TOPIC: Question about a Glasspar Seafair Sedan

Hello, I am brand new to posting anything so please forgive my mistakes. My wife and I own a couple fiberglass boats and a 1957 Century Resorter Mahogony inboard. We are interested in a Glasspar Seafair Sedan. Apparently there is some "soft wood" in the transom which can be repaired before we would purchase the boat. However it makes me wonder if since there is some rot in the transom wood is there a good chance that beneath the flooring there is some rot in the stringers etc. The boat from the photos appears in great original condition. Is there a good test to determine the likely hood of rot beneath the floor? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank, Tom H

Morning Tom,
What year is the Glasspar Sedan. I ask because in 1963 they began putting glass stringer in the Seafair Sedans. The transom is a weekend job to replace for some one who has experience with them. Longer of course if you wish to touch up the Zolatone on the inside.
The Seafair is a nice riding boat. The wife has a Seafair Sedan, I have a Seafair Phaeton and I am working on a Sedan for a friend in northern VA.
There are several active members here that have and enjoy their Seafairs. Please post some pictures if you can.

Al

Good morning Al, The boat is a 1967 so the info you had is very good to know. We saw a Glasspar Seafair while looking at a 24' Fiberform cabin cruiser here in Minnesota. I decided trying to operate such a large boat from our dock could be a disaster. However the same person has a Seafair that he is going to restore in a year or so and my wife fell in love with it. I must admit they have wonderful classic lines. Basically I love old boats whether they are wood, fiberglass or aluminum. Thank you for the advice and any other will be great.
Take care, Tom

Tom, Please be careful with 67's, Larson took management control in 1966 of Glasspar. They began to change some of the boats in 67. I know of a friend that had two 67's one glass stringers and one with wood. I have only seen the one and my wife's sedan is a 67 with glass stringers. When they work on the transom or if there is a bilge access point check to make sure. I got to thinking about Mikes second 67. When he got the floor loose he found wood stringers. Sorry I did not think of this a few minutes ago.

Al

Al, Thank you, any information helps. This one is in Virginia Beach, VA so I can't go look at it. The guy who is selling it told me about the transom issue and seemed pretty honest. He knows someone who will replace the wood and re-fiberglass the transom so we would be buying it sight unseen with a new transom but without the ability to look at the stringers. We have always wanted to see the Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah National park etc... so that is the only way to justify the cost of driving out there to trailer it back. Thanks again, Tom

Al, Do you know of a Glasspar Seafair Sedan forsale that would be a good boat. We have a 1976 85 Evinrude that we have had since 1982 and it was a great engine.
Thank you, Tom

Welcome aboard Tom, glad to have you join us.

Thank you Mark.

Hi Al,
Tom the pest here. If the floor of the boat feels solid to step on would that normally indicate there wasn't a problem. I will attempt to compile a list of questions in the future instead of this one at a time routine.
Thanks, Tom

Tom H wrote:

Al, Do you know of a Glasspar Seafair Sedan forsale that would be a good boat. We have a 1976 85 Evinrude that we have had since 1982 and it was a great engine.
Thank you, Tom

Look under sightings. I've posted a couple, one within the past week, and someone else posted one a few days ago.

Tom H,

WELCOMEABOARD.

You may want to join our FG "chat" tonight at 1800EDT & "meet the guys".

yours, satx

Al,
I tried to post some photos but couldn't get it done. The boat is on craigslist, Virginia, eastern shore and also on Ebay under Glasspar Seafair Sedan.
Thanks for your advice, Tom

Steve, I am not yet familiar with the site but will check it out.
Thank you, Tom

Tom:

Welcome to the website Sir!

Al has given you some good advice on the Seafair Sedans. My Wife and I purchased a 1960 Seafair about two years ago from a man
in Michigan. It was in great shape structurally, but needed the bottom re-gelcoated along with some work to the mahogany woodwork which we did ourselves. We also intalled a new old stock (NOS)
"Mercury" 90HP Outboard. We now have a great Seafair to add to
the 1960 Glasspar G-3 that my Dad left to me. I have attached a photo of our Seafair for you.

I will try to post some ads for Seafairs that I ave seen online for you.

Good luck and welcome aboard Sir!

Well I failed at finding "sightings".

What a lovely boat. Until last Sunday I didn't even know those models of Glasspar existed. I just love the classic lines. Thank you for your help. Have a great summer. Tom

1960RedG-3 wrote:

Tom:

Welcome to the website Sir!

Al has given you some good advice on the Seafair Sedans. My Wife and I purchased a 1960 Seafair about two years ago from a man
in Michigan. It was in great shape structurally, but needed the bottom re-gelcoated along with some work to the mahogany woodwork which we did ourselves. We also intalled a new old stock (NOS)
"Mercury" 90HP Outboard. We now have a great Seafair to add to
the 1960 Glasspar G-3 that my Dad left to me. I have attached a photo of our Seafair for you.

