TDB sea class 14 and classic 14 comparison
- Thread starter Tony H
- Start date
mike braden
Well-known member
That pic would make me reconsider a TDB again.
Capt. John O
Well-known member
go for it.
There's an extra spot in my garage for your current rig
Indeed and i believe the lack of photos of the Sea Class vs Classic duck boats alone was a problem. The photos speak volumes of the differences in the boats. The Classic is a fantastic marsh boat but its just that a marsh boat. Doesnt take big water near as nice as the Sea Class and now everyone can see why. LOL But the Sea Class also will get you into the marsh and hide extremely well too.
Enjoy. More photos to come as soon as we have some water to test in. LOL
What do I appreciate most about my TDB-14' classic? Fully loaded, it will float in three to four inches of water-nice to get in tight; even better to get me back out to open water. I have never had my boat strand me during heavy seiche conditions on the bays of the Great Lakes. I can't say that about any other duckboat I have hunted out of.
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Ryan Werden
Well-known member
I was hunting with Bob Furia (in his TDB) from this site up in the UP. We were motoring along in a channel and I could clearly see that the bottom was not more than a few inches away. I kept thinking that we were going to bottom out at any moment and we would be pushing the boat off a bar. Never happened. I was very surprised just how shallow that boat went.
A new classic might have floated in 3-4" of water but the last 2 I have had at the shop that weigh over 450lbs will not. If a classic was not meticulously maintained and kept dry its now getting heavy. Trust me have had 2 of them in the shop this winter and the one that just left was heavier than the sea class 14 for sure. And a new model 14 classic should float in 3-4" of water but motor rating is everything. Getting the boat to rate for a 25 is the problem for us as a 15 doesnt cut it and isnt enough power for that odd hull design. However with a hull design change and such a 15 may work. So we are working on that fix next. I cannot stress enough how everyone needs to check the classics out before buying them for major weight gain. There is a lot of wood in them and that wood is soaking up alot of water.
I plan to float test the Sea Class just as soon as the pond thaws out and we will see how shallow it floats.
Brad Wainscott
Active member
That boat on the right looks brand new after today and drafted in 5 inches of water!!!
mike braden
Well-known member
go for it.
There's an extra spot in my garage for your current rig [/QUOTE]
Bill Clark
Well-known member
I have been around TDB's since 1996 the 14' was the first designed by the clark brothers. It was rated for a 15 hp motor and was advertised as a boat that could be dragged off a mud or sand bar if the condition presented itself. You will not drag a 600lb 14' sea class any where. No doubt some of the first 14' boats took on water through the seam that separates the two halves thus water entered the floation chambers soaking the foam. The problem is prevented by turning the boat over and sealing or resealing the seam.
One could also cut a hole in the floation chamber,cut out the old foam,refoam and reglass. It is true that new modern building materials have improved the boats but don't rule out the "classics" a lot of them don't have any problems at all,depending on how they have been stored off season.
Bill.
One could also cut a hole in the floation chamber,cut out the old foam,refoam and reglass. It is true that new modern building materials have improved the boats but don't rule out the "classics" a lot of them don't have any problems at all,depending on how they have been stored off season.
Bill.
Bill no doubt the classic is a great boat if properly stored and taken care of. The 2 boats i have had both have had foam chamber issues and also the wood under the glass of the floor is also soaked with water. Mostlikey from improper storage. Its real simple the boat should weigh less than 300lbs and if a guy cannot lift the bow or transo easily on a trailer its waterlogged and not as simple a fix as draining the foam boxes. I just drained one that had over 2 gallons of water in it the otherside was dry but the floor was also wet. This boat did not have a cover and obviously was stored outside. My point is check them out before you buy one. Not knocking them all they are one of the best but are now 20 plus years old and like any boat this old need to be thoroughly checked out before writing the check to prevent issues.
Tony, yes my boat is heavier than the day I purchased it. However, as we have already discussed at length, it is the result of my modifications, not water intrusion. It was evident to me, after taking delivery on my boat, two things would eventually contribute to water intrusion issues with the TDB-14 hulls as built. The balsa core in the hull results in too much flex, particularly when you toss in the additional torque of running a 25 hp on the motor board. As with any through-bolted system on a boat, if you don't do routine diligent maintenance via resealing the bolt channels, water will intrude into the motor board-your photos illustrate this issue well. You can actually retrace the water intrusion path from them back to a bolt hole. The crack below the fire extinguisher on the starboard floatation chamber's base is the likely site of water intrusion into both the floatation foam chamber and the deck.
