1972 SeaCraft 20sf (re) build (F200XB Performance Data).
 

Ok, I must admit, I am getting a little excited.
I sold the Coral Reefer, nice family bought her.
So, that lit a fire under me to git goin on the latest project. "Red SeaCraft 20". I found this little gem, someone, for whatever reason decided to teak this baby, teak floor, teak all over the console, and then, the strangest thing. The fuel tank was integral, fiberglass, it took weeks to get out.
Anyway, we stripped the boat, took the liner out, took the cap off, we cored and faired the hull, raised the deck, cored the cap. Custom "konk" well, full transom, bracket by non other than THE Mr. Don Herman of HermCo.
She will be powered by an F200XB, have all sorts of neat little gismo's and gadgets, mostly a fuel tank, B.A-- stereo and not much else.

Stripping a boat is usually the easy part.
I have never seen a fuel tank like this in a SeaCraft, it literally took weeks to get this thing out.
P.I.T.A.
Long story short, got the hull cleaned out, transom cut out, hullsides cored.
Materials for this job are Vinylester, Divinycell for the hull, Coosaboard for the deck and transom.
I ended up packing up the console, couldn't deal with getting all the teak off of it. I found another console and redid that, probably was not the cheapest way to go but I wanted to have original SeaCraft parts in the boat or at least they started out as original.

For those of you who don't know me, here is a little history.
About 5 years ago, I started a little repair/refit business down here in Lauderdale, started by myself. Redid some boats, mostly mine and close friends.
Anyway, worked by myself, and I mean I did everything, elec, paint, mech, office, purchasing, paid the bills when I had some money, which wasn't very often.
I was looking for a boat to tow with me to the islands on my summer pilgrimage, started out looking at Alburys, always liked them and they fit my scene, (slow trawler, island lifestyle). When I found that they where pretty proud of them Alburys I realized that was not going to happen, so I looked at SeaCrafts, low and behold I found Coral Reefer up in Melborne and a new business was born.
I purchased her in Oct of 08 and restored her from then till Feb 09, mostly between 0200 and 0800, and on the weekends, then I went and tried to make some money.
I did all the work, had a guy part time who helped with the sanding.
One day, ran into an old customer and friend in West Marine, wanted an old Aquasport to redo, I just that week had brought one to the shop that had sunk, the guy stopped buy to look, took one look at the SeaCraft and said, "I want that boat", well quite honestly, he could afford any number I came up with, and at that point I had never really driven the thing, and it had a ton of my sweat, tears and dollars in it. I said, can't sell it, but will be happy to build you one. The next day he dropped off a deposit and my little SeaCraft restoration business was under way.
I said I had built Coral Reefer for myself, when in fact I did not. I was dating and living with this sweet young thing at the time, so C/R became her boat, we had many a good time and trips to the Islands, both on her own bottom and being towed by the trawler.
Didn't take long for me to realize that I was never going to drive this boat, I needed my own boat.
Things at the shop started to get busier, I started with a helper part time, then full time, then added another, and another, then office help part time, etc.
Moved the shop, twice.
Somewhere in there I became a Yamaha package dealer, it gave me the opportunity to be a Yamaha dealer, meaning I could sell Yamaha parts, get Yamaha training and sell motors along with whatever boats I was a dealer for. That happened to be a little Downeast style CC made up in New Hampshire.
Did some shows, too many, never sold a boat. But the Yamaha thing did well, boat restorations was doing well and we were doing large yacht tender service. By now, there are 6-7 people in the shop, my office personnel and myself.
I had found the "Red SeaCraft 20" in a yard somewhere, brought it to the shop and it sat.
Either we were to busy to work on it or it was too slow and we didn't have any money to work on it.
Fast forward, some time.
We are now a Yamaha Full Line Dealer, what that means is, I can sell you an engine out of a box. We stock engines from 15-300 hp, an GE Capitol owns my life. :-)
Anyway, I am very happy to be here.
Ohhh, back to C/R and the sweet young thing. The S.Y.T left for about a year, (tried something/someone else) then came back, I had thought she had it figured out. Anyway, she stayed around for about a year, then left again, this time for good.
I had had about enough of C/R and the memories, and the "Red SeaCraft 20" was waiting to be done. So, I put C/R up for sale. She was gone in a week. Well, not really gone, she stayed local and we do service work on her.
To be continued---------.

