Stretched 23' seacraft hull thoughts...
 

Moved from another thread per request, Discussion about stretching the 23' hull to 25'-27'.....

One of the biggest things bugging me on the 25 is the gunnel height and layout. For what I do I would have shave the tops down and it would totally destroy the lines of the boat. Recently I have been urged by a friend to consider extending my current rig 4'. There is someone who has done a similar project to a 23cc and it look amazing. I have a basic quote for the structural and transom work of the extension but have to figure in a cap mod that would give be basically the same layout. My vision would be to move the helm and cabin face including the windshield back 4'. With the extension added on the back I would be left with the same ample deck layout. From the windshield riser forward the bow deck would be replaced with a new nidacore bow cap and low profile hatch. The boat would look essentially the same but would appear to have 4 more feet of bow length but added at the stern. This mod would also allow me to keep my current top configuration that I love and really make the cabin worth using for a sleepover.

The rendition would look similar to this....

Man, that would be a snazzy ride!! What would be the power option?

I don't think I would need any more ponies than the new 300 I have on there now. I would also be losing some weight in the mod as I would replace all my floors with nidacore decking and most other items originally done with wood. Also the longer running surface provided by the length extension would add efficiency. Width would remain the same as well.

That will look great, should work too. You should be able to drive sitting down almost all the time. And you get to keep the bowling alley!

One question, head room in the cabin. The extra headroom in the Seafari is a much loved feature, especially for living aboard. What head room will you have?

Streached 23' seacraft hull thoughts...
 

It won't be great but it will provide a place to crawl down into long enough to sleep. It won't be a cabin per say but better than a dry place to store gear. Right now I have the walk down covered and if I go through with this mod I would open that area back up to improve access.

I could extend the windshield rise forward to add headroom but I the fabrication would add to the cost and it may not look right. I figure with moving the cabin face back farther where there is more depth in the hull I may gain some head room if I keep the cabin well right on the bottom center stringer.

Moose Sled 27.0
Attachment 11913

Might work if the cabin floor stays very low. The 25 is deeper than the 23, but there must be at least 2 feet of space between my cabin floor and the center stringer. You may have more room than you think, and, for sure, it is a nice feature. I had a boat that had to be crawled into to sleep and the Seafari is a million times better.

The red moose sled looks fabulous.

Add another 300 and a bracket. You know that has to be going through his mind. A picture will seal the deal!

A red moose. Now that is a funny visual.

Looks great.

I would be curious to see how the stretched potter hull is different from the 26 foot model that bass pro built in the 90's. I believe it is just a stretched 23 with a euro bracket.

Streached 23' seacraft hull thoughts...
 

Frizz - I think you are right about the later 25 or 26 being a 23 with an integrated bracket.
That said, the comparison of Moose Sled 27 to my 23 makes the original 23 look kinda frumpy :(
Attachment 11940

that is AWSOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! especially with the 300 etec hanging out back....

Wow! That really looks great in comparison. The little woman is still not sold yet... Hates red but a blue with a white undercarriage may help. She's pretty fond of her new 300 Zuke as well and that would be the carry over power for the new build. Looks like if I am going to move forward with this I will start on another stripped hull so I can keep her happy while the build moves along. I think its going to be a project well worth the time and expense.

Moose, check your PM.

That's easy even though the color palette in this software is terrible - assuming darker blue - or would light blue be better?. I haven't added the transom door yet to make it easy to get in with gear. Or the low profile (and large enough to be useful) foredeck hatch for anchoring/docking. Thinking integrated trim tabs to reduce underwater protrusions too. Probably should make a list.
Attachment 11954

Perfect! That the color or at least very close. I'm really starting to get my head wrapped around this vision. A narrow 27' VDR Potter SeaCraft that will likely be as light or lighter than the original version utilizing modern composites. A usable length cabin and a piloting position of a CC. Yepper, I see some great potential in this vision. Throw a pair of 200hp 4cyl. Zukes on it.... Island hopper!

A bare 23 is about 2800#. I think the bare 27 would be something like 3000-3100# assuming all the various joints are not over-built. My biggest concern is the beam to waterline ratio - it might be getting on the low side - it is more like a race boat.

