76 Custom Sea Ray Restoration Almost Complete

Thank you very much gentlemen, I truly appreciate the kind words. The old girl, as we affectionately have called our SR through the years is about done and going in the water this weekend. I'll get some pics of the deck and interior up soon.

Someone had asked about the outboard specs in a message, so I'll post the answer here for others also interested.
On the 240 SRV, I feel a 250 hp outboard is adequate. NOT under powered by any stretch. It is a bit slower to get up on plane than I was use to with the twin I/O's, but that's the only "negative" I've really encountered.
Set up properly and with the correct prop, Top speed should be between 35 to low 40's with a 250 depending on hull model and weight.

There are calculations you need to do to determine shaft length. With a single engine bracket you "might" be okay with a 25" shaft, but you'd need to do some research and do the calculations. I have a 25 on mine, and it should be a 30. I was planning on twin outboards, and did the math accordingly. When I changed my mind, I failed to account for the different placement of the outboard on the bracket.
It works, but barley. I got lucky. I needed to go with a 4 blade prop to get enough traction to hold it on plane. The prop really needs to be a few inches deeper in the water. I thought about adding an extension kit, and still might but more likely I will ride it out the way it is until I order a new outboard.

Keep in mind, I am running a 4 blade aluminum prop with these numbers -
GPH ranges from 11.5 @ 3500 rpm doing around 22 mph
GPH is around 14 @ 4000 rpm cruising speed is 26-27 mph
GPH is 18+ wot @5600 rpm with top speed of around 35 (I feel I could get 40 with a 30" shaft and SS 3 blade prop)
 
Here is a video of outboard pulling a tube. I never went wot, the rope was short and I don't like to go too fast with the tube, but you'll get the idea.
 
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Here are some pics of the finished back deck. Would you guess it's a Sea Ray ?

The seat to the left is for a generator or just storage. I have a portable A/C unit in the cuddy and need a gen to run it out on the water. I'm just planning on a Honda 2000 so I can just have it onboard when I need it. The second steering station is totally functional and tied into the Sea Star hydraulic steering and auto pilot. The engine controls on the deck are only for the 15 hp kicker motor.
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There are 8 rod holders built into the roof. I also added a large basket style roof rack, which I use a lot. I mounted 3 led lights for lighting up the deck and a grab bar because it gets rough on the great lakes and we fish a lot of tournaments in rough seas.
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This is how I designed and built the back deck. Since there used to be a big hole and two engines in the back, It took a lot of re configuring. The center compartment is where I store the 3 batteries. I have two access hatches in the floor, and two on the back wall. The floor was just covered with white marine vinyl flooring. So far I like it. I tried Durabak paint as well as Tuff Coat and they were okay, but I like the vinyl the most and wished I'd installed it right from the beginning.
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I guess I should through in the image from 2007. This was the same boat when I purchased it. Had I know what I'd be doing to it in the future, I could have started with a better platform :)

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Amazing job. Would not recognize the starting boat if you didn’t show before and after. Well done.
 
You have sure done a lot of customizing to suit your needs. Well done and thanks for sharing!
We have been setting up our boat for much of the same intended use. Well maybe as much for prawn/crabbing as the fishing. Anyway, in post 35, I noticed one of your pics shows the upper portion of the roof split from the lower under the weather stripping. I tried unsuccessfully to split ours at the same spot but it seemed to be internally bonded? All screws were pulled from headliner and the seal broken between the two pieces on the outside. Curious as to what you found when you chopped the command bridge off of yours? Was it internally bonded as well as screwed? Didn't want to destroy the top pulling it apart but appeared to be what was going to happen. Just want to beef it up more for walking on and add a little crown.
 
Thornton69 said:
You have sure done a lot of customizing to suit your needs. Well done and thanks for sharing!
We have been setting up our boat for much of the same intended use. Well maybe as much for prawn/crabbing as the fishing. Anyway, in post 35, I noticed one of your pics shows the upper portion of the roof split from the lower under the weather stripping. I tried unsuccessfully to split ours at the same spot but it seemed to be internally bonded? All screws were pulled from headliner and the seal broken between the two pieces on the outside. Curious as to what you found when you chopped the command bridge off of yours? Was it internally bonded as well as screwed? Didn't want to destroy the top pulling it apart but appeared to be what was going to happen. Just want to beef it up more for walking on and add a little crown.
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If I am understanding you correctly, I was not able to separate the bridge from the hardtop at the seam hidden behind the aluminum trim. I believe it was bonded somehow If I remember correctly. That was 8 years ago, so I don't remember clearly. I had to cut the bridge off, and I know that wasn't how I imagined going about the job, but it became the only conceivable option. I was then able to separate the remainder of the top from the window frame by cutting the bolts.
 
