Aquasport or SeaCraft?

[MarshMarlowe196]

I wanted to pose this question to you guys on this site, and although I'm pretty sure I'm going to receive a biased opinion  8)  on this, I'd like to know what everyone thinks...

About ten years ago, while my father was still working as a salesman for a boat dealership, a gentleman came in and traded a 1970 SeaCraft CC and got ripped off (by my dad... ha! ) on the trade in price (I think he got $500 for the boat/motor/trailer in operable condition).  My dad, knowing what the boat was (patented), quickly scooped up the SeaCraft and put it to use.  We hung a 85HP Evinrude on the back of it and thoroughly enjoyed it, until one day we noticed the bow was starting to twist ? after hitting bigger waves.

So... come to find out, the stringer system was completely shot.  When I say shot, I mean gone completely.  There was only traces of what was once a stringer system (and a pretty lean system it was, might I add.  We cut out the floor, redid the entire system, added crossmembers (that weren't there before...), filled them foam, etc, glassed in a new plastic tank, rebuilt the transom, flipped the boat over on the trailer and began to refinish the hull and sides (I'm sure there's another nautical term for "sides" of a boat).

Anyway, after all that work and being no-where close to being able to use the boat (and summer was approaching...), I began to get discouraged with the boat and started looking for another one to "hold me over" until I could get the SeaCraft in a useable condition.

I've always liked Aquasports, and I can't help but notice how much the 19-6 looks like a 20' SeaCraft, so when my Uncle wanted to sell me his, I decided the Aquasport would be a nice boat to own until the SeaCraft was useable.

Well, after owning the boat (Aquasport) for over a year and doing lots of little projects with it, I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the build quality of the Aquasport over the SeaCraft.  Every hole I've drilled has been into thick, solid fiberglass, and the boat is in really great shape given its age, especially compared to the SeaCraft.

So, with the off-season (project time) approaching, what do you guys think about me putting the time back into the SeaCraft instead of beautifying the Aquasport?

The hull on the SeaCraft, I must say, is a much much smoother riding hull than the Aquasport, but I notice the Aquasport needs much less speed/power to get on plane and cruise...  And overall, the boat is still so damn solid.

So... I'm kind of torn at this point.  I could have two boats, but that would just be stupid to have two 20' CC boats...

At the end of the day, the Aquasport is putting me on the water, and the SeaCraft is putting me back in the garage.

What's anyone's thoughts on this?  Pro's/Con's of the Aquasport over the SeaCraft?

Anyone want to buy a well equipped Aquasport 19-6 this time next year... maybe??  ha ha

Thanks

[seabob4]

I'll let others chime in on your dilemma before I give my opinion.  Know them both, but my heart, and my knowledge leans towards...

[seabob4]

Well, I thought others might have their say, so I guess I'll go first.  Obviously, the SeaCraft has a mystical allure to it that the AS doesn't.  Does that make it a better boat?  No.  You've already learned that each boat has it's positives and negatives, just as any boat, compared with another, will have.  The SeaCraft has a cult-like following, just like Whaler, Grady, and older Makos.  The AS?  More like a boat that is loved by the more average person.  Just an observation there, hope I didn't offend anyone.

That being said, remember that used, older boats are moneypits.  If you don't mind the expenditure, then do what you want.  Myself?  I'd go with the AS and advertise your SeaCraft on ClassicSeacraft.com.  If you read the first thread on this forum, you'll learn my background.  Been in the boat building business for 15 years now.  One tends to take a bit more of an objective viewpoint when you know how boats are put together.

[GoneFission]

I would stick with the Aquasport - I remember this post from Reel Time that describes owners and their boats:

Jet-skis
Also known as “Darwin Bikes” because of their tendency to kindly euthanize their users sooner or later. Like the two rocket scientists found dead and adrift in the shipping lanes south of Long Island when they ran out of gas. Also known as “Buzz-killers” for their uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere and run through schools of fish. Fishing behavior: none, for they are the “Anti-Fish”. If Arctic Terns are fish finders, Jet-Skis are fish-repellers.

Bayliners
Also known as “Tupperware.” Weird, squat craft with metal-flake paint jobs that are renowned for their shag rugs and aerodynamic spoilers. Easy on the feet. Tend to troll aimlessly wherever they go. They only troll and then they troll some more. Bumble into any every fishing situation as their method of finding fish is to go where the other boats are. Generally skippered by true iconoclasts: if the fleet is drifting a rip, the Bayliner will troll it. If the fleet is anchored, the Bayliner trolls. Harpooning giant bluefin? The Bayliner trolls. Stalking bonefish on a pristine flat in Elethuera? The Bayliner ….. trolls! Fishing behavior: none, they usually haul around a big clump of seaweed because they never check their line and leave it out, even at the mooring. Named in deference to their finances: Mom’s Mad. Check Bouncer.

