Post by BoatFixx on May 23, 2015 12:08:50 GMT -6
If allowed to remain, this thread is probably going to be active on my part for about three years.
To the Admin's here: Gentlemen, my hope is that you'll allow this thread to remain even though it will be critical at times of some of the building techniques SeaPro used to build my 96' 210 W/A. Make no mistake, I love my SeaPro, but as an average quality production boat it does have it's faults. That stated, my intention is to show what can be done with an average boat if it is re-fit in the appropriate manner.
Introduction: I should probably set this up for you all, so you don't think I'm just another arrogant old fart that doesn't know squat about what he's doing, but talks as if he does.
I started out in 1971 as an apprentice Shipwright. By 76' I went self employed in the little town of Benicia, on the Carquinez Straights. Fast forward nearly 40 years, and a move 900 miles north to the Puget Sound, and I've since built up two additonal boat repair companies, (sold the last one in 04') and have re-fit, stretched, and repaired hundreds of boats form 20'- 100'.
So, due to my background that has been other than production boat building, I'm admittedly highly critical of (some, not all processes) the crappy processes that most average priced production boat builders use.
Nonetheless, the SeaPro's are as good as many builders, better than many, not as bad as others, and not as good as boats priced at 30 to 60% more for the same size and accommodations!.
So let us not compare apples to oranges, and let us understand that if all boat builders built their boats to the high standards of a Pursuit, a Fountain or an OceanSport, that most of us could not even afford a boat. Boat Builders know this. They have to know their target market, and have to build a boat that is affordable to a certain group of that market.
I'll also be happy to answer questions that I have the honest, legitimate answers to, based on my 40 years in the re-fit, repair business, and will have no problem stating, "I don't know", when I don't know.
The back story on my SeaPro and why I'm re-fitting it rather than some other boat, is that I bought it for $3,500.00 7 years ago in pretty nice shape. I bought it from a building contractor that had gone broke in the housing crash of 08'. It was on a nice EZ-Loader trailer, and had a 97' 150 Evinrude on it that quickly blew up on us, so we installed a new Yamaha 150, and have run it regularly here in the Puget Sound ever since. Hours of salmon and halibut, flounder, bottom fish of all sorts, and hundreds of pounds of crab later, and we've grown very fond of this old boat.
Currently I'm finishing up a new anchor windlass installation (which lead to the bulkhead replacement) and one more summer of fun, and then it's into the shop for a major re-fit.
Anchor Windlass base and sprit. 1/2" 5086 Aluminum plate, TIG welded over top struts with an AnchorLift roller assembly and Lewmar Pro-Fish Windlass. Aluminum was sandblasted clean, washed in xylene, then acetone, and coated in International Intershield 300 two part epoxy, and top coated in Awlcraft Fleet White.
To the Admin's here: Gentlemen, my hope is that you'll allow this thread to remain even though it will be critical at times of some of the building techniques SeaPro used to build my 96' 210 W/A. Make no mistake, I love my SeaPro, but as an average quality production boat it does have it's faults. That stated, my intention is to show what can be done with an average boat if it is re-fit in the appropriate manner.
Introduction: I should probably set this up for you all, so you don't think I'm just another arrogant old fart that doesn't know squat about what he's doing, but talks as if he does.
I started out in 1971 as an apprentice Shipwright. By 76' I went self employed in the little town of Benicia, on the Carquinez Straights. Fast forward nearly 40 years, and a move 900 miles north to the Puget Sound, and I've since built up two additonal boat repair companies, (sold the last one in 04') and have re-fit, stretched, and repaired hundreds of boats form 20'- 100'.
So, due to my background that has been other than production boat building, I'm admittedly highly critical of (some, not all processes) the crappy processes that most average priced production boat builders use.
Nonetheless, the SeaPro's are as good as many builders, better than many, not as bad as others, and not as good as boats priced at 30 to 60% more for the same size and accommodations!.
So let us not compare apples to oranges, and let us understand that if all boat builders built their boats to the high standards of a Pursuit, a Fountain or an OceanSport, that most of us could not even afford a boat. Boat Builders know this. They have to know their target market, and have to build a boat that is affordable to a certain group of that market.
I'll also be happy to answer questions that I have the honest, legitimate answers to, based on my 40 years in the re-fit, repair business, and will have no problem stating, "I don't know", when I don't know.
The back story on my SeaPro and why I'm re-fitting it rather than some other boat, is that I bought it for $3,500.00 7 years ago in pretty nice shape. I bought it from a building contractor that had gone broke in the housing crash of 08'. It was on a nice EZ-Loader trailer, and had a 97' 150 Evinrude on it that quickly blew up on us, so we installed a new Yamaha 150, and have run it regularly here in the Puget Sound ever since. Hours of salmon and halibut, flounder, bottom fish of all sorts, and hundreds of pounds of crab later, and we've grown very fond of this old boat.
Currently I'm finishing up a new anchor windlass installation (which lead to the bulkhead replacement) and one more summer of fun, and then it's into the shop for a major re-fit.
Anchor Windlass base and sprit. 1/2" 5086 Aluminum plate, TIG welded over top struts with an AnchorLift roller assembly and Lewmar Pro-Fish Windlass. Aluminum was sandblasted clean, washed in xylene, then acetone, and coated in International Intershield 300 two part epoxy, and top coated in Awlcraft Fleet White.