New Member, Old Boat, Unsure of Year.

[Sparehead]

Again, thanks for the replies. I think I’ve been swayed against the bracket now. It's hard not to smile at profoundly simple statements like "if you want more room, buy a bigger boat". For me I think the bracket cons outweighed the pros considerably. I’m doing the transom anyway so I should be able to incorporate a tall splashwell that I’ll like, even if it’s a bit “busy” looking compared to a simple transom. I may even relook at the original splashwell and hinged gate, though the 20” cut is going to 25” regardless.

Originally Posted by cdavisdb

If you want to follow through on raising the cap, do some research on vertical cg. The twenty is relatively narrow and will be sensitive to vertical cg. I remember mine as already a bit tender. Adding more weight higher might be more of a problem than a benefit.

I understand the Seafari is a little more top heavy compared to the other models that use this slim hull, but would increasing the deck and cap by just 2 inches really be very noticeable? I know I’ve seen people put towers on these little boats which must be a more drastic shift in their vertical CG. Leaving aside the deck which isn’t much over water level, I’d think 2 additional inches of vertically extended hullside all the way around should only be about 10 square feet of roughly 1/4” to 1/3” thick glass. That should be on the order of 20 pounds-ish if my math is right. Admittedly, everything above that original hull joint would have a 2 inch longer moment. Would I be risking a greater severity or tendency to chine walk, or is it just that the boat will roll more while adrift?

It doesn’t sound like much but those two inches would mean keeping the stock gunnel height and in the cabin I’d be able to sit up without needing to cram my head under the windshield area.