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1969 Seacraft 20 Total Rebuild
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Finally getting serious about our 20 Ft Restore. Bought the boat back in 2014 from JW Tex and pulled it from Houston to Maryland. After many years of doing a little work here and there we have it back in Florida and are making great progress on the rebuild. I'll post some pictures along the way Please comment on any ideas or experiences you have with your own rebuilds. Enjoy the progress!
Attachment 21567 All Hardware removed and ready to take off the top. Attachment 21568 Attachment 21569 Not too many surprises under here, the transom was dry as well as it had been redone by the previous owner. Attachment 21571 Attachment 21573 Attachment 21589 Attachment 21590 after hull ground and stringers raised Attachment 21591 Attachment 21592 Attachment 21593 Reinforced the bow where the u-bolt is bolted through with g10 and a lot of fiberglass |
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Forward Bulkhead. Attachment 21595 Attachment 21596 Attachment 21597 Built up the console how we want it. cup holders each side with a spot for phones, glasses, etc in the middle. Attachment 21598 Fuel tank compartment, forward locker, and nice sized aft locker. Attachment 21599 Large aft locker, 11 gallon water tank will go in the forward part of this locker with a removable bulkhead. Attachment 21600 Forward Bulkhead installed. Attachment 21601 Fuel fill line and vent line through holes. Attachment 21602 We built these brackets to hold the plumbing for the engine controls going aft. Attachment 21603 Next up, Plumbing install for engine controls. Sand and paint all deck lockers and install the Fuel Tank. |
Awesome!
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Priority #1, the drink holders look great!!! Coming along very nicely!! :)
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Hobie is that fairing in the lockers, the picture of where the fresh water will be? I am working on my own 69. Any plans for how you are going to lay out the transom area? Mine had a bait well put in by someone but I am cutting all that out.
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I like those fuel line holders!
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CRSavage....The freshwater tank will go in the forward part of that aft locker right behind the bulkhead for the fuel box, then we will put a removable bulkhead behind that to seal off the tank from the rest of the locker, so still a good size. As for the transom area its going to have 2 seats/hatches on either side to get to fuel filters/ water pumps etc. and a floor hatch in the middle in front of the motor to get to the bilge, it's still just rough plywood for now. No live wells on this boat anymore.
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Today the cap went on, as well as the casting deck in the bow. We decided to put the cap on now to give the hull more rigidity before we put the deck on.
Attachment 21607 Attachment 21608 Plumbing in for the Engine Controls Attachment 21609 Also ran a conduit forward for speaker wire and bow lights Attachment 21610 Cap On! Attachment 21611 Reinforced the front of the cap, and also some places on the sides for rod holders and cleats. |
Nice work - you will have a great riding boat better built then when new.
I am very impressed with the skills and dedication of rebuilds like this one - way about my ability. |
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Dry fitting the transom. Going to make more of a fairing up to the edge of the hatch lids so they sit flush on top of the transom angles. These are really big hatches so working in the back there getting to pumps and filters etc. will be nice and easy.
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Here are some updated pics from the last couple of days. Things are starting to go back into the boat very quickly now.
Attachment 21684 Transom dry fitted with scupper drains right out the back. Attachment 21685 Scupper Drain dry fit through the transom box Attachment 21686 We opened the gutter up so its flows right out of the big scupper drain. Attachment 21687 Bit scary cutting 2 large holes in the back but we got it in the right place. Pleased to find the transom is bone dry and 2 1/4" thick, transom was redone by the previous owner. Attachment 21688 Port Side Scupper from above, water fill hole drilled on the cap. Attachment 21689 Port Side Scupper Attachment 21690 Forward Bulkhead installed on top of the casting deck. Faired the cap into the bulkhead like this instead of straight across. Makes it look a bit more like its one piece. Attachment 21691 Will have a nice sized locker up front for lines, fenders, etc. |
You have got it going on! How big are those drain tubes? Those holes in the transom look huge.I am assuming that you are going to use a flapper type scupper? Keep up the good work... I love to watch a good restore
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The holes are 3 3/4" by 2 1/8". We are going to copy what some other people have done and put a half tube cover over the back to prevent back wash into the drains.
