1972 SeaCraft 20sf (re) build.

[Caymanboy]

Now you may notice some things.
First of all I have the utmost respect and envy for Mr. Herman. His work is impeccable and his shop is better than that.
Plus the room, holy s-----. I would die to have that amount of room.
And there has to be an honorable mention for the "man cave". That man has the life.
My shop is in its third home in 5 years, each time I move I say it is way too much space and yet, there is never enough space.
Needless to say, things get tight, boats get bigger and the shop never stays the way I wish. Ever---.

[NoBones]

Just my 59 year old observation....
The more space you have, the more you spread!!
No available flat surface in the shop to do anything!!!

When I built Area 442, The idea was all wrong by todays standards..

4000 sq ft house, 2000 sq ft shop!!! WRONG!!!
Should have been the other way around..

4000 sq ft shop "Man Cave"
2000 sq ft house... Wife, myself and 2 cats!!

Someday maybe I will get it right..

[hermco]

Hmmmm. don't look like any fun, no frosty cold beverages in them pics! Gotta at least pop one after the tear down dude.

[Mikem8560]

nothin' like a fresh start

[Ryan]

Lookin good Oly!!

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by Caymanboy

For those of you who don't know me, here is a little history.
About 5 years ago, I started a little repair/refit business down here in Lauderdale, started by myself. Redid some boats, mostly mine and close friends.
Anyway, worked by myself, and I mean I did everything, elec, paint, mech, office, purchasing, paid the bills when I had some money, which wasn't very often.
I was looking for a boat to tow with me to the islands on my summer pilgrimage, started out looking at Alburys, always liked them and they fit my scene, (slow trawler, island lifestyle). When I found that they where pretty proud of them Alburys I realized that was not going to happen, so I looked at SeaCrafts, low and behold I found Coral Reefer up in Melborne and a new business was born.
I purchased her in Oct of 08 and restored her from then till Feb 09, mostly between 0200 and 0800, and on the weekends, then I went and tried to make some money.
I did all the work, had a guy part time who helped with the sanding.
One day, ran into an old customer and friend in West Marine, wanted an old Aquasport to redo, I just that week had brought one to the shop that had sunk, the guy stopped buy to look, took one look at the SeaCraft and said, "I want that boat", well quite honestly, he could afford any number I came up with, and at that point I had never really driven the thing, and it had a ton of my sweat, tears and dollars in it. I said, can't sell it, but will be happy to build you one. The next day he dropped off a deposit and my little SeaCraft restoration business was under way.
I said I had built Coral Reefer for myself, when in fact I did not. I was dating and living with this sweet young thing at the time, so C/R became her boat, we had many a good time and trips to the Islands, both on her own bottom and being towed by the trawler.
Didn't take long for me to realize that I was never going to drive this boat, I needed my own boat.
Things at the shop started to get busier, I started with a helper part time, then full time, then added another, and another, then office help part time, etc.
Moved the shop, twice.
Somewhere in there I became a Yamaha package dealer, it gave me the opportunity to be a Yamaha dealer, meaning I could sell Yamaha parts, get Yamaha training and sell motors along with whatever boats I was a dealer for. That happened to be a little Downeast style CC made up in New Hampshire.
Did some shows, too many, never sold a boat. But the Yamaha thing did well, boat restorations was doing well and we were doing large yacht tender service. By now, there are 6-7 people in the shop, my office personnel and myself.
I had found the "Red SeaCraft 20" in a yard somewhere, brought it to the shop and it sat.
Either we were to busy to work on it or it was too slow and we didn't have any money to work on it.
Fast forward, some time.
We are now a Yamaha Full Line Dealer, what that means is, I can sell you an engine out of a box. We stock engines from 15-300 hp, an GE Capitol owns my life. :-)
Anyway, I am very happy to be here.
Ohhh, back to C/R and the sweet young thing. The S.Y.T left for about a year, (tried something/someone else) then came back, I had thought she had it figured out. Anyway, she stayed around for about a year, then left again, this time for good.
I had had about enough of C/R and the memories, and the "Red SeaCraft 20" was waiting to be done. So, I put C/R up for sale. She was gone in a week. Well, not really gone, she stayed local and we do service work on her.
To be continued---------.

Nice to hear you are doing well. My trailer thanks you and the new torsion axles are the bomb.
I remember nice gestures that help us later on as we are able to make things as we would like .

The burn #`s on those Seaways were sick. Black Dog started the Mosquito Lobstah boat fleet.
Many years ago now. 8 ft. swell at 9 seconds. I need to think inside this year and learn how to fish there as well.

[strick]

Originally Posted by Caymanboy

You will notice that the liner did not go back in.

