20' Seafari: The Resurrection
 

When you buy a boat that's been hibernating for several years,
you know you're in for an adventure.
The question becomes, how much of an adventure do you want?

I'm still trying to figure out the level of resto I want to do.
Paint and replace everything, or, do all the basics, shine her up and
have a stout, bullet proof vessel that I'm not afraid to use?

Time will tell!

I believe that I've overcome the biggest hurdle in beginning the
restoration, and one that I didn't expect: spiders!
Every time I'd crawl into the boat, I was met by a gaggle of pissed
off black spiders. Apparently, they missed the east coast...

I treated the entire boat with commercial Fipronil, paying careful attention
to the bilge, hatches, and hidden spaces. The next day, I was met by
450,000 dead arachnids. Hello shop vac.
Although I do love spiders, I couldn't handle
an army. Now I feel less terrified when setting foot in the cabin.

So yesterday I got started in earnest: the first thing to go was the
mangled bow rail. I will be beaching the boat a lot, and it's a
drag to clamber over a shin high rail, so I was glad to have it off.
Also, I think she looks good with that hardware but a memory. Sleek!

I wet sanded and waxed the port hull and started on the deck.
The old gel coat comes up glossy and I may not have to do much
painting after all.

Ripped out all the old wiring and all that was left of the rabbit's fur.
Removed all the rusty fasteners. Started getting the trailer sorted out.
It was a good day!

The outboard is still frozen. Probably always will be, despite my best
efforts. I have my eye on a 150 Optimax at a local boat yard, and
I see a re-power in the near future.

Ordered a ton of stuff from eBay: LED nav lights. A compass. VHF.
Steering cable. Trailer rollers. Drink holders. Important stuff.
Polk audio marine speakers and a Kenwood stereo
because you have to have tunes while you work...

This is going to take me months, and that's OK. It's good to have
a project!

Now only a few mysteries remain: What does the plaque behind the
steering wheel mean? Can I tell the year of manufacture from those
numbers? What kind of windshield molding do I need to replace the
old, gooey stuff hanging on so bravely? What do those little plastic
eyes at the bottom of the window glass do? Why did someone
think it was OK to wire the boat with lamp cord and place the
fuse box deep in the bilge?

Anyway, I've grown quite attached to this SeaCraft in the week that
I've had her, and more so now that the spider army has been vanquished!
:eek:

Cant wait to see more pictures, amazing looking already!

Dogbomb-
Congrats on jumping into your project. The port hull looks real nice. First of all there is lots of good advice on this sight & not always in agreement (i.e. outboard brackets versus not). Here are a few of my comments based on 40 years with my '76 Seafari. See the photos of my instrument panel and teak bolsters.
1- As to the bow rail removal making it easier when you beach the boat. Beaching it is not recommended (as seen in other CSC posts). It will be hard to get on & off, not good for the keel, and if the tide goes out maybe impossible to push off. And the biggest reason it's easier to swamp if waves hit your stern. Better to add a swim platform to the transom, anchor bow out, back into the beach trimming up as you go, then plant a stern anchor up on the beach. Just step out of the stern jump seat onto the platform into knee deep water. Got any little kids with you, it's easier for them to go back and forth to the boat. I find the bow rail helpful for its intended purpose, keeping me on the bow deck when anchoring!

2- If interested I'll send some photos of my platform (I may have some on my phone, but not on the laptop). Together years ago Bushwacker & I built platforms with teak slats across a stainless u-shaped, hinged tube. (Bushwacker's went to 65Bowrider when he added the outboard bracket). Then a few years ago I added a fold down ladder, but devised a way to support it from under the platform. The platform serves another good purpose, if it's a coed trip and someone wants to go #1 without using the portapotty or it's too cold to get fully immersed, just sit down on it! Also a way to get into the boat if it's too difficult from your trailer.

3- I redid my instrument panel with Starboard to replace the faded brown, wood looking original. I basically kept all the switches & accompanying fuse holders in the original location. I have no fuse block in the bilge.

4- After my coaming bolsters were shot, I replaced the plywood backing with 3/8" thick teak. It stays under cover now, but 11 year old Siskins Cetol finish still looks great as you can see in the photo.