Cigarette-style
Also known as Big Boats for the Guy with a Little P---s. Mandatory attire: Speedo bathing suits, aka Meat Hammocks or Grape Smugglers, and of course … gold chains. Inflicted on the angling world after George Bush the Elder demonstrated to the world what great fishing platforms they are. Especially fun to watch chasing bonito in a crowded fleet, or racing back to their lairs in Falmouth in the late afternoon after getting a good buzz on at Baxter’s in Hyannis. Often meet their maker atop jetties, Collier’s Ledge, any significant pile of rocks. Fishing behavior: would use hand grenades if they could find some. Instead try to chase the fish at 80 mph until it dies from fright or exhaustion. Names (usually capitalized) YAHOO! EAT MY WAKE! THONG THRONG

Sea Rays and Tiaras
For the man who has everything, here’s a boat with gold-plated cleats and a hot tub in the stern! Big boats that strike horror into the hearts of anglers everywhere. Unpredictable fishing behavior, will suddenly deviate course and head for a crowded rip, throw out a line, and troll (always troll) at ten knots through the fleet, oblivious to all insults and middle-fingers. Thinks shark fishing is where its really at. Doesn’t want blood on the boat though. Boat usually named on some play on a financial windfall: Basis Points, Net Prophet, Stock Options, IPO: Away We Go.

Canoes and Tin Boats
Smart anglers use canoes and tin boats … in the harbor. But the intelligence of the canoe skipper decreases exponentially the farther the boat is away from shore, or the closer it is to natural hazards like the Waquoit Jetty, the mouth of the Merrimack River, or Horseshoe shoal on an ebb tide. Intelligence also declines as the number of passengers increases. This class of angler also uses craft that require lung power to inflate. Fishing behavior: six guys in a fourteen foot boat anchored in the channel. Bobbers are often seen on their lines. Think Berkeley Power Bait works real good on bluefish. Benefits: guarantees the need for the Coast Guard. No space to put name on.

Catalogue Boats
Off-brand center console or Boston Whaler clones sold as a package at the boat show with a generic off-brand outboard made by a manufacturer known for other goods, like refrigerators or washer machines. Fishing rods included. Generally have a canvas bimini top which the owner can’t figure out how to stow. All equipment is still in the wrapper. Owner thinks boat hook is a gaff after he gets the plastic wrapper off it. Freaks out when the fish icon first appears on the fish finder and then fishes fruitlessly for hours over a ball of seaweed. Thinks VHF radio is a trucker’s CB and asks other anglers “What’s your Twenty Good Buddy?”, then lets kids play with radio into which they scream “Mayday! Mayday!” Buys plastic placemat charts. Posts on Reel-Time asking “WHERE ARE THE FISH?” (can’t unlock CAP LOCK) and demands GPS coordinates. Good intentioned family man. Be patient, will figure things out after the kids graduate from college. Names boat after kids: BarbJoChrisPat


Grady Whites
Okay, okay. Flame away. I’m sure a lot of salty, awesome anglers own Grady Whites. I have yet to meet one. These things are like guinea pigs, cute and multiply like heck when you’re not looking. Extreme versions have rocket launchers and outriggers for fishing for three pound bluefish. Owners have a determined glint in their eye. Often filled with business colleagues who’d rather be golfing and look like they are nursing massive hangovers. Angling behavior: the ruder the better. Likes to be the contrarian fisherman. If the fleet is trolling left, then meet them bow on and troll right. Needs the close proximity of other fisherman and will crowd them if they appear to be successful. Never point at a fish when in the company of a Grady White or the owner will cast across your line, give you the finger, and scream: “WHAT?!?” when you look peeved. I must have done something bad to a Grady White in a former life, and am cursed to have them follow me wherever I go. Fishing oriented boat name: Lip Ripper, Bass Assassin.

Really expensive center consoles
Regulators, Contenders for example. For the young tycoon in all of us. Thirty feet of expensive Fiberglas with two huge Yamahas hanging off the stern. Angling behavior: more bucks than brains. Generally observed fly fishing and displaying all the worst attributes of the fly fishing wardrobe: longbilled, salty swordfisherman’s cap ordered from the Martha Stewart catalogue for example. Very well groomed fishermen, their shorts are drycleaned and have sharp creases. Usually seen untangling leader from the stainless steel railings. Vows to fish the Canyons someday. Thinks white boat bottoms are sharp looking and can afford to, since someone else scrubs it clean for them. Names boat something fierce and literary like: Tergiversator or Defiance

Flats Skiffs
Great boats on flats, but raise questions about owners’ intelligence when observed in the middle of Buzzards Bay in a three foot chop, as the angler tries to keep his composure on the dance floor and not fall overboard. Go like hell with big motors. Usually observed flocking around the Monomoy flats. Too new on the scene to be trashed.

