the right boat
 

I just moved to charleston sc. I bought an actioncraft flatsmaster but am selling it to upgrade. I have been trying to think of a boat i can shoot offshore in for wahoo and dolphin, fish the charleston harbor jetties for big reds and tarpon, and cruise thru creeks and catch trout. Being from cape cod i new a 23' would be the perfect boat if i could rig it up right. I have been looking but have a few questions and hopefully you guys can give me some advice.

Should i get a potter hull and nothing else, if its not a potter would you still run offshore?
If i find one that needs to be restored how much would it cost to get someone to finish it?
just ball park


Any help would be appreciated.

I've seen a very few Seacrafts by makers other than Potter or Moesly, that scare me, but the vast majority of
Seacraft hulls are fine as built, no matter who made them. The question with old ones from any maker is what kind of condition they are in.

Cost of a rebuild if somebody does it for you?? What did JP Morgan say? "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" or something like that. Fun aside, the labor involved means paying somebody to fully restore one is crazy expensive, not likely to be cost effective for most folks. Even do it yourself is expensive and the range is way to wide to quote a figure.

Look for a decent old one with recent power that might not be cosmetically great, but doesn't need a major rebuild. . If you get really lucky, you might find one for sale that has been recently restored. Check those boats very carefully. It real common to find unpleasant surprises a year or so after purchase(personal experience)

Ditto above...and if all you want to do is use it, get the best boat for the dollars you have to spend. Restoring imho or rebuilding is for the guy that wants to do it, or wants a specific boat done to his specs and is way over rated....ask me.

I dont want annything to do with the work i just want the boat I have about 30k and thought i would be able to find something.

Check out Caymanboy`s boat in FS . Well worth the drive.

Sandy....you are sooo smart!!!! Good suggestion!

Restored by Strick or GFS...?
I pick Strick.

CD makes great points. Still love my solid Slacker. Each child is different.
Think about months of sanding and fairing. Much faster just to pop a new one...or find a nice solid hull and have fun.

Slackin` along. LP is soon no? Too cold for me.

Cheers,
US

30K won't come close to paying somebody to do full restore. You'd be very lucky to do it yourself for that.

A good 23 Seacraft for 30K is doable, but you have to be careful, do your research, and be patient. I paid 10k for mine, put another 13-14k into it(other people doing most of the work, which included new kicker, platform and bimini, r&r of drive, plus major rebuild of trailer). Also found and fixed a structural problem that would have cost me at least another 10K if a professional did the work. Mine is cosmetically a good shape 40 year old boat. The important mechanical stuff is up to date and as near perfect as I can make it.

You bet! A restored boat by a guy that restores for a living, and one that likes Seacrafts...no brainier if a 20 footer will fit your needs.

charleston wahoo
 

When I lived in Charleston it was about 120-160 mile roundtrip to the color change where you MIGHT find wahoo. Be careful what you wish for.

this is all great advice thank you. i found a 1998 with a 2004 300hp yamaha hpdi. i havnt looked at it yet going this week. he is asking 25k is there anything i should look for. I know it dosnt have a bracket and i would want to have one with an enclosed transom but i may have to settle and get it taken care of after. supposedly new electronics.

I just started looking and dont want to jump the gun but would like to have a boat by june. do you guys think more will pop up?

Careful with that 300 yam hpdi. There is very little value in that motor as an fyi. I think 30k will buy you a very nice 23 and you could probably get a newer 25 as well.

There is a nice 23 with an f-250 in the for sale section.