Best wishes

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...pictureid=2213
http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...pictureid=2101

Thank you! I shall post more pics as work progresses.
Thanks for taking a look!

Thank you for the kind words and the great advice!
I fully agree with your take on beaching the boat.
There are exceptions, and I do quite a bit of my boating at Lake Havasu
on the Colorado river. The beaches there are sugar sand, so no danger to
the keel. Also, the coves are very secluded, so no danger from other
boat wakes flooding the motor well. But I do agree with your advice
on anchoring and backing onto the shore in certain circumstances.
I have a teak swim platform that I'll be installing for just that reason!

Your boat is beautiful, and I covet that motor well splash shield.
Wish those were easily available, but I'll have to cob something
together in the mean time.

Cheers, and thank you so much for taking the time to respond!

Post some pics of that Donzi sweet 16 while you're at it.

Vezo or RickG should have Don Herman's mold for that splash shield, so they should be able to get one made somewhere!

Cove on Colorado
 

Dogbomb-
Wow coves off the Colorado. Good for Watersports? My bucket list includes wakeboarding & slalom on places like Lake Powell.
Thanks for your compliment. My Seafari needs some buffing out, otherwise been pretty well maintained. As I told 65bowrider & Skippertee when they recently joined us on a lake outing, there are some absolutely gorgeous boats & restores on CSC. Neat-Sea is a bit like the 68 Vette I had 30 years. It was not show car quality, but was well maintained & used. Retirement has provided some catch up on my boat projects list.

Will do!

I'll have to look into that! Would be cool to have a professionally made
unit instead of my own questionable design.

Oh yes, the Colorado is water ski heaven. Warm, flat water all day.
:)

We go boat camping on Powell once a year. It's a fantastic piece of water,
and I look forward to spending a week on the SeaCraft next year!

Splashwell
 

I think this explains the Herman connection on the full splashwell that you saw in my recent photo. My Seafari was delivered in June 1976. It must have been after 1980 when Potter was no longer with SeaCraft that he had a company, SeaMark, making after-market parts. I ordered my splashwell from Potter at SeaMark. I believe it was Don Herman that was working for or making the splashwell for Potter and apparently continued to do that occasionally thereafter. There was a recent post that Don was getting ready to trash the mold. One of the CSC'ers got a hold of it when Vezo was interested (can't remember who), before it went to the dump.

Tony,I have some new window rubber seal left over from my tsunami project.I got it from American marine.I believe they made the original windshields for seacraft.
I pretty sure the profile of the seal is the same on the seafari.I'm up in NY on Lake Ontario until the end of the month,but when I return I'll measure what I have left if you're interested

Good information, thank you!
Maybe I can track down the current owner of that mold.
:)

Hey, thank you, John! That would be terrific.
I hope your trip is fantastic and that the fish are biting.
Your Seafari likes it here in California!

Swim Platform
 

Dogbomb-
Look for a PM from me, Capt Terry

Greetings Dogbomb,

Got plenty of those in my backyard, and could use a whole bunch down at the Coronados... but I digress...

Congrats on the the Seafari. I too, had a SeaCraft hauled sight unseen from the other side of the Big Muddy. Pretty sure its some kind of unrecognized disorder:eek:.

At any rate, I'm sure Capt Terry and Bushwacker have already mentioned what a versatile little boat it is (see pic below).

A couple of things to note:

Scuppers tend to leak. They probably need replacing and are about & 5 ea., online. Moeller also has a flaring tool for about $35. These scuppers are very efficient underway, but not at the ramp or sitting still.

The scuppers corrode/crack over the years and water seeps in around them saturating the wood blockthat surounds/supports them, and then nature takes over. Usually visible along starboard string by batter pad if you're looking for it.

The other leak tendency is at the seam between the hull and cap. This will saturate the cabin and eventually you'll have a wet sleeping bag on a cold night @ Lake Powell or Havasu.
Addressing those two things are easy and offer some peace of mind.

Great boat for your plans. BTW did you ever look at the Yellow Seafari 20 listed in Fullerton?

