Blast From the Past, 20 SF Redo

[Bryan A.]

I have been a member of this site for a long time.

Bought my 1973 20 SF in the early nineties, fished it, loved it, blew up at least one power head on it, kind of replaced the transom once, pulled the tank and cobbled it together and even made some money with it.

Things changed, the babies came, boats were bought and sold. But the one thing I held onto was my 20SF.

Been contemplating a rebuild since I found CSC, decided this winter is the time to get started. I don't forsee this being a quick build as I have a Parker and a Whaler also, but would like this boat setup perfect for my needs, I have had A LOT of time to think about it. She needs a deck, needs a transom, will replace the tank, raise the transom, etc. I would like it to return to a mostly stock configuration.

Last time she was registered and in the water was '04.

So, here we go. Dragged it out of the back yard yesterday and sold the old motor off it. Got A guy coming today to take it away. So the fun begins!!!

Some pics I sent Trayder many years ago of photos that were taken many years before that.

http://www.classicseacraft.com/Bryan...0cc/index.html

And how she sits today.

[Bryan A.]

Well, the fun begins!!

Gotta say Trayder, I like the image hosting. The photobucket account days of old was a PITA.

[Blue197320]

looking forward to seeing this build. there is something about this boat that makes me like it alot.

[Bryan A.]

Thanks Blue!!!

OK, here's a question for discussion.

As I stated before, I'm leaning in the direction of keeping most of the boat in a stock configuration BUT, what to do with the Transom.

Obviously I'm going to raise it 5" when the core is replaced. I would like to put the batteries under the console for better weight distribution so that leaves the stern "Jump seats" where the batteries and oil tank were.

Should I leave them stock?

I like what was done to Mark's 20. Top pic.
I like the idea of incorporating a livewell back there somewhere that is not in the floor

The middle one is nice too.

And Trayders blurry pic on the bottom.

Or just keep it stock? What do you think?

[Islandtrader]

IMHO...you really have to think hard what is your boat going to be used for 90% of the time. etc. why do you want or need the jump seats? If you have kids or friends that are riding with you all time then seats are important.

If you live fish most of the time then the wells are the thing to have.

Building the 21 I finally came to the conclusion that the boat was going off shore for grouper and that my wife and I will use it mainly as a picnic boat. So the rebuild is done in that fashion.

Have fun,

[Bryan A.]

Originally Posted by Islandtrader

IMHO...you really have to think hard what is your boat going to be used for 90% of the time. etc. why do you want or need the jump seats? If you have kids or friends that are riding with you all time then seats are important.

I agree, I am going to keep the console front seat and maybe have cushions made for the front deck so seating won't be a problem.

I suspect most of the use for this boat will be fishing with one to 3 people so a livewell is key.

for those that have a livewell in the transom, does the offset weight cause any handling problems??

[pair of jacks]

Man, I still love those old woodgrain dashes with the "SeaCraft" logo in the left corner. I know, a pain in the ass to keep looking good but I still love the look as opposed to the all white fiberglass. My 2 cents.

[airedog]

What a GD beautiful boat. Seacrafts are just so great.

[strick]

The live well is the main issue. Moving the weight forward helps to balance the boat out nicely. Having the livewell above the deck is a big bonus. It's a lot of work but I really like the lay out of my 20 sf. By incorporating the livewell into a seat/leaning post combo and I still have lots of room to move around the stern of the boat. Another option is to buy a leaning post livewell combo and leave the seats in the stock config.

On the 20 sceptre I'm re doing I plan on using it for fishing and taking the kids inner tubing etc so the seats make a useful step to climb over the transom and onto the bracket so they can get in and out of the water easily. Have you thought about adding a bracket? I know some guys dont like them....

strick

[Bryan A.]

Yeah, the livewell requires some thought. Bracket?? Was trying to keep it simple but not totally out of the question.

The leaning post I have works well and is in pretty good shape, maybe a little modification.

I found this pic going through the archives. Anyone have experience with fitting a livewell in front of the console in the stock seat??

I like this concept, not to impressed with the install.