1989 Weekender

S

schwarz633

Member
Oct 1, 2019
35
Boat Info
1989 Weekender
Engines
Mercruiser 5.7 Inboard Straight Drive
I'm looking at a freshwater 1989 300 Weekender with Mercruiser 5.7 inboard straight drives. It appears to be a very original unmolested boat. Are there any problem areas that I should be looking at for rot, delamination, etc.? Can anyone tell me the brand and model number of the transmissions? Are the props counter rotating, and if they are where does that happen, engine or transmission? Thanks.
 
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The 300WE is a great boat. The hull is solid so here shouldn't be any systemic problems with the lay-up. However, omg a 30 year old fiberglass boat with a freshwater history, you can expect a few blisters. All Sea Ray decks are cored so you should have your surveyor check for moisture around all cuts in the deck for mounting things like the windlass, windshield, port lights, etc. to be sure t hey have been rewedded and the core is dry.

The props do counter rotate and that can be either at the engine to via the transmission. Mercruiser stopped production of counter-rotating engines when GM ceased production the base engine in counter-rotation which happened in about 1988-1990, first on the 5.0/5.7L engines and last on the 7.4L's. If you have a later production model, then the counter rotation is in the transmission.....Sea Ray chose a transmission type/ratio that had the same final drive ratio in forward as in reverse and to achieve counter rotation, one transmission runs in forward and the other in reverse. The transmission make, type and ratio should be shown in a tag on the transmission itself, but it is probably a Borg Warner. As far as operating and maintaining the boat, where counter-rotation is handled is transparent and makes no difference.

The 300We is a an unusual design since its cockpit are is very large for a 30ft boat. In coastal areas they are sought after for fishing and dive use. We have 3 in our marina in Florida and one is named "Not for Sale". The owner is an educator who fishes nearly every day and puts over 700 hours a year on his. He keeps a spare set of engines ready so he won't lose time on the water when he wears one out.
 
I owned a 1986 WE. It was a great boat with a nice design. It did have the systemic issue of limber holes that were gel coated and therefore not properly sealed from water intrusion. This lead to stringer rot in virtually all of the boats of this era. Perhaps yours has been repaired or maybe kept on a lift. If so, this may be less of an issue. If it was kept in fresh water as originally built, it will have some stringer rot. It will be interesting to hear what your survey shows if you go ahead with the buying process.
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Well, I just watched a few YouTube videos of a guy "FriscoBoater's Garage" down in Texas that bought a 1995 Sea Ray 220BR and then discovered the floor had a soft spot. By the 3rd video the engine, engine mounts, floor, and stringers were out, all rotted. That certainly got my attention. I think I may need to invest in a survey.
 
The stringer issue mentioned in post #3 does not uniformly apply to all 300WE's. First, the description is incorrect. In earlier models, the limber holes were not filled with resin as mentioned in post #3, but had pieces of PVC pipe stuck in the limber holes with silicone. Most SR dealers that understand boat construction repaired that construction error by knocking the PVC out of the stringer and sealing the limber holes with fiberglass cloth and resin to permanently repair the limber holes so they cannot leak. This problem applies to nearly all Sea Ray inboard boats built until 1999.

One of the things that makes the 300WE so popular is that they are a good size for dry stack storage. A boat kept inside a barn is far less likely to have a stringer rot issue than one stored in the water. DO you know your boat's history?
 
fwebster said:
The stringer issue mentioned in post #3 does not uniformly apply to all 300WE's. First, the description is incorrect. In earlier models, the limber holes were not filled with resin as mentioned in post #3, but had pieces of PVC pipe stuck in the limber holes with silicone. Most SR dealers that understand boat construction repaired that construction error by knocking the PVC out of the stringer and sealing the limber holes with fiberglass cloth and resin to permanently repair the limber holes so they cannot leak. This problem applies to nearly all Sea Ray inboard boats built until 1999.

One of the things that makes the 300WE so popular is that they are a good size for dry stack storage. A boat kept inside a barn is far less likely to have a stringer rot issue than one stored in the water. DO you know your boat's history?
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Improperly sealed structures are systemic regardless. Very few are dry stacked in West Michigan as the racks are more suited to boats that are easily trailered. Odds are 300 WEs stringers will be rotted unless the boat was repaired if it came from fresh water. Even salt water would present some issues.
 
This is a Lake Michigan boat, so I assume it has been in the water for 6 months each of it's 30 years. I would highly doubt that it was ever dry stacked. The boat has just been put into heated storage, so I plan on getting a good look at the bottom and bilges in the near future. The engines have ~1000 hours. I gave the boat a cursory look when it was in the water and heard the engines start and idle. Camper canvas and upholstery are good, gauges seem to work, 1 year old props, AC, CRT radar, priced at $9500. I suspect he will be looking for some portion of the $3,000 haul/storage/launch fee now that it's begun.
 
