1974 SeaCraft 23' SF
 

I just picked up this 1974 23' SeaCraft on Monday... I'm lovin' it!!!

Congrats!!! I bet you are stoked!!

Not sure of your HP, however KMoose gets real good numbers with his 250 Zuke.

Good luck!! And keep the pics coming :)

It came with a 250 HP Zuke, which runs real smooth and silent at idle, dead silent. I'm gonna get it checked out to see how many hours are on it and if any major problems are apparent. It sure doesn't sound or feel like it... smooooth.
If there are some major repairs needed, I may pull the 225 Zuke from my 21b Mako.
By feel, the SeaCraft with the 250 goes about 10% faster than my 21 Mako with the 225 Zuke. The Mako goes 40-41 by GPS. So that would be about 44-45, which seems about right from what others have posted. I've only been out on the SeaCraft once so far. This week I'll hook up the GPS and post some real numbers. But it goes faster than I need to go, for sure. Well, at least until I get used to it. :)

The inside liner was removed from this boat (making it lighter) by the previous owner and he raised the floor 6" to make it a flat floor, front to back. Very Cool!

Kevin

Hi gtrkev nice looking SeaCraft, be sure to post more pictures of it when you get a chance. How does the boat seat in the water with the Zuke? were is your water line? Im thinking about going 4t but am worried about the addition weight.

This SeaCraft has no problem with the waterline as the floor has been raised, so the water is below the scuppers. It's self bailing for sure. However, this boat has had the floor raised. In my Mako 21B I had concerns going from 225 2S Evinrude to 225 Zuke 4S. When I put the 4Stroke on the Mako, I did not like that the boat sat about 1" lower at the stern than it did before. It was still self bailing, but too close for me. If 2 people went to the back corner, water would come in (but 1 person was OK). So after giving it MUCH thought, I came up with a solution that worked really, really great. I put 3 bags of sand in the anchor locker in the very front of the boat. The boat evened out and sits about 3/4 inch lower at midship, but now only 1/2" lower at the stern than with the 2-Stroke. So now 2 people can stand in a back corner without taking on water through the scuppers AND, the boat takes waves head on MUCH better than before. Hope the numbers help you decide. I am WAY happier with the 4-stroke eninge. For almost zero smoke, practically zero noise and way better gas consumption. Win-Win-Win. The trade off that my Mako sits 3/4" lower mid-ship and takes waves better is OK with me. For my SeaCraft, there was no trade-off and the Suzuki runs great.

I am actually putting in a new gas tank on the 23 SeaCraft right now (replacing what looks to be the original) and having the center console moved back toward the stern about 1 foot (to it's original factory location). That's another way to offset the greater engine weight (as the last owner of this SeaCraft did), you can slide your center console forward. The difference between 2S and 4S is usually about 200lbs. So you can have someone stand in the back or put 200lbs in the back of your boat, and that's about how it will be. I do have to say, the steering did change with the heavier engine. But if you add weight to the back of your boat to test (Plastic Trash Can(s) full of water maybe), you will be able to test how the boat manuvers before putting the 4S back there.

Unfortunately, there was quite a bit or water being stored up under the gas tank. The area under the new gas tank will have a drain installed, to let the water out.

Great boat have fun with your new install

gtrkev,

I moved your thread to the repairs/mods section. Keep us updated on your progress and don't forget pictures! Good luck!

DonV

I have a zuke 140 4s and it is smooth and quiet as a mouse at idle. If the gauges show good readings, run the pee out of it. Sometimes I have to turn my ear to the stern to make sure it's running! Good luck with it.

That floor dosnt look original. Your going to love this boat. More pix please.

Thanks. I have only been out in it 3 short times including the sea trial. And it is VERY impressive in the ocean! Handles the sea just like everyone claims a 23 SeaCraft would. More pix coming soon!

Drain added under gas tank area. Tank coming next week. 80 gal aluminum.

Touching up some scrapes and scratches.

congrats, I know you will love this boat compared to the mako :)

How did they raise the sole, did they raise the stringers too or glass spacers of some sort? They did not seem to glass or seal the underside of the plywood sole.

Joel

Thanks! The owner I bought it from raised the floor and stringers himself. He said he left the underside of the sole uncovered so it could breath (dry out). He said he used high quality fiberglass and not wood for the stringers. But upon inspection, it looks like he fiberglassed in some pressure treated 2x8 boards on top of the stringers. I can't really be 100% sure, but it looks like wood where the saw cut through the top of the stringers. The wood you see in the pictures is from the bottom of the plywood, so it could be all fiberglass stringers. He said he raised the floor 6 inches, which seems like a lot, but the end result looks like it worked out OK. He said he had to raise it that much, so it would be a flat floor all the way to the front.
I will post pictures he gave me of the orginal work done in 2007. The pix were included as part of the sale, at my request. Since I already knew I'd probably be posting here... I mean... It's a Potter built hull... You gotta have the rebuild pix!

OK... Here goes! Some classic rebuild pix ...from the original owner the pictures came with the boat. They were numbered on the back, which is cool, so these are in order. The first one is dated 03/27/2006 when he bought the boat, the rebuild was finished in 2007. Here are the sides with extra fiberglass being added. Note that he filled in the SeaCraft Vents, but he added vent tubes so air could get in there. You can see the vents in the next set of pix, the tube directly across from the gas tube is one of the vents. He said he took this boat out in some huge waves and was glad he closed up the vents. I like the sleek look of no vents like the more modern SeaCraft, but like the higher bow of the older SeaCraft's. Best of both worlds!

More pix! Floor being raised.

