1979 Potter Seacraft 20 SF new to the fam! + Restore

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hill

. . . We're at the point now where we would consider replacing/restoring the stringers, although both our mechanic and myself seem to think they are pretty solid... We drilled into the center of one at the end of the day today, all the foam was dry inside. Gonna try another spot lower on the stringer and towards the rear, but if all seems dry...

Is doing all this work - and not touching the stringers common? What do you veterans think?

Andrew, the stringers are all glass, except for the keelson, which is a wood 2x4, and no need to replace it either, even if it did rot out, because the glass around it is what provides all the strength. You have Potter's later/cheaper 2 box-stringer design. They were foam filled and I suppose the foam could be wet, but that's rare, and the foam doesn't really add any strength anyway. The original 4-stringer Moesly design had hollow stringers that were installed about halfway through the layup, and most folks never do anything to them unless they tear off the tops when they pull out the inner liner.

Click on Classic SeaCraft Home at the bottom of the page and then go to the Literature section and read the 1969 Boating Magazine Test on the Seafari. It has a very detailed description of the hull layup, laminate schedule, and the stringer construction. If you can't read that .jpg version, send me a PM with an e-mail address and I can send you a good .pdf file of that article that I had made from the original.

The 20 sf's don't have nearly as much freeboard as my Seafari with it's raised coaming, so I'd think twice about raising the deck more than a couple of inches. Having the gunnel down around your ankles really isn't desirable on an offshore capable boat! Denny