Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Greetings from the sunny caribbean.

I'm here in the US Virgin Islands, and there's not a lot of decent small boats to be found..... Especially for what by stateside standards would be reasonable cost.

I've been looking at what seems like a well cared for 18' Sea Craft SF. The motor is a '98 or '99 Evinrude Ocean Pro 150, (the eagle series 60 degree V6 blocks) but the boat is older. I'm trying to do my homework on it before I buy it.

The hull ID number, as best as I can make it out (several coats of awlgrip covering it) is SECF80321078. I'm thinking that it's Potter era vintage, but not sure. I was hoping you guys might be able to tell the year from the hull number. The aluminum capacity plate on the starboard side of the console is completely illegible, so that's no help.

Hoping you all might be able to sleuth out the year, and give me an idea of what kind of performance to expect.


Many Thanks in advance,

Darlene


PS;
It has a bimini top, low bow rail, and that transom closure in front of the motor well. These seemed like standard fare for this boat?

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Here is the manufacturer by year list that I lifted from a Capt Chuck posting.


SEC = SeaCraft Inc (Potter 1969 thru 5/80)
csy = Carribbean Sailing Yachts (1980-1982 23'& 27' SeaCrafts only)
SIC = SeaCraft Industries Corp (1980 thru 1987 other SeaCraft Models) (Potter on Board of Directors approx 1 year after sale)
TXY = Sarasota Marine Corp ('86-'88 csy Parent Co)
SIC = Tracker SeaCraft of Fla (1987 thru 1990) all models
SXC = Stern Craft Corp (1994 Silver King Parent then Tracker Parent Co in 1995)
MIC = Silver King Boats (1994-2002 Mako Marine Parent Co)
MRK = Mako Marine (2002 Parent Co SeaCraft from Tracker

hope this helps

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Welcome to CSC Darlene,
SECF80321078
Born on 10/1978
It is a Potter.
Good luck, Ken

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Wow, You guys are super.

If all the paper work is in order (sometimes an "iffy" thing down here) I'll be a CSC owner in the next week or so. Which means I'll have to get a "Potter Built" decal ..... Hope you don't mind a few questions here and there.

The trailer needs some attention, but this whole island is only 21 miles long, you can limp home from almost anywhere.



Darlene

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Welcome to CSC Darlene. I travel to your neck of the woods at least once a year on business. Where in St. Croix will you boat?

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

I'm primarily a diver, not a fisherperson, so most trips will be close to shore to search for some cool dive sites that the regular dive operators don't go to, or to go to sites that they do, but keep you on a recreational level time frame which doesn't work for me. When the weather is nice, it's a 40 mile run to St Thomas / St John and there's some nice wrecks over there I'd like to dive.

The plan is to keep it on the trailer at the house here, and be able to launch at whatever ramp is closest to where I plan to explore.

I was over looking at it again this afternoon, and put a battery charger on the batteries (it's been sitting for maybe 4 to 6 months) and checked out the motor. It started right up and sounded very smooth with a nice clean idle. You could feel the temp change in the water coming out the pisser as the thermostats function. It needs a little work on the console instruments wiring, but that's no problem.

The boat itself felt a tad soft underfoot in a few areas of the floor. Maybe in a year or two, if we don't go to something bigger, I'll redo the floor. Trying to flex the transom by hanging on the tilted up motor revealed it to be very solid.

Probably do a sea trial next weekend and make a final decision then, based on how it goes, and how much negotiation skill I have.


Darlene

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

I think the boat will run really nice in your area and you'll be pretty happy with it. Good luck in the negotiations!

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

I used to have a '76 18' and often wish I'd kept it... :(

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Thought I'd post an update.

I'm now the proud owner of a Classic SeaCraft. :)

I towed it home Monday, and spent hundreds of dollars picking up all the obvious things it was going to need.

The first order of business was to have the Bimini top restitched so I could work in the shade, I picked it up yesterday afternoon and put it on this morning. Yesterday was spent doing a thorough cleaning (a lot easier with the top off), after making a dumpster run with all the old, moldy/rotten/mildewed stuff that has been setting in it for the last 6 months and spending yet more hundreds of dollars on new stuff.

Today was electrical system refurb day. Put new batteries, cables and battery boxes in, cleaned up the battery selector switch, and added a terminal block for the negative connections. ... Also ran a new pair of #10 power feed lines up to the fuse block.

