Quote:
Originally Posted by Caymanboy
Maybe I'm wrong here, gosh forbid!
The bottom strakes/steps don't look SeaCraft to me, good looking boat though!
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I have no doubt that it's a SeaCraft! When you study the picture below and reflect on the early SeaCraft development history, a few things become apparent:
1. The lifting strakes are a little misleading - they're much narrower than you typically see on the average deep V. Carl's later designs, like the 25 Seafari and 27 Seamaster had similar strakes.
2. Also notice that the outer panel is shifted up relative to the inner panel, just like the classic VDH hulls. The "lifting" strake is probably too narrow to create much lift, but I bet it creates aeration similar to that of the taller step on the old Moesly 21. Maybe this design was easier to pull out of the mold than one with a taller step; the 21 was the only model with those big 2-3" tall steps. All later models had 1-2" steps.
3. Haven't laid a protractor on it, but I swear that outer panel has slightly less deadrise than the inner one, again, just like the classic VDH.
4. If you go to the
www.moeslyseacraft.com site and read some of Carl's brochures from the early 60's, note that he was real proud of the fact that the stock production 21 hull could "hold it's own" in rough seas racing with the all-out extreme deep V's, while being far superior to them for normal use in terms of efficiency and load carrying ability! Read the story about the "shootout" they had on Biscayne Bay between the 21 and other identically powered boats in the competition for the government contract. When the other boats couldn't even get on plane with the specified load, and the 21 planed easily with significantly MORE load than required, there was NO DOUBT who had the best hull design! That win was a SLAM DUNK if I ever saw one!
5. When Carl designed this hull in the late 60's, a lot had changed! They were running 3 motors and nobody was running stock production hulls anymore! This 27 was designed as a pure RACE boat with lots of power, hence the high deadrise on both panels! I'm sure stability at rest and low speed planing ability were not a concern, so no need for that nearly flat outer panel! I think we're looking at the same basic VDH design principles, but refined and optimized for one very specific purpose.
However when that hull is kept light and simple with that CC layout and a single engine, I bet it's still one hell of a fishing rig that any new boat would be hard pressed to stay up with in rough seas, no matter how much power they had!
Good luck with the sale! Hopefully someone will buy it who truly appreciates what a special and unique boat it is!