my new 1971 searay 240

allen

New Member
Jul 13, 2009
5
just became a member last week. To the club and the proud owner of a great boat. she needed a little work. i guess the norm for an old boat, (wiring, plumbing, oil change.) Myself and a few buddies spent all week getting her ready. We went over everything. needless to say her first trip out was today, We got 15 minutes of crusing before we blew a hole in one of the exhaust hoses. Hopefully that will be fixed tomorrow and we can try again. If anybody has any suggestions let me know. thanks, Allen
 

Attachments

  • 0718091537[1].jpg
    0718091537[1].jpg
    98 KB · Views: 889
Very cool old boat you have...not sure what the allure of old boats is to me but I sure do like them. Thanks for sharing the picture and welcome to the board!
 
Allen,
Welcome aboard! Finally someone with an older boat than mine. Mine is a 1976 srv 240 weekender. What engine and outdrive do you have? I have found that you have to fix alot of small items at first on an old boat(relays, corroded wiring, etc...) but it is worth it. Be sure to do all your preventive maintenance on your engine and outdrive. It will save you money in the long run.
rgds,
 
hey,

yeah, i have found out that older boats need alot of small things fixed. i spent the first week re-doing most of the wiring. it was a headache. 30 years of different owners wiring crap. After trying for several hours of chasing wirers i finally riped everthing out and started from scratch. The motor is a 350 merc, and of course the outdrive is a omc. Hopefully her 2nd trip out under my ownership will be wednesday. Thanks for touching base with me. And if you have any other helpfull tips with these old searay's will be thankful.......Allen
 
I sure know what a lot of work an old boat can be. I have a 77 240 sundancer with twin 470's and have been working on her for almost a year. The previous owner had painted all the teak trim and railings black, and had done a fancy plumbing job with a gas can as a reserviour for the toilet. All the outdrives had to be pulled and serviced with all new bellows,gimbel bearings, waterpumps, seals,and gaskets. I took her out to put in the slip and the stbd engine is getting warmer than I like and the port not to far off about 3/4 up the gauge. So pulled her and am going to put in new thermostats, pull and clean the heat exchangers, and check anything else that may cause a heating issue. Based on what I found from previous work by the other owners on the outdrives I wouldn't be surprized if the thermostats have been removed.
What I have done is strip all the teak and restained and varnished it including the swim step and ladder. Installed a on board three station battery charger, two extra house batteries, 2000-4000 inverter to run the fridge(it is 120 volt), and a Lorance Hook 9 gps fish finder. I also changed out all the dash switches, installed digital voltage gauges for each bank of batteries, put all new trim pucks on the out drives, repaired the trim cylinder and installed a new trim solenoid for the trim boards.I also installed a 2000 gph bilge pump along with the 850 gph pump and hooked it into the automatic switch and the manual on dash switch. Drains a gallon or so water from the bilge in about 6 seconds. The original boat had a small jump seat behind the captains bench but it had been removed so built another one and reinstalled it where it belonged and installed two speakers in the area. Replaced one of the trim gauges because the needle was bent(thank god for ebay). I have a small leak somewhere I have to find may be a shift cable bellow as I didn't change them out as they looked new, I do suspect the drain plug as there was water running from there when put water in the bilge to clean out the oil from a trim hose that I think is leaking. I had the boat in the slip for a couple weeks and with the solar charger going the pumps would come on one maybe two times in 24 hours, so where ever it is leaking it is very small.
This boat has been a big on going project and is really heavy to haul around hoping to get it in the slip so I can use it but held up now by 100 plus temps here in Vegas just to hot outside to work on her.
Thanks for letting me tell a little history.
 
Allen, sweet boat! Keep after the small stuff, it's way easier than fixing the big stuff.
The Allure of old boats is unexplainable. We do seem to like them though. Maybe it's all the knowledge we get from owning them. There's an old Burt Reynolds movie, Malone I think, where his car breaks down and he takes it to a mechanic, and starts working on the car himself. The guy asks him if he knows a lot about cars, and Burt says, "I know a lot about this one". Maybe that's some of it. I don't know everything about boats, but I know a lot about mine.

