20SF flats boat conversion?

[hugo]

so im playing with the idea of taking a 20 sf and cutting it down and making a full deck flats boat with a small cockpit.dropping the sides about half way the.n making a new top the seacraft hull rides so good i think it would be an awsome flats boat. so for you realy experianced boat builders.... what do you think? would it work well?

[csurf]

There is more to a flats boat than low gunnels. Firstly the hull is going to draw WAY to much water to be effective. Secondly it will weigh to much to pole. Thirdly.... What are you thinking about man??? Cutting down a Sea Craft!!! Send it my way if you have an extra one laying around to hack up.

[fdheld34]

bay boat.... conversion of a 23
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...h-bayboat.html
I agree with csurf!!!
I think there was a seacraft converted to a flats boat a while ago.???...thought there were pictures on this site??.
-Fred

[hugo]

well feed back is not positive but im not convinced its a bad idea.

[DonV]

Maybe if you had said "Bay Boat". That might have some merit.

[workinpr0gress]

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ighlight=Conch

Heres the 20SC R&R did up.

I wouldn't consider it a "flats boat" by any stretch but I really like it myself. I wouldn't want it myself but I can appreciate the work. I don't mind when guys cut up a few of these boats personally. I see enough that pay homage to the original boats to keep a following going. As wonderful as these boats are, they made enough to go around if someone really wants one. We're not talking about something like a classic Merritt or Rybovich where every hull's history is well known and documented and there were small #'s of them.

[hugo]

that is an awsome looking ride!

[YeA 20sF]

Let me know if u plan to part ways with your t-top, but like what has been said keep the SC as is if u really wanna be a flats fisher buy ur self a Bob Hews

[Blue_Heron]

The Seacraft 20 will never be a flats boat for the reasons stated above. The "Conch 22" is nice, but personally, I like the original lines better.

A Seacraft 20 is already the perfect bay boat, but it can also handle offshore conditions on a nice day. And you have the advantage that if the weather takes a turn for the worse, you can make it home safely.

I go to the Keys each June with a bunch of friends I've known for 25+ years. One of them has a Pathfinder 22. On a trip a couple years back, we went offshore in 2'-3' conditions, but a squall line blew through late morning and the trip back in was a true 6'-8' following sea.

My buddy with the Pathfinder stuffed his bow 3 or 4 times on the way back in and had green water in the cockpit up to his ankles. I had my 20SF and we basically just surfed it in on the following sea. The only problem we had was that there was a loose section of rub rail, and every time we would dig into the back of a wave, the water would squeeze between the rub rail and the cap and squirt my buddy Dan in the face. It was actually quite amusing if you weren't Dan.

My $0.02 is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm not going to suggest that you leave your boat original for philosophical reasons, just be sure if you modify the original configuration it suits your needs better than it would have if you'd left it original. Restoring/modifying these boats is a tremendous amount of work. Be sure before you start that the end result is what you really want.
Dave

[hugo]

thanks for the good information. and i love my 20 and im not changing a thing on it ( sorryYeA 20sF) i m not pulling mine apart. i have an opertunity to buy a completely gutted 20sf and thought about the project for that hull not mine.