Considering the amount of wood and glass in my current raised deck and transom I will likely lose a considerable amount when the floor, transom, boxes and forward deck all go composite. I'm not too concerned about the ratio as much considering the weight forward balance and the fact I'm not dealing with a 25 degree deadrise. Lots of 8' beam boats out there longer and thinner, especially toward the bow so I'm hoping the added displacement will work out the difference.

You guys should start a new thread with the stretch limo 23 talk

Agreed! Can we get a little mod help to migrate this mess! :D

New tread started and old post moved per request...

The 23 is already a bit narrow relative to other similar boats,

I like the look of this model . . . looks more like a stretched seavette.

Nah.

3:1 is pretty much minimum length to beam for a good sea hull. Even a 4' extension would only put it at 3.38:1. No problem. The boat has plenty of room on the deck now, so extending the cabin 4 feet, thus moving the wheel position back 4 feet will greatly improve the ride.

I'll bet that the boat will be faster than now and get better fuel mileage if built right. Certainty no slower.

There was a guy in Ct who was in the process of extending his 23 CC back when this site started, but I'll be damned if I can remember his name.

The 25 Cape Cod/26 Albin is a stretched 23. Ride is amazing
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BD...A=w600-h450-no

Ken maybe a shout out to Carla and see if her dad has any thought on this...just keep in mind Carl is over 90.

If the work on the existing 23 was done with plywood, the mods could easily weigh more than the weight addition of doing a composite stretch of the 23 to 27. NidaCore is now known as CarbonCore - it is the lightest stuff I know of for a core material - practically nothing.

From the sounds of it, the 27 would weigh pretty much what your existing 23 weighs and maybe even less. While the 23 was not Carl's design it would be interesting to hear his comments if would make any. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

The deck of a stock 23 would have to be raised at least 1.5" since it slopes down aft at 1-1.5 degrees relative to the keel - over 4' that is about an inch. Since this 27 would likely be carrying a pretty heavy load a lot of the time, 2" might be a good number.

It looks like the CG would stay in a similar place too.

Stretched 23 center Console
 

I saw this on THT, may be of some interest.



http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...-seacraft.html

Carl built a few different 27's The seamaster 27, which has a much wider beam than the 23. Here is a 27 master angler, it has the same bottom half as the seamaster just made into a open hull:

http://www.classicseacraft.com/MA27.htm

The other 27ish hull which dose have a narrow beam would be mine and Sandy's race hulls. I believe the stretched 23 would fall some where in between the two.

In my mind it would be similar to the seavee , white water or earlier contenders which were just a stretched formula 223 basically. Longer hulls with a narrow beam. They still have some bow flare but not as wide or tall like the seamaster or other wide beam 27's. It would act more like a performance cigar cc with the narrow beam. Cigarette and Scarab comes to mind. You would gain in some places and loose in others. For a offshore tournament fishing boat where you do a lot of fast running it may do well. For a short runs, putt around, diving or trolling you would suffer in stability badly. I think it would be a cool thing to try. There are tons of narrow beam cc's out there. Some ride good and some not so much. I don't know how the VDR would do in this case but I would be curious to know....

Stop talking about it already and get to cutting.

I think you're right J. Do you have room over at your shop for another one?

Getting ready for exterrior paint.... Your welcome to use the shop, the air tools, etc... But don't count on free labor.

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...extension.html
Moose
read thru this build .... the guy did an amazing job could help some on yours !!

Well the talk is over and the Admiral is on board. The project boat is secured and I am putting it on my old trailer this weekend in hopes of gaining some momentum moving forward. It's going to be a total restore and stretch from bow to transom. I think it's really going to be worth the ride. I'll post some pics this weekend.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

Cant wait to see Moose in the Stay Puft marshmallow tyvek suit.

Not going to happen. If it requires sanding, mixing, grinding, cutting, filling or spraying it will be contracted out. I'm smart enough to know it is far more economical for me to have a pro do the work once. I want to spend all of my weekends on the water and not covered in glass.

You and Mel are awesome.

Very smart way to look at it !