Cool story OP!
Did you ever sell that sweet 20' you redid that you were marketing for some guy at the WPB Boat Show?

Keep those re-build pictures coming :)

Chuck,
That boat was never for sale. the gentleman let me use it for that show. We just sent it up to Massachusetts.
Pictures are coming forthwith, the project is way ahead of the pictures and thread. :-)

Thanks for sharing your story!

CB...funny how some things in life are a parallel. The above quote mirrors my search almost down to the tee.

With me I just sold a 30' Alura, and was looking for a nice "Classic". I really liked the Albury and was even set to fly to the Bahama's to go find one!

Next I saw a great article in Wooden Boat on a guy up in Maine that was building them. I even ordered a set a plans and was going to give it a go myself...but this was way above my skill level and I wanted a boat before I went to the big pond in the sky :D. Last I tried to buy just the hull from the Maine builder but reality set in and Seacraft came on my radar.

With all the neat friends that I have met from the Seacraft site, I am glad that the Albury did not work out (however they are a neat boat).

That is some funny stuff. I had been in the Islands for two summers looking for a beat up Albury, could not find one, even over there they are gold.
Since I have had my SeaCraft, I have met some wonderful people. I have also been on an Albury 20, little too tippy for my taste.
So, there will always be a SeaCraft 20 in the arsenal, plus some others. :-)

Ok, so where was I?
Got the boat stripped down. Cored the hullsides with Divinycell.
Made a custom one off "konkwell".
Raised the stringers 4". Glassed them over and tied them into the transom.

Completely redid the forward compartment area.
Removed the cap and forward step area cap, removed all the wood, re-cored and put back down. You will notice that the liner did not go back in.
We faired and painted hull sides.

Just words.

Now you may notice some things.
First of all I have the utmost respect and envy for Mr. Herman. His work is impeccable and his shop is better than that.
Plus the room, holy s-----. I would die to have that amount of room.
And there has to be an honorable mention for the "man cave". That man has the life.
My shop is in its third home in 5 years, each time I move I say it is way too much space and yet, there is never enough space.
Needless to say, things get tight, boats get bigger and the shop never stays the way I wish. Ever---.

Just my 59 year old observation....:rolleyes:
The more space you have, the more you spread!!
No available flat surface in the shop to do anything!!!

When I built Area 442, The idea was all wrong by todays standards..

4000 sq ft house, 2000 sq ft shop!!! WRONG!!!
Should have been the other way around..:eek:

4000 sq ft shop "Man Cave" :cool:
2000 sq ft house... Wife, myself and 2 cats!! :)

Someday maybe I will get it right..:D

Hmmmm. don't look like any fun, no frosty cold beverages in them pics! :cool: Gotta at least pop one after the tear down dude. :D

nothin' like a fresh start

Lookin good Oly!!

Nice to hear you are doing well. My trailer thanks you and the new torsion axles are the bomb.
I remember nice gestures that help us later on as we are able to make things as we would like .

The burn #`s on those Seaways were sick. Black Dog started the Mosquito Lobstah boat fleet.
Many years ago now. 8 ft. swell at 9 seconds. I need to think inside this year and learn how to fish there as well.

