Official 370 Express Cruiser Thread (1997-2000)

Chicago Sea Ray

Chicago Sea Ray

Member
Mar 21, 2016
57
Chicago
Boat Info
1997 Sea Ray 370 Express Cruiser
Engines
Twin 7.4L Mercruiser MPI
Fellow 370 EC Owners,

As a new buyer of a 370 EC, I've come to really appreciate on the great insights shared on CSR and felt envious of the 'Official 370 Sundancer' thread. I came up short when searching for a like thread for the EC... so better late then never, and hoping for momentum, I've started this one.

Having grown up in Michigan and now living in Chicago, I've been boating with my family my entire life, but now I've reached a point in my life (i.e. i can finally afford it :smt038 ) where I can have a boat of my own. I purchased the 370 from it's original owners who fell out of love... so it needs some TLC.

First project... entirely new canvas! I'll post pictures shortly.

That said, next on the list is likely cabin carpet and a new refrigerator. Does anyone have any experience replacing the refrigerator?

Cheers,
Nick
 
Congrats on the purchase, glad it finally came together for you! Thanks also for starting this thread, I was definitely interested in doing one too.

Is your refrigerator completely dead? Mine (NovaKool RFS7500) struggled to maintain a cool temp, and also leaked from condensation. I found that my drip tray was misplaced - it was at the bottom above the pull out drawer, instead of at the top. It seems that keeping the fridge full allows it to keep a more consistent temp, it just didn't do well when empty, even partially. Not sure how hard it will be to replace yours, I'm not sure of the measurements to see if it would fit through the cabin door or not. I suppose they got it in when they built it, hopefully they didn't build the boat around it! What kind of fridge is it?

Kevin
 
Thank you! I'm very excited about the purchase and more eager to get out on the lake in a couple weeks.

The refrigerator is not completely dead, it's just loud and does not stay cool. It's also been poorly maintained so it's just tired. My concern in finding a replacement is the cabin door... I think I'm going to have to dismantle the exiting frig to get it out, and likely purchase a new one that is more narrow. I also expect that I'll need to augment the opening slightly to fit a different size frig. I am hoping someone who's executed this work before can share a few pointers :)
 
What model fridge is it? It may be worth pulling it out from the counter and inspecting it - clean the coils, compressor, etc to see if that helps. If it hasn't been maintained, it could be plugged up with dust and lint. That would allow you to also measure it to see if you would be able to get it through the cabin door without dismantling a bunch of stuff.
 
Hi, you have a double door side by side refrigerator on the righ and freezer on the left, a replacement is available on line. I owned a 2000 370 EC for 8 years, the refrigerator never broke and always ran perfectly. In my opinion, take the unit out of the cabinet have it serviced by a good company or at least get their opinion. If it needs to be replaced, no big deal and nothing about a thousand won't cure. It will go out the cabin door, your door is big enough. Also, the doors are a snap to take off, unscrew the top brackets and the door lifts off the bottom post bracket. Hope this helps, let me know if you need any other info, I've been all over the boat and do my own repairs, question: did your v birth door fall off the track yet? It's a bad design and If it did, I have a fix for it. I ran mine from Nantucket to Key West, great boat worth every dime you paid for it.

Good luck with your new boat,
Bow Tie
 
Bow Tie,

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm very excited about this boat and have been really pleased to hear how many people who have owned or do own a 370 EC love the boat.

I've been waiting for some work to be finished on the boat and should FINALLY have her in the water the week of 5/16 and will be getting to work on the frig at that point and will plan to do what both you and Kevin are describing... before I consider replacement.

As for the v berth door... I don't think the prior owner used it once, so it operates brilliantly. The boat was primarily a day boat on Lake MI for a Chicago family.

Cheers,
Nick
 
Hi Nick, glad your door didn't fall off the track. Remember to always keep the door completely closed and latched shut while under way. That should do it and good luck with your new boat!

Bow Tie
 
Bow Tie said:
Nick, gas or diesel?

Bow Tie
Click to expand...

Gas. Almost all 370 EC on the Great Lakes were gas boats. Given this is purely a weekend boat for me (i.e. not retired and out cruising the ocean), I think the cost equation was pretty straightforward.

That said, I'm sure I'll follow your lead and upgrade to a 50' diesel when the funds permit :)

Cheers!
 
Well... 'Mustang' is finally in her slip for the summer! I'll be posting pics by the end of the week with the new canvas once the professionals get around to detailing the boat. It was much too large a job for my novice self to take on(5+ years since it was last compound/waxed), but look forward to the annual maintenance going forward.

