Seacraft 18'
 

1978 full restoration for your enjoyment.

beautiful, more pictures and more details please!

Took about two years of weekends and after hours at my shop which is ironically a stones throw from Mr Potters address in Princeton, Florida. Lots of help from my good friends at Speedcraft.

Idea was a very simple, uncluttered, light tackle boat for Biscayme Bay.

Much thanks to everyone who contributes to this site. Although I have not been actively participating, the amount of information I've learned here about these great little boats undoubtably contributed to the finished product.

One more

Very sweet!! Boat porn at it's best! :)

For those of us who are boatless and are inspired to attempt, how much do you think you spent to get it to this stage in addition to the count less hours of sweat, tears and blood.

Beautiful boat, if I were you I would not sell it for any price!

Thank you. I originally was looking for a 20' being there were so many more made and easy to find locally (Miami). I purchased the hull and trailer for 1200. From there, I made every effort not to keep track for the duration of the build. I work in the marine industry so most everything purchased was at wholesale cost, including the Mercury. With that being said, about 17k less the labor myself and my 10yr old son (rightful owner) put in. Compared to what that would buy new (or even used) it's a steal. I'm not independently wealthy by any means, and tackled it by doing what I could when I could, both time wise and financially. Trust me, it's a rewarding experience, especially when you are complimented by both people who know what they're looking at and those that don't. Do it; take your time, enjoy the entire process and with that the end number won't bother you.

thanks for sharing, and yes, you and your son now have a great boat to share and enjoy. And its not one you just went down to Bass Pro and bought, you and him built it essentially. What a great family experience!

As good as it gets....

Without a doubt there.

Nice job!

Great job, just the right amount of teak!
Rod

Sweeeeet !

Is the cost of the motor included in your 17K estimate, if that's the case, what do you figure you have in it without the cost of the motor ?
Hope you don't mind me asking but I may be doing mine sometime soon.

Cost without motor
 

Sorry for the delayed reply sidelock. I paid 7k for the merc so 10k for the hull. The basic breakdown would be 1200 for the hull/trailer, 5k for a new transom, misc. glasswork like recoring the casting deck and hatches, and paint. The other 3800 in hull prep, parts, and rigging. Hope that helps.

That is sweet and the really great thing is that you are in a part of the world where you can fish that inside and go outside for the big ones. Beautiful job.

Thanks tas, I priced a 115 Merc. four stroke just the other day and they quoted me 15 K up here in Canada, I like the command thrust idea but I thought that was rather high. Also got a quote for a new transom and that came in at 5K. Might get the transom done over the winter and have a good mechanic go over my 98 Yamaha 115 and see if its worth getting a shaft extension to buy me some more time.

You must be getting hosed on the taxes up there. As the old Taco Bell ads use to say, make a run for the border!!!! One of the big dealers has that new 115 Command Thrust engine listed for $8500. That's like $2800 USD less that what they quoted you.

LOL , that's actually before the 13% HST uncle sam pockets. Don't know what the duty would be bringing one across the border but since Merc is a North America built product, it may be duty exempt. If and when that time comes , I will definitely look into it.

I've surfed this site a while as my join date indicates. This one absolutely takes first prize for me, just perfect!

OUTSTANDING TAS!

Guess what's in your Wallet?
You and your son earned the "Gucci Stamp" Award

Enjoy the ride

Beautiful work!

love the clean uncluttered look. Its great to see your son involved in the restoration process too. You cant put a price tag on that.

One of the best I've seen. Nice job!

Sidelock, I also have an 18SF and priced a 2017 CT 115 Merc at $11K8 at Bass Pro Shop last spring. Not sure about their rigging abilities.

Forgot to mention that is Canadian dollars, pre-HST

Color
 

Hello Tas,

What color is that? Who makes it? It looks fantastic.

I'm seriously thinking about having someone restore my 18 SF over the winter and I'm interested in knowing what rubrail and insert you used on your boat and the size and make of your leaning post.
Can't help admire your boat every time I bring up this thread !