I will try to post some ads for Seafairs that I ave seen online for you.

Good luck and welcome aboard Sir!

She's lookin' mighty fine there, John. And that beautiful coastal Carolina live oak tree in the background finishes off the pic IMHO.

Tom:

Here is the link to that nice Seafair Sedan in Norfolk, Virginia:

norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/4452197692.html

The owner of this Seafair has dropped the price down too.

Tom H wrote:

What a lovely boat. Until last Sunday I didn't even know those models of Glasspar existed. I just love the classic lines. Thank you for your help. Have a great summer. Tom

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Thanks for your kind words Sir! I am going to get some pictures
up here of what the fiberglass stringers look like on one of our
ECGOA Project Boats that Al, Mike and myself have been working on.
It should help you to see what they look like in reference to what Al was telling you about "wood VS fiberglass stringers on the
Seafair Sedans.

Jim L wrote:

1960RedG-3 wrote:
www.fiberglassics.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/DSC_0926.JPG [/img]

She's lookin' mighty fine there, John. And that beautiful coastal Carolina live oak tree in the background finishes off the pic IMHO.[/quote]

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Thanks Jim! We are getting there on the Seafair, but as you know you are never really "done" on a classic boat!

When you and Dee decide to come down to the coast to boat with us in that beautiful "Aristo-Craft" of yours we can launch at that park you see in the photo.

Tom:

Here is a picture of one of the ECGOA Project Boats showing the fiberglass stringers after Al, Mike and I cut out the floor:

Welcome aboard Tom H! I also have a glasspar seafair sedan and my wife and I just love that boat. If you do get one, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Tom I just checked on the Florida glasspar club web site and someone said that one of the members went to look at the boat and they where very disappointed. Those are old pictures and the boat is not being represented honestly, and is not worth the asking price but would be a good candidate for a restoration.
If this is the same boat you are looking at buying norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/4452197692.html

TOM,: WELCOME, Interesting story ... YES, we have owned two Sedans. Both outboards...I heard this same story a few days ago..
Some collector drove quite a distance & this brown boat was in VA
& he passed.

Hello Tom H,

Good luck in your search for a Seafair Sedan.

We have lots of fun on our 1959 Glasspar originally restored with a 61 Merc 800 full shift.



I had to replace the transom and floor first and then concentrated on the cosmetics year to year.

It’s really a great boat. She is a driver we use for cruising and fishing and we also like to show her off at various boats shows.

Our Mama Mia! shows well at these Antique and Classic events and we are proud that over the years she has won awards at four ACBS shows.



Terry

A couple days ago I called the guy about that particular Seafair Sedan. It is the same boat and when asked about what issues the boat has he did admit that someone had driven up from "7 hours away" and determined that there was some soft wood in the transom. That was the only issue he admitted to but like a bumpkin I believed him. He has it also listed on ebay and has not changed the description on either so is still listing it as a wonderful boat. I think the best decision so far has been to register for FiberGlassics. People have been extremely forth coming with advice and help and this is my first day. Thanks very much, Tom

Good morning,
On the phone the owner of the Virginia Seafair seemed honest so I might have bit on it. My wife and I want to see the Blue Ridge Parkway and the national parks in that area so it would have been easy to justify the trip from Minneapolis. I just spent 3 winters with the help of a couple friends restoring our '57 Century Resorter so to take on another boat right away would have been disheartening especially after paying a premium price for it. I am very impressed with the FiberGlassics membership and how eager everyone is to help.
Thank you, Tom

Terry, Thank you for posting the great pictures. These are beautiful old boats. I have always liked the looks of old boats over the new ones. I need to be patient and keep looking. I registered on FiberGlassics with the hopes of getting some information and it has definitely payed off.
Thanks, Tom

Tom, Sometimes you just have to make a trip. Before John found the one he and Sharon own he traveled from NC to Northern NJ to look at one that wasn't good at all. Sandy and I were in Florida on vacation back in 08 when she fell in love with the Seafair sedans while cruising the Suwannee river in a friends boat.

If you don't come down to VA, for this boat. There will be others. Northern fresh water boats generally have better gelcoat than coastal boats.

1968jetflite aka Brian, and Terry D live up your way 1968jetflite in WS, and Terry somewhere outside Chi-town. They may know of something closer to home. Both of these members have experience with the Seafairs they own and can be good reference people to go to. Terry's boat has placed 1st in several events up your way over the years. John and Sharon have just started showing their boat and I know they will do very well at the shows in their area as well.
Sandy and I found our Seafair in Florida. A good friend of ours transported it up to VA for us. I bought it site unseen but I knew the person I was buying it from. If you send me an e-mail I will be happy to share contact info with you if you do end up coming to VA.