If you let water sit pooled in any fiberglass boat, migration will occur... As you state, reasonable maintenance and care will keep any older duckboat fully functional.
I would encourage you to seriously consider the motor mount design Alan Hoeweler submitted on the TDB website as a re-work for the TDB-14. Beyond the very nice addition of the step, it contains two braces that can be bolted to the stern decking for additional support and motor torque offset. A modern four stroke 20 hp will be adequate power for this hull, even fully loaded. Keep in mind that somewhere back in the '90s prop rated horsepower became the reporting norm for outboard manufacturers-modern small blocks put out adequate power, with significantly improved power to weight ratios over the early 4-strokes, particularly with a four blade high-thrust prop to augment hole shot.
I stripped the interior paint off my boat upon delivery in 1995, reglassed the interior up to the under-shelf foam chambers and five inches above the junction with the rear foam chambers with three additional layers. I added a battery stand on the port side up front, immediately behind the bow storage locker, wired (Ancor marine awg) the boat for: navigation lights, a lighted interior Ritchie compass on an aluminum swing-out bracket on the cockpit gunnel, a hand-held light flood light, and five low amp draw interior lights as well as a fuse block and the two circuit switches. I have a flasher unit mounted on the port side floatation chamber bulkhead with the tranducer siliconed in place to shoot through the hull where there is no balsa core material to aid in gauging how shallow I am running. I will be mounting a six amp dedicated battery charger this year. I added floatation foam to the outer 2/3s of the bow storage locker, after building and mounting two bulkheads in the storage chamber (actually, I cut two panels out of the fore-deck storage shelf for mount access and then reglassed two layers over the existing decking after I shaved the floatation foam back to level when the pour set-up).
My deck is sealed with three coats of Tuff-Coat rubberized paint that extend up onto the interior cockpit walls as well as always being covered when not in use by the hard cover. I also sealed the seam junction between the hull and deck pieces with 3M 5200 the year I bought my boat and inspect it routinely.
For anyone who stores the TDB-14 outside in freeze/thaw conditions, I would also recommend that they put a tarp over the boat to keep water from working into the junction of the stern section and the motor board from above, as well as provide UV protection to minimize chalking of the gel coat.
If you let water sit pooled in any fiberglass boat, migration will occur... As you state, reasonable maintenance and care will keep any older duckboat fully functional.
I would encourage you to seriously consider the motor mount design Alan Hoeweler submitted on the TDB website as a re-work for the TDB-14. Beyond the very nice addition of the step, it contains two braces that can be bolted to the stern decking for additional support and motor torque offset. A modern four stroke 20 hp will be adequate power for this hull, even fully loaded. Keep in mind that somewhere back in the '90s prop rated horsepower became the reporting norm for outboard manufacturers-modern small blocks put out adequate power, with significantly improved power to weight ratios over the early 4-strokes, particularly with a four blade high-thrust prop to augment hole shot.
I stripped the interior paint off my boat upon delivery in 1995, reglassed the interior up to the under-shelf foam chambers and five inches above the junction with the rear foam chambers with three additional layers. I added a battery stand on the port side up front, immediately behind the bow storage locker, wired (Ancor marine awg) the boat for: navigation lights, a lighted interior Ritchie compass on an aluminum swing-out bracket on the cockpit gunnel, a hand-held light flood light, and five low amp draw interior lights as well as a fuse block and the two circuit switches. I have a flasher unit mounted on the port side floatation chamber bulkhead with the tranducer siliconed in place to shoot through the hull where there is no balsa core material to aid in gauging how shallow I am running. I will be mounting a six amp dedicated battery charger this year. I added floatation foam to the outer 2/3s of the bow storage locker, after building and mounting two bulkheads in the storage chamber (actually, I cut two panels out of the fore-deck storage shelf for mount access and then reglassed two layers over the existing decking after I shaved the floatation foam back to level when the pour set-up).
My deck is sealed with three coats of Tuff-Coat rubberized paint that extend up onto the interior cockpit walls as well as always being covered when not in use by the hard cover. I also sealed the seam junction between the hull and deck pieces with 3M 5200 the year I bought my boat and inspect it routinely.
For anyone who stores the TDB-14 outside in freeze/thaw conditions, I would also recommend that they put a tarp over the boat to keep water from working into the junction of the stern section and the motor board from above, as well as provide UV protection to minimize chalking of the gel coat.
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Lawrence Pyne
Member
What is the dry weight of a 14' Sea Class, and what is the recommended hp?