'86 SeaCraft information

[pfbateman]

So the heavy weights are parked forward to get on plane early and stay there to fish, or they can stay on the dock. Thanks for including the speed and rpm data. I'll be interested to compare.

[gofastsandman]

My `89 20 is rated for 235 w 25 " transom

[Blue_Heron]

How's the LCG with 200 HP? Any performance issues like getting on plane. I'm looking at a 20' (trim tabs,standard transom)with a 225hp that weighs about 477 pounds.

That's a lot of weight to hang on the transom of one of these 20s, but it's a lot of hp too. That setup will shift the LCG aft, which is ok for going fast in relatively smooth water. But if you're going to fish offshore, it may not be so great. These hulls will launch in a 2-3' sea at 20-25mph. I once tried to keep up with a friend in a 23 sport craft on a snotty day. When we got back to the ramp, he said "every time I turned around to see if you were still there, I saw air under your boat".

If the 225 is a 2-stroke, it may not like to run at the low RPMs necessary to run at a reasonable cruise speed in rough conditions. That may be a bigger issue than the LCG. So it depends on what you want the boat for. If you want to be able to cruise at 15-20mph, and you have the opportunity to do a sea trial, jump it on plane and then drop the throttle back until it starts to ride bow high, then kick the trim tabs down and see how slow you can go and keep her on plane.

When I first bought my 20, I thought I wanted to be able to go fast. After running it in typical Florida Big Bend conditions, I decided top end wasn't all that important. I played with props quite a bit and settled on a 17P Mirage because it provides the best compromise between top speed and cruise.

Dave