Keep it original?
 

Started ripping in to my '78 23' center console yesterday. I got the t-top and console out and all hatches removed. I've got the head console with the removable tub recessed under it. So far the only repair needed seems to be weak spots in the deck. My question is whether or not to keep it original or change it up. Is there any value in keeping things as Potter intended?

Interesting question. Of course in cars there's value in keeping things stock during a restoration not sure that's the case with SeaCrafts if the mods are well thought out and executed well.

Make it yours
 

I largely agree. My 42 year old Seafari is mostly original. Chgd some trim added things like swim platform, etc. it’s not like the Corvette competition where my buddy lost points for the wrong air filter wing nut. Some bad mods could adversely affect desirability.

These boats are very well laid out, often in subtle ways. Mine doesn't look all that different from my last boat, but it sure works better. Things are put in better places, etc. I've made some minor mods, but if I can't see a definite drawback to the original, it stays that way.

Modifications can make perfect sense, but make sure you understand your needs and have thought out exactly how the mod will work.

1,000 hours Imagineering= 100 hours of actual work.

The boat is yours. Build it out for your wishes and desires.

Are you cutting the floor out and replacing it or fixing the soft spots as is?

Just saw your other thread about cutting up the floor and checking fuel tank.

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=29602

This is what I did to mine to give you ideas about what you could do to yours. The changes I made to mine greatly improved the boats ride quality, gave me tons of under deck storage, brought the boats CG much further forward than the original layout, made space for an easily accessible bilge area, and raised the floor in the back so it stays dry. All that said, most of these improvements can be made without changing the original stringers, and I wouldn't change them unless you really have to or really want to for the under deck storage.

Thats an awesome rebuild! I'm debating how far to take this.With a new 250hp and steering running about 20g's I am definitely limited as to my repair budget. If I remove the tub under the console I would lose storage but I could move the tank forward.How much do you think that would affect the ride and wet feet factor? Also thinking about raising the transom to 30".

Got my deck all cut out today and have some questions. I left a 2" lip around all sides to attach the new "cleat" for the new deck but the core thats left in the 2" piece is wet. What to do now? The Potter putty that is left on top of the stringers looks like it serves as a leveling tool as well as an adhesive so do you want to remove it? The rear half of the deck was cored with end grain balsa and the forward with plywood 1/2". Is this the norm?

You might be able to skim off the top layer of glass right where it makes the turn up to the sides of the liner. Take out the bad core, and then make your new floor to fit over the bottom layer of glass remaining. You probably need to take all that potter putty off. Its a pain. Moving the tank forward probably won't lift your stern all that much, I would bet 1/2" or less. most people raise the floor about 2-3" to solve the transom water issue. If you want to do this you'd have to flatten all the potter putty anyway to be able to evenly heighten the stringers, and your floor would be hitting the liner 2-3" higher, so the lip you left around the edge would be irrelevant at that point.

Hey WG, I cleaned out the bad core and filled with thickened epoxy. I really don't want to lose freeboard by raising the floor. The original floor was 1/2 core with heavy woven under and lighter glass on top to get to 3/4". Can I just use 3/4" fir ply and paint the bottom with epoxy? Did you use Arjay to glue your deck to stringers?

The original deck was part balsa and part plywood cut into little squares; maybe 50/50. Balsa is about 5 lbs/ft3 and general plywood is about 40 lb/ft3.
Okume ply is about 28 lb/ft3. Stuff like corecell is 5 lb/ft3 and coosa bluewater 26 is 26 lb/ft3 (you can get 15 too). With 1/2", you will probably use about 2 ft3 for the whole deck of a 23CC so the weight difference is not huge. The big question is how well you will be able to keep water out of the core. Think about putting small blocks of solid glass where you know you will have penetrations- makes it easier later but can be a giant pain to figure out the right spots. I suggest you cut the core to fit just inside the lips/cleats and bevel the edges at 45* from the bottom so that the top glass and bottom glass have a couple of inches to stick together (seal) around the edges which rest on top of the lips/cleats. If you just lay glass on both sides and it does not come together n seal properly on the edges you will eventually get a failure there and probably get to redo it in a few years. Lay it up upside down and trim it to fit. If you use epoxy for your layup then use a thick epoxy to bed it - not sure if Arjay makes one but their VE 7121
works much better at bonding VE or Poly.

You are right about the 23 not needing the deck raised unless you are adding tons of weight (twins on a heavy, non flotation bracket) or loading it real heavy; however the 20CC does need the decks raised for a bracket or a heavy motor.

Needs glass on both sides. The bottom of mine is one layer of 2408 mat/roving combo. I did my entire boat with polyester and glued my floor down with a thickened poly resin. Made the batch, squished it all into a big gallon zip lock with a cut out corner, and applied to stringers like icing on a cake.

Thanks for the advise guys. I can't decide whether to use 1/2" core as was originally used and build it up to 3/4" to match the remaining lip or use 3/4" core and shim the ledger down another 1/4" to accommodate the additional thickness of the new deck so that it's not sticking above whats left? By the time I add glass to both sides the new deck will probably be an inch.

The original core on mine was 3/8 with 1/8 glass on each side. I had planned on using 1/2 core as it would be a perfect fit with the new 1/8 on each side and the new deck resting on the lips but got a bunch of 3/4 Corecell off Ebay for cheap. With the 3/4 I have to thin the core by 1/8-3/16 in one small area for clearance on the stringer top (my stringers are not parallel with the deck plane). To save $500 its worth 5 min with a grinder.