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Installed the Fuel and Fresh Water Tanks today. The rotor molded tank is a bit of a pain because you need to leave space for it to expand, at the same time keeping it secure in the boat. We used the Moeller Tank straps which aren't exactly the best, but we made them work, and used foam strips to pad the tank while still allowing for the expansion. The water tank has rubber shower liner around it for padding and is secured in with some battens and a battery strap. How have you all secured your tanks in?
Tomorrow the deck is getting glued on! Attachment 21895 Attachment 21896 Attachment 21897 Attachment 21898 Attachment 21899 Attachment 21900 Attachment 21901 Attachment 21902 |
Brother that’s looking great.
Keep up the work and thanks for the pics! |
Gotta ask you about those Moeller tank straps, painted steel??
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Very clean work. Nice job
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Yeah the tank straps are stainless steel with a rubber coating on it. Honestly not very impressed with them, they had to be modified to fit properly. The tank has some threaded parts on the top that seems like you can screw a bracket into but we couldn't find any information on this from moeller or online, everything we read said to keep the gap all the way around the tank, kinda hard to do when its screwed in.
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The expansion, if I remember correctly is only usually around 3%, which is pretty negligible.
If the tank is 20 inches across then 3% would only be around +-5/8 of an inch. |
What do you guys recommend for bottom paint on these center consoles? The boat will be trailered. Above the water line will be Awl Grip Aqua Mist and something White below the water line.
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Got pics? |
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Some more progress. Stuck the deck down and fiberglassed it in place. Then did the first layer of filler. Progress is fast now as everything we do is putting something back into the boat. Lots of sanding and filling ahead! A few more things getting built right now are boxes to cover up the fuel fill and washdown hosepipe, as well as some rod holders to add structure under the gunwhales. I'll throw up some more pics when they are done and installed.
Attachment 22061 Attachment 22062 Attachment 22063 Attachment 22064 Attachment 22065 Cap Filled, sanding then a thin layer of glass to prevent pressure cracks next Attachment 22066 Attachment 22067 Building out the hatch lid support on the transom boxes. |
Clamp envy!
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First coat of Filler went on today after I cleaned up the fiberglass around the rod holders and the fuel line/washdown boxes. now its sanding and filling and sanding and filling.
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I like your under gunnel rod holders..I was going to fix your images but looks like I'd have to remove them all then re add them from my computer which is more pics then I want to mess with...are you taking photos with your phone and then posting? Nice work
strick |
Yeah I am taking them with my phone, I've tried all sorts of things to try and make them go right way up! nothing seems to work.
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Drilled and dry fit the hardware on the deck today. Exciting to see them on there even though they were pulled off right away. We also had 4 flush mount rod holders we planned to install on the caps, but realized they would interfere with the horizontal rod storage and essentially make them useless, so we made the decision that the horizontal storage was more important and scrapped the flush mount rod holders and kept the cap clean. We have 4 rod holders on the leaning post and for the amount of fishing we plan to do that will be plenty.
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Awesome!!!!
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Heres an update on the last couple of weeks of work
Attachment 22406 Installed the boxes on either side of the boat. The Port Side will have a fresh water wash-down hose. Attachment 22407 The Starboard side is a box around the fuel fill and vent pipes. the cover will be removable to get in there to take care of any issues that might arise. Attachment 22408 Finally got the first coat of 545 primer down. Was pretty happy with how it's looking so far. Attachment 22409 Attachment 22410 Attachment 22412 Attachment 22411 The Primer shows all the dings and blemishes, vinylester filler all over the place. I finished fairing this filler today and will putting down a coat of High Build Primer next. |
Looks amazing!!!! Solid work!
