I finally bought a Seacraft

[Alanj]

I have lurked for several years and I have finally bought a Seacraft. I bought Peterb's 23' CC. I am learning how to use the boat and am learning quite a bit about the boat just by reading on here. I am also starting to develop my project list for the next oh - say several years. The boat is in good shape but I want to make it more mine. The one thing I have a question about is why this boat sits so stern heavy when others have a bracket and twins and don't sit as deep. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I look forward to participating more in the forums now that I actually own a boat. By the way it is my first boat so this is a fun time.

Alan

[Old'sCool]

You got a nice one. Enjoy!!

[MasterBaiter]

Where are your batteries?
If you can move them forward you will shift a lot of weight.

[Bushwacker]

. . . The one thing I have a question about is why this boat sits so stern heavy when others have a bracket and twins and don't sit as deep. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I look forward to participating more in the forums now that I actually own a boat. By the way it is my first boat so this is a fun time.

Alan

Welcome to the site Alan! Lots of good knowledgeable folks on here, so don't be shy about asking questions!

I've always thought Peter B's boat sat pretty low in the back and I always wondered if it was self bailing at the dock. If I remember correctly, I think it had older Yamaha HPDI's, which I think are over 500 lbs, almost as heavy as some 4-strokes. When Potter designed it in the early 70's, the biggest motors were carb'd 2-strokes that I don't think weighed much over 400 lbs, plus it wasn't designed for a bracket.

Cause might be not enough flotation in the bracket, heavy motors, and too much setback in the bracket, plus the CC's seem to be a little more stern heavy than the Sceptre/Tsunami's. Most brackets designed for twins have additional flotation compared to those designed for a single, but that only affects trim at rest; flotation tank is no help once you're on plane. The 23's are less weight sensitive than the 20's, but the same laws of physics apply! Anything you can do to move the CG forward will improve the ride, make it easier to get on plane, and reduce minimum planing speed. A well-balanced rig should be able to plane at 10-12 mph, which is a big deal when the seas get nasty! Moving the gas tank, batteries and even the console further forward will all help. 4-blade props will provide more stern lift to improve low speed planing ability, as will a Doelfin or equivalent added to cavitation plate. More extreme fixes would be a big single modern DI 2-stroke like an Optimax or E-Tec, or even smaller twins with spare low-pitch prop to allow planning on 1 engine. A bracket with less setback and a bigger flotation tank, like a Hermco, would also help. Good luck playing with and tweaking your new toy! Denny

[Alanj]

Thanks guys for the welcome.

Tucker: the batteries are under the aft part of teh console. Thinking of moving them even further up fwd.

Bushwacker: Peter had set the boat up to get as much stern lift as possible. It has 4 blade props on it now. I have thought about the fuel tanks since there is two of them - one fwd and one aft. I am not sure if this is the usual setup. It has the big console with the area for the portable toilet - which I do not need. So I am thinking of getting one fuel tank and moving it fwd under the console and getting rid of the two tank setup. Not sure how hard this would be.

Alan