Upgrades Boost
5/22/2005 10:33:20 AM by MARSHALL BRODIE
SeaCraft, to many longtime SouthFloridians, is an icon of saltwaterfishing boats. Originatingnearly four decades ago, SeaCraftboats were built in the once-smallfarming community of Princeton insouthern Miami-Dade County.
SeaCraft boats are still producedbut now under the ownership ofBass Pro Shop's Tracker MarineGroup in Forest City, N.C. One ofSeaCraft's most popular modelsthese days is the 25 Open, a boat thattakes cues from the boat makers previousclassic designs but is updatedwith new features.
The SeaCraft 25 is first and foremosta fishing boat, but it is also family-friendly multipurpose craft, unlikeseveral competitors, with seating onthe forward casting deck, forwardconsole seat and an optional removablerear bench seat.
Angling features include baitwells, recessed hardware to avoidsnagging fishing lines, a standard Ttopand saltwater wash-down system.Options include the choice of a leaningpost with dual tackle storageareas, or one that includes a live well.
The exterior finish of the SeaCraft25 is very good with a hull that issmooth and fair. Avinylester layer isused on the hull for enhanced durability.The hull bottom is solid fiberglassfor better impact resistance andthe hull sides, deck and transom arecored with foam to reduce weightand increase stiffness.
Any gaps, or voids, under thedeck are filled with foam to increasestrength, deaden sound and provideflotation.
A pair of Mercury's new Verado150-horsepower supercharged fourcylinderoutboards provided powerfor the test boat. Pegged as 2006 models,the four-stroke Verado 150 and130 and 175 are scheduled to bereleased this summer.
The new Verado 150s proved to bea nice power option for the SeaCraft25. Acceleration was strong up to atop speed of 47.2-mph at 6,100-rpmdespite a nearly full fuel tank andthree passengers on board. Themotors ran well but my seat-of-thepantsimpression is that there isslightly more vibration and noisefrom these smaller Verados than theirbig brothers, the six-cylinder models.
The nimble SeaCraft 25 handledwell as we ran around Biscayne Bay.Mercury's fly-by-wire digital throttleand shift (DTS) control is a pleasureto use. Unfortunately, the day wascalm and left us hunting for someboat wakes to cross, which theSeaCraft did without fuss.
The steering wheel and enginecontrols are comfortably placed onthe well-designed console. Alargedash panel has plenty of room forelectronics and rear access is providedthrough a door inside the console.
SeaCraft's signature style ofmounting the electrical switchesupside down under the helm to avoidwater problems works well, but itmay be an idea that has outlived itsusefulness with the modern waterproofswitches that are available.
An optional electric head ismounted inside the console and isaccessible by raising the forward consoledoor. This door is supported bytwo gas-charged struts. The headcompartment has sufficient room tobe usable but it could use a light sosomeone is not in total darknesswhen the door is closed.
Strips of plastic trim cover theinterior edges of the fiberglass deckinside the console but they appear tobe flimsy and flexed quite easily.
For fishing with live bait, a 36-gallonlive well is in the aft cockpit deck.The lid has an eight-inch clear windowthat provides light for the baitand allows monitoring of the waterlevel. The live-well uses two pumps,one to fill and one to drain forimproved control of water circulation.An 11-gallon live-well/fish box ismounted in the transom bulkhead forkeeping more live bait or for icingdown bait or drinks.
Moving forward, a nice classicSeaCraft feature is the recessed railin the wide flush gunwale thatgives a safe handhold while remainingout of the way for fishing. Theraised forward casting deck containsthe port and starboard storageboxes with another storage compartmentin between.
I had tested a SeaCraft 32 severalyears ago and felt that its quality hadslipped some from previous years.Judging by this model, however, it isevident that improvements have beenmade with more even fiberglass workbelow decks, neater wiring and betterinstallation of fasteners.
Nevertheless, I would like to seefurther changes such as the in-deckstorage box that drains into the bilge.It is much easier to keep the bilgeclean and odor-free if it can be keptdry by having all compartmentsdrain overboard. Also, some -- butnot all -- of the bilge pump hoses aredouble clamped. This can easily berectified by the dealer or owner.
I also found that a small amountof water can accumulate in the aftcorners of the cockpit due to thelocation of the scuppers in the middleof the transom, though they arequite large and can dump a lot ofwater quickly.
The SeaCraft name still drawsattention for many anglers and, withsome improvements, is likely to continueto do so.
Quicksplash
SEACRAFT 25 OPEN
MSRP: $67,175 (with twin MercuryOptiMax 150-horsepoweroutboards)
LENGTH: 25 feet, 3 inches
BEAM: 8 feet, 6 inches
DRAFT: 16 inches
WEIGHT: 3,650 pounds
MAXIMUM POWER: 400horsepower
FUEL CAPACITY: 166 gallons
Marshall Brodie writes about boats.
He can be reached atmbboating@yahoo.com