Advice welcome!
 

Retiring this week. We will continue to live in Central Florida for one more year, then able to relocate. We have another year here while my daughter finishes High School. My wife and I are then planning to move to the East Coast of Florida, more to the south of Orlando, Boca, Deerfield, Lauderdale...

As a new/old hobby, my wife and I are thinking of taking up boating/fishing when we relocate. I've been looking at the SeaCrafts for years. I've owned one back in 1980, a 23 Sceptre. My brother had one back in the mid 70s.

One idea is to take the year we are stuck in Orlando and use it to renew a SeaCraft which would be ready for that relocation in a year. My inclination is a Center Console 23.

Should I take to two aspirins and lay down until the feeling passes or get after it? lol It really is the only hope we have of sharing the same hobby so to speak.

The general idea is to relocate to a home on the water with a spot for the yacht outside the door. Most likely fishing scenarios would be slightly offshore most of the time with hopefully the option to run a couple of times a year across to the Bahamas..on those days when the weather is favorable.

Your comments, wisecracks and otherwise are greatly appreciated as I've thick enough skin and am old enough to handle it.

First off welcome to CSC Tbub...
Rest assured we are all leatherbacks here made of Kevlar !!
The thicker the better. Follow your heart and go for it..
My saying has always been "you can not take it with you" when we are
called home..;)

Best thing to do is during your year of waiting, is go visit your areas
on this side of the state you have targeted !

Keep in mind the further down the coast you go the more the price goes
up for waterfront dirt... They just do not make any more of it.

Ideally I would like to have a house in Islamorada and one in Sanibel ! :eek:
That ain't gonna happen unless those 6 numbers hit..:cool:

There a 23 projects that show up on a regular basis, but I have noticed
the price is starting to go up as they become more sought after.

Enjoy your retirement.. I'm down to 3 days a week now..

Take 2 aspirin and a stiff drink and dive in!

Insanity loves company - welcome!

As Ken said - you should scope places out - Doing that while chasing down a hull or parts for said hull is a perfect 2fer plan

smartest move:

first

honestly assess your skill set - a common trait is to believe your abilities are much greater than what they truly are.

The boating and fishing changes a lot in different parts of Fl. Northwest is easy-breezy with no real big seas to worry about most days and deep water is a loooooong way from land. Southeast is a few hundred feet deep within 2-3 miles of shore and the gulfsream is a little past that. Miami to Bimini is less than 50 miles. Northeast is different form these and southwest & Fl Keys are another kind of different.
I like to fish in several places around Fl so I gave up a larger boat for a 20 (project) so that I can easily trailer to different places. Whatever you do I would say stay mobile. There are lots of places to see and you can't see them all from your home port.
Good luck.

An so it begins...
 

Lots a very good advice and its encouraging there seem to be plenty of owners here in Florida.

I am in the exploratory phase and simply putting together lists of what I need to learn and figure out. Forty years ago, I'd have bought the boat and headed for the tackle shop by now...ignoring a few details along the way. Small items like, understanding how an engine operates to be able to "fix" something that might malfunction out on the water, basic navigation and boat handling...

Been there done that.

Trying to measure twice this time around and cut only once.

Towing capacity question
 

Assuming a 23 ft, probably center console, for at least a year I'd need a vehicle capable of towing.
Still of course in the early planning stages, but raising more questions than answers..
So what would the towing capacity need to be? We are a family of sedans at this point and certainly would favor some sort of SUV/Jeep etc over a pick up.

Thoughts? and thanks.

Pelican, I thought I'd sent a private message to you earlier today, but on checking my messages I don't see its been sent.

Wanted to maybe hook up with you since you are over in Daytona, me Orlando.

Thanks much.

Sooo, I see you are a brick. You`ll fit right in here. For the east coast, you really don't need to know how to fix your engine and you cant really carry a parts department in a cc.

Sea tow.

Find a good hull.

For areas maybe rent for a year and look around.

We don't burn a ton of gas here, but you can if you are like me and enjoy trolling
with an old rude smoker. You can just run out to the reefs and drift livies for short money.

Lots to read here.
Welcome,
GFS

Fish lips and NoBones are close to you too. Good "councilors".
Sign on to the Homasassa Gathering 9/22 at the MacRae's - too much data to download there - bring a recording device!

I live in Deerfield Beach, and absolutely love my neighborhood and city. True beach/water/fishing loving gem of a city nestled in the chaos of south Florida.

I'm in the neighborhood called "the cove". Plenty of houses on the water in The Cove and Lighthouse Point. Prices for water are up there, right now they are easily 500k to the millions. I'm about 3 mins drive to the Pioneer park ramp so I just keep my 23' on the side of the house and launch when it's time to play.

Haven't seen too many Seacraft down here so it's quite the treat taking her out and getting all the compliments.

that location is definitely in the mix.
My daughter has a friend who she has played soccer against over the years who lives in that area. They have become good friends this year as they are both recruited to play soccer together in a year at college.

small world

Finished scepter in central Florida?
 

Wondering if there is a 23 Sceptre in the area I could take my wife to see...
A picture is worth 1000 words.

A finished project would demonstrate the result I have in mind.

I realize it's a bit of an imposition but it doesn't hurt asking.

An hour or so out of Orlando would be ideal!

"An hour or so out of Orlando would be ideal!"

You mean like in Ocala where KMoose lives??? You wanna see a Septre/Tsunami done perfect, might consider looking at his!

I sure will reach out, that's very doable.

Take SR-50 west to Brooksville, make a right at the Veteran's Expressway, north to US 98 where it "T's", West to US 19 and then north to Homosassa. There will be a whole fleet of Seacrafts in assorted sizes and shapes at McRae's on September 22 ands 23. An hour and 15 minutes from Orlando.

Congrats on retiring. I'm still trying to figure out how to do that.

I have an Econoline 250, tows my 25 Seafari just fine. I think the tow rating is slightly below the actual weight of the package when I'm heavy loaded going on long trips, but it doesn't seem to be any problem. Just change your transmission fluid more often than reccommended.

What to buy, a turn key, major project, or something in between? A hard question and one that depends entirely on your preferences and skills. If you actually enjoy working on the boat and have decent skills, a major project makes sense (not financial sense, just sense). If you want to go fishing now, a recent turn key done by a professional well known for doing outstanding work or one the the fanatics on this site, will be a great deal, financially and time wise. Anything else, figure the boat will need a lot more than you bargained for(or priced into the purchase), and just do what is necessary. This can be a good deal or can be a nightmare, depending on what you buy. In my case, the boat was perfect for my application, had a fresh engine and no apparent problems, but a couple of years in I still had to spend 6 months replacing rotten bulkheads, broken stringers, etc. Worth every minute, but I sure hope I don't have to do it again.

DONT DO IT !!!! ITS A TRAP !!!! you will be hooked and 1 will lead to another !!!

that's comforting...

There are lots of levels of restoration that can be done to a stripped hull. I say a stripped hull because you want to start from there if you are going to restore as you will cover all the points of contention that would bite you later in most cases.

What it really comes down to is how much you are willing to spend. In my case I wanted a full rebuild to correct some deficiencies and to end up with a boat I can retire with. We were not looking for shiny perfect, show class restoration. What we wanted was the best structural components paired with the options in layout. The big money is in fit and finish. Our fit is great but we wanted a user maintainable finish for the deck and gunwales as we are pretty tough on our boat and scratches, scrapes and wear are things that are going to happen on our sled. That saved us big money but doesn't appeal to everyone.

Tom you have our # so come up and we'll take you on a cruise up the Rainbow river. Margaritas will be served in the rear observation deck.