Now were talking.... :)

strick

Ok, so there is nothing earth shattering here. (in boat (re) building mode.)
Let me digress. I guess this little threat is going to be my therapy. Someone had a thread going over on THT that had me in stitches for days.
"The adventures of on line dating."
Ohhhh, how I can relate. After S.Y.T. decided to leave (without informing me) my dating/relationship life took a turn down an adventurous path.
Now, you have to understand, I have B.O.D of the 60's, very early 60's. My S.Y.T was some 1/2 my age. So I somehow deduced that if one S.Y.T saw something in me, there had to be others.
Well, I guess it is true, for a price. But in the end, they all cost money. What really got me was S.Y.T and I had something, she really liked boating, loved the Bahamas and if I kept the trawler stocked with rum and beer, traveling at a snails pace was no issue at all.
Aneyhoo, after she left I was trying to find myself, or someone to replace her. That usually led to some pretty funny situations. Now remember, I am single, in my late 40's early 50's, my friends are married in their late 50's early 60's, so their life is a tad different.
We have this little Club called the 501. What it is in reality is my trawler, loaded with aforementioned rum and "hooch", (Hooch is cheap whiskey, Philadelphia brand to be exact.) that they show up to each day at---- yes, 5:01 pm, at which point in time they drink, and we discuss the days events, mostly politics and my weeks adventures in the dating scene.
Now I could at this point go off on many different roads. On line dating sites, (of which there are many, and I have tried most of them.), politics (I don't discuss politics, much to the 501 boys chagrin, but damn, they can walk that horse to death.), titty bars (um, excuse me, gentlemans clubs.) That reminds me, someone bring up the fact later about this little trip up to Mr. Herman's "man cave" to pick up a project he had the foresight of kicking out of his yard and the "lunch" we had after picking up said project, yep, it involved a gentlemans club.
Sooooo, how about this, Mr. Herman mentioned beers. Well, I don't drink, gave it up back in 2005, it was one of those things, stop drinking or die.
Somewhere in (Mar 2005), I came to the conclusion I needed help, the fact that I was broke, didn't have job, couldn't get a job and most of my friends didn't come around anymore helped me understand that. Soooo, one day after severely effin up something for my niece (not really, sorta adopted and the namesake of my trawler), and her mother told me in no uncertain terms to eff off and die, (she is the wife of one of the 501 dudes), I called up said mother and wife and said I need help. Off to B.A.R.C we go, simple right? Not so much. It appears that I am not the only person in Broward County that day trying to get into a County Supported Detox center. But, we do have to sit, go through the screening process, (this is county remember, it does take some time), anyehoo, some hours later they tell me they are full, come back. Well sh---, I am damn hung over by now, ready for a drink, so I tell my friends, Mr and Mrs 501, truck my a--- to the hospital, Baker Act me, so on to the hospital we go. They check me in, (in reality they didn't Baker Act me, because the hospital kicked me out the next day, and I believe that if Baker Acted, it's a mandatory 3 days.) Aneyhoo, my night in the hospital on the gurney in the hallway was en-lighting, to say the least. Now remember, they checked me in, so when they say, Ok Mr Drunk you can go, I had nothing! No cell phone, no money. So I walked home, on the walk home, (still very hung over) gave me some time to think, got back to the boat, did not have a drink, called Mrs 501 and said, take me to B.A.R.C, this time they took me in and that brought up the next four very interesting days of my life.
Let me clear one thing up. S.Y.T and drinking were not connected, I met her after I was sober, and that actually may have had something to do with her leaving, she did/does enjoy a drink. But that's another story.
Oh yea, the : "Red SeaCraft project."
Nothing earth shattering. But this boat had a plan, light, fast, strong, minimal.
I did take the forward console seat and make it a watertank.
I made my custom "konkwell".
And before too many people get on my case and say I didn't build this boat, most of that is true, the guys (and V.I.P. girl) in the shop have. I have done some of the work, but mostly I am in the office dealing with bringing in the money to keep these folks fed. Remember, almost all of this started when our fine country was going through what they term as "the great recession". No politics, but that was damn reality-----.
And this console went through a couple of changes. First I was going minimal and original, then I went with, I would actually like to see the electronics in front of me.

OP, Sounds like Mid-Life Crisis :p :eek: :rolleyes: :(

:eek: :D

You guys have lost me, what's my mid life crisis. Building another boat? or my little narrative in the thread.

No, they are bustin your chops. ZZZ fish on...

