Help? how high should i make the floor so it will be self bailing

I have a 73 steplift that was a dual console but soon to be a cc and rebuilding everything. I made it a full transom and will have an outboard on a bracket. How high do i need to make the floor so it will be self bailing? Thanks, Nick

[tsubaki]

Best I can tell on mine, the water line is at the floor level but I'm gonna have to get a couple of long straight edges out to really measure it.
That bracket addition should make it squat even lower in the rear. But you are changing a whole lot (weight distribution wise) getting the saddle tanks out and putting the fuel cell in the C/C.
Hows about thoughts of a bilge box also to catch excess water just in case.

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by 73steplift

I have a 73 steplift that was a dual console but soon to be a cc and rebuilding everything. I made it a full transom and will have an outboard on a bracket. How high do i need to make the floor so it will be self bailing? Thanks, Nick

Sounds like a big undertaking, but after what you've done maybe not...
First thing you need to do is determine the OUTSIDE waterline...and build the floor up a couple of inches or so above that...keep weight in mine and by raising the floor, you are diminishing the height of the gunwales from the inside...that's why Wellcraft retooled the cap and made it higher after upgrading the V20 to be self-bailing...

Note: the waterline of course will be higher on the hull and changed in angle once the bracket and outboard are mounted...

[willy]

I believe Wellcraft raised it just about 1.5 inches in 1988 or 89 on some models. In 1992 they raised it just over two inches and and continued that in the V21.
The cap on my 92 was a littler taller that my 86 was but you still lost a little freeboard on the inside. It was still plenty high for safety and more than most boats of its size.
The bracket, depending on what length you put on and the weight of the motor you choose will effect your hull noticeably.
Think extending a lever to get more power and thats exactly what you are doing with the weight further aft of the hull(lever)
You will find the stock drain holes will sit right in or possibly below the water line, when you are drifting thru a chop you will observe water coming in and out of the scuppers constantly and sometimes due to how deep the chop you will take on water faster than it gets rid of it.
Think as short of a bracket as you can and as light a motor as possible. With that latter point bear in mind you are going to get an performance improvement between 5-10 % because of the bracket.
Weight is you enemy here. Anything moved forward, especially batteries and even the fuel tank by a couple of inches would help.
You do not want to move the fuel tank more than an inch or two due to the fact that cuddy boats were a little bow heavy, on a CC you have a little more flexibilty.
Also, if you have not bought your fuel tank already or are upgrading consider a smaller tank based on your needs and usage. A ten gallon difference is huge in the weight area and if you are a fairly short tripping inshore mostly guy you would still have plenty of range. With my 86 with the 115 Johnson and the bracket I swear that thing made gas. I would fish all day, come back and run off to the Rocks and some of the wrecks the next day. Come back another day and fish all day and run with the kids na d when I would go to fill up I still had almost half a tank.

[Steplift 72']

My 83' model was still self bailing with full 60 gallon fuel tank, a 150 Johnson, a 25 kicker, 5 passengers, extra gas, fishing gear, dive gear...... You get the picture. Find a mid 80's model and take some measurements, just get a couple fixed points, some string, a line level and a tape measure. Then the measurements can go from the keel or chine.

[Retired]

Originally Posted by 73steplift

I have a 73 steplift that was a dual console but soon to be a cc and rebuilding everything. I made it a full transom and will have an outboard on a bracket. How high do i need to make the floor so it will be self bailing? Thanks, Nick

Look at the 1987 Wellcraft 20 Fisherman for sale on the boats for sale forum. It is a center console, self bailing, sea drive outboard factory mounted bracket. This will give you a good idea. There are plenty of pictures of it.