72 20’ SF Rebuild In RI
 

First ever post to a website. :)

I bought a transomless and floorless 72 20 SF with the intention of doing a complete restoration.

The basic plan is:
Keep it pretty close to the original look with the casting deck, original console and stern seating.
Transom mount a Suzuki 140. The new transom fabricated from 2 layers of 3/4” Coosa Board
Install the replacement fuel tank under the deck.
Raise the deck 1-1/2” with the cockpit drains led out the transom.
Use all synthetic core materials and epoxy resins.
Someday paint everything with Awlcraft or similar.

I am learning a lot from the website, but still have a lot to learn.

Thoughts?

Read all you can here before beginning especially the COG formula/calculation. Looks like you're on the right track though!

Welcome to the site and congrats on your Seacraft. I hope you enjoy the process. Sounds like you’ll have a really nice boat when finished.

Congratulations!
 

I have to say Congrats on your very first Seacraft project. I had one just like that and sold it to this very nice gentleman from Rhode Island. It looks like your in full resto mode. Can't wait to see more pictures. If it wasn't for this site and all the experience and knowledge I would never had started a similar project. Good luck and Happy New Year!!!!

If you are going to raise the deck I would go with side scuppers. Way less work, no holes in transom to fail and perform better.

Hello, very excited to see this post as I am about to embark on a very similar restoration. I also have a 72 20’ SF and plan to replace transom (increase height to 25”) raise deck, re-power w 140 Suzuki keep the original center console and bow rails. I have had the boat 6 years and love the look and feel. Would you mind sharing the make/model of the replacement fuel tank you chose? We are just cutting into the boat, I will share pics as we progress. Thanks.

Dilemna
 

Scott, you've been busy or sailing? Have you decided to pour new flotation foam? I'm at that point with deck removed and really don't know if it's absolutely necessary due to age of old foam. How do you check for wet foam? Core sections with a pipe? I wonder if that's been done? Otherwise how do you check without tearing it out? I search this site all the time and have analysis paralysis. I wish there was a basic instructional guideline with photos to help beginners. Seems there's many ways to skin the cat.

I'm pretty much doing the same as you and coppertop. '72 20. Transom done with Coosa. Now trying to decide on below (foam), deck material, scuppers, raise deck. I chose not to pull the cap, as decks sound solid.

Drill a few small holes at the base on the inboard side and let gravity help you.

So if no water seeps out I should not worry about replacing foam?

I wouldn't, but, that's me.

Back at it
 

Put the first layer of 1708 on the transom, went on ok, not great. It is 10 times the size of anything I have done before, I am sure I will get better with practice.

Trying to attach 2 pictures to this post, really struggling with it.
No pc, just an iPad and an IOS cell phone.

Looking for opinions on a couple of things that are bouncing around my head going forward;

1. Is "3 PVC big enough to bring controls battery cables etcback from console?
2. Does anyone still use traditional steering system or do I need to use a hydraulic one.
3. Thinking I will reinstall bow liner before I finish repair the damage inflicted removing it.
4. Thinking SS Tee nuts for the rod holders, so I can mount them after the cap has been reinstalled and finished.

I have more, but am posting this, cause I have written it about 5 times now.

Looking good Scott!

I suppose hydraulic is most popular, but for now on my 20’ Seafari with 150 ETEC still happy with my Teleflex Non-feedback mechanical steering. Consider your egress hole from the bilge and alignment with the engine pivot tube. If your engine is too high for the cable to align it would drive you to hydraulic. I have only driven hydraulics a couple times but thought there was not enough resistance to suit me. Didn’t like PS on my Corvettes either!

Transom done for now, 3 layers of 1708 on the outside, 2 on the inside. I started work on raising the stringers 1 1/2 “

Nice and solid looking...I flipped them for ya

strick

Hi Scott, are you opening stringers, digging out foam, refoam then raise? Or are you going over OEM? Also, did you remove thru hull scupper yet? I'm at both these steps and following your progress. I left liner in and figuring out side scuppers?

I really would go with hydraulic at this point - probably for 2 reasons: when idling along, the boat will stay turned or straight as you left it so you can fiddle with something momentarily, and I think resale values are better.

When you think about it, there really is only one way to skin a cat, and it doesn't include core samples. I took the liner out of my 69 CC and dug into the original foam, and it was as new as the day it was built. I wish I would have thought of the core samples and I used to hang out with a bunch of Geologists! Great Idea...Pass it on!

Chris.

As to some of your other issues, spend the money on hydraulic steering. Much less maintenance and more reliable. Also, when you are talking about the scuppers, my 69 center console has boxes from the rear of the deck to the transom. The deck scuppers are/were connected from the deck to the transom with hoses that connected to through hull fittings out of the back of the transom. Is that what you are dealing with as well?

Chris.

When you think about it, there really is only one way to skin a cat, and it doesn't include core samples. I took the liner out of my 69 CC and dug into the original foam, and it was as new as the day it was built. I wish I would have thought of the core samples and I used to hang out with a bunch of Geologists! Great Idea...Pass it on!

Chris.