The little placard does tell you about the boat. It will state make model and location of mfg., and maybe a couple other things. Hull ID should be in upper starboard corner of outer side of transom.
First 3 letters are Mfg., "SEC," or other depending on the year and manufacturer, 4th is model, 5th is length (a 0 for 20', a 3 for 23', etc.). 4 & 5 may be vice-versa? the rest are no., mo. the last 2 are the year of manufacture. Post a pic and we'll help you sort it out.

Cheers,

McG

Dogbomb-
Hi Tony, I sent you another PM you might be interested in, but probably not many others.

McGil-
My scuppers are original, but thinking about replacing them. The boat was used in salt water the first half of its life but either thoroughly washed after every outing or later it sat in somewhat brackish water in Palm City, 12 miles upstream from the St. Lucie inlet. Are there any good tips about removing the old ones and doing a good flare & sealing job on the new ones? Thanks, you share a lot of useful information.

Capt Terry,

Rather than derailing Dogbomb's joy, Ill start a different thread or find a working link...

Regarding the flaring I used this tool, athough you'll need a longer bolt:
https://www.amazon.com/520290-1-Drai.../dp/B0082ANA0C

I believe Bushwacker flared his with an old deep well socket...

Cheers,

Gillie

Terry,

If you're getting enough water leaking into a Seafari hull to trigger the automatic bilge pump after you've been anchored for a half hour or so, your scuppers are probably leaking. I believe the original design just depended on the flare of the brass tube against the hull to create a seal and they didn't use any sort of bedding compound. I believe that the flare deteriorates over time, allowing a small leak that gradually gets worse. If the boat is left in salt water, electrolysis may also be a factor. Electrolysis can cause the zinc to disappear from the brass, leaving a sponge-like copper material that's very weak.

Even the original brass tubes are pretty soft, so to remove them, just use a screwdriver+hammer to hit the edge of the lower flare and buckle the tube enough that you can collapse it and pull it out with a pair of pliers. I've replaced mine a couple of times in the 41 years I've had my boat. Don't think I used any sealant the first time, and during the 2nd replacement, I discovered that the wood 4x4 blocks that Potter installed between the hull and inner liner where they drilled the scupper holes had partially rotted away, so there was a significant gap between the brass tubes and wood block. I did a post on here about 2007 or 2008 documenting my repair process, but can't find any posts that old with the search function, so will try to describe what I did as follows:

I wanted something more substantial than brass tubes keeping water out of the boat, so came up with the idea of just filling the holes with thickened epoxy and then redrilling them. I used a core consisting of a tapered PVC union and riser with a wood dowel which could be easily drilled out that would also function as a soft pilot hole for the 1" twist drill. These pictures should give you a pretty good idea of the process. I first dried out the wood with denatured alcohol and then used Git Rot to strengthen and make 'em a bit more waterproof. Poured the thickened epoxy into an empty caulk tube (I chilled the resin in the fridge before mixing to keep it from kicking off too fast!) and used a caulk gun to inject it into the holes. Repair of stbd side went well, but on port side the resin just followed the path of the water and ran out into the hull! Fortunately the resin was still thick enough that it sealed up the leak when it hardened, so a second injection of resin worked ok. Redrilling the holes was a piece of cake and I ended up with little to no mismatch with original holes in bottom of hull. I did use a generous amount of Life Caulk around the new tubes just to be safe however! I didn't bother with a fancy flaring tool, as I had an old tapered 1/2" drive socket with a very nice radius on it for starting the flare, so just put some 3/8" threaded rod with some nuts and washers thru the socket and tightened the nuts to flare the tube enough to lock it in place. At that point, it was easy to use a ball peen hammer to finish the flare on the bottom of the hull. Those scuppers haven't leaked a drop since then!

Boat Owners Warehouse in Riviera Beach was able to get the 1" OD x ~8-9" long brass tubes overnight for just a few bucks. Although some folks on here said the tubes should be heated with a torch first to anneal and soften them to make 'em easy to flare, I didn't do that. They were already flared on one end, so I suspect they were already in the annealed condition, as they were obviously intended to be flared on the other end as well, and I had no problem making the flare.

Hopefully this will help others repair their leaking scuppers! If you happen to have a CC model, you also have another potential leak source in the brass drain tube in the forward fish box, which is subject to the same deterioration as the scupper tubes! Denny

Bushwacker-
Thanks Denny. Good tips. If my scupper is leaking it must be very little. My bilge pump never comes on automatically, except when getting up on plane & is probably washdown water. Last time out we anchored 2-3 hours before skiing; pump never came on automatically (and yes I tested it recently in the driveway). With it stored under roof I never remove the transom plug.