I feel there is no such thing as a mid life crisis. I`ve wanted all of those things since I was young. Hope to when I get old. The midway point is pointed out by folks who saved you a ton of money shopping on sale. Get the point?

Nice writing,
GFS
I don`t say that often. Against the rules.
Put your anger in the ice box and focus on tomorrow. Let it go.

OP, If you only knew.......;)
Stay the course, move ahead, DON'T LOOK BACK!!! :):D:cool:

We all struggle with one dilemma after another...:eek:

You will be lead in the right direction...:)

Maintain, maintain, & maintain!!

You have more friends here then you think!

For Blondie & and I we have figured out we are going into the fourth quarter of our lives....
My mom & dad respectfully 86 & 87, remind me they are at the two minute warning!

This site is the Black Pearl, and for good reason.

So, where were we? Anyway, little history on the current shop.
Back to my shop.
I found this place next to one of my suppliers, I have driven by here for 20 years, never seen anyone here. So I found out who owned the building and contacted them. They where storing "treasures" in there that was left from when their parents ran their shop out of here.
30 years worth of "stuff" in a warehouse, it took four (4) large commercial construction dumpsters and one full week, in order to get room to put one (1) 20' boat in here.
The deal was they could store some of their "stuff" and I would get a break on the rent.
Well, through the years, I have needed more room and they have gotten rid of their "stuff".
Needless to say, as the boats are getting bigger, the shop is always "moving". The shop is mostly filled with my "stuff" and no matter what, with 6 people running around and boats, things just shall we say, get unorganized. :-(.
Back to the story. Everyone is doing boat "rebuild or build" threads, truth be told, how many different ways can you explain how you cut something out and glued it back together, or how many speakers you where going to install?
Honestly it gets kinda boring, I mean, some of the ideas are neat, but anyway-----.
So as I was writing and posting photo's I decided to go this route, had no clue where I was going, but realized it felt pretty good.
Now from early responses to the threat it is pretty evident that the demographics of this forum are quite a bit different than they are over at THT.
You guys are more of the 501 crowd, part deuce.
Some of this (and the pics) might get a little hard for you guys, just hold on and plug the pacemaker back in.
Ok, lets get serious for a minute.
Yes, I am an alcoholic, and yes we have a 501 Club where the booze flows freely. When I drank, I never stopped, got mean along the way too, every day----.
But then, I stopped (Well, with a little trip to detox), and after that little trip I pretty much said I was never going back. I went to some counselling for a month or so, then I took a job in PB and the counseling didn't work with my schedule. Never did AA or any type of that counseling. Aneyhoo, I am not a died in the wool reformest, I don't preach religion or to quit drinking. Don't mid if you do drink, don't care if you get sloppy (girls, it's ok to take your clothes off!), it's just that when you reach that point and get sloppy and nasty or I don't like you, I leave. End of story.
So lets see, internet dating, hmmmmm.
Well, I found out my biggest mistake about internet dating by reading that thread the guy wrote over on THT. I told the truth. On my profiles, about myself, my wants and my no wants.
Well, let me tell you, people lie, women lie, go figure----. You name it, they lie. Age, weight, height, likes, wants, whatever, you name it.
Hear I am telling the truth, being Mr Nice Guy (which is really who I am), and they don't want any part of it, they want Mr Bad A---, even though everything in their profile says they want walks on the beach, Mimosas and the such,.
Now, in the internet dating scene, I went across the board, young and old (er), but after I found that the older ones where just as crazy as the younger ones, I stayed young, I mean, it does work for better pictures when in the islands. (examples forth coming).
Now, I had some special names for them, some names where given by the 501 Club.
One was "Train Wreck", never knew what happened to her, but I jumped ship before she ran into the wall at the end of the tunnel.
Then there was "Long legs Lanore" or "Tits McGee" as the 501 boys named her, depending on which one you asked, no matter, either name worked. Examples below. This is a SeaCraft site, so at least she is on a SeaCraft, (Mods, if the one pic is too much, let me know and I won't do it again. :-).

