New photos Seafari 20

[Seafari78]

Here are a few new photos as work continues....

1978 Seafari 20
Mercury 200 Black Max

Took it out for maiden voyage last week after new water pump etc...
was showing 50.3 mph on GPS. light load , two people, fishing gear and 25 gallons fuel.

[Mikem8560]

looks in nice shape, but is that a plate to reinforce a soft transom?

[Seafari78]

It is a plate to raise the transom 5" as the original transom height was 20" and this is a 25" shaft engine
The transom seems ok however, being that it is original I would not be surprised if it has soft spots and this bracket is working as a crutch
I will find out this coming winter as I am going to spend some time checking that out

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Seafari78

It is a plate to raise the transom 5" as the original transom height was 20" and this is a 25" shaft engine
The transom seems ok however, being that it is original I would not be surprised if it has soft spots and this bracket is working as a crutch
I will find out this coming winter as I am going to spend some time checking that out

Nice looking rig! I like the raised decks and more space behind the windshield on the newer models! My older model Seafari has the smaller gas tank and larger step down aft of cabin door. I find that a 70 qt cooler fits in the stepdown real nice and moving that extra weight forward helps the ride quite a bit when it gets snotty. You have a fairly light motor so your rig should be reasonably well balanced, but in rough seas it'll ride better if you can mount that cooler further forward, up over the gas tank hatch, maybe rotated 90 degrees.

A transom isn't necessarily soft just because it's old! One thing you might want to do that I did when I got my boat in 1975 . . . lift the motor off boat and pull the aluminum trim that goes around the engine cutout. The inner liner, which includes the splashwell, fits over the top of the transom/cutout and is sealed to the transom with brittle polyester putty (Potter putty). Frank Brown, who I bought my boat from at Brown & Hauptner Marine and who was a SeaCraft dealer, said that putty was so brittle that it always cracked. He said they used to pull off that trim on all the new boats they sold, route out that joint, and fill it with a flexible polysulfide caulk like Life Caulk. I did that before hanging the motor, and I think it's one thing that saved my transom. When Don Herman installed my bracket and filled in the cutout 7 years ago, he said it was the driest transom he had ever seen on a 1972 boat! If your transom isn't already wet, that would be worth doing! I'd also consider using Polyglo to keep that gel coat looking good . . . much longer lasting and much less work than wax! Denny

[Islandtrader]

Nice rig!

I have to chuckle though I had a 1978 Searay 24' weekender and the interior was the same exact stuff as yours...boy does that time stamp the period or what?

[Seafari78]

My buddy that I bought the boat from bought it new in 78...went to the factory and picked it up as a matter of fact.
He had just redone the interior to the factory brown vinyl colors and had the powerhead rebuilt just a few months before I bought it from him. It also still has the original top material in excellent shape.
He also installed a new 50 gallon tank.
I the interior pic is fairly recent but I have since taken the "rabbit fur" out and it has been replaced with a thin carpet material from Home Depot, or I should say is partially done should be complete soon.
I have been around this boat for 20 years and told him if he ever wanted to sell it let me know and fortunately he did.

[Beaver]

Really clean looking boat. I love the brown. Must be nice to have friends like that, get the boat all dialed then sell it to you.

[deerhunter]

nice.