A quick question for the group... I had the actuator for the windscreen vent go out on me (in the open position). There is zero sound from the actuator when I flip the switch to close it... so I'm curious if it could be a fuse? Has anyone had this happen before? and any idea where the fuse may be(I can't find it)? Has anyone had to replace theirs? Was it expensive/hard to do?

Lastly, wanted to say thank you for the refrigerator advise... cleaned it all out... and she's running beautifully :)

Cheers!
Nick
 
Mine has a panel right under the helm that pulls out, inside is a panel of breakers, one of the breakers is probably flipped. You should be able to just push it back in. I'm not sure if that's the problem or not, but I suspect so. Same thing happened on my windshield wipers, they stopped working suddenly, and I figured out that one of the breakers had popped.

Good to hear the fridge is working now!

Kevin
 
I'm not sure how I missed it, but you were absolutely correct Kevin... the fuse was indeed under the helm. It was not tripped... so next i'm going to pull the actuator, test for power, and likely replace with a Progressive Automations actuator (much less expensive than OEM). I'll keep you posted. Thanks again!

Nick
 
Sounds good Nick, good luck with your troubleshooting. New boats are a big learning curve, glad I could help share some of my experience.

Kevin
 
Hi Nick,
The vent window actuator is a Werner, replaceable by getting the model information off the original. If you have not done these things already you should try all of them before spending a buck seventy five for a new one. 1. Check for power at the actuator, if no power first pull out the switch and test power to the switch. If there is power going into the switch and no power coming out replace the switch. (Carling switch $10 bucks on eBay)if you have power coming out of the switch take the old wire connectors off and replace them. 2. Disconnect the ram from the window and WD40 the ram. If the window is open try having someone hit the switch while you "assist" the window gently, sometimes it needs a push or pull to get it working. If the window is closed you can still assist the ram by disconnecting the bar it's connected to and then try working it. 3. Hit it with the heel of your shoe, it my just need a "jolt". If none of these things work, buy a new actuator. Every year after layup I went through the same BS. But, the more you use it the better it works!

Good luck,
Bow Tie
 
Bow Tie,

I followed these exact instructions and unfortunately I concluded that I do in fact need a new actuator. I picked one up and it should be in my possession on Tuesday. I'm hoping to get down to the boat one evening this week and wire it up.

Cheers
Nick

Bow Tie said:
Hi Nick,
The vent window actuator is a Werner, replaceable by getting the model information off the original. If you have not done these things already you should try all of them before spending a buck seventy five for a new one. 1. Check for power at the actuator, if no power first pull out the switch and test power to the switch. If there is power going into the switch and no power coming out replace the switch. (Carling switch $10 bucks on eBay)if you have power coming out of the switch take the old wire connectors off and replace them. 2. Disconnect the ram from the window and WD40 the ram. If the window is open try having someone hit the switch while you "assist" the window gently, sometimes it needs a push or pull to get it working. If the window is closed you can still assist the ram by disconnecting the bar it's connected to and then try working it. 3. Hit it with the heel of your shoe, it my just need a "jolt". If none of these things work, buy a new actuator. Every year after layup I went through the same BS. But, the more you use it the better it works!

Good luck,
Bow Tie
Click to expand...
 
Hi Nick,

i I had the same problem with the actuator on my 370. After a lot of researching online I found the problem. As the actuator gets older when the ram extends all the way out It over extends and locks out. You have to remove the bolt where the ram attaches to the bar on the window. The ram is threaded inside, twist it back an inch or so and reattach. It should be fine. Just don't open window to the very end of extension. I left my bolt finger tightened in case I accidentally opened it too far. The whole fix took about three minutes.

Good luck,
Dave
 
Dave - can't thank you enough for the excellent advice. Your step by step instructions worked perfectly and in the process saved me the trouble of buying a new actuator (once I return the one that is on it's way). THANK YOU!

Nick
 
Last edited:
I mentioned a while ago that I would post pics of the new canvas... I'm pretty pleased with it so thought I'd share.
IMG_1714.JPG.jpg
Cheers,
Nick
 
Great to hear! Canvas looks awesome too.

Dave
 
Hoping this group can help me AGAIN... I was down at the boat tonight and was trying to turn on the cockpit lights. When I flipped the switch on the transom panel, the switch did not turn the lights on and the indicator light in the switch did not go on. Then I went down below and switched on the cabin light switch and then the spoiler lights. I tried again to turn the cockpit lights on and the lights still did not come on but the indicator light was red on the switch itself. It could be a coincidence that the red light came on... but I'm not sure.

Only two weeks ago those lights were working and the indicator light was blue on the switch... Any idea what I am doing wrong? or thoughts on what may be wrong?

Thank you all in advance!
Nick
 
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