Al
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Hi Al, I decided not to go to Virginia just to look at a boat that is reported to be misrepresented by the seller. It is 1320 miles from here to Virginia Beach. We had seriously thought about making the trip since we want to see the that area anyway but it would have been to pickup the boat after buying it sight unseen. We just have to be patient and keep looking. I am so impressed with how helpful so many people have been. What a great organization. Thanks very much for all your advice. My email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Take care, Tom

Tom the seafair sedans are not very common in our part of the country but they are out there. I have seen an few glasspar sedans for sale in Minnesota over the years, and even a few really nice ones! I would suggest searching craigslist with keywords like glasspar, glaspar, day cruiser, cabin cruiser, and vintage. Here is one on craigslist right now, it is over priced in my opinion, and is in need of a lot of restoration work. It does however prove that they are available locally. stcloud.craigslist.org/boa/4425641195.html

Also I would not be to afraid to replace a transom on a seafair sedan. It is probable the easiest transom you will ever replace, because the splashwell literally just unbolts giving you easy access to the rotten wood.

Hello Jetflite, Is it safe to assume that this boat needs a new transom? Also Al from FiberGlassics said that after 1963 they had fiberglass stringers. (with the exception of some 1967 under Larson management went back to wood stringers)To be honest I spent the last three winters with help from two friends restoring my 1957 Century Resorter and will spend the next couple helping to restore a 1946 Larson inboard runabout. I would prefer to get a good solid usable boat and maintain it than take on another project right now even if it meant paying substantially more. I wouldn't have known to search craigslist for anything other than Glasspar Seafair or Sefair Sedan. Also I don't mind driving a ways to get a good serviceable boat. I am so impressed at how helpful FiberGlassics members have been.
Thank you very much, Tom H

tom, i'am going to jump in and say that the members here are the best bunch of guys you will ever meet. all are as helpful as can be, stop in on wed nites in the glassic chat and meet more of them. it is a lot of fun.i have never met any of them in person yet, but I got help from a lot of them. and they are happy to help anyway they can. welcome aboard. greg

Hi Greg, It certainly appears that your are right about the members. I have been over whelmed by the amount of advice etc... Wednesday nights is "Boathouse night" here in Minneapolis with my friends that helped me restore the Century Resorter in my profile. Now we are taking on a 1946 Larson inboard for someone else. We don't always get a lot done but have pizza or Chinese food, work for a couple hours and then have a drink. Sometimes one of us can't make it for that so then maybe I can join the chat here.
Thanks a lot, Tom H

morris wrote:

Tom, Sometimes you just have to make a trip. Before John found the one he and Sharon own he traveled from NC to Northern NJ to look at one that wasn't good at all. Sandy and I were in Florida on vacation back in 08 when she fell in love with the Seafair sedans while cruising the Suwannee river in a friends boat.

If you don't come down to VA, for this boat. There will be others. Northern fresh water boats generally have better gelcoat than coastal boats.

1968jetflite aka Brian, and Terry D live up your way 1968jetflite in WS, and Terry somewhere outside Chi-town. They may know of something closer to home. Both of these members have experience with the Seafairs they own and can be good reference people to go to. Terry's boat has placed 1st in several events up your way over the years. John and Sharon have just started showing their boat and I know they will do very well at the shows in their area as well.
Sandy and I found our Seafair in Florida. A good friend of ours transported it up to VA for us. I bought it site unseen but I knew the person I was buying it from. If you send me an e-mail I will be happy to share contact info with you if you do end up coming to VA.

Al
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Yeah Al,....I STILL remember that "wild goose chase" that the
"infamous" BS from FGC sent us on to get that Seafair Sedan up
in New Jersey! That was a waterlogged "piece of junk,
reclamation project!" I am glad I don't have to listen to his
"advice" anymore!

Tom,I don't know if you have seen this one or not. But if your going to be in this area anyway, this looks to be very nice and not need much if any repairs. annapolis.craigslist.org/boa/4474628183.html

It needs floor and transom. I saw the boat and it has everything including original door. Owner won't budge off price. Way over priced. Trying to get his labor back from working on it. Motor has a metal bracket and the splash well is cracking from the transom being rotted. Floor is all water logged.

glassparva wrote:

It needs floor and transom. I saw the boat and it has everything including original door. Owner won't budge off price. Way over priced. Trying to get his labor back from working on it. Motor has a metal bracket and the splash well is cracking from the transom being rotted. Floor is all water logged.

Wow! thanks Mike. I didn't realize it needed all that. Sorry for bringing it up,Tom.

Just want to relay the truth. I would have offered like $1200. But the owner said he wouldn't go below $2800. I was too far apart knowing it needed all that work. It is actually a 1964 with fiberglass stringers, which makes it easier to replace the deck.

Thank you for the iformation. I am looking at other brands too but will look in to the Seafair. It sounds like it needs a transom from what you said about the new wood being cut. Thanks again, Tom