Thank you, sir, I really appreciate all the info!

I do plan to re-seal the scuppers, as it looks like someone did the job
already but not very well...

The transom on my boat has been replaced, and they neglected to
save the HIN. The boat is registered as a '69, but from the looks of
things it's a '72 or '73. The plaque behind the steering wheel is all that
remains of the original numbers.

I missed that yeller one if Fullerton! As you know, however, going through
hell and high water to drag a boat across country makes for a damn
fine story.

Cheers!

Year of Your Seafari
 

Tony- I thought from your photo the slope of your windshield looks like my 76 Seafari. Bushwacker's 72 is more upright. Am away from home and old brochures. Don't know what year it changed. Check it out. That should help narrow it down. Another thing- from just below the steering wheel to the deck mine is shite fiberglass. Bushwacker's looks like brown Formica or vinyl.

Dogbomb,

Post some pics of the cockpit and cuddy.

My '72 has diamond pattern non-slip deck. That, or '73 may have been the last year of that.

Mid '70's Potter added a bit of a shelf around the bunks. A useful feature me thinks...

Cheers,
McG

Seafari cap/inner liner changes
 

Potter made a number changes to the cap and inner liner over the years. One major hull change was the shift from the original Moesly design with 4 narrow stringers (see 1st attachment below) to the 2 wide box stringers. If your boat is a 72 or earlier like mine, it should look like the first pic below, which shows where I added a second battery between the 2 stringers under stbd seat. The 4-6" deep area was filled with foam to the top of the stringers and painted with gray paint, so I simply dug out the foam and found enough room for a big Group 27 battery box. That area should be covered with glass in the later models.

It looks like the change to the wide 2 stringer system was made by just connecting the inner section of the inboard stringer and the outer section of the outboard stringer of the earlier design with a couple of layers of glass. The 2nd picture below is the 2-stringer hull of a Seafari owned by a guy near me that he had butchered to turn it into a CC. (At least we got the cap off it for Skip & Carla's Seafari 21!) He claimed it was a '73 he had inherited from his dad. Looks like Potter may have used a wide piece of foam as the form for the stringers, which were hollow on the 4-stringer models, and installed about half way thru the layup. I have seen other restorations of '73 models with 4 stringers, so I believe 1973 was a transition year, when both 2 and 4-stringer hulls were made. I believe he may also have raised the deck a couple inches when the switch to the 2 stringer system was incorporated. If a boat has the raised deck, the scupper depression will be 2-3" deep instead of about 1" deep like it is on mine.

Today I found a picture in a 1974 brochure (2nd .pdf attachment) showing the white fiberglass bulkhead configuration and raised windshield that Capt. Terry describes in his boat. (note the additional non-opening panel at bottom of WS in lower picture; upper picture of white boat is from '72 brochure and does not show that extra panel.) I've noticed that the center of the V in the windshield is only about 6" aft of the hatch on the later models, but that distance is about 18" on my boat. Potter evidently moved the bottom of the windshield forward about a foot to create more room aft of the windshield, but if he didn't move the top of the windshield as much, that would create the more steeply raked appearance on the later models that Terry mentioned. Last pic shows the plywood bulkhead in my boat that's attached to the cap and inner liner with screws at top and bottom and appears to be covered in some sort of (badly faded!) wood grained contact paper. Based on the brochure, I believe the windshield and bulkhead change, along with the raised deck, larger gas tank/smaller step down for cabin door, teak cabin shelves, and glove compartment at top of bulkhead were all incorporated on the 1974 models.

Wow, thank you, you are a wealth of information!
My stringers look just like yours, and someone has
already scooped out the foam in that spot (presumably)
to make room for a battery.
I'm going to say that mine is a '72 or earlier.
The trailer was made in 1972, and from the rust patterns
on the frame I'm going to say that the bunks are in the original
position, so I'm guessing that the trailer and the boat have
always been together. This would make sense and is another
way to date the boat, I suppose.
Thank you again for all you help, it's much appreciated!

