settled for less, but not much less because as he put it " I got nearly 30 into it without my labor"
Now thats the way to go.A lot of people won't shell out that kind of money for a 30 year old boat, a lot of banks won't finance it.But if you bought that bare hull, paid to have it redone and powered, you'd be above that. Makes sense to me?

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

OK, now you guys are gangin up on me...

Look, I bought my boat for less than it was worth at the time. I could live with my original hull gel-coat but my topsides are beat. I repowered and put on a new T-Top, and I did alot of nitty gritty work and wiring that I could myself. But my Potter built, as you agree, isn't the same boat as a "newer" SeaCraft for $30,000-$45,000, which will depreciate over time as well.

I'm having fun doing it, but I concede, I could probably buy a Potter boat "already done" for less than what I'm probably gonna have in it...so if thats the point of this discussion, your right...But when I'm blowin by much bigger boats in the tall snotty chop with a full fishbox it's all good.

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

mentioned this on another topic,had the transom and engine stringers completely replaced on my 74 23' tsunami.raybo marine in lindenhurst l.i. did the work,cost me 4000 including cutting and gel coating the hole for the i/o.dealt with tom,a real straight up guy and they did a great job-just took lomger than expected due to a labor shortage on their part.
If i had to do it again,i'd opt for a bracket and a pair of 4stroke suzukis.the i/o is great on fuel and quiet,but nothing beats 2 motors for peace of mind when running off shore in october!

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Otterly Cool-

The guys name on LI is Gene Serafin or something like that. I guess he did some work on the Curtes Lee....a boat which is shown on the site. I would contact the owner and get his feedback on Gene's work.

Also, there were a couple of threads on Metan Marine's work and how a few guys were upset with the work he did on their boats. I would try and track down that thread and speak to those guys before you did anything.

Also, my friend Jodi has his own shop WILCO MARINE in Newbury, MA 978-465-9283. He has an excellent reputation but it is Northern Massachusetts and might be too far away from you.

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Otterly Cool, Have you contacted Hi Gloss Marine Refinishing? He's right in Patchogue at 90 Colonial Drive (Inside Dockside 500 Boat Yard). Telephone # 631-758-7998. He is about to begin restoration on my 79 Sceptre. I contacted Gene Serafin first but he only does fibreglas repair and did not want to get involved in extensive paintwork, which my boat needs. Hi Gloss work looks good and he's got a clean, well organized shop. My job is big and he was pretty flexible in pricing. If you need additional info call me at 786-3457. Tony

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Otterly dont waste your time with metan... he is a thief. He will high ball you then get another 10% on top of contract. I have not only dealt with his hassle, but spoke with two previous guys that had work done on their seacrafts. Not a pretty sitiation. Please do your homework and get a quality boat yard to do it!

Re: 23 CC -I/O Rebuild
 

Hi guys. Thanks for all the responses - looks like I'll be able to find someone local. For those of you who asked I want to do the following:

Keep I/O but check and, if necessary, repair transom
fix 2 soft spots in floor
awlgrip hull (exterior)
new fuel tank
new wiring system
gel-coat engine compartment
fix something rattling on port side of hull(can't find it)and add new foam
generally clean up the gel-coat stress cracks
(mostly around gunwale - the guy who had it before me put about 200 screws into the hull; most of them did absolutely nothing ?????)
new windshield
clean up console and add porta-pottie (for "her")

The boat is seaworthy now - she was fishing when I bought her. In fact, the guys who worked at the yard ( a "new" seacraft dealer) used this boat, which had been traded in on a new 23, for their own fishing trips even though they could have used a new one ( the yard's demo).

I guess that also answers some of the questions that were raised as to why not just get a new one. THEY'RE NOT THE SAME. I don't think the new ones have the "build" the Potter hulls have BUT in any case, the hull is NOT the same design. The new hulls are 8'6 wide not 8. That's a small difference, but it's enough to through the ride off. And they just don't look right - they look like other mass produced boats with a high price tag. There really isn't anything special about them.

Anyway - thanks and keep talking to me.