Traditional center consoles
Boats that look like dories or lobster boats without the cabin. Easterns, Roths, Bristols, Tashmoos. Favored by fly fishermen striving for the traditional look but are wetter than most other boats. Ties own flies, makes own rods, brews own beer. Obsesses about bonito, albacore. Looks down nose at all other anglers. Usually alone because no one else is good enough to fish with them. Names boat after Indian place names: Monomoy, Madaket, Squibnocket. Owner writes snide, sweeping descriptions of other anglers and their boats.

Battlewagons
Ryboviches, Donzis, Bertrams. Generally owned by strip mall developers, labor union leadership, and professional sports team owners. Owners never actually seen as they prefer to sit inside in the airconditioning and let the pro football players crank in the immense fish. Boat never seen except in tournament situations. Has reels that rival the typical mortgage payment. Lures cost $75 a piece. Tackle includes shotguns to keep the gulls off the kite baits.

Generic center consoles
These are the patient middle-class of fishermen. These people offend no one, keep to themselves, and catch fish. They don’t want to be noticed. They keep to themselves. If the Run-and-Gun fleet gets out of hand, they go elsewhere to be alone. They tow morons who run out of gas or wrap their anchor line around their props. They take kids fishing with them. They are on the water well before sunrise and are coming in when the hangover crowd is going out. Names, fishing oriented, non-offensive, often after birds: Cormorant, Tern.

Salty-dogs
Mackenzies, Crosby Stripers, Fortiers
The wooden bass boat crowd. Generally skinny elderly guys named Eldridge, dressed in khaki long sleeved shirts and pants because they’ve seen enough sun to employ a full-time dermatologist. Boat has a tiller in the stern. It goes slow, but it gets there. Never seen actually fishing, but puttering along like a restored Model T in the Fourth of July parade. Has seen it all and likes to tell hurricane stories. Actually misses Narragansett beer. Typical boat name, five letters or less: Tern, Scup

Classic-center consoles
The old Makos and Aquasport crowd. Definitely know what they are doing, can field-strip a balky Evinrude in a twelve foot sea while jigging for bass at the Rose and Crown. Knows that panty hose makes a good replacement for a blown engine belt. Has commercial fishing license. Do their own repairs, build their own rods. Boats have homemade livewells. PVC is favorite thing in life. Owners know all sorts of tricks to do with eels – like microwave them and spray them with WD-40. Doesn’t bother naming the boat, has his FCC radio license and call letters: “Whiskey Mike Ninety-Four Twelve switching to Channel 22”

Charter Boats
Bought the hull in Maine through an ad in National Fisherman. Finished it off themselves. Engines run on Number Two heating oil. Hates fishing. Hates the clients. Gets violent if bananas are brought aboard the boat. Likes to fish with wire because the moron sports can’t break it. Thinks all anglers are morons, detests fly rods because they suck at landing fish fast but giving into them because the sports want to use them. God of all rips. Don’t get in their way. Knows about wrecks the Coast Guard doesn’t know about. Can find specific spots in thick fog in their sleep. Names boat after wife

See ya on the water!

[seabob4]

I think you have a lot to mull over with Fissions advice.  I tend to agree with him.

[RickK]

That's funny GF    

I don't know a thing about SeaCraft - owned nothing but Aquasports for the past 20 years.

[MarshMarlowe196]

Thanks Fission, that was quite an enjoyable read , :P and its all true (for the most part...).  But, I have to say, after reading it, I'm not quite sure what category I'd place the SeaCraft in.  I'm thinking "Classic Center Consoles" being that it fits or would it be "Really Expensive Center Consoles"?  A used one is only a little more expensive than your average used quality (though I wouldn't say it's a quality boat...) center console, although the new ones are ridiculously overpriced.  

This is the thought that I have that makes the decision difficult:

Sooner or later, and probably sooner than later, I'm going to have to cut the floor out of the AS and redo the stringer system just like I've already done on the SC.  After the stringer system on the SC has been properly rebuilt, IMO,  at that point the AS doesn't have much of an advantage over the SC...  The AS has a good hull design that gets the job done, but I feel that the SC's hull design is just plain better  (If anyone feels I am incorrect in making that statement, I would love to know why).  It rides just fine in moderate chop, but sometimes I get really beat up in the AS, and I can't really say the same for SC.  

As far as it being a money-pit, I hear that and I understand it, but not to blow my own horn or brag, but my father is somewhat of a shot-caller at a local boat plant (Key West Boats Inc.), and materials like fiberglass and resin and items like consoles and seat/cushions/bilge pumps etc. come very cheap or free for me, so the price of the rebuild wouldn't be much of an issue, just the labor.

So I guess my question would be:  How difficult would it be to rebuild the shoddily built SeaCraft to a point that it would equal the quality of an Aquasport?  Would it be too much work to be worth it?  At some point, unless I throw my money away on a new boat, I'm going to have to rebuild one of them...

Thanks for the help

[seabob4]

It would seem to me that you have the wherewithall to do what you want.  Free stuff and Daddy's help should allow you that.  

Take it over to THT.  Plenty of rich guys there.  As I said, AS boats are the boats that average people own.

[MarshMarlowe196]

Take it over to THT. Plenty of rich guys there. As I said, AS boats are the boats that average people own.

Ha!  If only I were a rich guy, then I wouldn't have to spend so many hours restoring an old boat.  

The only fiberglass work I have any experience with is replacing stringers/rebuilding transoms, so I was hoping you could give me an idea of what was in store for me if I redid the SC over the AS since you said you knew both boats and had lots of experience in the boat building business, but yes it is my decision to be made on my own and thanks for all the input.  Sorry to have questioned an Aquasport

[Marcq]

Badonquasport196, keep the Aqua, you won't regret it, this place has tons of information about the Aquasport boats, and this is worth a lot , like a book for your engine. It's the reason why I still own my 170, I know my boat inside out because of this site and didn't have to cut my deck to know all that

When I saw the title of your post, I said to myself, not a good idea

  . To have an honest answer to your question, you should go over at the SeaCraft forum and ask all the question you need too for that boat, then come here and ask all the question you need too for the Aqua, then you"ll have the correct answer  

But keep the damn Aqua please :)

Marc..

[seabob4]

Just testing you.  Loved the reply.  My apologies, but being in the boat building business,  I see too many "freebies" that the normal owner will never see.  

If I can be of help, let me know.  I am simply tired of rich guys (not you) getting "perks" that the less well off could really use.

[MarshMarlowe196]

I am simply tired of rich guys (not you) getting "perks" that the less well off could really use.

I, too, am voting for Obama.  

 8)

Thanks again for the input guys, but since the SeaCraft is still upside down on a trailer, I don't think the trusty 19-6 will be going anywhere anytime soon.  It's kind of a father-son project anyway, and after talking to the pops about it, he will definitely want it done to "showroom" quality, so it's still a long time coming.  He also said he didn't think I'd want any of my a-hole buddies dropping their beer cans on a fresh new restored floor, and what's the fun in that?... I had to agree.

[slippery73]

I am simply tired of rich guys (not you) getting "perks" that the less well off could really use.

I, too, am voting for Obama.  

 8)

Thanks again for the input guys, but since the SeaCraft is still upside down on a trailer, I don't think the trusty 19-6 will be going anywhere anytime soon.  It's kind of a father-son project anyway, and after talking to the pops about it, he will definitely want it done to "showroom" quality, so it's still a long time coming.  He also said he didn't think I'd want any of my a-hole buddies dropping their beer cans on a fresh new restored floor, and what's the fun in that?... I had to agree.

Im sick of poor useless bastards that don't want to work getting free handouts from the government, and its only gonna get worse. Thats why Obama is a bad choice.

[MarshMarlowe196]

I knew I never should have said anything about Obama.  It was really just a lame joke.  Yeah, yeah, he's not the best qualified for the job, alleged shady terrorist supporter, etc etc, but the guy's most likely going to be our president, so the only thing you can really do is try to be optimistic about it.  Hopefully this political discussion stops here or this thread is going to get out of control and have nothing to do Aquasports at all.

[LilRichard]

I think the biggest issue nobody has spoken much about is intended use of the boat.  The 20 Seacraft will kill the AS in offshore fishing hands down... because that is what it is designed for.  The AS will excel in bay / beach fishing because it drafts less and is setup for that sort of thing (casting platform, etc).  What type of fishing do you do most?  What will you use it for?

Second, I am a huge AS fan (obviously) but Seacraft makes a darned nice boat.  I have fished on several 23s - both new and "classic" and they are built like tanks.  If you want to use the Seacraft, it is a very capable boat.

I think you should keep both.

8)