1979 Potter Seacraft 20 SF new to the fam! + Restore

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hill

. . . Also, how has a bracket treated you on a 20' SF? How large of a bracket did you go with? Move the tank forward? Spoke with stainless marine in miami and they recommended an 18" bracket, which would not allow for full tilt of the motor - but maintain an adequate balance of the boat...

Much Thanks!

Andrew

The 20 was designed for 300 lb motors, so it's pretty light, a little small for a bracket, and you can really screw up it's CG, low speed planing performance and ride if you aren't careful, especially if you hang a 500 lb 4-stroke motor on it! My Seafari has more weight forward than the CC models, but I still had to do a lot of tweaking after I added a 30" bracket & 429 lb motor to match the 12 mph planing speed and soft ride I had with the old 300 lb motor hanging on the transom!

If going with a bracket, you'll need to move as much weight as far forward as possible, and stay with a light 2-stroke motor, like an Opti or E-TEC if you want something new. I would never consider a bracket with no flotation like the Stainless marine bracket. Forum member Capt. Lloyd put one of those on a 20 SF with a 140 Zuke on it and ended up building a big flotation tub around it! You'll want a bracket with as much flotation as possible, like a Hermco. Don can build them with various setbacks.

For further info on the pros & cons of brackets, check out this post I made on the subject about 5 years ago. http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=19779

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by Bushwacker

The 20 was designed for 300 lb motors, so it's pretty light, a little small for a bracket, and you can really screw up it's CG, low speed planing performance and ride if you aren't careful, especially if you hang a 500 lb 4-stroke motor on it! My Seafari has more weight forward than the CC models, but I still had to do a lot of tweaking after I added a 30" bracket & 429 lb motor to match the 12 mph planing speed and soft ride I had with the old 300 lb motor hanging on the transom!

If going with a bracket, you'll need to move as much weight as far forward as possible, and stay with a light 2-stroke motor, like an Opti or E-TEC if you want something new. I would never consider a bracket with no flotation like the Stainless marine bracket. Forum member Capt. Lloyd put one of those on a 20 SF with a 140 Zuke on it and ended up building a big flotation tub around it! You'll want a bracket with as much flotation as possible, like a Hermco. Don can build them with various setbacks.

For further info on the pros & cons of brackets, check out this post I made on the subject about 5 years ago. http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=19779

You would do well to read his posts. A retired performance engineer from Pratt n Whitney
not around Houston.

Cheers
GFS

[Andrew Hill]

Gofastsandman, awesome info, extremely helpul. Same to all who responded, and the rest on the site, too. It's embarrassing how much time has been spent researching this site. Thanks

Plans as of now consist of keeping the forward casting deck, raise the lower deck 2" to maintain self-bailing. Eventually a 430 lb Etec or similar 2 stroke will sit out back on a 24" armstrong bracket. The current motor is a 375 lb evinrude 175...

The deck raise of 2" is kind of a shot in the dark... hoping that it will be ok. I'd like to say I've read some guys raising 2", some 3", maybe one guy 4"... any advice appreciated. Dont want to have to explain falling out of the boat after hooking up on a 3 lb snapper.

Was hoping the transom was ok, as it seemed solid - not the case, rotten. Cant be too surprised as its now 33 year old wood. We're at the point now where we would consider replacing/restoring the stringers, although both our mechanic and myself seem to think they are pretty solid... We drilled into the center of one at the end of the day today, all the foam was dry inside. Gonna try another spot lower on the stringer and towards the rear, but if all seems dry...

Is doing all this work - and not touching the stringers common? What do you veterans think?

[Andrew Hill]

Props to Bushwacker's thread!

[Mikem8560]

I think if I wanted more room past the console yes it is tight and wit a t top mounted to the floor its even tighter ,m so why not get a skinnier console and have a t top built that mounts to the console leaving the floor clear?

[hugo]

sorry guys but my 20 sf with braket works great. and sits just fine, and mine still has the tank above deck inside the seat/counsel. the newer one like yours is under deck and further forward. It would be better than mine as far as CG goes.

[Andrew Hill]

Mike - yeah def in the plans. Hope to pick up a 28" panga guide console this weekend...
Hugo - Sick boat. We're planning to do the transom just like you did on your own. Nice job. How well did the floor finish match the new decking where the hatches were cut out? My deck is a bit different, as I have factory non-skid "stripes", but nonetheless...

[dave3fl]

That's my dad's old boat. Good to see it getting new life breathed into it. That looks like the original console. It's oversize but not from a 23, it is stock. Also I can verify that is a 2 owner boat.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hill

. . . We're at the point now where we would consider replacing/restoring the stringers, although both our mechanic and myself seem to think they are pretty solid... We drilled into the center of one at the end of the day today, all the foam was dry inside. Gonna try another spot lower on the stringer and towards the rear, but if all seems dry...

Is doing all this work - and not touching the stringers common? What do you veterans think?

Andrew, the stringers are all glass, except for the keelson, which is a wood 2x4, and no need to replace it either, even if it did rot out, because the glass around it is what provides all the strength. You have Potter's later/cheaper 2 box-stringer design. They were foam filled and I suppose the foam could be wet, but that's rare, and the foam doesn't really add any strength anyway. The original 4-stringer Moesly design had hollow stringers that were installed about halfway through the layup, and most folks never do anything to them unless they tear off the tops when they pull out the inner liner.

Click on Classic SeaCraft Home at the bottom of the page and then go to the Literature section and read the 1969 Boating Magazine Test on the Seafari. It has a very detailed description of the hull layup, laminate schedule, and the stringer construction. If you can't read that .jpg version, send me a PM with an e-mail address and I can send you a good .pdf file of that article that I had made from the original.

The 20 sf's don't have nearly as much freeboard as my Seafari with it's raised coaming, so I'd think twice about raising the deck more than a couple of inches. Having the gunnel down around your ankles really isn't desirable on an offshore capable boat! Denny

[Andrew Hill]

New console...