completely original 1969 20SF

[decoll05]

My wife's grandfather past a few years back and left behind a mint 1969 seacraft 20 that he purchased new in 1969. He was a very meticulous man and took exceptional care of this boat. It honestly may be the most original seacraft 20 in the world. He kept all of the original documentation to the boat along with every service record and receipt since new. I had recently completed a restoration on a 25' Blackfin that i fished out of RI, but i have always been a big fan of classic sea crafts, and with my families move to a shallower water location that was not ideal for an inboard, i decided to sell the blackfin and use the seacraft.

When we started using the seacraft 2 seasons ago, it only had 110 hours on the 2012 Mercury 115 EFI. Despite being a relatively new engine, it has given me nothing but trouble. The boat had clearly not been used much over the past 10-20 years despite having been professionally serviced launched and run on ever year. As we have used it more some spider cracking has started to show up in some major areas including the transom and on the console. The transom still feels solid, but has never been rebuilt so i assume that it will need to get replaced at some point. Unfortunately the original single helm chair started to fall apart and with two young kids it was not the most practical seating arrangement so i reluctantly replaced it with a much more practical leaning post. The boat still has its original gelkote, but due to a list to starboard it has been buffed through along the waterline on the starboard side where the fouling must have stained it in the past. The Hull is extremely straight, but i have noticed it is thin in some areas along the side where you can push it in slightly. The only other work that i have done to it was rewiring the boat over this past winter and adding a chart plotter. The previous wiring appeared to have been original to 1969.

I love how original the boat is, and would like to keep it as close to that as possible but i do feel like i need to do some work on it to make it work for my family into the future. I do want to get the transom checked out to make sure it is strong enough for a potential repower to a zuk 140 and have some cosmetic work done. I would love to dive into the forums and take these projects on my self, but with two kids under 3 i just do not have the time.

I put this post up because i do believe this might be one of the most original and best kept 20' seacrafts (or at least it was until i swapped out the seat), and i thought that this group might be interested to see some pictures of it. I was also hoping that someone might have a recommendations for a shop or sea craft expert in southern Massachusetts that could help take a look at this?

[Vezo, Part II]

Wow! Very freakin cool! Best of luck!

Vezo.

[Old'sCool]

That appears to be a really nice, (mostly) original boat. I think you'll be very disappointed if you enclose the transom and add a bracket. You may want to follow the Suzuki 140 thread if you're thinking re-power.

[strick]

I had a 20sf 1969...put a bracket on it..I had a little 130 Yamaha 2 stroke on it and although it performed fine with that motor and the short set back bracket, I would not do it again...mostly because I think the boat handles better as originally designed. I also had a bracket on a 23 and I would say the same thing as well for that boat...the only thing gained from the bracket is the safety of the closed transom (which was the main thing for me) plus the boat will ride like it's a couple feet longer and you gain some interior space if you conform it properly... but you can do other things for safety and to make the boat right again...have a reputable shop re do the transom and raise it to 26.5 inches. Fix all the spider cracks etc... You have a nice looking boat there. Is that bottom paint?

strick

[NoBones]

Welcome to CSC decoll05 !! You will love this 20 the more you use it..
We have a ton of members in your neighborhood that will be chiming in when the see this post... They know where to get you going.
Happy New Year !

[decoll05]

Originally Posted by strick

I had a 20sf 1969...put a bracket on it..I had a little 130 Yamaha 2 stroke on it and although it performed fine with that motor and the short set back bracket, I would not do it again...mostly because I think the boat handles better as originally designed. I also had a bracket on a 23 and I would say the same thing as well for that boat...the only thing gained from the bracket is the safety of the closed transom (which was the main thing for me) plus the boat will ride like it's a couple feet longer and you gain some interior space if you conform it properly... but you can do other things for safety and to make the boat right again...have a reputable shop re do the transom and raise it to 26.5 inches. Fix all the spider cracks etc... You have a nice looking boat there. Is that bottom paint?

strick

Hi Strick, thanks for the feedback. Coming from a 24' boat, i initially missed the extra space so closing the transom and using a bracket was appealing from that standpoint but i really do prefer the look of the transom mounted engine and it is good to hear that you preferred the handling without a bracket because that is what i am leaning towards.

to answer your question, yes that is bottom paint. I believe it has always been kept in the water during the summers at he same dock since it was delivered in 1969. the dock is in ~6' of water in an area with a 10' tide so it spends 50% of its time sitting on soft mud, which i believe has helped preserve it over the years. There is virtually no biofouling at the end of the season.

[fishstu]

Very Nice Boat -
The picture of the cracks in the transom gelcoat indicates that the transom is wet/rotten, especially if you are putting a new engine on it. Good time to raise the transom to 25 inch also - I read that some have rebuilt with a 26/27 inch transom ?