Hello seacrafters. Newbie intro.

[Basketcase]

Hey folks. I have recently been introduced to seacrafts by a good friend of mine. After riding in his 23 cc and his 20 cc I fell in love with the ride and see one in my future. During the next few months I will be looking for a nice restorable hull of either the 23 or the 20 variety as I think I'd be happy with either one for different reasons.

I am currently in the process of a full restoration of a bass boat as my fishing has been primarily freshwater with some New England coastline surfcasting thrown in there.

On the bass boat I have split the cap and have completed the new transom and most of the flooring. My plans for the seacraft would be similar as I cannot afford a new boat, but after a complete restoration, most boats are as good or better than new.

So for now I'll be cruising the forums looking at how these boats break down and what's involved in a full restoration. I assume its quite different but somewhat similar to my bass boat.

This looks like a great site and the right resource for what I'm looking to accomplish. I look forward to getting to know some of you.

Adam

[Fr. Frank]

Welcome

[strick]

My plans for the seacraft would be similar as I cannot afford a new boat, but after a complete restoration, most boats are as good or better than new.

By the time you do a complete restoration you could have damn near bought a new boat. I vote that you look for a good deal on a boat were someone else has already put the time and money in it to make it fish able.... unless you like spending a year or two of your life slaving over an old broke down boat when you could be out fishing and enjoying your seacraft. Restoring boats aint what it's cracked up to be. Welcome to the site...and god help you

strick

[DonV]

Restoring boats aint what it's cracked up to be.

Strick.....you're killing me!!! We all know there is no price on self-satisfation of a job well done and as all of us here on CSC have seen in the quality of your work...... you should feel alot of satisfaction.

Welcome Mr.Basketcase.....perfect handle, after your SeaCraft rebuild you will be one.

[Basketcase]

Thanks for the welcome guys. This is the way I look at boats, and how I approached my bass boat. A new boat or very young boat like I would want would be upwards of 30-40k. I've seen restorable hulls go for as little as free. As for the work, I enjoy things like this. I've done rebuilds on a few cars, and now my boat. As was said, satisfaction of a job well done. Now I could buy a boat that was already restored, and that's an option, but I'd prefer to do the job myself so I know it's done right. Unless it's a great job and well documented I wouldn't be able to trust it.

Oh, and the handle comes from the unofficial name I've given my bass boat. It really is a basketcase. Waterlogged foam, rotten floors, wet transom, toasted electrical, and a cylinder with low compression. So far I'm having fun with that one so once it's done hopefully I can roll a seacraft into the shop.

[Blue_Heron]

Welcome to the site...and god help you

strick

That sums it up pretty well.

strick, are you already suffering from burnout? You're only on your third restoration, aren't you?

Basketcase,
Welcome to CSC. I suggest going with the 23. If you already have a bass boat, you've got lakes and bays covered. Unless you (and your knees) are pretty young, you'll appreciate the smoother ride of the 23 offshore.
Dave

[gofastsandman]

Strick.....you're killing me!!! We all know there is no price on self-satisfation of a job well done and as all of us here on CSC have seen in the quality of your work...... you should feel alot of satisfaction.

Welcome Mr.Basketcase.....perfect handle, after your SeaCraft rebuild you will be one.

Welcome To The Monkey House.

I wanted a Potter 23 because it is a much bigger boat, but my weenie truck and short driveway made my decision for me. It`s nice to work on her at home. All of the pre Slackers were either restored/$ or needed everything.

It is nice to have a 25" transom and raised deck. Who did this? SIC..CSY?

Some of the early boats can still be found in good shape. Be patient. One will call to you. I found an`89 slacker. It was pretty solid.

Cheers,
GFS

[seacraftks]

welcome aboard

[bigeasy1]

Welcome to the site.
Loads of invaluable info here.Without a doubt you could buy a finished boat for (in many cases),a lot less than what it would cost to restore one.
But! where else could you have the fun of sweating in a tyvek suit,itching like a hound,working in very cramped spaces,grinding and sanding for an eternity,scouring the country for parts,and spending a ton of loot.What a blast.

After doing a few restos on previous boats,and saying I never would do it again I was introduced to a Potter 23 Seacraft Tsunami.
I was hooked,I found a 1974 23'that was a mess and spent three years restoring it.

I looked at it this way,I didn't have the money to buy one all completed,but I was able to finance everything out of pocket over the three year period it took to restore it.I'd save up some cash then buy supplies,save up more and buy more needed stuff.
so,at the end of the resto,I owed nothing to anyone,and I had (and still have) the extreme satisfaction of a job well done.

Would I do it again?I always say no way,but for some reason I always find myself looking for Seacrafts whenever I'm surfing around boat sites or Ebay or Craigslist.

It's a sickness,welcome to the club.

[DonV]

It's a sickness,welcome to the club.

With no known cure!!!