Brooks Reid 1975 Seacraft
 

I'd like to say hello to everyone on the Classic Seacraft forum. Thanks to everyone for all the wealth of information on restoring Seacraft boats.
I live in Miami, FL and I purchased my new 1975 Seacraft in June of 1976 from Layson Marine in Homestead FL. for my 26 birthday. I have been fishing and diving for as long as I can remember with my dad and his friend who owned a Seacraft in the 60's. I always wanted a Seacraft and after owning a few other boats, with my dad's signature, I was able to finally get a brand new, red, 20SF. I had been drooling in Layson Marine's boat a few years and had visited the Seacraft factory in Homestead several days to see how the boats were constructed. At one point I was considering buying another boat and what struck me was how the other boat salesmen kept touting their boats were "as good as a Seacraft". That pretty well convinced me that Seacraft was the standard to compare all other boats to and I was going to own a Seacraft. Well, I got married, my wife and I raised 3 boys and have done a lot of boating with our 20 Seacraft. In 2003 I decided we needed a bigger boat so sadly I sold my Seacraft to a friend of a friend. I bought a Pursuit 2470 the same year. The new owner of my Seacraft told me he was going to completely restore and customize the boat. My thought was great but that boat did not even need restoring. I had kept it in my garage since it was new and it was in great shape. Here is a picture of my 1975 Seacraft when I sold it.

Great Read, welcome aboard. That baby looks like it just needed a little buff and puff when ya got rid of her.

1975 Bad Restoration
 

Cut to 2010. I reluctantly decided to sell our Pursuit 2470. It was a great boat but kids are grown, gas more expensive, not being used and needed to pay bills. Summer of 2012 I started looking for another boat. I wanted something 18-20ft that was cheap. Just something to get me across Biscayne Bay. My budget was 3-5K. We looked at a lot of boats but just could not find anything that we liked. My oldest son started looking at used Seacrafts ads and asked about our old boat. I decided to give the new owner a call and it turns out that he wanted to sell. He told me the restoration project was a disaster and he had lost a lot of money and the boat was never completed. The boat had been sitting half finished, uncovered, in his driveway for 8 years and he never even got to use it. When we went to see it we were shocked.

It's amazing what 10 years of neglect will do to a boat. It sure WAS a beautiful SeaCraft. I hope you or someone can bring her back to drool over once again ;)

Welcome to CSC

Capt Chuck

Bad Restoration
 

After seeing the boat my wife and I decide to keep looking. I loved that Seacraft but it looked like the guy that did the restoration work destroyed it and I did not want to get into a project. I just wanted a boat I could get it and go for a while. But my oldest son kept coming back to the Seacraft. He was convinced it wouldn't take much to bring it back and most of it was just dirt. So I called the owner and I ended up buying back the boat I had sold him 10 years ago. Funny thing was the boat was still registered to me. He never changed the title! So my Seacraft is still a one owner boat. The previous owner was a huge Seacraft fan and Classic Seacraft.com fan. He had high hopes of posting glorious pics of his completely restored classic Seacraft on this forum when the project was finally complete. Unfortunately the guy that he chose to restore the boat was not the best choice and the workmanship was poor. Although I have a list of the things that were supposed to be done (from the previous owner), unfortunately there is no way of telling what actually was done except for the obvious. I do know the transom had work done, the hull was painted yellow/white, splash rails were added, the windshield was replaced but cracked from an accident, the rub rail and the fuel tank were replaced. Parts of the deck were worked on and the console was cut narrower but never completed. All controls, electrical, gauges, wiring, lights, accessories, etc. were stripped. The original Seminole trailer was lost and the boat now it sits on an old Arrow trailer (no longer in business) with flat tires and broken parts. The outside hull has some problems but looks OK considering it has been exposed to the direct FLORIDA sun for almost 10 years. The inside hull was painted but being directly exposed to the sun and elements has taken a toll on it.

Yikes, I can't imagine the mixed emotions you had after seeing it recently.

Bad Restoration
 

Had to pump up the tires with fix a flat to get it home. No license, no lights, no strap, pulled out of his driveway and there was a cop who was busy writing a ticket. Pass him by and he looked up at me in disbelief. I waved and he luckily he did not follow. Once home we started cleaning off 10 years of dirt. That's my oldest son Kevin in the pics. Found a rats nest inside the engine cowling. Turned the flywheel and it was not seized thankfully. 1993 Mariner 150HP only had about 50 hours on it when I sold it but had not been run in 10 years. Transom was raised to 25" and Jack plate was installed. My guess is that it was supposed to be used to compensate for the 20" shaft. Unfortunately it would never work because it was mounted too low to hook up the steering or tilt. Just one of many numbskull blunders I encountered. Used some bleach to clean up the inside not knowing how it would effect the unknown paint job but nothing else would cut the stains. Lots of problems found. The console was chopped to narrow the width and put back together with spit and gum. It was a mess! I removed the console and took to a fiberglass guy in Homestead for estimate to repair. The cost was prohibitive and he told me replacing might be a better way to go. I was able to find a console that should work on really nicely from Release boats in Homestead.

