SeaCraft 25 Open, a Used Buyer's Guide to the Variable Deadrise 25

SeaCraft boats for sale: make sure you have the right SeaCraft

Anyone searching SeaCraft boats for sale runs into three different names. SeaCraft, the Florida builder of classic center consoles, is the one this page is about. Pacific Seacraft is an unrelated sailboat builder, so a Pacific Seacraft 25 is a small cruising sailboat with a keel and a mast, not a fishing boat. And plenty of listings write sea craft boats as two words, which catches unrelated brands too.

Within SeaCraft itself, the 25 Open belongs to the brand's later period. The legendary SeaCraft 20 and 23 came from the 1960s to 1980s, the 23 during Bill Potter's ownership. By the early 2000s SeaCraft was part of the Bass Pro and Tracker Marine group; an archived seacraftboats.com from 2000 is a Bass Pro page, and the 2008 site carries a Tracker Marine Group copyright. The SeaCraft 25' Open Fisherman sat in that lineup alongside the SC 20 Classic, SC 21 Open Fisherman, SC 23 Classic and SC 32 Master Angler, and it was still listed as the SC 25 Open in 2008.

The variable deadrise hull, SeaCraft's patented trick

Every SeaCraft sells on its bottom. Salt Water Sportsman traces the design to an early-1960s, U.S.-patented 21-foot racing hull drawn by Carl Moesly, with longitudinal steps running the length of the hull that divide the bottom into sections of different deadrise: sharp at the keel, progressively flatter toward the chines.

SeaCraft's own explanation, from its archived website, is that each panel has less deadrise than the one inboard of it, so the keel knifes in on re-entry while the outer panels add lift. The steps are a release design rather than a pressure design, trapping air under the hull in rough water and avoiding the slap of conventional lifting strakes. At speed the boat runs on its inner panels with the chines almost clear of the water; at rest, the flat outer panels and submerged chines resist roll. SeaCraft also claimed the molded-in steps stiffen the hull against oil-canning.

On the 25, SeaCraft listed an average transom deadrise of 20.5 degrees, the same figure it gave the 21, 23 and 32, compared with 17 degrees on the 20.

What SeaCraft's spec sheet says about the 25

SeaCraft's archived specification table gives the 25 as 25 feet 3 inches long with an 8-foot 6-inch beam, a 16-inch draft, a dry weight of 3,650 pounds, a 30-inch transom centerline height, 166 gallons of fuel and a 400 hp maximum. The narrow beam is the important number for a used buyer: it keeps the boat within standard trailer width, unusual for a 25-footer with this much fuel.

Standard fishing equipment on the 25 included gunwale and under-gunwale rod storage, a transom baitwell and an in-deck baitwell with pump and circulation, two fish boxes, a raised casting deck, cooler space under the leaning post, a saltwater washdown, trim tabs, single-cylinder hydraulic steering and a Porta Potti in the console. SeaCraft's model page for the 25 also listed a standard custom T-top with rod holders and a leaning post with storage box and rod holders.

SeaCraft's 2000 model-year upgrades for the 25 included a fold-down rear bench seat, coaming pads, bow cushions and an upgraded T-top with Rupp Top Gun outriggers and Weblon canvas. Optional extras ran to a double-bow T-top, a fold-down mini tower, an electronics box, a 40-inch fiberglass rocket launcher with tackle center, a console portlight and twin-engine triple battery rigging.

• LOA 25 ft 3 in; beam 8 ft 6 in; draft 16 in
• Dry weight 3,650 lb; fuel 166 gal; max 400 hp
• Transom deadrise 20.5 degrees average on a stepped variable deadrise bottom
• Two fish boxes, transom and in-deck baitwells, Porta Potti standard

Performance: what is known and what is not

SeaCraft claimed the 25 Open Fisherman reached a top speed near 55 mph and trolled comfortably with good stability. We could not find an independent instrumented test of the 25, so treat that as a builder figure. For context, Salt Water Sportsman measured the sister SeaCraft 20 Master Angler at 40.5 knots on a single 150, and Salt Water Sportsman saw 41.2 knots from the 32 Master Angler on twin 250s.

In practice, the speed of any used SeaCraft 25 depends almost entirely on what is hanging on the transom today. Ask for a recent sea trial with GPS speed and, if the engines are modern four-strokes or direct-injection two-strokes, the engine's own fuel-flow readings.

Buying a used SeaCraft 25 two decades on

Every SeaCraft 25 is now roughly 18 to 26 years old, so you are buying a hull and a deck, then judging the engines and systems as consumables. Start with the structure. Have a surveyor sound the deck, cockpit sole and transom with a moisture meter and a hammer, paying special attention around the T-top and leaning post mounts, the transom and engine mounting bolts, and any through-hull fittings.

Then look at the fuel system. A 166-gallon aluminum tank of this age is a common replacement item; ask whether it has been pulled or pressure tested, and check for corrosion at the tank straps and fill. Inspect the baitwell plumbing, washdown pump and wiring, which were built to early-2000s standards and are often modified by previous owners.

Finally, value the repower. A boat with a recent pair of modern outboards may cost more up front but is usually the better buy than one with original engines and a fresh coat of wax.

Who should own a SeaCraft 25 Open

This is a boat for anglers who value ride and simplicity over amenities: a fast, efficient, trailerable 25-footer with a real fishing layout, at a price well below a new boat. Owners who want bow lounges, big consoles with heads and modern electronics integration will be happier in a newer production console. Running costs are modest for the size, typically $5,000 to $12,000 a year with insurance, maintenance and fuel, though an older boat can always surprise you with a repair bill.