Tsunami project update

[hallburg]

I drilled some holes in the transom and of course it is wet and rotten, oh joy! I removed the floor under the fuel tank and it was amazingly in good shape with just a little rot at one end and a bilge coating on bottom side. (see pic) It does not look like the 100 gallon fuel tank was located on center of gravity (CG). Does anyone know where the CG is for the bare hull? I believe the fuel tank should always be centered on the CG so as fuel is used it does not affect the boats balance only the weight. I may have to position the boat across a fulcrum so I can determine the boat balance point. When adding engine, batteries, seats, and other loads I will have to arrange to maintain balance. I tried stripping the name painted on the side and it was typical tedious and messy work with regular paint stripper. TIP! I was searching paint information on the internet and discovered a claim that oven cleaner is a good paint stripper. I tried it and it removed the paint lettering fast and easy. I let it sit a couple of minutes, then used a scouring pad a few strokes, and then rinsed it off (see pics). I tried it on the bottom paint and it didn’t touch it. I reviewed the boat for what I want when finished and discovered I will have to make some custom modifications. I won’t be able to restore it to represent an original SeaCraft. Sorry about that to the die hard fans! The first thing I discovered is the cuddy cabin is better than just under deck storage, but not much. It is to low, without adequate headroom to sit in. It is also too short to store fishing rods of any length with the front panel in place. We typically use 8 and 9 foot rods for Salmon in the Northwest and I want to be able to lock up my rods. I guess the front panel will be modified. I really dislike the walk through windshield and lack of headroom. I will have to raise the deck aft of the windshield, modify the windshield frame and install a hatch in the deck. It will change the classic look but will be much more usable. This is going to be fun.

[basswacker]

sounds interesting! Keep us posted cant wait to see it when its done.

[bigeasy1]

Wah,
Yeah,the cuddy is a bit small for sure,but it leaves a heck of a lot of room in the cockpit.
I sure wouldn't worry about altering it.You have to do what's best for your kind of fishing.Heck if you change things it may give the rest of us Tsunami/Sceptre guys some good ideas.
Take a gander at member Entourages pilot house on his 23.It's a radical change from a regular 23 but it is liked by many of us.

We also run 8.5' to 10'foot rods on my Tsunami for Salmon.
We have about 20 rod and reel setups on the boat at all times.
Most of the time we will be actively using 6 to 8 with any unused spares in the rocket launchers.
At the end of our fishing,(anywhere from 5 to 10 days), we break down the rods and place them in the front hatch that runs from the fuel tank to the cuddy.
I only have a 55 gallon tank so my hatch may be a bit longer.It's still to short for most of my rods(it just about 8')so we have to break them down to fit them in.It is a good place to keep them when we are away from the boat and I have a good locking system on it for security.

I had my canvas work done so that clearance for people up to 6'2 can easily walk under it.It does make getting rods out of the launchers a bit difficult though.

[floorboy]

Sounds like a pile of work. Good luck keep us posted.

John, 6-8 rods is all you have in at a time??? I had 15 out last week.

[bigeasy1]

Sorry,don't mean to hijack this thread,but

Rod,
You'd be arrested in New York waters of Lake Ontario and Canada with 15 rods out(unless you had 8 people on board ).Unfortunately,in NY we are only allowed 2 rods per person.
I usually I keep my crew at 3( occasionally 4).There have been times on Erie and with more guys when we have fished 12.
Counted the rod & reel setups the other day,I was surprised to see that we have 27 on board.I thought it was 20.
There is a bill in NY now to allow 3 rods per person,but not sure if it will pass.

Here's a nice king that Scott Truman got out of his boat in front of Olcott last week 33.5 lbs.
Fishing had been insane, most guys limiting out on nice kings by 8:00am

[hallburg]

John you canvas work looks great. I really like the looks of your boat. Have you ever fished salmon in the great northwest?