Jumping in with Both Feet on a 20 Seafari

[SailorChlud]

Greetings, all:

I am new to Seacraft ownership, and have been lurking on the forum for a few weeks in preparation of the receipt of a 1972 Seafari. It arrived today! The boat comes from Cape Cod, where it was last on the water about 5-6 years ago. I actually rode in it then and said to myself: "this thing might sink with me on it". The bulkheads were rotten, the door was missing, the teak sideboards had aged to a special shade of brown gross, and the electrical was a rat's nest.

In the last few years, the prior owner removed much of the interior systems: fuel, steering, electrical, motor, carpeting, etc.

Then it sat, and I rescued it. My plan is to first get the transom done, repair a 3 foot section of the keel that was compromised, fill in a bunch of holes and other cracks in the gelcoat, all with an eye to not a restoration, but a return to workmanlike condition. The emphasis will be on function, not necessarily beautification, as my budget will not allow that.

I will thank all on this forum in advance for my inevitable onslaught of questions over the next months as I rebuild this beautiful boat.

Here are a few photos of the current condition: