I haven't had an offshore boat for about 10 years now but I just got another one. I used to have a Mako 261 which was a hellofa boat and we regularly fished 50-75 miles offshore Port O'Connor in it. Since I sold it I've had to bum rides from my friends but I am back in the game now. My new boat is actually a project boat. It is an older boat that I will fix up. You all may recall my "Looking for a Project" thread I started a few weeks back.

http://texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?forum_id=34&topic_id=2308141&message_id=35678175&hi=1#r35678175

Well, I found my project. I intend to almost completly refurbish it which includes repowering it, replacing the fuel tank, inspecting the stringer and other structural components and completly re-wiring the boat. It will take me at least a year but maybe longer. The boat is a 1976 23' Seacraft which is considered one of the best hulls ever built. It is perfect for me because it will fit in our boathouse without too much modification.

Below are some pictures. For those of you that don't share my vision and just see an old boat, I'll update this thread with pictures as the project evolves.










I really like the old school companion seat. When I was growing up we had a 17' Invader that had one of these. I think I will replace the captain's chair at the helm but have this companion seat recovered with the same pattern I will just change it to white. I will do the same with the combing pads along the gunwale.



More pics.......











IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r287/biaclay/23%20Foot%20Seacraft/FrontSide_zps93dfd9da.jpeg">


[This message has been edited by Rufneck (edited 6/28/2013 11:18a).]

Hell. That boat is in great condition according to my standards.

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That thing looks to be in excellent shape for it's age. And the gel coat looks almost pristine.

But given the age rewiring and inspecting the stringers is definitely a good idea.

I bought a 20' Seacraft CC in 1975. I went thru three engines on it....a 140....200 and a 235 in the 25 years I owned it. Great hulls. At one point in time the 20&23' CC's out sold all other center consoles in South Florida combined. I don't remember the family...maybe Potter...that owned the company sold out to Brunswick. They never kept up with the move to larger hulls.

Sunchaser, that is right. If you go to classicseacraft.com, they all talk about Potter hulls. And my new boat is in good shape. I am just interested in really tricking it out before I launch it. It will be perfect for some 20-25 mile trips once my boy gets a bit older.

BTW, the competition at POCO this year just got a bit easier. I told my crew that I wasn't going to fish this year. The boat that we have been fishing on sold so they are leasing a 54' Bertram for the month of July and they will fish POCO in it. I would have fished had they still had the Cabo but I am not interested in the leased boat. Good luck if you do fish it this year. It will be here soon.

Here is some info on Seacraft boats.



[This message has been edited by Rufneck (edited 6/28/2013 11:54a).]

Nice boat!

But, IMHO, anything designed to go offshore needs 2 motors.

Cody
Fightin Texas Aggie c/o 04

looks cool.

1 motor is fine if you have a kicker, and the 1 is reliable.

That boat looks like it's in damn good condition to be 30 years old.

That being said, I wouldnt go 50-75 miles out in a 23 foot boat. Thats just me.

If I bought that boat, I wouldn't do anything to it.

quote:

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But, IMHO, anything designed to go offshore needs 2 motors.

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Did I wander onto 2cool and not realize it?

Plus a 23' with that hull is perfectly safe to take 75+ miles off-shore or even do overnight trips. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners but then I wouldn't recommend beginners take any boat off-shore without help.

In the mid 70's twins were not anywhere near as prevalent as they are today. If you look at the transom on either the 20 or 23' the only twins that would fit were in the 70hp range. There were no GPS's, Chart plotters etc. You had range finders with a directional antenae that would point to a morse code type radio signal. You "could" go in the opposite direction from the signal. LORAN C for small boats came into the market about that time. First piece of equipment I had that I could find a reef without a fly bridge sitting on it. If you went out 80 miles you were off the Top Shot type maps.

I had to be towed in from about an a mile offshore one time when I ran out of gas. I towed one boat in from about six miles.

Nearly everyone buddy boated. Two to three boats would run out together and fish in the area together.

Rufneck...I ran across this photo the other day. I don't remember ever seeing it before and don't have a clue who took it. I'd guess mid 80's running in the south end of the land cut. It was an awesome boat.



[This message has been edited by sunchaser (edited 2/18/2014 7:20p).]

I've been 80+ in a 21' Robalo with one engine many times. Had trouble once and took 8 extra hours to get in, but had communications with Coast Guard and passing ships the entire time from an antenna on a T top. Not that big of a deal.

I like the looks of that hull. Looks like a fairly dry design. Not as crazy about the closed bow just for fishing room purposes, but then safer in high seas.