Now were talking....

strick

[Caymanboy]

Ok, so there is nothing earth shattering here. (in boat (re) building mode.)
Let me digress. I guess this little threat is going to be my therapy. Someone had a thread going over on THT that had me in stitches for days.
"The adventures of on line dating."
Ohhhh, how I can relate. After S.Y.T. decided to leave (without informing me) my dating/relationship life took a turn down an adventurous path.
Now, you have to understand, I have B.O.D of the 60's, very early 60's. My S.Y.T was some 1/2 my age. So I somehow deduced that if one S.Y.T saw something in me, there had to be others.
Well, I guess it is true, for a price. But in the end, they all cost money. What really got me was S.Y.T and I had something, she really liked boating, loved the Bahamas and if I kept the trawler stocked with rum and beer, traveling at a snails pace was no issue at all.
Aneyhoo, after she left I was trying to find myself, or someone to replace her. That usually led to some pretty funny situations. Now remember, I am single, in my late 40's early 50's, my friends are married in their late 50's early 60's, so their life is a tad different.
We have this little Club called the 501. What it is in reality is my trawler, loaded with aforementioned rum and "hooch", (Hooch is cheap whiskey, Philadelphia brand to be exact.) that they show up to each day at---- yes, 5:01 pm, at which point in time they drink, and we discuss the days events, mostly politics and my weeks adventures in the dating scene.
Now I could at this point go off on many different roads. On line dating sites, (of which there are many, and I have tried most of them.), politics (I don't discuss politics, much to the 501 boys chagrin, but damn, they can walk that horse to death.), titty bars (um, excuse me, gentlemans clubs.) That reminds me, someone bring up the fact later about this little trip up to Mr. Herman's "man cave" to pick up a project he had the foresight of kicking out of his yard and the "lunch" we had after picking up said project, yep, it involved a gentlemans club.
Sooooo, how about this, Mr. Herman mentioned beers. Well, I don't drink, gave it up back in 2005, it was one of those things, stop drinking or die.
Somewhere in (Mar 2005), I came to the conclusion I needed help, the fact that I was broke, didn't have job, couldn't get a job and most of my friends didn't come around anymore helped me understand that. Soooo, one day after severely effin up something for my niece (not really, sorta adopted and the namesake of my trawler), and her mother told me in no uncertain terms to eff off and die, (she is the wife of one of the 501 dudes), I called up said mother and wife and said I need help. Off to B.A.R.C we go, simple right? Not so much. It appears that I am not the only person in Broward County that day trying to get into a County Supported Detox center. But, we do have to sit, go through the screening process, (this is county remember, it does take some time), anyehoo, some hours later they tell me they are full, come back. Well sh---, I am damn hung over by now, ready for a drink, so I tell my friends, Mr and Mrs 501, truck my a--- to the hospital, Baker Act me, so on to the hospital we go. They check me in, (in reality they didn't Baker Act me, because the hospital kicked me out the next day, and I believe that if Baker Acted, it's a mandatory 3 days.) Aneyhoo, my night in the hospital on the gurney in the hallway was en-lighting, to say the least. Now remember, they checked me in, so when they say, Ok Mr Drunk you can go, I had nothing! No cell phone, no money. So I walked home, on the walk home, (still very hung over) gave me some time to think, got back to the boat, did not have a drink, called Mrs 501 and said, take me to B.A.R.C, this time they took me in and that brought up the next four very interesting days of my life.
Let me clear one thing up. S.Y.T and drinking were not connected, I met her after I was sober, and that actually may have had something to do with her leaving, she did/does enjoy a drink. But that's another story.
Oh yea, the : "Red SeaCraft project."
Nothing earth shattering. But this boat had a plan, light, fast, strong, minimal.
I did take the forward console seat and make it a watertank.
I made my custom "konkwell".
And before too many people get on my case and say I didn't build this boat, most of that is true, the guys (and V.I.P. girl) in the shop have. I have done some of the work, but mostly I am in the office dealing with bringing in the money to keep these folks fed. Remember, almost all of this started when our fine country was going through what they term as "the great recession". No politics, but that was damn reality-----.
And this console went through a couple of changes. First I was going minimal and original, then I went with, I would actually like to see the electronics in front of me.

[Capt Chuck]

Now, you have to understand---------#@&@!(@*@%@%^%$%#@!~@#%**%#&(*^%$^%&%^&^&$&@@!^I^O #^!6517i%^@Uioo-------------------------------------------And before too many people get on my case and say

OP, Sounds like Mid-Life Crisis

[hermco]

Originally Posted by Capt Chuck

OP, Sounds like Mid-Life Crisis