PS: Now thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. I really am fine, know where I am going (Finally) pissed that S.Y.T didn't go along for the ride, but have realized that I am not crazy. But I am, I mean, I'm still "messing about in boats" and trying to make money doing it. And we all know the story on that one. "Know how to make a small fortune? Start with a large one and get in the boat building business."
Anyway Ken leads me into a story I will tell about one FLIBS Boat Show.
I was listening to a friend of mine (broker), sell this guy an Offshore, 1m+ bote.
The guy was in his 70's, looked like he could stroke the check, but was balking.
This salesman friend of mine, Walter, says, "how old are you?" the guys says "75", Walter takes a tape measure out and lays it on the deck of the boat, leaves it at 85".
Walter then points to 22" and says, "up to here, you went to school and learned", then he points to 60", and says, from 22" to 60", you started a business, a family, had kids and probably grand children. Guy says, "yup", then Walter says, from 60" to 75" you have slowed down, business is doing well, kids are well and grand kids are good. Guy says "yup", then Walter points from 75" to 85", and says, "this is what you have left", and when that guy looked at the remaining 10" out of the original 85" layed out on the deck, he stroked that deposit check right then and there, true story----.

thanks for sharing, someone said they dint believe in a midlife crises, mid life happens too fast and before you know it your past 50.
we all got stories but u will say my father was a alcoholic drunk got in a fight on a jobsite with the contractor one day and bolt fell in a hole my dad on bottom with a broken back.
in a whell chair he lived with me fr 20 years . on the last day I finished work early and decided to renew my stickers on my boat. stopped for lunch at a new place and patiently waited for my check then decided to install the sticker at the marina before I went home .
when I finally got home I found my dad in the pool. he had a scooter and a habit if not turning it if just stopping and probably passed out and leaned on the control stick .went in unconscious. just a story that may save someone

your story reminded me of a friend up the way from me he was wirking in a trawler he bought and kept it at a friend house the other side of a low bridge on his canal so oncew gthe boat was all done new thei and that his wife me met at this guys house left him for his friend and took the boat,

"(Mods, if the one pic is too much, let me know and I won't do it again. :-)."

I'm not a "mod", so just to let you know I sure have NO problem with the pics!!! :) You lucky dog!

What Seacraft? :D

I`m 51 and don`t see a crisis. My cruise ship is rigged a bit differently than most.
I embrace the manic and absurd. Vonnegut and Monty Python will always be my heroes.

Blue Chip`s thread on tht is monumental. He is the second coming of Tucker Max.
If you are not familiar with his musings, do yourself a favor and give it a read.
This is Tucker Max.

http://www.tuckermax.com/stories/the-austin-road-trip/

"My cruise ship is rigged a bit differently than most."

Well put GFS!! :D

"My cruise ship is rigged a bit differently than most."
I am starting to realize that about you Sandy, yes I am slow.
Blue Chip never posted pictures, I am posting some pics. :-)
But I tell you, BC can write!

I always get a kick out of mid life crisis talk...most of us forget that mid-life is 35 to 42.

Not 50 :D

I have pro pics of Roos and she is Smokin` hot. Be patient.

Sandy,
I am not above bribery.
You post some pics of Roo's (don't need R rated or names) and I will post some pics of LLL/TM that will put a smile on your face. Rated of course for CSC since they don't have a Sandbar section. :-)

Teaser pic of LLL/TM for Sandy.

I swore I wouldn`t post them. He`ll put more up when he gets more wheel time and yeah, he can write. My Sister keeps bugging me to write more.

Tying some circle hook rigs on flouro. Black Dog said the Cobia were following sharks this am. Seas are 8 ft. @ 9 secs so I am going on a Chessie boat. Fished on her before, but it was flat. Can`t wait to see how she takes this. I have to be careful what I type as Wide OPen reads all of my posts. She is the jealous type.

I guess it has been some time since I have posted some pics of the boat. Let me do that, because I know that is why everyone is here. :-)
Then I will have to tell at least one story about LLL/TM.

While we are on the subject of wide racks......

Holy S***, That is an amazing deer!