seafari 25

[GERRY]

I have an opportunity to purchase a non running seacraft seafari 25. I have never been on one and concerned with some of the reading I digested so far. I am concerned with some comments of its handling while underway can be tender, wants to lay down on its side(when someone moves from side to side). Another issue is that it is very sensitive to trim and you always have to adjust trim tabs while underway. I am familiar with the ride and handling of deep v hulls, I have owned Bertram 25, 26, Albemarle 24, north coast 24, cary 32 etc. I also owned a seacraft savage 23 inboard. I owned a performer 24 and it was a great looking hull with single I/0. This hull would scare the @@@it out of you. You would accelerate and the boat would heel over to port and the gunwhale would be inches from the water. I would adjust the trim tabs and level it out and it would heel again. I sold that boat after a week. I also had several experienced captains run the boat for me and they could not figure it out. I am hoping the seacraft 25 seafari is not the same. Can anyone with experience care to comment. I am looking for my last build, want to get it right, I am really tired of buying and selling boats. Thanks in advance.

[McGillicuddy]

Start here:
http://www.classicseacraft.com/broch...cle/index.html click on each picture and then zoom in using Ctrl + 'til you can read it.
Then search posts by cdavisdb, strick, Blue Heron, Seafari25, bilgerat, Et al., using Seafari 25 as a keyword. Many of the relevant posts are recent within a couple of years, and some offer PhD level insight to handling, sea-keeping abilities, and restoration. Mr. Moesly's favorite, I believe I read... Good luck.

[cdavisdb]

Hi Gerry. Don't worry, grab it while you can.

No question, the 25 is tender, more than a 25 Bertram (I had one of those too) or 24 Seabird, but, I think, a little less than a 23 Formula or Albermarle. As built(like what I have) it does not have the vicious snap roll that will get you in a Formula or Albe, so I find the roll acceptable. Adjusting the tabs gets to be second nature, not significantly different from a formula or Albe, you don't even think about it. I do 10-12 day Bahama trips with it, staying on the boat, its fine.

As somebody said, in a tight turn the 25 banks like a jet fighter . Funny thing is, it feels just fine while it is doing that, doesn't scare you at all, always in total control.
A great thing about its tenderness is how quickly it responds to turning the wheel. This allows you to set the hull down on the next sea exactly perpendicular to the water's surface, getting the softest possible landing. Takes a day or two's practice, but works wonderful. I've had mine out in some pretty nasty stuff, large, steep following seas, Big, hard breaking side seas. Never had to slow down in anything except when head seas got up around 5 ft. Sometimes, looking at the situation around the boat would scare the bejebbers out of me, but the boat always felt like it was taking a sedate walk in the park, a very odd contrast that took me a while before I believed fully in the boat. The boat is different and takes a little experience, but I have much, much more confidence in taking it offshore than anything else I've ever owned or spent much time in, including Bertram 25, Seabird 24, Thompson 28, Seabird 19, Seacraft 20, numerous 23 Formulas, and a 30 ft Chris Craft open fish go fast boat.

Connor

[strick]

Originally Posted by GERRY

I owned a performer 24 and it was a great looking hull with single I/0. This hull would scare the @@@it out of you. You would accelerate and the boat would heel over to port and the gunwhale would be inches from the water. I would adjust the trim tabs and level it out and it would heel again.

There is no heeling upon the acceleration with the 25 seacraft. I've found with mine that if you trim the motor up properly it handles better and you dont have to mess with the trim tabs very much. If you dont trim the motor up properly it has a tendency to bow steer a little. As Conner stated it takes a little more getting used to then other boats but they are a very seaworty boat. I added a dole fin to my boat which helped add some medial/lateral stability and reduced sensitivity to people moving about on the boat. Conner and I are both running volvo duo props.

strick

[GERRY]

ok thanks guys.

[GERRY]

do you think a new big block and duo prop is a good repower choice? or go with a small block and duo-prop.

[seafari25]

Hi Gerry,

Ditto what Connor and Chuck have said above.

In the past, I know I have stated the fact that you are always on the tabs when a crew is moving around, and she'll lay on her side, etc. Comments like those seem derogatory but were not meant that way, and are not in comparison to anything else. The guys that have operated the other boats mentioned will be able to tell you differences. I can't do that but I can say that I have no desire to try the others.

One thing I had thought of a while ago, was the fact that most of these boats have 2 50 gal tanks, and ours has 1 100 gal. Perhaps the 100 gal tank sloshes more and enhances the effect of movement from side to side. That is considering the fact that the 100 gal is never full or empty and of the 2 50's, one could be full or empty. Also considering baffles in the tank, of which I have never seen in mine. What do you think, Denny?

As far as power, I would stick with a small block. With a small block, you can have all the performance you need in this boat, without the extra weight of the big block.

Good luck!
Brandon

[cdavisdb]

Might depend on how fast you want to go and how heavy you load the boat. Going 20-21 knots, mine will carry a very heavy load with the vacuum down around 8, as low as I want to go. Lighten up and it runs over 26 with the same vac. If you want to run faster, a big block might be a reasonable idea, lot less load on the engine, but a lot more fuel. I'm not sure how the higher hp, more modern fuel injection 5.7s run. On horse power, they look like a better deal, 280 or so,but I've not seen what they look like on the vacuum guage. Torque is the real issue.

Definitely a duoprop for this hull. That is by far the best way to apply torque to the water.

Connor

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by seafari25

. . .
One thing I had thought of a while ago, was the fact that most of these boats have 2 50 gal tanks, and ours has 1 100 gal. Perhaps the 100 gal tank sloshes more and enhances the effect of movement from side to side. That is considering the fact that the 100 gal is never full or empty and of the 2 50's, one could be full or empty. Also considering baffles in the tank, of which I have never seen in mine. What do you think, Denny? . . .

Brandon,

Do you know if that 100 gallon tank is factory original or if it's a replacement tank. I can't imagine anyone making a tank that big without baffles in it. 600+ lbs of gas sloshing around in a big tank would probably be quite noticeable!

As for power, I think I'd vote for a Duoprop with a strong injected smallblock motor. If Connor can run the speeds he mentioned at 8" manifold vacuum, that indicates he's got plenty of power. If his vacuum was down around 5", then I would say he was underpowered and would be looking at fairly short life on the exhaust valves. Moesly designed the 25 Seafari to have a ballast tank up front, but Potter left that out, so if anything, it needs more weight up front, not a heavy big block engine in the stern! The big blocks are also serious gas guzzlers. A friend of mine repowered a 23 Sceptre years ago with a big block and the MerCruiser II drive that required a marine transmission between the engine and outdrive. It was fast and could pass everything but a gas dock, as it turned out to be a 1 mpg rig! Brian has also complained about the fuel consumption of the big block/Bravo 2 in his 27' Seamaster. Denny

[cdavisdb]

Passing everything but the gas dock sounds about right. It all depends on what you want to give up for the speed. The boat will balance better with the small block. It likes weight forward, a lot, and, like Denny said, the big block does the opposite.

If you went for a big block, or twin 6 cylinders, some permanent weight in the bow might be a good idea.

Just a thought, I run with a `4 cycle kicker and a big dive platform with lots of storage (and weight). The duoprop adds weight way back there. In terms of CG, mine might not be too different from a big block.