Seafari Questions/photos

[fdheld34]

Well today I had some time and was messing around with the Seafari. I have several questions regarding my attached photos in relation to other photos I have seen of other Seafaris. Sorry about lage pics//please disregard the leaves, dirt and grime!!!!

Below is a pic of my starboard transom storage area. I have two stringers with foam in between the two stringers. Denny (Bushwacker) I remember you saying that you had this as well and removed the foam. I currently have enough room on this side to leave foam...but will it become waterlogged if not removed etc. Also, was it common to have two stringers all the way back to transom on starboard side (other pics later will show that port side does not have two stringers!!)????
See below pics for starboard side....






NOW the port side storage area...Questions...
I did not have a built in baitwell as talked about on several other Seafaris on the website. Gillie and Denny, I have seen your pics and see that you guys in fact have built in bait wells. I only had a storage area type tub that I decided to cut out to gain more access(possibly put my second battery. Also I do not have double stringers on the port side or any foam that runs all the way to transom. Is this normal?
Will balance etc be a factor if I decide to make battery shelf like on starboard side...and place another battery on port side???
How were original Seafaris set up? Did they utilize dual batteries back then???
Was the baitwell and option???
Here are the pics below of port side storage....












Below is overall view of transom storage area with boxes inserted and lids closed.

Also, I have seen different posts concerning MAX HP rating for Seafaris etc. My max hp on the sticker states 170 hp. Is this normal///were there alot of variations regarding HP ratings etc. Below is pic of decal/sticker.
Also, where can I find or duplicate this sticker???
Decal sticker below...unlegible

[Bushwacker]

I currently have enough room on this side to leave foam...but will it become waterlogged if not removed etc. Also, was it common to have two stringers all the way back to transom on starboard side (other pics later will show that port side does not have two stringers!!)????

NOW the port side storage area...Questions...
I did not have a built in baitwell as talked about on several other Seafaris on the website. Gillie and Denny, I have seen your pics and see that you guys in fact have built in bait wells. I only had a storage area type tub that I decided to cut out to gain more access(possibly put my second battery. Also I do not have double stringers on the port side or any foam that runs all the way to transom. Is this normal?
Will balance etc be a factor if I decide to make battery shelf like on starboard side...and place another battery on port side???
How were original Seafaris set up? Did they utilize dual batteries back then???
Was the baitwell and option???
Here are the pics below of port side storage....

Also, I have seen different posts concerning MAX HP rating for Seafaris etc. My max hp on the sticker states 170 hp. Is this normal///were there alot of variations regarding HP ratings etc. Below is pic of decal/sticker.
Also, where can I find or duplicate this sticker???
Decal sticker below...unlegible

Fred - I've never worried about the foam getting waterlogged . . I think they used the more expensive closed cell foam that's not supposed to hold water. The hull would also have to be really full of water for foam between the stringers to get wet! That small amount of paint on it wouldn't keep the water out of it anyway!

As for the port side stringers, I'm sure you have two, but one of them clearly does not run all the way to the back. If you look aft under the center hatch under the bunks, you'll see 2 stringers on each side. (While you're looking in there, make sure the glass tabbing tieing the bulkhead forward of the head to the stringers is still intact! Some folks have found failures in that tabbing.) I now understand the weird shape of my baitwell after seeing your pictures. The port wall slopes down so it clears the outboard stringer, and the inboard port stringer must stop forward of the bait well. There is evidently so much glass in these boats that a missing section of the stringer in that area is obviously not a big deal. Don't forget that the inner liner that's bonded to top of the stringers and the top cap that's tied to the inner liner also add a tremendous amount of stiffness to the hull. Study the cross section (in the Boating magazine article in Literature section) showing the stringers and inner liner and you'll see that the hull is basically a 7' wide I-beam that's about 1.5' deep in the center.

Seafari's never had dual batteries from the factory as far as I know. The baitwell was evidently an option, since you don't have one. I'd put the second battery under port seat like you're talking about, on the inboard side of that stringer; it's too hard to get to if you put it out near the chine like on stbd side! That would avoid the balance problem I had with 2 batteries on stbd side. I think I'd build a shelf to mount it as high as possible and save the remaining space for storage.

The only way you could get a 170 hp outboard Seafari in 1972 would be to mount twin 85 hp motors on it. I had a friend with twin 85's on a 20 sf back in the early 70's. I believe the V-6's came out in '75 or '76, so later models may have a higher rating to reflect availability of larger motors. Don't know what twin 85's would weigh, but it's probably more than the early V-6's. I'm sure some sign shop could duplicate that sticker on some sheet aluminum; you might try asking one of them about it.

[Fr. Frank]

Don't know what twin 85's would weigh, but it's probably more than the early V-6's.

Back in 1983 or '84, I rigged an old '70 20' CC with twin 85 hp Catera/Suzuki motors. The motors weighed 215 lbs each, and we had to mount them on the highest bolt holes.
As I recall, that was a strange setup: the centerline transom height was an odd 23", and we mounted the motors with only about 8 inches between them, using twin steering cables in a push-push configuration. The cable ends had about 1/2 inch between them where the steering bars attached. At any rate, there was not much freeboard at the transom, and the deck scuppers were under water by about an inch at rest.

[fdheld34]

Denny, thanks for info..I feared that I got a lemon due to the missing stringer on port side...you are correct, the inboard stringer stops short and there is foam up in there and in between the outboard and inboard stringer up to the point where the inboard stringer stops (just forward of the rear cockpit wall (i guess you can call it that??)...the foam is covered in grey paint of some type?? Appears to be original because I can see where someone before tried to paint and could only go up so far due to the port storage bin being fixed in place. I will go to a sign shop down the road and see if they can somewhat produce my decal. I will share info regarding decal if they can in fact duplicate it might be interesting for other SC owners as well.
Father Frank..interesting about the twin 85 setup..what a squeeze it must have been even with a wide transom setup.
Thanks again
-Fred

[Islandtrader]

Check this out for a decal.

Decal

[fdheld34]

IslandTrader....thanks for that link,
I had been googling for an hour and could not come up with anything for decal. This site looks like it is right on. Saved to my favorites.
thanks for help
-Fred