Console replacement
 

Here is a couple of pictures of the console I got to replace the original. The console had been sitting under cover in the shop for a few years and was dirty but in good shape. It was slightly narrower than the original and had an insulated ice box seat and plenty of room for instruments and stuff.

Restoration restoration
 

After pulling the console off and more cleaning it was time to take a look at the fuel tank. The previous owner told me the the fuel tank was replace with a larger tank and should be like new. But after 10 years of sitting in the sun I knew we had to take a look. We pulled the tank cover off and it looked OK. The aluminum was painted white, dirty and tarnished. The area of the deck directly aft of the original tank had been cut out to accommodate the larger fuel tank. After the larger tank was installed the deck was glassed in. We decided to take the boat to a shop to have the tank pressure tested. As soon as pressure was put to the tank a lot of water started coming out around the fuel sender. At that point I decided to replace the tank. Removing the tank required cutting the deck back. This was the first time I put the saw to my Seacraft and I was a little nervous. We cut back a section and with a lot of coaxing managed to remove the tank. The tank was not mounted securely and the white paint on the tank was peeling everywhere and there were a few spots that looked problematic. I took the tank to Sunshine Marine tanks in Miami and had them do another test just to be sure. BTW Sunshine is a top quality shop that makes marine fuel tanks for Contender and SeeVee boats. They are a family run business that does excellent work and really cares about their customers.
Surprisingly my tank passed inspection. Oddly the sender gauge was the wrong size for the tank. It would have made the fuel gauge read a half a tank even at empty. Blunderhead strikes again! I debated whether to keep the tank or replace it but finally decided to replace it. Sunshine built me a brand new shinny tank the same dimensions. I did make one sight change and that was to make the tank 1/2" less height in preparation for PVC strips mounted under the tank.

Look familiar?? We bought our SeaCraft "new" in April 1977 from Layson Marine too..

restoration restoration
 

77SceptorOB, Yes as far as I know Layson was the only authorized Seacraft dealer in the area. Eventually Boat Center (when it was in S. Miami) got the dealership too. Old man Layson was pretty tuff guy to make a deal with but I got the my 1975 20SF (with red color and options), Seminole trailer and Mercury 150HP for a total of $6500 rigged and ready to go. Purchased in June of 1976. Seemed like a ton of money at the time. I remember I could have got the 23' for another $1000 but could not afford it. The list price for the 20SF was about $4200 and the 23' was about 5400 as I recall. I bought mine from "JB" who was like used car salesman. Seacraft had just introduced the 20MA and I could have purchased either the 20SF or the MA for the same price. I liked the layout in SF better. I repowered my Seacraft about 6 months later when Mercury came out with the 175HP Black Max. Took a big hit on the trade but I had to have more power and go faster! Hell I was 26, what do you think?

I bet you have tons of family, fishing, snorkeling that show your Sea Craft in all her original glory.

I love looking back at our families pictures and the boat (sea crafts)of the past.

i bet that motor will start right up with a carb cleaning. nice looking boat btw.

Outboard work
 

Well Blue I'll find out today. My mechanic is Jeff Blam Accutate Outboard in Homestead Fl. I highly recommend him. He did a compression check when I first got it and it was good. We pulled the engine off last week and he is finishing up on work today. He told me the carbs were the worse he'd ever seen. Bowls were glued with thick varnish everywhere. Replaced fuel pump and water pump. The inside power packs had melted and left a black tar in the bottom of the cowl. At first I thought it was rat excrement since I found a nest in the same area. I pulled the power packs off and cleaned. The components looked ok so I re sealed with black silicone. Also replaced the wires from the power packs to the coils. Stator wires had melted to a goo probably from my liberal use of WD40. I stripped the goo and re sleeved with heat shrink tubing.
Since transom was raised I decided to extend my lower unit with a kit from Bay Manufacturing. The cost was $650 -Owch! It's a spacer that fits between the mid unit and the lower unit and converts the 20" shaft to a 25" shaft.
I'll be looking for a Mirage prop if everything goes well.

Everything should be complete today and Jeff will start it up. I've got my fingers crossed. 1993 Mariner 150HP with 50 hrs on it and 10 years of sitting.

There was a Hydro Jacker jack plate on the boat but I'm not sure if I'm going to reinstall it. Never had one before so I would not miss it. Any fans of jack plates?

Family Seacraft boating pics and video
 

Hey Red
I've got tons of pics and even some videos on YouTube called Spincast which was a fishing TV show pilot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1OC5...e_gdata_player

Great story! Glad to see it will be back in the water.

so did it start????