These were thru hull bottom scups. I eliminated them. Read a post from a senior member who recalls them being responsible for many sinking SC's. I ended up eliminating them, as that scares me a bit. Going with side scups.

Two down, two to go.

Looks great! I am also using Coosa but I am going to move my drain hole from the port side and center it to just behind the keel. I am putting in a Coosa knee to span the small amount of space between the keel and the transom. There is probably a thread for it, but has anyone you know of done that? I'm just tired of the mosquitos having sex in my boat!! If I can't, well...

Chris

I don't have a pic of the knee, but, that's precisely what I did.
http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...1&d=1623677646

I wanted to center my drain as well and put in a knee with the new transom. The one thing I didn’t consider was bilge pump placement. I had to make a block to mount the pump base adjacent to the knee so it isn’t as low as I would like. Doesn’t show in the picture being on the starboard side. Something to consider.

Hi Scott, I've been following your thread. Where are you at with your project? Did you decide on tank yet?

Summer off
 

Stopped working on it till the fall. I am out on Block Island and sure enough there is a 20SF a couple of boats away that is finished out pretty much the way I am leaning towards, including the 140 Suzuki. We are both here for a while and I will go take some measurements for sighting the tank coffin, console, splashwell etc. maybe even talk him into giving me a boat ride as I have never been on one.

I haven’t tried to fair anything yet but the transom is in, the stringers are raised and I am ready to start installing transverse bulkheads in the bilge and prepping for reinstalling the bow liner.

I haven’t decided yet wether I will repair the cap outside or move the hull outside and bring the cap into my garage. The balsa coring on the casting platform was all shot and has been removed. The coring at the bow is still pretty good, but that will go also and all will be replaced with divynlcell.

Almost 4K in materials so far, including about 13 gallons of epoxy, so original cost estimates not looking to accurate, but no surprise there.

Sounds good, you've made a lot of progress. This humidity is ridiculous so far. Catch up later this year. Enjoy your summer!

Wow. That rebuild looks very nice! Did you use Coosa 20 or 26?

Phase 2
 

I used Coosa 20, because I did not realize there was a 26 when I bought it. I had to rent a truck and drive to Maine to pick it up. Not sure if I would use the 26 if I had to do it over again. When you hit the 20 with a hammer it surely does not dent very easily.

I have started doing core replacement on the under deck storage boxes and the bottom of the cap. I am using 1/2 Scored Divinycell. I decided to leave the original balsa coring, at the bow, as I am a little worried about losing the shape of the crown in the deck. It looks like it will be after thanksgiving before I get the cap and bow liner back in the hull.

Still making it up as I go along.

I think you are on the right track with the core at the bow. I left the first 4 feet of my liner in because i was worried about losing control of the flare. I ended up having an issue blending at the cut line after coring the liner. I wouldn't have had that obviously if I had taken the liner out in one piece. What I did come across was a lot of wet balsa from neglected fastener holes. I cut the top skin out and dug out everything I could reach. I packed the voids with as much thickened epoxy as I could trowel in then worked pre-fitted and wetted out Divinycell in as far as I could get. Not perfect but feels pretty solid. Spent alot of time tuning the crown with a longboard. Maybe you could make a radius jig for the top before you dig out the core.

Sorry. Just read that again and it sounds like you don’t need to remove it if it’s solid. Looks great by the way. Worth all the effort in the end.

Very impressive rebuild - You will be very happy with the boat - all the effort will be worth it. I have yet to ride on a 20 footer that has the SC "sweet spot" hull characteristic of ride softness and drift stability.

I took the cap off mine because all the wood was rotted and most of the foam was either gone or crap. I recorded the different areas with wood and re- foamed the rest. One thing I regret not doing is to seal the foamed in area with a layer of glass.

Haven’t posted in a while, here is where I am at.
I have gone over the whole interior of the hull with a layer of 1708.
Bow liner is back in bedded in thickened epoxy. Used pop rivets to hold it in place while the epoxy kicked. Attachment 24572


I am now trying to fix all the gaffs along the top edge from removing it.
Installed a 3/4” Coosa bulkhead for the forward end of the tank and have ordered a tank from Atlantic Coastal Welding. Tank will be 44 gallons and will be attached to a Coosa bulkhead at the back. Not sure why the second picture is upside down

Opinions Needed
 

When I cored the underside of the cap, I built in a little to much curve and the cap is now riding about 3/4” high in one area. I can push it down and hold it in place with one hand, but am worried that I will develop stress cracks down the road.
I have two choices;
Fasten it down and keep moving.
Put a few kerf cuts (8-12” apart) thru the bottom glass and core. Drop it back down and fill the cuts with thickened epoxy and cover them with 6” wide strips of 1708. Will this cause visible steps in the flow of the deck.

So many people on this sight know far far more than I about fiberglass boat repairs, so please let me know what you think.

Sorry pics are upside down.

About 60lbs of force to push the cap down.

I had to push and pull mine to get it back on and how I wanted it. Roughly one year in and no stress cracks. More experience guys may say something else.

Put a weight on it and glass it!