With everything looking good there, it was bilge pump R&R time calling my name. ... What A Pain :mad:

You goatta do everything thru a stinkin' inspection cover, and everything was a slimy mess. .. Turns out it had a Rule 2000 gph pump which cleaned up and tested fine, but the float switch needed replacing (another $48). I also ended up fabricating a new mounting assembly for the pump and switch which attaches to the transom up higher, where it's easy to reach, but keeps the pump placed properly. (the pump was just sort of hanging on a big cable tie screwed to the transom .... such is "local engineering") There's a pvc pipe tunnel (actually, a half moon shaped piece of 3" pvc)that runs along the keel and ends about 3" short of the transom. The pump just fits into that little space. ... I'm guessing this is a normal part of the contruction?

Anyway, I still need to pull in the new bilge pump wiring and some new coax for the VHF, so I'll probably have it seaworthy by Tuesday or so (weather dependant) . ... The timing came out perfect, as I'm on vacation this week coming so I can take the time to get it all together nicely.

I'll try to get some pics up soon.


Darlene

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

I had one as well great boats, you'll love it

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some hel
 

Where are the pictures??? :)

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Welcome to CSC Virgin Islander

The half moon glassed PVC running fore and aft was normal construction in '78. It really serves NO structual purpose. Channeling the water aft and preventing water ponding in the center under the fuel tank seems the most logical. The old wood glassed center stringer (still apparent in most earlier models) was meant to "Beef Up" the keel as most boats had roller type trailers before the float-on bunk types hit the circut ;)

BTW: I cut mine away to install the thru-hull transducer @ centerline and complete the transom inclose.
Good Luck with your refurbishing !


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...oorcutout2.jpg

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Well, it's been a week from hell here, getting this thing together, between monsoons.

Just the way you always want to be spending your vacation time.

It was a classic case of everytime I fixed a couple things, another thing needing to be fixed revealed itself. Jeeeeze, I hate when that happens.

Anyway, I launched it Wednesday for the first time, and it idled away from the pier just fine. It's really easy to launch and retrieve. As I gave it some gas, it was fine at first, but as the rpm came up to about 3000, the warning horn would come on. ... Back off and all was fine. Tried this a few times and each time the same results. The temperature was fine and it was pissing out a good stream, so it had to be a fuel restriction warning. I settled for a liesurely trip around Christiansted harbour and then loaded her back on the trailer. I was pleasantly surprised that the fishfinder and VHF that came with it actually worked. (I did have to replace the antenna and coax for the vhf though)

Back at the house, I started to dismantle the fuel sysytem to see what may be causing a restriction. (I'd already checked the spin on filter/seperator and it looked good) Anyway, when I pulled the inlet hose off, and looked into the hose, there was a big wad of aluminum shavings that was jammed up at where the hose barb would have been. I pulled out quite a pile with a pair of needle nose pliers and a small screw driver.

I recalled the seller telling me that he had a new tank put in a couple years back, ..... if it had been cobbled together by the local blacksmith, that would explain all the shards of aluminum. Anyway, I cut an access hole in the floor under the console over where the hose connects to the tank. I blasted air thru the hose to purge any additional debris ... another big wad of shavings came blating out. Then I added an auxilliary filter a few inches from the pickup so that when this happens again, (and I just know it will) it'll be a quick, easy thing to deal with. .... Clean out a few inches of hose and replace the filter.

It would have been a lot simpler if the fuel pickup was removable and I could just shorten it a bit, and add some fine mesh screen to the end, but noooooo, the pickup is a tube welded into the tank with just a 3/8" pipe by 3/8 hose fitting screwed on it. .... Another fine example of local engineering! ... That's why I figure it'll all happen again with the aluminum shavings.

I had it all already to go for this morning, but it seems the rain gods were against that plan, so maybe the floods will subside by tomorrow and I can try again.

I'll get some pictures if the freakin' sun ever comes out again.


From the waterlogged caribbean,

Darlene

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

The only good thing to say is it didn't take long to figure out the problem :D Congrats on getting it wet and just think the next trip will be better. I know whats its like trying do things with the weather, here in Tampa in the summer as soon as you get every out here comes a thunder storm and you scramble to get everything put away again, plus its hard to see with all the sweat pouring in your eyes [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

Well,
It finally stopped raining here, and I got it in the water Saturday morning. :)

Purred like a kitten at low rpm's, and ran super on the top end. Was a very nice morning on the sea, .... untill it was time to put it back up on the trailer when the motor refused to tilt up. It would go farther down, but not up. What a pain that became. Finally was able to loosen the manual release screw so it could be tilted up to get it home.

By Sunday afternoon I worked up the courage to go see what was wrong this time, the problem turned out to be in the tilt limit switch. ... Now she's ready for the water again .... Just as my vacation's over. :( Now if I can get a day off after the next couple weeks! (since some one else is on vacation)



Darlene

Re: Looking at an 18' Sea Craft, ... need some help...
 

You seem pretty handy with tools there Darlene :D