Capacity Plate

muddywater · #1 04-28-2007, 05:42 PM

My 20 SF is a 72' so as far as I can tell, the transom did not have a hull identification number. The console on the other hand does have a very old and faded chrome sticker which will no longer exist once I start redoing the console (or replace it). I want to make a new plate with the hull serial no. and the rest. So, my questions are
1) it says max hp is 140. I could have sworn the other Seacraft 20's I have seen had higher ratings. Have any of you changed the information based on the current Coast Guard info?
2) I think it says Model 20' FOB. Excuse my stupidity, but what is an FOB? (fishing outboard???)
3) My Serial number is 4 digit. Is that consistent with the rest of you are seeing for an early (72) hull?

Thanks

71kidcasper · #2 04-28-2007, 08:34 PM

I have a 71 20 sf that has/had a four digit serial #. How many stringers does your boat have? I think that 72 and newer have only two where as pre 72 had four. can't give anymore info because mine didn't have a console or info plate.

Fr. Frank · #3 04-29-2007, 04:34 PM

My '72 Seafari 20' has the original sticker which says max HP is 240 hp. My serial # is 4 digit beginning with with 27, and the last two digits illegible.

BTW, I asked Carl Moesly about the high HP rating on my Seafari, and he said some of them were sticker-rated that high to provide for a few being made for an agency of the Federal government which wanted to put twin 115's on a 20' hull. He said there were a few labeled with higher max HP ratings in every year from '68 to '73. He also said he had thought that almost all the boats so labeled were center consoles, except for 1 or 2 Seafari models.

That's where I think it's weird, because while my 1st 1972 20' Seafari, (which I owned back in the early 80's) had a transom cutout for twin engines and was labeled with a Max HP rating of 140 hp, my current 1972 Seafari 20' only has a transom cutout for a single and is originally labeled for 240 hp.

Carl also said that he thought Frank Brown of Palm Beach Gardens (Many of you will know who Frank is) may have been the one responsible for selling a few sterndrive 20' SeaCraft models with V8 sterndrives in the mid 70's, notably the 188 hp Ford-block Mercruisers.

I had seen one Seafari with a V8 Mercruiser back in 1983 or '84. Since the boat was only a few years old, I had assumed it was original, not repowered by Frank Brown.

Carl regaled us with some absolutely great stories about SeaCraft in the early days, including the secret to the mysterious 27' Seavettes, of which 3, and only 3, were made.

lost2a6 · #4 04-30-2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Carl regaled us with some absolutely great stories about SeaCraft in the early days, including the secret to the mysterious 27' Seavettes, of which 3, and only 3, were made.

What did he say about the 27 Seavette? Where did they go? Inquiring minds want to know.

muddywater · #5 05-01-2007, 12:23 PM

71kidcasper - My stringers appear to be set up similar to the later Potters and appear to be filled with foam. There is one spot under the starboard stern hatch that there is not much of anything (glass) covering the foam. Will was eyeballing it and wondering if that was the spot they filled it from, but still... it should have some glass over it. My serial is 4 digit starting with 18 (I don't remember the other digits offhand).

Frank - Yeah, Where did the 27 Seavette go?

I have the skinny transom. I would not have known there was any difference, but Will put the measuring tape to it and realized that he has the transom for twins since mine is skinnier. I don't think his boat has a capacity plate though. I may check with the Coasties to see what standard procedure is.