Good find.

92 out of free boat in a 23' Grady.

That was a fun trip, also did two overnighters to the bucs in the late 90s.

I might fix the wood and polish out the floor a bit. The seat covers could use an updated look. That boat is in fine shape visually.

Makes me miss my family's old sea ray.

Sunchaser,
I didn't see your pic when you posted it. That is an awesome picture. We were all a bit more salty back then than we are now, right? I fished on a friend's 54' Bertram all summer so I am really soft now.

Anyway, I got some time on Sunday to work on the boat. I sold the engine a few weeks back and today I removed pretty much everything that I will remove prior to the fiberglass work. I took off all the electronics, teak wood, rod holders, bimini top slides, combing pads, seats, fuel tank, antennas and a lot of other stuff.





It is hard to tell in this picture, but the glass windshield is really pitted up bad. It looks like water build up that has stained the glass. I am thinking about taking it to a local glass shop and see if he can replace it with new tempered glass. I would prefer clear glass instead of the tinted glass anyway.





I plan to order the bracket this week. If I can get the bracket on and the hull gelcoat replaced, I am hoping I can get the rest done before next summer.

Man, that is an ambitious project. And like others have said - that boat appears to be in spectacular condition for it's age in your pictures.

I can't wait to see what the finished project looks like. Please keep posting pictures on this thread with periodic updates.

Rufneck....I am not familiar with the 23' and my memory has faded on my 20' I think it originally had a 48 gallon gas tank. That really limited offshore range especially on a good day. Once I got a LORAN I started pushing the fuel limit. One winter I undertook replacing the fuel tank with a larger one....either 70 or 75.....don't remember. Once done it seemed pretty simple. That made a tremendous difference.


Something for you to think about.

I may end up increasing the size of the fuel tank. I am not sure. I will repower with a single 250 or 300HP engine and those things are so fuel efficient that I can fish a day on the 100 gallon tank that the boat currently has. I will replace the tank regardless though with a new one. Riding on a boat with 100 gallons of fuel in a 37 year old tank just doesn't seem right.

I am going to have the transom glassed in completly and I will mount the engine on a bracket. After I get the transom work done, I will then see if I have room for a bigger tank. I think the transom job will give me the ability to fabricate a replacement tank that is about 18" longer than the current tank. I will move the batteries from the rear of the boat to the front so that will free up space for a bigger tank and better distribute the weight.

[This message has been edited by Rufneck (edited 8/19/2013 1:10p).]

Cool stuff. Keep us posted with your progress.

pretty boat. Not a fan of single engines offshore, had one quit one to many times, but as long as you have radio and electronics it's not bad.

I'd put a hard top of some kind on it personally, the down straps on the biminis get in the way

Ruf...Are you talking about an Armstrong type bracket?

I agree on the gas tank. I bought my first Shallow Sport circa 1984. Fourteen years later I was a couple of years into my second engine. I had noticed it seemed to lug a bit on hole shots. I dropped it off at the dealers....by the time I got back to Flower Mound he called to tell me the good news....your engine is great.

.....but you have a hole in the gas tank. I don't remember how much came out the bilge initially but it was a lot. He tilted it up and put buckets under each bilge plug hole....six months later it was still dripping gas.

Refurbishment is coming along nicely. We decided to completely re-do the transom before installing the bracket. It was a necessity, actually. The wood in the transom was rotten so we went with this composite. This was the right thing to do as it will ensure that the boat will have a sound transom for the rest of the boat’s life.


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[URL=http://s147.photobucket.com/user/biaclay/media/TransomRebuild_7_zpsff3fd8b4.jpg.html][/URL]

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I am going to remove these small platforms that the batteries sat on. I will relocate the batteries up forward so they are not necessary.

[URL=http://s147.photobucket.com/user/biaclay/media/TransomRebuild_2_zps2ebea805.jpg.html]

[This message has been edited by Rufneck (edited 10/7/2013 9:58p).]

Nice work!

Here are a few updated pictures. The rebuild is coming along nicely.









The boat was painted this week. I went with Awlgrip Stars and Stripes. I haven't seen the boat myself as these pictures were e-mailed to me. I think it is going to really look good once I add all the shiny stuff and the boot stripe.

Getting there. Great job on the transom.

I agree. It looks awesome. Love the Gill bracket.

Are you having it done at Tran Sport? Looks good btw.

I forgot about this thread. You are doing great things.

I love that an old boat is resurrected.

Damn, makes me wish I had my FIL's old seabird.

Will you buff the glass and chrome? What is next in the project. Looks great already.