20' Seafari-ocean safety?

[Pprussell]

Hi. There is a 20' Seafari I am considering. Has the 350 V8. Concerned that this is too much weight aft and may cause issues in large following seas. We typically fish within 10 miles of shore, and afternoon ride home is 8-10 swells with 2-3' wind waves on top. Was doing this in my Sea Ray 23 Weekender but got fed up with construction and quality on it, and tendency to bury bow in head seas due to swoopy nose profile and donated it. Any comments on Seafari with a motor this large? Thanks!
PPRussell

[Bushwacker]

Most of the extra weight in that rig is well forward of the transom, so I think you'd be ok. You have a solid transom and I think the V-8 was a factory option in the late 70's; I don't think SeaCraft would have sold it that way if it was a problem. I'd be less concerned about that rig than a 20 with a 500 lb 4-stroke outboard on it!

The Seafari 20 is an amazingly seaworthy boat. My first return from the Bahamas was in light winds of about 10 kts that varied from NW to N to NE as we came across the Gulf Stream from Grand Bahama. I had always heard the old timers say, "If the wind is out of any northern quadrant, stay the hell out of the gulf stream!" However I was young and dumb at the time, so I had to learn the truth of that saying the hard way with what turned out to be a white knuckle trip! Seas went from 2-4' off West End to 6-8' in the middle of the stream, closely spaced with some white water on top of 'em! For the first hour I was going almost completely airborne on about every 10th wave, but as long as I kept it level, the re-entry was amazingly soft! Had big following seas for the last 20 miles, during which time I REALLY wished I had a solid transom instead of an outboard with a 20" transom cutout! The seas seemed to be about 25' apart and very steep, so I was really worried about punching the bow into the back of the next wave because the boat wanted to surf down the front of each wave, even with the throttle almost at idle! However there is an amazing amount of buoyancy in the bow of the 20 and I never took any green water over the bow.

Our flotilla included a Moesly 21, a Seafari 20, a Wellcraft V-20 and a 21' Wellcraft Nova and we made that 60 nm crossing in about 4 hrs for an average speed of about 15 kts. After we got back I noticed a few loose screws at the bottom of the bulkhead in the Seafari. For the Moesly 21, it was a relatively routine uneventful trip. On the V-20, his saddle tanks had broken loose at the welds on the brackets, the seats had disintegrated, there was a crack in the bulkhead and there was a 4' crack in the hull! (A plywood stringer had broken loose from the hull!) I never worried about the durability of my SeaCraft after that, as I concluded that it could take more abuse than I could!

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by Bushwacker

Most of the extra weight in that rig is well forward of the transom, so I think you'd be ok. You have a solid transom and I think the V-8 was a factory option in the late 70's; I don't think SeaCraft would have sold it that way if it was a problem. I'd be less concerned about that rig than a 20 with a 500 lb 4-stroke outboard on it!

The Seafari 20 is an amazingly seaworthy boat. My first return from the Bahamas was in light winds of about 10 kts that varied from NW to N to NE as we came across the Gulf Stream from Grand Bahama. I had always heard the old timers say, "If the wind is out of any northern quadrant, stay the hell out of the gulf stream!" However I was young and dumb at the time, so I had to learn the truth of that saying the hard way with what turned out to be a white knuckle trip! Seas went from 2-4' off West End to 6-8' in the middle of the stream, closely spaced with some white water on top of 'em! For the first hour I was going almost completely airborne on about every 10th wave, but as long as I kept it level, the re-entry was amazingly soft! Had big following seas for the last 20 miles, during which time I REALLY wished I had a solid transom instead of an outboard with a 20" transom cutout! The seas seemed to be about 25' apart and very steep, so I was really worried about punching the bow into the back of the next wave because the boat wanted to surf down the front of each wave, even with the throttle almost at idle! However there is an amazing amount of buoyancy in the bow of the 20 and I never took any green water over the bow.

Our flotilla included a Moesly 21, a Seafari 20, a Wellcraft V-20 and a 21' Wellcraft Nova and we made that 60 nm crossing in about 4 hrs for an average speed of about 15 kts. After we got back I noticed a few loose screws at the bottom of the bulkhead in the Seafari. For the Moesly 21, it was a relatively routine uneventful trip. On the V-20, his saddle tanks had broken loose at the welds on the brackets, the seats had disintegrated, there was a crack in the bulkhead and there was a 4' crack in the hull! (A plywood stringer had broken loose from the hull!) I never worried about the durability of my SeaCraft after that, as I concluded that it could take more abuse than I could!

Why oh why does he keep killing me? ing me.

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GFS

[McGillicuddy]

That is a special rig. Please, buy it before I ask where it is. Please more pics. That looks exceptional.
That's fantastic power for a nimble yet very rugged little Seafari. As Bushwacker mentioned, the Chevy small block was an option in the late '70s. The extra weight fore might actually be beneficial in holding her down in while planing 3-4' seas. Handling, and sea-keeping wise, I don't see a problem. I think balance and stability will be very good. Trim tabs are a must for your conditions. Can't wait to hear how she performs. Good luck with the purchase. That is a sweet score.

[deerhunter]

hey bushwacer, thats the same boat i have with the cuddy. have had it out in 4 and 5 fters and seems to do ok.

[Bushwacker]

deerhunter, I think about the only 20' boat that will stay with a Seafari when it gets rough is a 20' Bertram, but it'll burn a LOT more gas!