Can't sleep...

TooFly · #1 08-03-2010, 04:28 AM

Hi all,

What a great site! I'm hoping to learn lots, especially if I decide to buy this 70's Potter 20'er today.

I have virtually no woodworking or serious fiberglass experience, but I may be able to get some help with all that.

The boat I'm looking to get had its transom replaced with a full one over a decade ago. It's got a Gil bracket, which has a small mounting footprint (IMHO), and a few other additions. On the bracket is a practically new 150 E-Tec. I took it for a spin today and liked its soft ride. However, the stern seems to sit low and quite a bit of water pools in the boat, which leads me to my next fear. The corner drains in the stern of this boat lead through the bottom of the hull. Looking through the bottom of the boat freaked me out a bit. I understand that's how some boats were built back in the day. But it's new to me and will take a little getting used to.

There appear to be some stress cracks where the closed transom was filled in. I don't know if these are a sign of problems to come or not, but I'd like to find out sooner rather than later. The outboard also sits very low while underway. Actually, the turbulence practically hits the base of the cowling. Is that a concern? I am thinking that if I buy this boat, I'd also like to open up the splash well and add scuppers that drain out the transom to alleviate the pooling water in the stern area. Hydraulic trim tabs would be nice, too.

Is it a bad idea to close off the drains in the corners by the transom? This is the main source of the intruding water. Again, I understand that is part of the original design, but I'd like to change that if possible.

Thanks for having me.

Regards,
Paul

Capt Chuck · #2 08-03-2010, 07:18 AM

Welcome Toofly to CSC

***BE ADVISED*** Many more sleepless nights are your Destiny!

Use the Search function and read the hundreds of previous threads referencing your questions. Many pages of explicit boat porn await you with step by step how to's

Enjoy

Capt Chuck

TooFly · #3 08-03-2010, 10:11 AM

Thanks, Cappy!

I'll be sure to use the search button. I suppose I was looking for some quick reassurance with regard to buying this boat.

I have to act fast or take back my deposit. As is, it appears to be a sound hull. I just hope the transom doesn't rip off.

It's a fast boat with the 150 on it and it's got great hole shot.

Here are some quick pics I snapped with my iPhone:

Does the E-Tec look too low in the water?

I'm not sure why the transom isn't the same thickness all the way?

Stress cracks?

The port aft storage compartment has a little water in it. I was told
it's rain water. The well beneath the leaning post has a crack in it. Because it's the liner, I was told it should not be a concern. ???

Blue197320 · #4 08-03-2010, 06:25 PM

the motor does not look low to me. there should be a weep hole in the stringer to get that water to drain into the bilge.
i would say go for the boat. does not look to be in too bad of shape. use it like it is till you want to change it around.

Bushwacker · #5 08-03-2010, 07:06 PM

Don't know what they're asking for that boat, but I'd be inclined to deduct the price of replacing the bracket with a Hermco bracket before I bought it, as that would fix most of the issues's you've described!

That bracket doesn't provide much flotation, which you need when you hang a relatively heavy motor that far back off the transom. (These boats were designed for a motor of approximately 300 lbs hanging on the transom!) It also doesn't distribute the engine load across the full width of the transom like it would if it had a swim platform on it, which may explain some of the cracks. However if that's gelcoat, they may be just cosmetic, particularly if the gel coat is very thick. It's so brittle that it doesn't take much stress to crack it. Also don't know why someone would go to the trouble to fill in a transom and not make it full thickness in the area of the most stress!

Check out Capt. Loyd's bracket fix. He had a similar low flotation bracket with an engine of almost identical weight, and he did a lot of work to correct the self bailing and submerged motor issues related to it. However the CG of that boat has still been shifted aft quite a bit, and the CC model is already more stern heavy than my Seafari. More flotation won't fix that when you're up on plane and flotation tank is out of the water. I'd check min planning speed, because many stern-heavy boats won't plane below about 20 mph! You may need to add a 4 blade prop and Doelfin like I did to get min planing speed down to 12 mph. Moving batteries and fuel tank forward will also help.

That motor height doesn't look much different than mine,

but the Hermco bracket acts like a big trim tab when you're coming up on plan because it goes down to about 4" above bottom of hull. (It was designed by Bill Potter to fit the SeaCraft hull).

I raised motor 2 holes from where it was mounted in this photo; cavitation plate is 3.5" above keel and it could probably go up a little more, as cavitation/anti-ventillation plate is still slightly under water when on plane.

BTW, my boat will just barely self bail with a full tank of gas and no one in boat. Do a search for the "Vortex" scupper plug check valve that Fellowship invented, which does a good job of keeping deck dry at dock.

NoBones · #6 08-03-2010, 10:50 PM

Welcome Toofly to CSC...
Just my .02¢ worth, that may have been an
I/O that was converted to a bracket...
Maybe some of the crew here that has a 20
I/O may chime in with pics of their rear ends!

See ya, Ken

Bushwacker · #7 08-03-2010, 11:36 PM

Hey Ken,

I think it was originally an OB version because:

1. It has the recess for the Merc O/B steering drag link aft of port seat.

2. It has the flat surface across the back below the stern seats like my boat. The I/O's had a molded in box that extended forward of the seats.
Denny

BTW, welcome to the site Toofly . . . lots of good SeaCraft info available here!

strick · #8 08-04-2010, 03:12 AM

In your searches you will find that a lot of us have raised the deck of our 20's 2-3 inches in order to make it self bailing.....a little bit of work... but worth it

strick

Blue197320 · #9 08-04-2010, 08:23 PM

so what did you decide to do with it??

TooFly · #10 08-09-2010, 08:34 PM

Quote:

the motor does not look low to me. there should be a weep hole in the stringer to get that water to drain into the bilge.
i would say go for the boat. does not look to be in too bad of shape. use it like it is till you want to change it around.

Thanks, Blue. I will check that out.

"Go for the boat," you say?