New to Classic Seacraft, have a few questions

[Michael18]

Hey Guys- I am new to the site and have a few question about a Potter built Seacraft.

I am looking at a 20ft Potter hull. It has been neglected for years and I am thinking about rebuilding it. I am not too sure about the stringer but I am sure the need to be rebuilt. I am think about building a grid system and filling in the spaces with foam.

I want to fill in the transom and put a full transom Armstrong bracket on. I am thinking about hanging a Suzuki 140 four stroke. Is this too much motor? Will the transom be strong enough to hold the bracket and motor if I tie it into the stringers.

I will replace the fuel tank, how big is too big for this boat. I have no idea what is in it now. Any suggestions would be great.

Finally are there any pit falls that I should know about. I am excited about this build. Any info would be appreciated.

Mike

[McGillicuddy]

Greetings Shamrock,
You've discovered a gold mine. Not sure which 20 you have but if you haven't already done so, you might consider checking out Trayder's rebuild of a 20 cc in the Gallery. It'll give a real good idea of what your digging into. The other is to visit Strick's work in a thread near the top of the Repairs and Mods forum entitled "Here we go again..." Those are a world of info.

I'm a relative newbie to this site but what I've learned from these guys just by reading, doing searches, and asking questions is amazing. Great group of helpful and insightful people here.

Regarding your questions, the transom rebuild and addition of a bracket are common and well documented here. Well done transom fill w/140 zuke hanging off the bracket shouldn't be a problem. I think most will advise you to get maximum flotation bracket.

The grid and foam stringer thing has been done here and many would advise you not foam in the fuel tank. Original tanks were like 47 gallons or so but some folks have probably upped that dramatically. Perhaps even doubled that.

Stringers and keel tend to be pretty stout, and along with the hull shape, are the hallmark of the Seacraft. Transoms are known to become mulch over 30 years and thru-hull fittings, especially scuppers, will need to be addressed. But it's all well-documented here.

Now go save that SeaCraft.