How do we select which hull to bring back to life?

Eric Roehl

Before Restoration

Finding Potter Hull Seacraft is not easy.  Potter Hull Seacraft of the 1970’s was built in South Florida and many never left the state. Luckily for SeaChange Marine, we are located in Florida and are within a 3-hour drive of most areas of the state.  We monitor all the usual boat selling websites as well as other online marketplaces. Given that there were less than

6000 hulls built in the Potter era, and many may have been scrapped over the years, the search process takes time. We have been contacted by current Seacraft Owners about upgrading their vessels. While this may happen in the future, at this point in time, we what to buy the boat outright and make all the decisions on design and construction. We are looking for unmodified hulls. Previously modified hulls are always suspect…. Who did the work?  Why did they do what they did?  Did they use the right materials and technics?  Are they hiding something under that repair / modification? These are the first things that run through my mind when I see a modified boat. I don't like unknowns when working with a 50-year-old hull.  I want to be able to strip it down to a bare hull, deck and liner bring this classic hull back to life. Once we have identified hulls we want to survey, we gather as much information as possible from the owner before arranging a visit. There are 2 things that are almost always a given when you find an untouched Potter Hull Seacraft.... it will have a rotten deck and transom, and it will have some basic technology upgrades / customizations by previous owner(s).  These are expected During our surveys we are looking for structural issues like stress cracking and signs of previous repairs. Again, there will be cracks, the question is if it is a cosmetic gel coat crack (again expected) or a sign of a deeper structural issue. Is there anything we might be able to salvage of the boat. That answer is typically no, but anything of value will be donated or resold to others who might have a use for it.    

Do you know if a Potter Hull Seacraft rotting away in a field of boat storage yard that you would like to see saved for future generations to enjoy? Please contact us immediately!

After Restoration