New Sea ray Owner England

The Saintly One

New Member
Oct 9, 2018
25
Boat Info
Sea Ray Sundancer 290 1992
Engines
No Engines But looking at an Outboard Conversion
Hi everyone Just bought a lovely 1992 Sea Ray Sundancer 290 for £5000 Engines were Kaput so looking to do an outboard conversion rather than spending the price of amother boat on used engines gonna be documenting everything so expect lots of questions and input

:)

Regards Duncan
 
Welcome aboard!

Some things to think about, in regards to keeping the costs down:

-- OB's are expensive. More expensive than a new/crate sterndrive.
-- The OB's that you'll need will be VERY expensive... like $20K+ EACH.
-- The OB conversion, itself, is not cheap as it's labor intensive.
-- If your goal is to keep the cash outlay to a minimum (which is sounds like it is), the least expensive way to proceed is to replace what you have with identical engines.
-- But... anything can be done!
 
I would argue that, Maybe if your talking brand new outboards then yes but used working outboards are plentiful and cheap
 
'Round here, a new stern drive long block can be had for under $4K. A used, but not overused, 250HP OB is gonna be $7K, minimum, and will likely be 10 to 15 years old for that price. Plus the cost of the bracket... plus reinforcing the transom... plus filling in the outdrive holes... plus the re-wiring and controls...

Maybe the pricing is different on your side?

I'm certainly not saying you shouldn't do it - heck, it would be a fun project for sure - just that there are a lot of extra costs that will add up very quickly. If you can do all of the work yourself, that will certainly help - but it won't offset all of it.
 
Hi everyone Just bought a lovely 1992 Sea Ray Sundancer 290 for £5000 Engines were Kaput so looking to do an outboard conversion rather than spending the price of amother boat on used engines gonna be documenting everything so expect lots of questions and input

:)

Regards Duncan
That's crazy talk, but welcome to CSR!
 
Yes it appears it is. Problem is I need Two Engines and Two Legs I can find one cheaply but not two!!! A Yamaha 250hp Outboard with 100 hrs can be had for £4000 and I only need one and thats if I want max power my initial usage will require no more than 50hp. Rivers are smaller this side of the pond with slow speed limits. So initially I can build or have built the bracket and as long as its suitable for a size upgrade use whatever size outboard, Tbh I could get away with the kind of emergency auxillary outboard seen on some boats initially but who wants to do that
 
Welcome to CSR!

That's awesome you're going to document the project. Another member did when he bought a boat with rotted stringers. His name is FriscoBoater. You can YouTube some of his videos. Can't wait to see the project unfold.
 
The biggest problem is the Integrated swim platform. most conversions I can find are done on boats with vertical transoms.
 
Ah... I didn't realize you were building the boat to be a trawler... ;) Sure, if you're not after speed then it will absolutely cut the costs down. Given the nature of what this forum is, I think it's safe to assume that most reading this thread probably thought something similar to me.

I can't imagine a single 250HP OB being very efficient... and I imagine it'd be quite the dog trying to get on plane. You've got a 29' boat that weighs... what, maybe 7,000lbs with full fuel and gear? But that's why it's YOUR boat - do what works best for you!

I think you'll likely have to get a bracket custom made (basically extend the hull with the bracket and make a flotation bracket) using the transom and swim platform as support. Don't forget all the reinforcing needed on the inside... and that everything you do is at your own risk on this one. Or, cut the swim platform apart and rebuild the aft end.

If you keep the motor to "kicker" size, you could just mount it to the top of the swim platform (reinforce underneath) with either a pre-made motor bracket for small OB's, or just a little ingenuity to make something from scratch. Anything bigger than a kicker and I wouldn't trust it.
 
To update I spoke to a very competent professional yesterday who also suggested cutting into the swim platform I personally didn't think this was viable. . He has done dozens of these outboard Conversions. And he is currently in the process of designing some rough outlines for me. Integrating the pod into the swim platform that will be able to take Twin 250hp + outboards and still remain aesthetically pleasing.

Let's not forget here Sea Ray is now producing a number of outboard based boats including the Sundancer 320
 
The quote for the conversion is approx £3500 so that's one drive leg in this country
 
Let's not forget here Sea Ray is now producing a number of outboard based boats including the Sundancer 320
Sure - but keep in mind that those boats are designed from the ground up to have an outboard(s) on them. It's not like Sea Ray just randomly picks boats coming off the production line and says "OK, let's make this one a sterndrive and that one an OB" :)

Certainly will be curious to see how you go about this - in the end, there isn't a "best" way as multiple ways can be successful. By the way... take a look at the boats in my signature... one of them, in particular.
 
Welcome! looking forward to pictures
 
Sure - but keep in mind that those boats are designed from the ground up to have an outboard(s) on them. It's not like Sea Ray just randomly picks boats coming off the production line and says "OK, let's make this one a sterndrive and that one an OB" :)

Certainly will be curious to see how you go about this - in the end, there isn't a "best" way as multiple ways can be successful. By the way... take a look at the boats in my signature... one of them, in particular.

Yeah I know simply meant that if done right it won't look completely odd. I think the idea is to cut into the swim platform and integrate the pod as part of that so that it looks as though it was designed that way. Im in contact with a guy who has done quite a few conversions. Plan on adding two outboards so she will still do what she is meant to do. I think because of the significant number of sea rays in the US refitting kaput engines is not a problem but Ive been quoted £15,000 in the UK because the options just are not there. The nearest other Sea Ray 290 similar to mine is in Italy and up for around £20,000.

The Pod conversion price is around £3500 all in and outboards can be had used fairly cheaply depending on the size eg 150hp for £1600 each so the maths works out cheaper anyway. Plus for me its peace of mind once its done the idea of swapping out outboards if one goes wrong is far easier than swapping inboards.

And trust me two 150hp outboards is more than enough power in the UK. the river where this boat is gonna be kept is restricted to 10 knots so only gonna use that power on occasion when I head out to the estuary and english channel
 
Yeah I know simply meant that if done right it won't look completely odd. I think the idea is to cut into the swim platform and integrate the pod as part of that so that it looks as though it was designed that way. Im in contact with a guy who has done quite a few conversions. Plan on adding two outboards so she will still do what she is meant to do. I think because of the significant number of sea rays in the US refitting kaput engines is not a problem but Ive been quoted £15,000 in the UK because the options just are not there. The nearest other Sea Ray 290 similar to mine is in Italy and up for around £20,000.

Totally agree - it can be done, and it can be done to look nice. Once properly integrated, the pod can add structure to the boat, as well. Plus, you're going to have some HUGE storage space... but keep in mind that the tendency might be to store a lot of things in there... which means lot's of weight (although, granted, "probably" not as much as the engines weighed!). If there's room, consider increasing the size of the tabs - they never were very larger to start with.

Motors are motors and they don't care what brand boat they are in - but, yes, I'm sure that given the much larger amount of boats in the US, it does help keep the costs down on re-powers.
 
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Why not just buy a boat the way you want it? While you can do everything you are saying I don’t see how it makes financial sense. If you want a trawler go buy one.
 

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