Yes, I'm starting to think mine is a '72, as it looks very much
the same to Bushwacker's in the stringer design.
Also, mine has the horrible brown vinyl covered panels, which
have faded to a strange sunset hue and are also quite eaten by
hungry termites...
Those are on my list of things to replace!

Here are a couple of pics of the cabin and deck surface (courtesy
of the previous owner as I haven't bothered to take any of my own yet.)
The cabin has no shelf and the deck is diamond pattern.
I'm guessing the boat is a pre-73?

Dogbomb - Just got back from a week on the San Juan arm of Lake Powell - really hope to see your 20 there someday. I haven't seen a single SC there.

Capt Terry - We did tow sports all day long in smooth fresh water and only saw 5-6 other boats each day til we got back nearer the marinas. Pretty incredible there for playing.

SC watersports
 

NICE! Been retired almost two years. Interruptions have affected boating frequency. But it's wonderful to avoid weekend boating & all the wakes! Can usually find a smooth enough section on Lake Hartwell, SC. Once in awhile dead flat- particularly fun for slalom or footing!

Excellent! Can't beat Powell for flat water and lots of it.
You'll see me there next fall, provided the Gods of SeaCraft
restoration are kind to me.

After much soaking in good ol' Marvel Mystery Oil, the big Johnson
finally freed up. Sadly, at least two rings broke in the process, and
the motor is headed for that big eBay round up in the sky.

Pulled the motor yesterday with my trusty cherry picker, and
prepared myself for the process of parting her out.
Goodbye ol' Johnson!

The second picture shows what happens when a sawzall falls into
the wrong hands. Could the PO (not you, John) have made any worse
of a job of hacking up the motor well?

I cut a piece of Starboard and will cover this mess later when I have
a new motor in place.

Yeah,what a hackarama.

no boat should suffer that kind of indignity.
It's hard to believe someone could be such a hacker.When I was still thinking of keeping it I thought about going with a hydraulic steering system as suggested by Denny,as you wouldn't have to deal with that unweildly stiff steering cable.

Im Sitting in the rv now watching waves going from 3 to 5 and 6 to 9 feet.overnight. so keep the pics and thoughts coming so i dont get bored to death. The whole rv is shaking right now I feel like Doroty in the wiz of oz.UGH!!

No fun! I hope the weather improves for you!
In the mean time, here's a glossy deck with a
new anchor roller. I'm making progress on your boat!

Transom Redone
 

Dogbomb- can't remember if your transom was redone. If not now the engine is removed is a good time to remove the aluminum around the engine cutout to take a look & reseal it.

I hate to say it John but the weather has been beautiful in this part of the world up until last week. Dry, calm and hot. Now let me think. What variable has changed in the last week or so???

Yes, the transom has been replaced, but I am going to remove and
reseal that trim anyway. They didn't exactly do a stellar job of
caulking and the aluminum needs a good polish anyway.
Good advice!

I try to make progress every day on the Seafari.
Today's progress was 3' more feet of deck wet sanded,
polished and waxed.
At this rate I'll be done by 2018!

I second that emotion. That strip of metal is the route into the transom core that, I believe ,rotted out my transom. My 2 cents. Good luck with your 20.

Making slow headway on the Seafari.
I ain't fast, but I try to do something once, do the best I can, and
move on to the next thing. Each project is a learning process!

Got the anchor roller and center deck cleat mounted, the boot
stripe painted, the deck sanded and waxed, the windows clean
and the frames polished. Removed the rotten port bulkhead and
began to make a new one out of 3/4" mahogany veneer plywood.
I'll make the starboard side when I have a new steering helm.
Varnish. Lots of glossy varnish and stainless screws.
I think I got more varnish on the dog than on the wood...

Trailer work! New wheel bearings, U-bolts, wheels and tires, and tons
of paint. Will replace the lights with LED units and add clearance lights
and new wiring. This ancient trailer is one stout mother.

Still motor shopping.
I'm leaning E-Tec and looking for the right deal.

I don't know about y'all, but I find it a pleasure to carve out a
hunk of time from everyday life to work on the boat.
Time seems to be the one commodity that is in short supply.
Working on a vessel like this is time well spent!