Cool stuff. I grew up on and then owner my own red 20. Notice my screen name. Now I have a late 70's master angler that I plan to paint red one day soon.

Why no water on the deck in part 3 when releasing the grouper. Three guys in the stern of an old 20 = wet feet.

Engine checks out good
 

Got to my Jeff's (my mechanic) house and he had all the work finished up. It started right up and sounded strong. It was a nice feeling to hear that 1993 outboard roar to life again. Bay manufacturing lower unit extension installed, fuel pump, carbs cleaned, power packs all wired. Jeff made some adjustments and ran for a few minutes. I decided to reinstall the Jack Plate so that was hung first. Then finally the motor was bolted on. Everything went smoothly and we headed back home to button up the coffin and get the console on.
Ran into a snag when I started to install the Seastar hydraulic steering. The steering was was completely clogged. Really bad. We finally managed to pound a steel rod through but was not sure how or if I could get it clean. Took it back to Jeff and he had a drill bit sized for the tube that did the trick. Then a lot of working it with the right sized pipe cleaner. Finally got it clean and fairly smooth.

More pictures
 

Here are some recent pictures showing the new console, plastic work done by George Moya of Homestead FL. The side lockers are now my favorite part of the boat. Super handy for storing nets, cushions, poles, etc. Also added support to the top cap which was missing with just the cut out. All Starboard for anchor locker, trim and doors. Really made a huge improvement in the look of the boat. Still undecided on T Top and Leaning post. I really like the open space and I might go with a large ice chest in the back for sitting and fish. One picture shows the bottom of the boat where the live bait intake outtake has been sealed and glassed over. Have been enjoying getting out on the water diving and fishing. I will be uploading more of the previous work pictures (not as pretty). Enjoy.
[IMG]http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...psefccc195.jpg[/IMG]http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps206bc1d5.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps161df021.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps020f9355.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7063aea3.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps05adb881.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7393a7cd.jpgJust uploaded a bunch of recent pictures. It shows all the plastic work that was done by George Moya in Homestead FLA.
http://s1326.beta.photobucket.com/us...01676.jpg.html
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...psefccc195.jpg[IMG][IMG]http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps54292193.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...psdd123399.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps87c85e70.jpg

Mariner 150 Outboard pics
 

Here is the 1992 Mariner 150 HP with added Bay Manufacturing 25" extension kit and Hydro Jacker installed. Since the transom was raised to 25" this needed to be added. Jack Plate was intended (by previous owner) to allow 20" to be used with 25" raised transom but not a good idea. Could not tilt and steering did not fit. Had to remove engine, fill and re-glass holes in transom and then remount Jack Plate in correct position once Bay Manufacturing 25" kit was installed. The outboard sat outdoors uncovered for 10 years. Thank goodness I kept it coated with WD40 before I sold it. No rust and it still looks and runs like a new motor. About 100 hours total on it maybe.
Replaced the power packs, water pump, fuel pump, carbs cleaned, coil wires replaced, stator wires reconditioned, and spark plugs.
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps06e2e45f.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4900b472.jpg[IMG]http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2e62811e.jpg[/IMG]http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0e3d7bb3.jpg

Maiden Voyage
 

Here is the first time we got her back in the water. At Matheson Hammock marina. My son Kevin at the helm. At this point the plastic and trim work was not completed. Still looks pretty sweet in the water. Forgot to mentioned that we added carpet in the side locker and rod holder areas before all plastic was installed. http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2fa0bf1c.jpg

Previous work in progress pics
 

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...pse461c246.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9b70bcae.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1c5fdb3a.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b8d93e7.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...psaf286656.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps50de3115.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps62708451.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps50c5d572.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps226c3362.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps27abccca.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...psa0c0caac.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps147fddec.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps70a2c238.jpghttp://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5cf7b09f.jpgHere are some rather ugly pics but they show the work in progress leading up to the last pics I uploaded. Mostly the new tank being installed and the boat with the outboard removed. You can also see the way the side cut outs looked before new plastic was installed. http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9c1f11d0.jpg

Pics info
 

The work in progress pics include the coffin bulkhead that was installed aft and you can see the strips of PVC I used to slightly raise the fuel tank off the coffin floor. I followed the instructions I found online to keep moisture from holding to the tank by attaching PVC strips to bottom with 5200. I hope I never have to remove it! You can also see the aluminum flange I made to attach the console to the floor. It fits perfectly around the bottom of the console and adds a custom trim look to the boat. Transom pics show holes from Jack plate mounted incorrectly. Later filled and finished back to original color. Off the shelf hatch at rear of console was replaced with custom plastics from George Moya. Now anchor locker, side locker and console door all match and it looks great! Loving the boat. Still need cushions and lots of details but it's seaworthy and it's great to be back on the water.

Wow! Looks great.

I love the pumpkin color.

Heckuva story. You must be beaming with pride. Keep the cameras going.