We took the old girl out ocean fishing off northern New Jersey on Black Friday. It was 8 degrees when I left the house and 15 degrees at the dock. The cabin was nice and warm though with a heater and the fishing was good !. This was her first trip out since the recent mods and all went well. We fished two days and I got this awesome shot of an orange moon over the boat at the docks in the evening.
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You wouldn't know it in this picture, but it's only 15 degrees. Coldest weather I've ever fished, but the fish were biting! Three weeks and we pull it 1200 miles south to Key West.
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dmnolan said:
Please do post as you can! I Love what you did and using it as motivation to keep my 76 SRV240 moving forward!
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I have a 77 srv 240 flybridge, would you happen to know the bellow deck fuel tank dimensions?
 
Beautiful job, and to keeping a classic Searay still alive!
 
Hey Sea Ray'ers, I thought I'd post an update on my old Remod Ray. I did the Key West trip with her this past winter. Almost 3000 miles round trip. That's the 3rd, and hopefullly last time she makes that trip because I bought another boat while down there to keep in Key West full time. (not Sea Ray, but 27 Stamas)

Anyway, the old Ray was better than I could have ever reasonably hoped for. I stayed in KW for a month, and even lived on the boat by myself for 2.5 weeks of the trip. Fished it offshore and on the reef many times without any major problems.

The roof rack was a huge addition living on a 24 ft boat with fishing gear. Nobody accused me of classing up the marina, and It was a really high end marina so I called my slip the section 8 of Stock Island marina lol. It worked though and I had the time of my life !!

Back in Pa now, she heads 350 miles north to Lake Ontario in a week for the summer.
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Cool Project. Planning on doing some similar mods to our boat. Starting in the bowels now with stringers and working my way up. Picked a bad time of the year to tackle it so will be doing in stages. If you don't mind, have a few questions.

I noticed in your pics, when you filled in the transom and mounted your pod, there is no stringers tied into the transom. Have you found any structural issues with it mounted like that and would you change anything there if you did it again?

Not sure what side of the lake you are on, but where did you get the bulkhead door? Been looking online but finding little more than nothing on the north side. Have even started looking for a doner boat to part out, but have a limited market here within a reasonable range.
 
Thornton69 said:
Cool Project. Planning on doing some similar mods to our boat. Starting in the bowels now with stringers and working my way up. Picked a bad time of the year to tackle it so will be doing in stages. If you don't mind, have a few questions.

I noticed in your pics, when you filled in the transom and mounted your pod, there is no stringers tied into the transom. Have you found any structural issues with it mounted like that and would you change anything there if you did it again?

Not sure what side of the lake you are on, but where did you get the bulkhead door? Been looking online but finding little more than nothing on the north side. Have even started looking for a doner boat to part out, but have a limited market here within a reasonable range.
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That's correct, on this boat there are no stringers that run to the transom. Was I concerned about not being able to tie into them, absolutely! There are a lot of things I'd do differently given the chance, but how I mounted the engine bracket isn't one of them. I have about 10,000 miles on it pulling it on the trailer and 600 hours on the water and the engine bracket/ transom have been perfect. I used to worry about it, but I don't anymore. It helps to have a rock solid transom.

The door I made myself. The window I bought at an RV supply store.
 
lucky enuff said:
That's correct, on this boat there are no stringers that run to the transom. Was I concerned about not being able to tie into them, absolutely! There are a lot of things I'd do differently given the chance, but how I mounted the engine bracket isn't one of them. I have about 10,000 miles on it pulling it on the trailer and 600 hours on the water and the engine bracket/ transom have been perfect. I used to worry about it, but I don't anymore. It helps to have a rock solid transom.

The door I made myself. The window I bought at an RV supply store.
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Thanks. Our hulls are very similar. A heavy bottom with solid transom. The stringers in mine do not seem to be built in a manner that reflects real structural importance to the overall hull. More of just a light frame that supports the front engine mounts and containment for the floatation. Going to modify them slightly so your feedback is much appreciated.
 
No problem. That does sound similar. I think having the weight of the bracket distributed across the entire transom is really super important. I look at regularly, checking for signs of fatigue or anything out of the norm because my boat is 43 years old and not designed for a bracket. I don't worry anymore though, It's more like a systems check. So far, I couldn't be more impressed with the outboard conversion.
 
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