Cost of SeaCraft Seafari Total Restoration
 

Hi all,

I am looking to get my hands on a 25' Seafari sometime in the near future.

I am trying to determine how much I need to save up to have a professional full restoration. I grew up on a 20' Seafari and have an irrational attachment to the boat.

I've seen Metan and other shops advertise SeaCraft restoration services. What should I expect for a full restoration with an outboard conversion (making the boat comparable to brand new)? I have absolutely no skills in restoration and don't have the time to dedicate to such a project, so I'd prefer just to pay the money.

Any advice would be appreciated.

There was a restored one for sale near you on CL a while back.

Fairly certain that one is sitting behind ?Billfish Boatworks? in fort pierce right now. Not sure what its doing there but it looks like its just being stored. It was the real nice one with the bracket ready for outboards.

I have seen some real nice ones pop up on here from time to time. I'm hoping to snag one that doesn't need a lot of work, but want to be realistic. I expect I'd have to spend some decent amount of money to make a 25' show room floor ready.

Mine will be for sale, fall of next year. Its Bahama trip capable right now; I'm planning a 3 week Bahama trip for this summer. However, its cosmetically challenged and the engine, while still perfect compression, is getting long in the tooth(drive still under warranty) It could stand a refirb. What a restore costs will depend a lot on what is needed/done. I haven't a clue.

To answer your question figure anywhere from 30k to 60K depending on what you wanted/needed to be done and the condition of the boat you bought and who you have do it...this is a rough estimate on my part...I would be very careful in who you select to do the work as well... It's really hard to answer this type of question as there are so many variables you mentioned outboards...single or twins? there goes another 20k if twins... the list goes on and on

strick

Are there any well known shops that people trust to do the job right?

The previous owner of my 1979 23 Seacraft Sceptre got a quote from Metan for a full restoration in 2012.

Quote, if I recall was around $80K NOT including a new motor.
The boat was in pretty good shape at the time. Had a bracket already and the floors and transom were already done.

Previous owner figured he'd be into it for about $100-110K when all was said and done.
He re-powered it with an Etec instead and ran it for a few years as it was.
He sold it to me about three years ago and bought himself a nice 26' Regulator for $80K.
I did the transom and some misc stuff and have been running it ever since.

In my experience Metan does beautiful high quality work, but they'll want all the money for it.

I have the paperwork and quote and can scan it and post it if anybody's interested in what $80K gets you at Metan.

There are shops in florida that do great work...do your research. Otherwise buy Conners boat and save thousands of $$..the 25 is a lot different then the 20 you remember as far as how it handles.

strick

I've noticed a lot of discussion about issues with the 25's balance, especially when trying to bracket an outboard. Maybe a 20' would be a better idea.

I would love to see the quote Metan gave on your Sceptre. That would be really helpful.

An attachment to a Seafari is not irrational at all . . . I ran my 20 for 42 years and found it to be so versatile that I was able to do all kinds of stuff with it!

I'd be real careful about converting a 25 Seafari to an outboard however. Connor Davis is the resident expert on this hull having put thousands of sea miles on his on some very rough Bahama trips, but from his comments, I believe this hull seems to like more weight forward. (Moesly designed it to have a forward ballast tank which Potter never included!) And because of it's very high deadrise, the lower the CG is in the hull, the more stable it will be. Installing outboards on a bracket will raise the CG and move it aft, so just the OPPOSITE of where it was designed to be and the opposite what a very experienced owner says works best! I have nothing against outboards as both the E-TECs and new 4-strokes are great motors, but I really believe this very unique design is better suited to a modern I/O like the Duo-prop with a fuel injected engine. An I/O might also be cheaper and easier to work on due to older/simpler automotive technology!

Could you find insurance for a restoration like this? I would imagine valuation would be a big question. I would have serious anxiety roaming around on a $80k boat valued at half that amount.

I got mine insured thru Boat US, agreed value, not depreciated value. It was about 40 years old at the time. No problem with what I thought was a reasonable value. For an expensive restoration, they would probably want a survey.

Oh well, since Denny brought it up, I can't resist jumping into this subject.

Anybody thinking of changing a 25 from I/O to outboard, especially on a bracket, needs to think long and hard about what's important to him and do some careful research.

The hull is just simply more stable and handles better with an I/0, because both the vertical and horizontal CG are better. Outboards on this hull can be a serious screwup or not, depending on how its done. A friend of mine had one with twin outboards on a bracket and a hardtop. He hated it and for good reason. The boat had some god-awful handling habits caused by screwing up the CG. On the other hand, the nice one that sold recently from St Pete had an outboard, I think on the transom. The owner seemed to be quite happy with how it handled and had owned it a long time. So, its possible, but be careful.

And Denny's right about the 20 Seafari. I owned one and dearly loved it. Plan to get another one after the 25 goes on to a good home.

That's pocket change for Metan customers ;)

That's true. An old friend of mine had them do a full restore on a '68 27' Magnum Marine about 12 years ago, including re-powering from the original twin Volvo 350/350's with 270 drives to 525 EFI Mercruisers with XR drives. He spent over $200K all-in, but it sure looked and ran great. He said it cost less than he expected, as the original estimate was over $250K.

A good basic cost guide for a full restoration at a reputable shop of a classic boat runs about $3500 per foot not including power, fuel tanks and wiring. There are different levels of restoration to consider that can affect price but that will get you in the ball park of a good looking, quality restoration. The contract for such work will need to be comprehensive and legal in every aspect as it can get ugly if expectations are not set. Timeframes are critical and need to be defined and agreed upon by both parties.

As stated by member who know, proper weight distribution is critical. I considered a 25' at one time and the only way I would ever consider conversion to outboard power would be to notch the transom for a big 30' motor like a DF350. A bracket would be out of the question for twins considering the weight of modern outboard power.

There's one of those on Facebook Marketplace now with an ETEC.

You could just do all the work yourself and save a bundle ;)

If I tried that, it would take 5 years and probably sink to the bottom on the first trip out.

Thanks all for the info. I think I will look for a 20' in decent shape and search for a reputable local shop.

No affiliation but there's a guy on Edisto that had nice 23' for sale on CSC a while back.