New Member, Old Boat, Unsure of Year.

[Bushwacker]

A Seafari is about 200 lbs heavier than a CC model, and most of the extra mass is in the cap, windshield, cabin door and bulkheads, but the basic hull weighs about 1600 lbs! My gut feel is that raising ~150 lbs a couple inches is basically a nit compared to the mass of the basic hull and bulkheads which aren't moving. I suspect that the effect on vertical CG is smaller than what you get when you mount a T-top with a fiberglass cover and an electronics box up about 7 feet off the deck of a CC model!

Also keep in mind that hull shape has a big effect on initial stability . . . the 20 has a relatively low (~18 degree) deadrise hull, so it's fairly stable at rest. I remember rafting up with Connor a few years ago on an overnight adventure up to Mosquito Lagoon, and I was surprised that his 25 was noticeably more tipsy than my 20 when I climbed aboard for dinner, despite it's 6" wider beam and heavy I/O engine and big fuel tanks deep in the bilge! It's vertical CG is probably lower than it is on my outboard model, but the difference is the extreme 24.5 degree deadrise on that hull, which is even higher than on Moesly's narrow 6.5' beam 25-30' race boats!

[Vezo, Part II]

Ol' Pappy always comes thru with an interesting perspective! Gotta give it to him!!!

Part II

[Sparehead]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll continue to give it thought. All I’m sure of at this point is the joint area will need work no matter what I decide. Simply drilling new holes into that already overly drilled glass would be just asking for trouble, plus it would bug the crap out of me to leave it like that.

It’ll probably be another month before I even get back to the boat, but let me ask one more question you’re all likely to have experienced opinions on. Assuming I hang a relatively heavy modern 150 on the transom and relocate the battery/s forward and under the deck, and assuming I build a fiberglass splashwell around the transom cut that comes close to the rear gunnel height, other than saving a little weight is there any advantage to going with a 20” outboard over a 25”? I understand the 25” has the advantage of having the powerhead further above the water and will be less like to suffer water intrusion from launching from a steep ramp. As I’ve dropped the bracket from my plan I’m not sure how big these advantages are now or if there’s anything else I’m overlooking.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Sparehead

. . . but let me ask one more question you’re all likely to have experienced opinions on. Assuming I hang a relatively heavy modern 150 on the transom and relocate the battery/s forward and under the deck, and assuming I build a fiberglass splashwell around the transom cut that comes close to the rear gunnel height, other than saving a little weight is there any advantage to going with a 20” outboard over a 25”? I understand the 25” has the advantage of having the powerhead further above the water and will be less like to suffer water intrusion from launching from a steep ramp. As I’ve dropped the bracket from my plan I’m not sure how big these advantages are now or if there’s anything else I’m overlooking.

As for the weight difference between short and long shaft motors, I've seen anywhere from 8 to 15 lbs difference quoted on the E-TEC's, which I think would be easily offset by moving batteries forward. However some motors, such as the 115 E-TEC, use a significantly different gear reduction on the longer shaft version, like 2.25:1 instead of 2.0:1, so that would be something to check out on whatever motor you select. (Be sure you use wet weights when comparing motors, because 6 qts. of crankcase + gear oil adds another 11 lbs or so to the weight of a 4S motor!)

I know Capt. Terry stayed with a 20" motor when he repowered his Seafari and seemed a little concerned about the loss of freeboard at the transom, but he didn't move any batteries.

Regarding dunking the powerhead when launching from a steep ramp, I assume you're talking about a roller trailer like mine with minimal friction in the roller system. If you have a roller trailer, I'd strongly recommend using a PowerWinch on it, and you can use the winch clutch to control how fast it comes off the trailer. I normally just back the trailer in enough to get the tires wet, so water is shallow enough close to the trailer that I'm more concerned about boat hitting the ramp if it comes off too fast, but I've always been able to control it with the winch. I previously had a 2-speed Fulton manual winch that could free-spool, but it also had a brake on it that was very useful!