Are these inherent problems 18' footer

[aaron]

I'm the new owner of an 1976 18 footer. It seems water on the deck in these boats is a problem. You take a wave in the boat and it's got 2 large scuppers in the splashwell for water to go out and then 2 tiny holes in the transom, 1 inch, for water to get out the transom, or it has to go over the top of transom about 8 or 10 inches high. This splashwell has a couple of stainless steel hinged wooden flappers on the scuppers. How are you supposed to get the water out of the boat and not keep it from coming back in? And how are you supposed to keep it out of the live well? Is there something I'm missing here? The other problem is bilge pump access while you're using the boat. There is none. I was thinking of cutting the live well out and building some kind of hatch cover to access the bilge pump. Has anyone else had these problems? Enclosed are some pictures.

[barnacle]

I do not know the layout of this boat. From how im taking it the floor drains into the motor well which inturn drains thru the transome? The sell a ball scuppers that mounts on the outside of the transome that lets water out but stops it from entering. That should solve the water getting into the motor well. As for the livewell if its like the 20ft. you install a rubber bilge plug in the thru hull fitting. As for the bilge pump you should not have to access it while in use. Again not knowing the layout of the stern I would install a round deck hatch in the motor well area. I would buy the screw out rather then the pop in plates. THey seal very well and will stay sealing for years to come.

[Standing Room Only]

I have a 1976 18' SeaCraft -- and it has the same issue. When I first bought the boat, I spoke with an old dealer. Seems the early 18' had a deck that was about 2-3" below the waterline. So -- ANY water coming in through the rear well will have a tendency to get on the deck. Now, this is more than inconvenient because you can start getting water in the bilge a whole lot faster than you want.

Before my restore, I got rid of the splashwell cover and put a permanent Lexan splashboard, with a hinged part about 15" up from the bottom to allow for motor tilt. I sealed this so no water could come in. Then, I put drain holes and plugs so if needed, I could go on plane and get some drain going . If it was real bad, just swing the hinge down and let the water spill out the back. We called this the 'aquarium' because offshore, it pretty much stayed filled with water. I also had a 2000 gph bilge pump. The bilge access should be PERMANENTLY sealed with a lexan fitting sitting in Silicone or 3M 4000.

Now, on the redo, I've put in an ABI hatch to seal access to the bilge, but allow easier access than unscrewing a bunch of screws. I'll send you a picture if you want. I now have a 3700 GPH rule and a 1500 rule for backup. On the 18', good pumps are mandatory. I'm putting up the same 'aquarium', but using starboard this time. I hate water on my feet, and those little drains wouldn't do any more than what I have done to help drain.

In case you haven't already fixed -- the stern boxes should also be sealed in some fashion. I use a cam latch/lexan/gasket material. Had the boat 2 weeks and almost sank it because the lower lip of those boxes is EXACTLY at the waterline lever -- so, water coming in got straight in the bilge. Also be sure to seal the engine well's control cable entry point. This also almost sank my boat after I first got it.

Don't mean to scare you -- the boat is AWESOME - better riding than the 20' (in my opinion)...but, they acquired a reputation as 'Sink Craft' because of some of the issues I've pointed out. You can fix these easily, as I and others have.

[Mark]

Well, having had a 1976 SeaCraft 18', I might as well weigh in on this debate.

We removed the large cowling around the engine on mine and installed a starboard splash "panel" that was about 10" high (much easier to understand if you go to www.theboatzone.com/gallery/marklewis ) and put two brass 1.25" drain pipes through this that could be plugged when desired. These would drain water off the deck into the space surrounding the bilge pump access plate.

The bilge pump access plate was raised 3/4" by mounting it on a piece of starboard and then placing the piece of starboard over the original hole (an easily opening round hatch was used).

When the boat is sitting in the slip, no plugs are needed and rain or other water will readily drain out as long as nobody is standing in the aft area of the boat. Once people are introduced into the equation, plugs are a handy accessory.

The 18' is NOT an ideal candidate for the heaviest engines. While I owned mine it had an Evinrude 140 on it (396#) and later it was repowered with a Yamaha 130 (slightly lighter), either of which were fine in both weight and power. Both of these were mounted on a manual jack plate that placed the engine roughly 4" farther aft in order to make room for the hydraulic steering.

[bmaj319]

I too have a '76 eighteen, and yeah, drainage is pretty much the only gripe. Mine is the LOW cut (20') transom, and I have a Suzuki 140 that weighs in around 410 lbs., so I'm only sporting a few inches from waterline to transon top.

When I got mine the splashwell had already been removed. I've seen lots of different ideas for splashboards...one piece, two piece, sliding, hinged, with holes, self bailing drains, etc. I even saw a SC 20' that had two pieces of some kind of flexible plastic mounted on the outside of the transom that extended almost to the motor, effectively limiting the amount of water that could come over the transom (looked a little weird/crappy, but the owner liked it).

I also put a 6" round screw-in plastic access plate in the back of the livewell, as part of my installation of a new Rule 1100 gph bilge pump. That came in handy on a really ugly outing, when after taking a pretty good dose of green water I noticed that nothing was coming out of the discharge. I was able to quickly get at the pump, and found a bunch of &%$#@ clogging the intake.

Maybe the "ultimate" solution would be to enclose the transom and put the motor on a bracket, but have never seen an 18 done this way. Hang in there, once you pick your method of "managing" this issue you'll be a happy camper...no better riding or looking pocket rocket on the water anywhere!

Brian

[Flatline]

I guess they are. My transom is built up and I have a motor well cover sealed up, but now water wants to flow through the scuppers. I guess I have to get used to wet feet.