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#1
02-26-2015, 10:31 AM
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Potential Buy this weekend, have a few questions
This would be my first boat purchase, so I'm a little nervous! I am eying a 1975 - 20ft potter. Boat appears to be in good condition, but I am aware of potential stringer and transom problems. I plan to go look at the boat Saturday, and want to be sure I don't walk into an immediate restoration. Are there any ways to check this boat without having it taken apart? I would like to be able to use the boat for at least a year or two before having to do any restorations. Any tips/advice/ideas would be greatly appreciated!!
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#2
02-26-2015, 12:32 PM
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That year hull there should not be any stringer worries due to they are glass only that have been foam filled. The transoms are problematic tho. Look it good, it shouldn't have any flex or cracking in the glass in the corners from flex. You can take about anything and tap up against it to tell how solid it is. Some use moisture meters and crap like this but that evolves cutting holes in the glass to stab the wood with the meter. I can look at the wood shavings if you drill a hole and tell how bad the wood looks with out buying or stabbing the meter in the holes. When you tap on it, it should sound "solid". There is a very different sound when rot is there. Solid sounds like if you were to tap up against solid glass, you wont be able to tell the difference in the cored transom section from a solid glass section if it is still solid. If it has a hollow sound like an drum or thumping sound its gone. I would tap all over the rear of the transom then compare to the sound to tapping on the side of the hull right past the curved corner on the back just forward towards the front of the boat. It will be thick glass there in the rear where the side curves into the back of the hull and should give you a more solid sound to go off of for comparison. Also if there is any screws in the transom, screw them out, if water runs out of the hole you need to run or plan on replacing it. The deck is the same way, balsa core in it may rot. You can tap that too but just walking around pressing pressure in different spots will tell you if it is bad in spots or not. If the floor presses down the wood is mush. It can be damaged but not fully rotted and still support the weight due to the thick lay ups. So if you find a few soft spots in small areas that just means that's the worse areas and you will likely find more if you open it up. Deck and transom is the main structural items to watch for but also look for blisters on the bottom of the hull from water absorption and check the gas tank for holes and pits if you can get the tank lid up. The rest is cosmetics mainly but don't be afraid of some minor stuff. It is all fixable it just depends on the price and how much you are willing to fix.
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Current SeaCraft projects: 68 27' SeaCraft Race boat 71 20' SeaCraft CC sf 73 23' SeaCraft CC sf 74 20' SeaCraft Sceptre 74 20' SeaCraft CC sf
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#3
02-26-2015, 12:36 PM
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flyingfrizzle, thanks for the information. The owner says the boat is in great condition, and no signs of rot. I will check the areas and parts you mentioned on Saturday. The boat is a 20' 1975 CC. Has a Suzuki 4 stroke 140 on it with about 500 hours. He's asking 7500, which if it's in good condition I think is a good deal. As mentioned, I don't mind doing some work on this boat in a year or two, but want to be able to use as is for a while.
Thanks, and any other tips are truly appreciated. Hopefully I will become a member of the classic seacraft family soon!
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#4
02-26-2015, 03:27 PM
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Sounds like a good deal, and that's a nice power package. At 500 hours it's just getting broken in. A couple of years ago I had ideas of buying a 20'er and making it into a bay boat, just bought a Pathfinder instead. Got lazy I guess.
Good luck!
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#7
03-01-2015, 07:13 PM
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Quote:
Congrats, GFS
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