Info on sea crafts

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by 1977chris

. . . I was thinking that 115 would be to small for that boat

That's a very common misconception, because modern wide beam hulls designed to handle the weight of 4-strokes are so inefficient compared to Moesly's patented Variable Deadrise Hull! That's why you see lots of new 8' beam 20' hulls with 200 hp on them! The VDH hull was tested extensively at Mercury's Lake X in the mid-60's and found to be 10% faster than conventional deep-V hulls with the same weight and horsepower! The 19/20' hull was designed in about 1964 for the largest outboards of the time, which were the 260-300 lb I-6 Merc and V-4 OMC's, of about 100 hp (rated at powerhead, so about 10% less at the prop!), so it actually rides and handles best with the small (by today's standards) and less thirsty light weight motors. Many were sold new with 85 hp 2-strokes on them! The Tracker models are actually a bit longer and heavier and have 25" transoms, so'll they'll handle a heavier motor a little better, but all of the 20's are relatively light. They ride well with their relatively slender 7'6" beam, but they will start to go airborne in seas of about 3' at speeds over 20 kts due to the light weight, so if you plan to run offshore very much, less is more! In those conditions, you won't be able to use much more power than it's already got!

[1977chris]

Thanks for the great info. I keep going back and forth. Should I by new or use. I live in central FL. We have a lot of lakes in our area. But I wanted something I could take in the lake and ocean. I've been looking at a lot of new bay boats. I'Be been looking at the new 20 ft sea hunt for $36,000. Something keeps bringing me back to the seacraft. A lot cheaper. But used. And might need some loving care down the road. I just think with the right motor and set up the seacraft is going to make one hell of a boat.

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by 1977chris

Attachment 12201

Today is NOT a good day for me to be commenting on Tracker.

[FLexpat]

After the first ride, any new boat becomes used and worth substantially less, so you might want to drop that from the equation. 'nuf said.

When the 20 Seacraft was in production one of the best motors for it was a 2 stroke 115 (~330 lbs I think) - it was pretty awesome; efficient and handled really well. If I recall correctly that was crankshaft horsepower and not propshaft horsepower so a modern 115 is equivalent to a good bit more and is a whole lot more efficient. I think that Yammie 115 is about 380 lbs and the Armstrong brackets are Al (not being made of stainless is good there for a whole bunch of reasons starting with mass). The HP seems right to me and the weight aft only slightly high.

As far as being an all-around hull (inland and ocean), you would be hard pressed to find a better one.

I think that year was all composite, or close to it and you should verify with others, but the chronic rot (deck & transom) issues should not be significant.

One advantage of an older boat is that it has been 'seasoned' to the point that you should be able to see any problems.

Have fun with your decision.

[TomParis]

The other thing to keep in mind, more HP does not ALWAYS = faster and better riding boat. In this case listen to all these guys, that motor is plenty for that boat and possibly too heavy as it is.

If you want a boat with a 150 Yamaha VMAX on it this is not the boat to buy. I never want to steer people away from Seacrafts because I love them, but at the same time dont try to make this boat into a go fast fishing boat because its not a Pathfinder or Maverick, it's a Seacraft that was not designed to have a 500 lb motor hanging on it. Hope you consider everyone's advice and knowledge on this situation.

[1977chris]

If I do decide to purchase it. The only change I think I will make is take the 4 stroke 115 and put a 2 stroke 115 on it. you guys have been a lot of help. THANK YOU!!

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by 1977chris

. . . Should I by new or use. I live in central FL. We have a lot of lakes in our area. But I wanted something I could take in the lake and ocean. I've been looking at a lot of new bay boats. I'Be been looking at the new 20 ft sea hunt for $36,000. Something keeps bringing me back to the seacraft. . . .

Wow, I think most of the guys on this site would agree: that decision is a no brainer if I ever saw one! For a several reasons:
1. That new $36,000 boat will depreciate about like a new car!
2. The SeaCraft will not only likely have a lot of optional extras that have been added like a GPS and depth sounder that you would have to buy for the new boat, it will hold it's value very well if you take care of it. These boats are widely respected as one of the best riding and best built boats of their size ever made.
3. Don't know much about Sea Hunt, but the SeaCraft hull is a solid fiberglass laminate with huge fiberglass stringers. They were considered premium boats when new, basically the BMW's of their class. Check out the laminate schedule comparison below. The increasing price of oil and the resin made from it have put significant cost pressures on boat builders, so there is a big incentive to minimize the use of expensive glass and resin in new boats. Solid fiberglass hulls are becoming history, as documented in this article.
4. Carl Moesly used to say "The price of a new boat tells you what the builder thinks he can get for it. The price of a used boat tells you what other folks think it's worth!" Back in the 70's, the SeaCraft Seafari had the highest resale value of anything in it's class. So what are they getting for a 30 year old Sea Hunt these days?! Take a look through the For Sale section to see what some nicely restored 40 year old SeaCrafts with new motors have sold for!

[1977chris]

Does a Hermco Bracket work a lot better on these boats instead of the Armstrong bracket. What's the difference. Is the Hermco Bracket a lot lighter?

[Old Goat]

That sales brochure that Bushwacker posted above was the one that got me leaning towards Seacraft in 1978. It proved to be 100% true!

The salesman in Homestead could not believe that a man with 4 children in my income bracket had opted to pay cash for a Seacraft, he said I was unusual. I told him I had done my homework!

I kept my Seafari for 20 years, sold it to an idiot, who sold it to three more after him. My son bought it back about 3 years ago and wanted to know why I was crawling over it, outside and inside so much. I answered as truthfully as I could, "I cannot believe there is not one stress crack on this boat still!"

I took care of it very well, but it saw its share of rough seas while I had it and I'm sure it caught hell after I sold it! Remarkable quality even today! The ride in heavy seas left the others in the rear. She never failed to get my family home safely.

Can't wait for my son to have some cash so I can get her ready to go again.

Charles

[Old'sCool]

Originally Posted by 1977chris

Does a Hermco Bracket work a lot better on these boats instead of the Armstrong bracket. What's the difference. Is the Hermco Bracket a lot lighter?

I went from an Armstrong to a Hermco XL on my 23'. Didn't weigh them but the Hermco offers a lot more "flotation" or displacement. With today's repowers primarily 4S weighing more than 2S the added flotation helps keep the tail end up at rest or drifting.