Mercury Vintage Racing DVD

[Bryan A.]

What other seacraft secrets are you guys hiding? I can't get enough of these stories.

Yeah! What he said!

Great stuff.

[NoBones]

You gotta love-it!
This has to be the best thread ever.
I get goose bumps, to think that the inventor and family of the "Founding Father" of the boat that we hold so close to our hearts is a part of this great web site.
Keep it coming.......

See ya, Capt. Ken

We are truly one big family!!!!!!!!!

[Capt Chuck]

V8 Johnson putting out about 340hp..

lilabner

I want that sucker on my 23'

[JMoesly]

Butch - Carl was tossed out of the "Wet Noodle" more than once. At Pelican Harbor he went out so fast that his tennis shoes remained in the boat. In trying to stay in the cat he twisted the Mercury throttle handles so the left handle was in front of the right handle - I think that is when he twisted his knee and got a few "dings"

[lilabner]

Hi Jeanne, That's when it probably happened..I was so busy working on boats for the upcoming races, I didn't get to do any testing..I was supposed to run with Charlie and Richie was going to run with Carl, but Richie got a wild hair and quit..so Ken Wilson told me to run with Carl and Richie run with Charlie..I don't remembering even testing in the Wet Noodle before the race, but I'm sure I did..Ken told me Carl was hurt testing at the Lake, I thought, but things are foggy now days on some things. If anyone would know it would be you..I think the most amazing thing Carl did was crawl back in his cat between 2 running motors in gear..I still have the newspaper article..

[Bigshrimpin]

I snagged this picture too from another one of butch's posts on the internet. I thought I was a misprint when I read Seacraft Cat. I also read a while back (in another lilabner post) that there may have been a non-variable deadrise seacraft v hull . . . is that true? What about the mysterious 15ft scamper?

[Bigshrimpin]

My wife wants me to tell you that this is her favorite part about her new (1972) seacraft.

[nestorpr]

That's an original allright!

[RUSTYNTABATHA]

ALL I CAN SAY IS THANK YOU FOR THE THREAD AND THE WONDERFUL FAMILY HISTORY. MY DAD RACED CATS UP HERE IN NORTH FLORIDA WITH A GUY NAMED HAMP (GILETE?) HE BUILT HIS TUNNEL IN HIS BACK YARD AND THE MOTOR IN HIS GARAGE. MERCURY BOUGHT THE HULL AND HE DETUNED THE MOTOR AND PUT IT ON HIS BASS BOAT. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INFATUATED WITH SPEED ON THE WATER!
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN
RUSTY

[Fr. Frank]

"My" 1st SeaCraft was my grandfather's 1970 20' Seafari, which he bought used from my great-uncle in '71, rigged at the time with a Chrysler 105 hp outboard that had a bad cylinder. It had the seat with the sink, stove and icebox built in it. My grandfather took the Chrysler off, and put twin Mercury 650's on the back. As I was crazy about boats, and my grandfather wouldn't let me take his Rybo out, he often let me use the Seacraft. From '74-76 I went fishing as often as I could, especially as my grandfather paid the gas & oil.

My older cousin got the boat in '77, and put a single Merc XS1500 on the back. He also used it seemingly every day. In 1983, even though I already had a 23' SeaCraft CC, I bought that boat from my cousin, while I was working as the Tow Boat captain for Waterway Marina in Palm Beach Gardens.

At that time the Merc inline 6 150 was tired and had over 1400 hours on it, so I put a rebuilt 1981 Mercury 200 hp V6 on it, and then I never got it running right. In mid '84 I sold the boat to a marina customer as part of a package with a new 140hp Johnson, and never saw that boat again.

I really regret selling that boat.

All told, I have owned several SeaCrafts, but even today, there are two models that embody the mystique that is SeaCraft: the 1969-73 Seafari 20', and the 1968-69 Master Angler 27' flybridge.

There's absolutely nothing that compares with these SeaCrafts we're obsessed with, is there?