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Thats a lot of work...looking good and your on the home stretch!
strick |
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After grinding out, filling, and fairing some spider cracks in the hull. I shot the first couple of coats of primer and added some more coats on the inside. The primer showed a few more blemishes that I'm going to work on... I don't think you can ever sand and fair enough, but its looking better and better after each step. I found a fantastic painting "how to" on youtube where Frankie gives a really simple, straightforward process to using awl grip products. I've been using his methods and I'm very pleased so far. If anyone is looking at the daunting (and expensive) task of spraying awl grip, I highly recommend you take a look at his stuff! A very exciting step is coming up. My dad is bringing down some stainless rub-rails he shaped and had welded in Maryland and we will be fitting them to the boat in the next few weeks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm9eOy_xJuE Attachment 22469 Attachment 22470 Attachment 22471 Attachment 22472 Attachment 22473 Attachment 22474 Attachment 22475 Attachment 22476 Attachment 22477 Attachment 22478 |
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This past weekend we dry fit the rub rail and filled behind the rail to make a nice curved edge to the boat. Lots of tedious work but it came out great in the end. We got the boat off the trailer as well and will be prepping the bottom for gel coat and moving into the final sanding and painting. The finish line is in sight!
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Advice needed!
We are putting down AwlGrip Grip Tex for the Non-Skid. Mixed with Cloud White. I have seen mixed reviews on using the flattening agent, some people say its harder to clean, and the griptex cuts the glare down enough on the deck. What have you guys used. Any ideas? |
I have been using awlgrip for a long time. Gloss does stay cleaner and is more durable.
The flattening agent is a pain in the ass. It has no shelf life, needs to be agitated pretty frequently while spraying, and will wind up glossy,or patchy looking, if temps are too warm or you use the wrong reducer. Gloss looks awesome with a 50/50 mix of coarse and fine. Looks best if you spray the sand with a primer gun, and let it dry up good before the sealer coat |
Thank you! I think we will keep it simple and not use the flattening agent. That was another question I had, a sealer coat after the nonskid or not. I suppose the grip tex acts a mechanical grip for the sealer coat since you can't sand it. Is there a time frame that you have to have it down by?
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To be clear this is the plan for the non skid, please critique and offer insight if you have it!
1. Final 545 Primer on the Whole Deck 2. Sand 220,320, ultra fine scotch brite and water. 3. Denatured Alcohol Wipe. 4. Finish topcoat on the no non skid areas and the borders around the non skid 5. Let cure 24 hours ish 6. Tape off border for non skid, cover all no-nonskid parts. 7. Mix Topcoat and Griptex fine and coarse mix in spray cup. 2.0 nozzle. 8. Coat non-skid areas until covered. 8. Finish "sealer" coat with topcoat. 9. Pull tape and walk away. What are we doing wrong?!?! |
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Every other step you described sounds correct. Just make sure you use slower reducer and temps arent too high, the griptex wont adhere if the paint flashes off before you get it on there. Easy to do if you have a second person following you as you go with the other gun |
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Sprayed High Build Primer on the hull today. I was going back and forth on wether to use only 545 regular primer or high-build and ended up doing the high build. It already has taken some of the blemishes out. After a good sand and a few coats of 545 I think we will have it looking really good and ready for topcoat.
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Well, It's finally finished. It was a great first project. I learned a lot, sweated a lot, and contemplated burning it down a few times, but in the end she turned out exactly as I pictured in my mind. I was having a few issues with the second hand HPDI we put on it, but after a few days in the shop with a good mechanic, a full fuel system cleaning, and an oil pump replacement, she runs like a champ. I cruise at 35 KTS and top out at 45 kts. The boat is solid and cuts through the water like butter. You cant help but smile when you open it up and see what it can do. If anyone is getting demoralized in their rebuild. I PROMISE you, its worth it. Here are some pictures of the finished product. I will post more as I take them!
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