Potter Era build and materials

[Bracker]

Hi

I was wondering if the build and materials used in SeaCrafts stayed consistent over the Potter Era or were there differences in the earlier and later models?

[Capt Chuck]

Yep, very consistant

[Bigshrimpin]

I agree with Capt Chuck. The only changes I know of were the early 4 stringer 20 seacrafts changed to 2 big fat stringers around 1972. The pockets in the 20sf liner changed.
The 20 seafari got a different windshield about the same time. The 25 Seafari got a bigger step down in 1973 for more cabin headroom. There maybe some variations in Balsa/plywood used in coring the floor and gunnel caps.

[Bracker]

Thanks for the replies. One of the reasons I wondered was because I’d seen this post by Vezo, Part II: “Also, after discussing my MA with Denny (Bushwacker), he believed mine may have been built late in Mr. Potter’s era, because the gel coat is so thin that it has “print through” of hand laid woven roven. He proposed possible cutting back on the thickness prior to sale of his company. Having hand laid quite a few Jersey Speed Skiffs over the years, I came to like the look of my hull. Interesting.”

I’m new to SeaCrafts. After selling my flats skiff a few months ago, I wanted something I could use for some light offshore fishing and I came across SeaCrafts and started researching them. I’ve fallen in love with their heritage/legend. I’ve pretty much decided on a 20 SF; just taking my time searching for the right one.

[Capt Terry]

Sometime between maybe 1973 and 1976 the decks in the 20' were raised a bit as my '76 Seafari deck is higher than Bushwacker's, now SSPbill's Restless Lady. Your feet stay drier standing astern at rest when the scupper plugs are out. I usually kept them plugged during operation and unplugged when docked overnight.

[jtharmo]

Crawling around my yellow ‘78 Seafari and now the Restless Lady which is a ‘72, they are almost identical to my eye from a material perspective. When cost cutting has been discussed for Potter-era boats I think it had little if any effect on build quality. Simple things like switching from a molded non-skid deck to textured/gelcoat are where I think Potter looks at being more efficient as a manufacturer. I did have some print through on the yellow Seafari but it had a few rounds of wet sanding so I can’t say it was inferior material. There will be more ply instead of balsa in later boats (all above the waterline) so moisture will migrate more quickly. Most get wet eventually though.

I don’t have a ton of time in either but they both sure feel the same from the helm in terms of quality when skipping over chop. I say raised deck is good, raised transom is good. Other than that the playing field is wide open.

[Bracker]

What year saw the discontinuation of the molded nonskid? I see it’s still mentioned in the 1975 catalog.

[jtharmo]

My data points are only a '72 and '78 Seafari so somewhere in between (yes, I know that doesn't help). If I had to guess it probable aligns with when the deck was raised because that would be new molds and tooling. The story may be different with SF's and MA's. I was just using that as an example of differences I noticed.