[ocuyler]

Paul,

I own an '89 23CC that I bought in Florida with 700 hours. I have since completed a full hull restoration. In my case, I agree with JohnB that the fit and finish, wiring and hardware were all in need of an upgrade. But under all that was a well built hull, which is what I wanted.

The fuel tank that was foamed in and was in need of replacement. The stringers were wet, but we fixed that. The floor had some soft spots, but we fixed that too. Fortunately, the transom was rock solid and required only minor maintainence.

I'll say this about the various incarnations: if you are REALLY into these boats, you're probably looking at at a partial renovation minimum. That said, you'll be upgrading all the stuff that matters anyway and ending up with one terrific boat. A lot of what is wrong with any SeaCraft is due to neglect on the part of the owner(s), otherwise they would all be fairly comparable. I would say, in conclution that you should focus on what the boat can become, not what it is.

I paid $8,500 for my 89 23 2 years ago and got a newer Continental 6000 trailer and a decent 200 Yamaha. The value of those 2 accessories is probably $5,000, so I paid $3,500 for the hull. I consider that to be fair and reasonable.