1974 20SF Rework / Modification

[BigLew]

What surprises me is that it apparently does not go through a V-drive. It really is a straight in-board!

[PackRat]

BigLew, correct, was a straight inboard with the fuel tank under the old I/O motor box...I actually took it for ride before putting the motor up for sale and it seemed to ride fine although I have no comparison as I've never been on another 20. Maybe a little slow for RPM's/fuel compared to the original I/O or what it would be with OB - had no GPS or speed indication so would only be guessing - probably upper 20's @ 3200 RPM (1.5:1 gear). Couple times bumped the RPM's up by a few hundred and the boat really flew and handled fine but wanted to take it easy on an unknown engine. Any more details will be a mystery now....

[BigLew]

That doesn't surprise me at all.

Under the circumstance, I doubt seriously the prop pitch, etc. was better than a "best" guess; and not being a V-drive, you had to probably increase the downward angle of the shaft/prop more than optimal. The other thing our outboard brethren seem not to appreciate is that the weight of an inboard acts as a terrific ballast. It really gives a solid predictable reaction to the hull's behavior in a sea and when it settles, it does so more predictably than an outboard which is, generally, less predictable given the leverage arm of forces (ect.) that influence it vs. simply the size and direction of the wave in question. The other part of this is that the inboard configurations generally are twice the weight/HP than the outboard thus the reduction in top end speed.

Oh well, just more proof to the adage, "You have to pay to play!"

[PackRat]

Well, took A LOT longer than hoped and a lot more $ but did have a whole separate boat purchase and re-hab project since picking this one up (that's my excuse). Real work started in late 2015 with separating hull and liner and cutting away unwanted fiberglass up to final paint and motor install this spring.

I might be repeating myself but seeing what others have done on CSC was instrumental in making this project move along even if at a snails pace. Been lurking here on a weekly basis or more seeing what others were up to.

My first time spraying Awlgrip (had rolled and tipped many times before). Learned a lot and the next one will be better.

Happy with the end result and can see reasons why people are fans of the ride even for this small of a boat. First time out and for me on any Sea Craft was to see the Blue Angles in the Chesapeake this spring and this boat ate up all the boat wakes afterward from a couple hundred boats going in all directions. Boat is going to be chasing fish in the coastal bays of DE and MD for hopefully a long time.

[PackRat]

More photos of finished project.......