Our first SeaRay was an "89 300 WE with twin 7.4... Had a pre-purchase survey done with no issues and 3 years of great use. Then it was time to go big or go home and we got our 450 !!!
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schwarz633 said:
This is a Lake Michigan boat, so I assume it has been in the water for 6 months each of it's 30 years. I would highly doubt that it was ever dry stacked. The boat has just been put into heated storage, so I plan on getting a good look at the bottom and bilges in the near future. The engines have ~1000 hours. I gave the boat a cursory look when it was in the water and heard the engines start and idle. Camper canvas and upholstery are good, gauges seem to work, 1 year old props, AC, CRT radar, priced at $9500. I suspect he will be looking for some portion of the $3,000 haul/storage/launch fee now that it's begun.
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Make sure you get a good survey of the stringers under the engines and back to the transom. That is where most of the hull damage will be.
 
schwarz633 said:
Well, I just watched a few YouTube videos of a guy "FriscoBoater's Garage" down in Texas that bought a 1995 Sea Ray 220BR and then discovered the floor had a soft spot. By the 3rd video the engine, engine mounts, floor, and stringers were out, all rotted. That certainly got my attention. I think I may need to invest in a survey.
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Completely different boat with different issues. Definitely get a survey. And triple check all the spots mentioned above -- anywhere there is a cut out. On a 30 year old boat, you'll have some issues. The question will be whether you can handle them or not. Good luck.
 
I must have just been a very lucky buyer. The PO is here on the site and took very good care of my 300WE. I've tried to do the same. I do have a soft spot around the dinett hatch which is a winter project.
300WE is a great boat for our area. We have low bridges and shallow channels. Her draft is perfect. At 10,000 dry weight she is a work horse and power to weight is spot on. I think it's my Port motor that is counter rotating and yes if I ever have to replace it it will cost extra but I will have the replacement counter rotating as well. All three of my motors are FWC and maybe that is what has helped with the life of the old girls.

300WE is a great one person boat which is important to me.

I would sell mine if the right figures came along. There is a 34EC
 
I took a closer look at the boat today and everything looks pretty good, as far as I can tell. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get it surveyed as the local surveyors are either not interested or too busy. I took some pictures which are posted in this album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TWmyTi1wHuT1g5uF7

What is the purpose of the bracket or frame attached to the rudder posts? It doesn't look substantial enough to provide any real support. Do these rudder ports need attention? In looking at the arrangement of the plug wires on the distributors, I would say the engines are counter rotating. I was surprised to see that the engines are raw water cooled. Is that typical for fresh water use? The starboard rudder arm has a position sensor attached to it, but I don't see a rudder position indicator at the console. What would that have been used for?
 
IF I remember right they are for bonding. It looks as if the rudder packing was leaking and it stained the metal. If you buy the boat you might want to redo the rudder packing while she is out of the water. She could also use new zinc.
 
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schwarz633 said:
I took a closer look at the boat today and everything looks pretty good, as far as I can tell. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get it surveyed as the local surveyors are either not interested or too busy.
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You will regret not getting a survey. When we sold our 1986, bought new, seven years later, the buyer did not think a survey was required because the boat looked like new and had complete service records. We were both surprised when a subsequent survey done for his insurance company a year or two later disclosed extensive rot in the stringers from the forward bulkhead to the transom.
 
You'll need to get it surveyed for insurance so may as well do it at purchase time. Wait for the surveyor's schedule to open up. Not uncommon for a two week wait around my parts.
 
schwarz633 said:
I took a closer look at the boat today and everything looks pretty good, as far as I can tell. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get it surveyed as the local surveyors are either not interested or too busy. I took some pictures which are posted in this album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TWmyTi1wHuT1g5uF7

What is the purpose of the bracket or frame attached to the rudder posts? It doesn't look substantial enough to provide any real support. Do these rudder ports need attention? In looking at the arrangement of the plug wires on the distributors, I would say the engines are counter rotating. I was surprised to see that the engines are raw water cooled. Is that typical for fresh water use? The starboard rudder arm has a position sensor attached to it, but I don't see a rudder position indicator at the console. What would that have been used for?
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You can look at everything 10 times but unless you know and are familiar with all the systems in the boat and have working knowledge on how to search for, and detect rot in stringers, decks and transoms you are fooling yourself. Listen to those of us that have been down this road....Do Not buy this boat without a professional survey. It's 30 years old. The seller will wait and winter is coming anyway so what's the rush?
Shawn
 
schwarz633 said:
I'm looking at a freshwater 1989 300 Weekender with Mercruiser 5.7 inboard straight drives. It appears to be a very original unmolested boat. Are there any problem areas that I should be looking at for rot, delamination, etc.? Can anyone tell me the brand and model number of the transmissions? Are the props counter rotating, and if they are where does that happen, engine or transmission? Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
I just bought a 1989 30 Weekender with Blue Water series 5.7 engines. The boat was owned by an older couple on Georgian Bay.I cant wait to take it out in the spring.
 
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