SeaCraft restoration questions

[gdc23]

I am new here and hoping you guys can help me out with a few questions, I will soon be in the market for a new boat that will be used primarily for offshore fishing and occasionally to take my wife and 9 yr old daughter on whale watches.
(safety primary concern).
I came across a restored 1978 SeaCraft 23' 2008 twin Yamaha 150's totally refitted in 2008 with an asking price of $44900. I would assume some of you may be familiar with this boat and possibly the fella that did the work or owns it may reside here as well so here are my questions.

1. On a restored boat will the finish applied to the hull, cockpit, etc.. be as durable as the original gelcoat... If not how abrasion resistant will it be ?

2. Are there any concerns as to the wear from age and possible hours on the hull that will not be corrected with a refinish.. Is it safe to say that while it may look new it is anything but as the fiberglass itself has endured 32 years of use/abuse.

3. How will adding the Armstrong bracket affect performance and ride of the hull.

4. How is the resale on a boat such as this if you decide to turn it around after some of the polish is worn off. Do you take a big hit on resale even though that would not be my original intent.

5.How can you know how thorough and to what quality the restoration was done, can this be verified through an inspection.

6. How well do restorations hold up, will a boat restored in 2008 look as good as the same quality boat manufactured in 2008 if properly cared for or would there be a huge cosmetic difference.

7. Would a boat such as this have any original wood in the decking or elsewhere that could be a future problem .

I will try to attach a link to the boat in question

Sorry for all the question but any help would be greatly appreciated

Thank you
gdc23 web page

[BigLew]

Hey gdc23,

Welcome back and Merry Christmas from myself and the rest of the bunch, I'm sure.

Did you take a look at the "For Sale" section? I would, if I were you. Not knowing anything else than what you mentioned, The big items are Power (age, hours & condition) quality of the recon. and a good guess-timate of the cost of materials used in the rebuild. It sounds like he is trying to get normal commercial hourly rates. Many of us have done the work ourselves with excellent results and are trying to cover our "costs." Many are loosing money on the deal, if the have to sell in this market. Figure accordingly.

Just my 2 cents.

[BigLew]

From our "For Sale" Section;

http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...&o=186&fpart=1

http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...&o=186&fpart=1

http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...&o=186&fpart=1

http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...7604#Post79152

What ever you end up doing, good luck! Keep us in the loop.

[peterb]

I have a 1972 23' with twin 200 HP OX66's on a full flotation bracket. The boat does sit stern heavy (see beloe picture). I got 4 blade powertech props to help with the stern lift.

I believe that the boat in question has four strokes.

I would be very interested to see how she sits and rides with the added weight of the 4 strokes. Maybe he had someone put several hundred pounds of lead up front.

The nice thing about the enclosed transom is that it does give you alot of extra room.

Lastly, I would bet that there is some room on the price. While it stinks for the seller, it continues to remain a buyer's market.

Good luck.

Peter

[Basspond]

This boat was restored by Wildfire Marine in Stuart, FL, a very reputable shop that has restored many seacrafts on this site (including mine). That's a big selling point right there.

I will also add that this boat is owned by the gentleman I purchased my 20 from. He showed me a full binder of photos of this 23 during its restoration when I picked my 20 up, what a sweet rig that 23 is.