'71 Seafari 20 Rebuild

[Locke N Load]

I had considered making it a CC early on, but everyone here convinced me to keep it a cuddy. I am looking forward to having space for bags and gear, changing clothes, going to the bathroom, napping, etc. plus the wind and water break. 360 degree fishability is nice in a CC so we will see how it compares having just the stern. Anchoring will take a little more effort too I guess.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Locke N Load

. . . I am looking forward to having space for bags and gear, changing clothes, going to the bathroom, napping, etc. plus the wind and water break. 360 degree fishability is nice in a CC so we will see how it compares having just the stern. Anchoring will take a little more effort too I guess.

Yes, you made a wise decision! There are many advantages to the Seafari & Sceptre layouts that many CC guys don’t seem to appreciate, including MUCH more DRY storage. That opening windshield (which I’ve never seen on newer boats!) provides great protection when it’s raining and/or cold, but plenty of breeze when it’s hot! And the large cockpit provides much more room for diving, offshore trolling and socializing! There a couple of simple things you can do to address the less convenient bow access with a cuddy cabin:

1. Rig permanently mounted lines to the bow cleats and run them back & tie off to the stern cleats. Rig up 20’ stern lines with a snap hook in one end and an eye spliced in the other end. Snap them to the towing eyes in the transom and then coil ‘em up and hang on stern cleats. That way one person can easily handle both bow & stern lines when you approach a dock. And if you ever have to tow someone, you can make a great towing bridle by just putting the two stern line eyes together and hooking the towee’s anchor line to them! I also suggest installing a midship cleat, the same size as stern & bow cleats, adjacent to the helm where you can just reach over the side windshield to attach spring lines or fenders. You can also run the bow line from the midship cleat to the dock for short time stops like refueling, etc.

2. Install one of the large (~6” long) oval hawse pipes directly above the CENTER of anchor locker. (I carried 600’ of line for anchoring in 60-90’ over deep reefs, & the line will pile up quickly under the hawse pipe if it’s not not centered.) Remove the bow light (replace w/red & green LED lights mounted forward of cabin windows) & mount a roller bracket on the bow and install at least a 6-8” cleat between the hawsepipe and bracket. Attach about 20’ of chain to the anchor and install one of these https://www.overtons.com/windline-an...B&gclsrc=aw.ds restraint hooks to secure anchor in bracket. You’ll need to reinforce the deck to handle loads the anchor line can put on the roller bracket and center cleat. I used a couple layers of 1/4” plywood which were flexible enough to conform to conform to the deck curvature when wedged from below. (Search my posts for a thread I started showing details of how I did this.) Then you’ll be able to quickly deploy your anchor, which I consider a safety consideration if you ever lose power in a busy channel or when running an inlet! I found that it was easy to handle the anchor from the front hatch with the roller bracket, which eliminated the need to walk around to the bow in rough conditions. Or you could install a windlass, but I never found that was necessary on a 20’ boat, although it’s MANDATORY on my 30 ton DeFever with the 65# anchor and 200+ lbs of 3/8” chain!

3. If you install a VHF radio, put the antenna on the PORT side! Then it won’t be in your way when you’re scrambling around the Stbd side to get to the anchor!

[jtharmo]

Here are some photos of how Bushwacker rigged his Seafari. I have keep it the same. Even when I have the family out I always seem to be single handing. There is always a line available no matter what corner you need one. The hawse pipe/anchor roller are good advice too. The rode and chain fall right in when I pull up and the anchor stows quickly so I can get back to the helm.

Since you have the deck off, I would consider running the scuppers out the transom and crossing them. I think that would help keep the feet dry fish from the back.

[SailorChlud]

Nice work! I see the cap is significantly different than my 1972 version. What are you doing for the front bulkheads?

[Locke N Load]

Originally Posted by SSPBill

Since you have the deck off, I would consider running the scuppers out the transom and crossing them. I think that would help keep the feet dry fish from the back.

I have heard this mentioned before and I do not know what it means. What is "crossing the scuppers"? My tentative plan is to have as large of scuppers as possible go straight out the back. Add some of the Gemlux duckbills to avoid water coming back in. That and the deck being 2" higher will hopefully mean dry feet, but I am open to this crossing idea if it works and is recommended.

Originally Posted by SailorChlud

Nice work! I see the cap is significantly different than my 1972 version. What are you doing for the front bulkheads?

By bulkheads I assume you mean the ones separating the cuddy area from cockpit area. I am going to glass in 1" Carbon Core honeycomb. Same material I am using for the deck. Below deck bulkheads in front of and behind the fuel tank will be glassed in 3/4" Coosa. Spare material from the transom core.

The stringers have the foam insulation inserts and vinyl downspouts epoxied in place and fillets done. Tomorrow starts the glassing. Hopefully, I will have pics of the completed stringers by the weekend. Then it is time to work on getting the tank in.

[jtharmo]

The hoses below deck are crossed. The port floor drain exits the starboard and vice versa. If you standing at one side in the stern, the exit for that drain is lifted on the other side. This is typical on sail boats which are heeled over much of the time.

[Locke N Load]

Thanks for the explanation. Simple enough I guess, but would be more complicated for me since all four of the stringers would need to be cut. Plus the seating, engine well and bilge would need to be dealt with. Scupper entrance will be about two feet from the transom.

[Locke N Load]

It took longer than anticipated, but that seems to be par for the course for me and working on the boat. The stringers are done with the foam insulation inserts to extend them to the transom, vinyl gutter downspouts on top to raise them 2" and add a conduit for wiring and 3 layers of glass covering. Very sturdy as I can stand on them with no flex.

I think my next task will be getting the cuddy squared away by filling in the existing one through hull hole and putting the original deck piece back in.

[Locke N Load]

Figured I will give an update.

Nothing major lately just a lot of little things. I am working on filling in the existing thru-hulls now. Ground down the glass to a 12:1 taper and laying in the new. The raised stringers have been cut to length and tank pre-fit. The bulkheads for the tank have been cut out. The whole deck section for inside the cuddy has been cleaned up and I have the new core material; 1/2" Carbon-Core honeycomb. The last layers of glass have been added to the transom hole repairs. Grinding smooth will be next. I may do some fairing too.

I am looking forward to finishing fixing the thru-hulls and getting the cuddy deck back in place. That will be a good milestone. Then I can do the separating bulkheads and fuel tank. Progress.

[Kithogue]

Stringers look great. What type of glass are you using?

Ryan