And now for the paint and interior finish...

and it hits the water just after rebuild in 2007, look out fishes!

Switching the engines. 225 Zuke 25", with a 250 Zuke 30". Will have to change out the lower units.

The 225 is on the SeaCraft now. I hope it pushes it fast enough. I know it was plenty fast with the 250. But, the 225 only has 100 hours on it. And it used the push the Mako plenty fast, about 41 mph. I've heard 250 to 225 should be a 2 to 4 mph difference top end. And the 250 used to push the SeaCraft about 44mph. If I can break 40 mph, that'll be fine with me. We'll see! :)

Sweet, just wondering while you are at this point of the rebuild if you would be able to move the trim tabs to the outside chine?

Thanks for the thought. They don't seem to bother me where they are. I guess they would work better on the outside chine. On my Mako, you can see they are really in the center and I know that is not optimal. But on the SeaCraft, I haven't really thought about it. I do plan to put a swim platform in the back. So, I may re-arrange things to get it to all fit back there. Haven't seem many posts about having trim tabs on the outside, of course, I wasn't really looking. I would prefer not to add extra holes in the transom, unless I really need to. Would it be worth it? What are the benefits? Does it make a big difference?
And... if you notice, the wiring goes over transom, not through it. I asked the original owner why he did it that way? Less holes in the transom? He said, "Exactly". He was a commercial fisherman, and you'll notice the bilge thru-hull was put at the top, the air intake vents were removed, too. As few holes as possible at or near the waterline. That was the original reasoning. But your right, now's the time if I'm gonna do it.

Ok, subfloor being cut to fit the new plastic tank.

Wait a minute, that looked like wood. Covered in fiberglass, but still, it's wood. Rip it all out... And start over. Better to do it right while the tank is out, right? More money, more time, but done right is the way to go.

So here's the new tank. And some better core materials than wood, I hope, to support it. The last tank had water trapped under it for a few years, not a friendly environment for wood. I'm gonna put some holes in the PVC pipes that run along the keel so water can escape through them, underneath the fiber-glassed in live-well, and back to the bilge. But just in case, better to use materials that won't rot out if it does get wet under the tank area.

were did you get your fuel tank? how many gal? cost? thanks

Keith at Assurance Maine (954) 907-2149 in Ft Lauderdale got it for me. He is doing the install. I think he said it was $325 or around that price. He said it is brand new (just a little dirty from hand prints). He said the aluminum tank was quoted as a lot more, like $800 or so. I smelled the inside of the tank, plastic smell, no gas fumes at all. It's a brand new 85 gallon tank.

Ahhh, much better, fiberglass... That's the way to go. No wood and looks s-t-r-o-n-g!!!

The tank is in!!
You can see the new fuel tank hose and the tank is not foamed in yet.

Another view of the new tank!
By sliding it back, a new storage space has been created in front of the center console. Uh, they forgot to put a drain in the storage space. That will have to be done later.

Some foam added around the tank.

More foam.

Well, tank is in. Looks like they put the original floor cut-out back over the tank. We agreed that the original floor cut-out would not be used. The cut out had uncovered plywood on one side and has been sitting outside for about 2 months. And, the corner of it was chipped up and damaged pretty bad when they pulled it up... I guess they were in a hurry? Looks like the original floor to me. What do you think? The saga continues...

OK! Now we're talking!~ Took the boat to a different repair shop. As you can see, they are removing the trim tabs. They may get moved to the outer edge. Good progress for sure. In one day, they have taken off most of the rod holders, cleats, rub rail, T-Top and other accessories. They are going to re-do the floor... AND, add front seating!

#gotta_do_it_right!

Note: they numbered the Rod Holders and cleats, so they know where they go. Smart! ;)

Here are the seats I'm going to model my seats after, there in a 27' contender, custom seats. The good news is, the guy who built these seats is the same guy who is building my seats... Can you believe this Contender used to have a cabin on it? Out with the Cabin, in with the lounge seats! The black donut (Garelick Brand Table Base) on the floor securely holds a table and huge Sunbrella. He says he couldn't be happier with the switch. I tell you, with the cushions in, these are some of the most comfortable seats ever.

P.S. see the Garelick table base in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxx4a3aDS7U I wouldn't think that little thing could support so much, but it does! Very Cool.

Here are the seat frames... I started the layout with 6' 2" seats which included a toe kick at the bottom. The inspiration came from the long (6' 4") seats on my neighbor's 27' Contender which are completely awesome! But, it turns out the toe kick I wanted takes away from the sleek lines I was going for. So I photo-shopped them out of the last picture. I think it looks better with the seats going strait to the ground. Cleaner lines. The builder said the owner of the Contender went through the same process and eventually decided no toe kick on his either.
Note the Blue tape across the center console shows how far I was planning to move the center console back, about 1 foot. Turns out, I had to move it back another couple inches for clearance, 14" total. The previous owner of this SeaCraft had moved it forward 1 foot, so now it's very close to being back to it's original position.

Grinding away on this project, literally. The seat supports are in. Filling in the square floor hatch so a bigger floor hatch can be made later that conforms to the outline of the seats. You can see the new hatch outline on the floor in pencil. I decided to make the seat in the center a little bigger (than my blue-tape-on-the-floor version), that will give me enough room to put a subwoofer and less cramped when your walking towards the bow between the seats. Also, removing old bow eye. New rub rail sample vs. old rub rail, big difference. 50' rub rail in a roll. And a brass thru-hull transducer.

That's all. ...for today.

Anchor Locker location is marked off. The bow light is just loose, will be straightened when attached.