20 Seafari
 

I just bought this boat from a friend who went to Florida in 1978 and bought it new...rare one owner craft !!!!
1978 Seafari 20 with 1985 Mercury 200 Black Max, originally came with 140 Johnson
Needs a few things here and there but overall very solid.
Doing some rewiring right now.

Welcome to CSC
Very nice find!!
post up some more pics of interior etc!
-Fred

pics
 

added more pics in photo album....pretty sure I got a great deal on this one

Congrats! Welcome aboard.

More pics please

more than 1 pic
 

How can I add more than one pic at a time per post ?

thx

You lucky man.

Looks like the original bimini material, some kind of vinyl. Bullet proof stuff, but you might have to restich it eventually.

I think it is. he had just had it cleaned and buffed before I went to pick it up. this is a recent pic....paid $1700 for it.

You will find that running fast in snotty conditions, you will want to stand up and get your head above the windshield. I used to unstap and fold back forward corner of the bimini, its plenty strong enough. That can get a bit wet inside the boat, but I was diving and it was warm,so didn't care. Always wanted a zip out hole for my head, though.

I've got a 25 seafari now and set up the binimi so that is not a problem.

Something to watch out for.

The black max engine cowl splits vertically, long seam along the top of the cowl. The damn seal can leak. On really snotty days when a lot of spray is hitting the engine, you may find it starting to cut out, especially a low planing speeds. Bring it home and all seems fine. What the???? You can waste a bunch of money on mechanics. What's happening is the coils are getting wet and shorting out. You can see spark in the wrong place running the engine at night on a hose with the cowl off. I used to tape the cowl closed, which helped, but never did completely eliminate the issue. It won't keep you from getting home, just annoying as heck.

NICE rig! Welcome to CSC! The original navy top on my '72 Seafari had a zippered opening above the helm so you could stand with the top up, shown in the picture below from a late 70's Bahamas trip. A good canvas shop could probably add one if yours doesn't have it. The Weblon material in that original top is tough stuff and it lasted for years. It doesn't stretch like Sunbrella and it's watertight, although you may have to seal the seams occasionally. I also added a sun top to shade the back half of the boat when anchored. Can't have too much shade in the Bahamas or S. Fla. in the summer!

That anchor bracket is a real handy feature on a Seafari! Because of the limited bow access, I had my anchor chocked on the front deck for years, but with a roller bracket and a good hawse pipe, you can deploy and retrieve it much quicker! (Make sure the hawsepipe is centered over the anchor locker so the rope doesn't pile up on the flared part of the hull, and use about 20' of chain which also helps the anchor set quickly!) There are times, like trying to anchor over a good lobster hole, when getting the anchor down quick is a big deal!

You might want to check the bracket mounting to see if there is a backing plate under it, as it can generate huge vertical loads in the deck if you're anchored in rough seas! I epoxied a couple of layers of 3/16" plywood under the deck beneath the bracket and center cleat when I installed mine. I used a couple of thin layers so they would conform to the crown in the deck. Before installing them I installed some 1/2" plywood backing boards under the original bow cleats in the raised "toe rail" area. The bottom of the 1/2" boards were then flush with the rest of the underside of the deck, so I extended the large thin boards all the way out over those boards under the bow cleats. All holes through the cored part of the deck were drilled oversize, filled with thickened epoxy and then redrilled, to keep water out of the core. West Systems says you need 3 coats of epoxy on the plywood to waterproof it, but I used MAS epoxy because it's thinner. If you thin the first coat with about 10% with lacquer thinner, it'll soak into the wood a lot better. Here's a link to my photobucket album with some pictures of my installation. http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z...chor%20Roller/

Welcome to CSC. You stole the boat. It's worth twice that if the motor is rough, and three times that if the hull's solid and the motor runs well.

Very nice find. Post some more pics.

Dave

Seafari78, Dave is right about the pics. Here at CSC we have some real "pervs" that enjoy boat porn, so it's simple......no pics = no boat porn! Not good.

Please comply. :)

more pics and more stuff
 

met with my buddy that I bought boat from last night so he could give me more stuff that he had for the boat.
He still had the original never been used center cushion insert for the cuddy, the port and starboard rear cushions, original purchase paperwork and he is bringing me some pictures that were taken of the boat on delivery day to him at the factory.
That should be pretty cool.
The powerhead was rebuilt about 2 years ago then boat was parked in shed....the fuel tank was replaced with a 50 gallon 4 years ago.
I got a remote tank, hooked it up and after a few spins she popped off...I did not run it long (20 seconds or so) because I want to change impeller since it has been sitting.
Used remote tank just in case there was old fuel in tank, found out since tank is dry.

Wow, that's in really great shape!

Welcome to the club.

Brandon

A truly nice one, congratulations, and thank the former owner for doing such a nice job keeping the boat up.

Your friend has been very generous. Buy him a beer. You're going to like this boat.

If the engine has been sitting, clean the carbs, too. As you know, two strokes get their lubricant through the fuel, so clogged passages or jets = no fuel= no lubrication = blown powerhead. It's an easy DIY job if you have the factory service manual or you know your way around a two stroke outboard. All you need is three carb gasket kits and a can of carb/throttle body cleaner. It may not need it, but it's cheap peace of mind.

a few more pics and a question
 

started stripping the "rabbit fur" out of cuddy as it was a little funky after 35 years.
removed floor panel as I wanted to replace the fuel sender wiring.
The 50 gal tank was put in about 5 years ago and when removed the panel I saw all this foam...it was dry, but should I remove it ?

And I added a pic from my office window for good measure :D

Nice Office!

What do you plan as a mouse fur replacement? I have the same problem.

Absolutely! The foam will hold water against the tank and cause corrosion! I hope that tank has some good epoxy paint on it! I'd pull the tank, check it for leaks, and remove any foam that's contacting the tank. Here's the right way to install it: http://www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm

cdavisb...there was a post on here where someone and I can't remember who (sorry) redid the cuddy and used a very this almost felt like material that is available at Home Depot. You can't miss it if you look in their carpet/flooring area. Comes in several colors and is very easy to work with.

Bushwacker,
Thanks again for the input....foam will come out.
I dropped boat off today to get the engine serviced, so as soon as I get it back work will begin.

Sailrite Headliner
 

Twice now I have used this Sailrite headliner in a forward cabin, and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is really stretchy and hides what's underneath, even windshield bolts/nuts, very nicely. Other than getting the old fur off, no prep work is needed with the recommended 3M adhesive. Sailrite has an installation video that is most helpful, but you should practice on a small simple area first as there are a few tricks to figure out for easiest and best results. (Like - it can be really hard to trim with a knife - scissors are better - and properly marking it for trimming takes a bit of practice.)

http://www.sailrite.com/HullBlanket-...e-Ivory-M93-72

Thanks to you both. Price is right, and the video looks like I could do it.

Handful in NC I sent you a P.M.

whewwwww.....that was some work but after getting the boat back from engine check out pulled all the foam from around tank...no leaks...no sever corrosion.
Since it had not had any fuel in it in a couple of years, but had been drained I stopped popped in 5 gallons and now I am going to drag the boat around for a while to shake anything loose and then drain and check for any trash etc...