Rats...I rambled again...sorry.

Loyd, you really need to do some showing off of that boat and all you have done.
That's a pantload of work and love you put into that boat. I, for one, would enjoy a walk around.

Plus, We all love boat pics.
Twin 470's on a 240, that thing must fly...
And you're in Vegas. I was stationed at Nellis AFB Back in the eighties. I really liked it there. Once you get past the lure of the Strip, it's a cool little town with lots of good people.
 
Allen your boat looks good and I understand what you're going through as I am just finishing a 3+ year restoration of a 23' 1985 Cobalt. Rewiring was probably the best way to go and what I should have done but I stupidly thought the 30-year old harness was good.

The biggest issue you will have with your boat is the outdrive. That is known as the OMC "Stringer Drive" and unfortunately it is the worst piece of crap ever hung on a boat. It was unreliable and a pain to work on. The other down side is that parts are more rare than a virgin on prom night. I would start doing an internet search now for any parts for that drive and start hoarding them. Pay extra attention to the boot that surrounds the outdrive and connects to the transom. If that breaches your boat will go down like a stone.

Now that I've ruined your day stay with it. The worst part of owning an old boat is finding someone to work on it and it sounds like you are capable of taking care of that.
Shawn
 
A bit more history on my 1977 Searay SRV 240 Sundancer. I added two more batteries too her for the engines and as soon as I started the starboard engine the rectifier smoked so there went the charging system on that motor so I checked the port engine and it was not charging either. So I ended up ordering two alternator conversions and two voltage gauges for about $650.00 or so and got it all installed and running. After cleaning up the cooling system and filling it back up with antifreeze and new theros plus two used risers and new shutters , the engines on muffs run alot cooler and the risers are cooler to the touch. I think I am now finished with the mechanical part. Oh also put new plug wires on both engines.
What I am doing now is I have taken off all the pinstriping and the black emblem on the front with an emblem remover wheel. I have also rubbed out the whole boat with 2000 grit wet and dry and in the process of machine rubbing out the boat with mcguires compound. I will then machine polish the boat and after reapplying all the pinstriping and adding the tape to the area of the decal I will then wax and buff the boat. Then I hope it will be ready for the lake.
The only problem I have had the body stuff is trying to get gelcoat to match the color of the boat, it is almost an impossiable thing to do, so is the only flaws I have, perhaps the repairs I did will blend in over time. I have all the teak off and stained and teak oiled and all new stainless screws, will put back on after the wax is on. I am much better working with wood than trying to match gelcoat. LOL Will try to get pictures when all is finished.
FYI Las vegas is alot different than now than the 80's people are shooting each other everyday and the drivers are real idiots. Check out the local news for Vegas it will blow your mind.
 
Last edited:
We have a guy at the next marina down river with a yellow haul version of your boat. I always love looking at it when he has it out for a cruise.
 
Well today I was applying pinstriping to my 77 240 srv Sundancer today almost half done, after all that is finished I will do the finial application of wax and buffing and with some luck ready for the lake. I know there is a couple of small things to do yet may tackle them next week as the weather has cooled. I need to get rid of the fuel that is in her as it is getting a little old so as soon as I can I will get out to the lake for a long cruise, just need to have a crew that isn't working or doing school stuff. Launching a 24 foot boat is not a one man job, my 18 footer is a lot easier to handle at the dock.
All the teak is back on the boat and waxed under the pieces so I don't have mess with those areas with the buffer.
The only thing I wish I had on her is a windlass and anchor bracket on the front but they are way to expensive so I will just continue to use my boey anchor pulling system, poor man's windlass. lol If I could find a spotlight and mount for the front railing I would have it back to original condition(with a few updates).
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
112,943
Messages
1,422,704
Members
60,927
Latest member
Jaguar65
Back
Top