1976 Sea Ray SRV 240 Project Boat

D

dmnolan

Active Member
Apr 11, 2017
147
Massachusetts/ Rhode Island
Boat Info
1976 Sea Ray SRV240 Weekender
Engines
Currently 351Windsor 233 HP
Hello all!

Been reading posts for a bit, time for me to start my own.
I recently took ownership of the above boat sitting on a 2004 5Starr Tandem trailer. Initial investment 0$.

To date I have pulled all of the cabin components (benches, storage, engine cover etc.). Pulled motor and outdrive , stripped all controls and wiring back to the helm. I have removed the flooring and removed the transom wood and cleaned back to the transom hull material.

I am rebuilding the engine (351W) as we speak.
There was a considerable amount of moisture in the stringers, but having been opened up for about a month now it has dried out nicely. Some spots to bolster up, but I do not think that I will strip out all the foam and stringers, not sure I want that project and dont think its needed. Motor mount blocks had some rot around the lag bolts. I have drilled hem out 1 1/2 in dia and will epoxy in a hardwood dowel.

This weekend I will be rebuilding the transom with two 3/4 inch layers of marine DF. From there I will make repairs need to the stringers going forward and replace the deck.

At that point I am still working out exact rebuild direction. I don't believe I will stay true to original design, but hope to make some improvements and adjustments based on my boating needs.

Will get some progess pics posted and look forward to any comments, learning etc that will help me along the way!

Thanks
 
Welcome to CSR! Looking forward to watching your progress.

If you have photo editing software you can post them directly to the site using the Upload A File button to the right of the post reply button. They need to be small less than 1 meg in size.

Otherwise, use a third party image hosting site of your choice.
 
Question on the gas tank. It is aluminum i believe? It is not magnetic.
I am wondering if it is original. I question it as the foam around the tank is definitely different than the foam in the rest of the boat.
Does anyone have the answer on what would have been the set up in the original build?

Thanks !
 
I feel you are making a mistake in not addressing the stringers now while it is all open. Just because everything has dried out does not mean there is not rot in there that you can't see right now. The stringers may have been substantially weakened.

My last name is Murphy and one of the Murphy's Law axioms is, "There is never time or money to do it right but there is always time and money to do it over."

Do yourself a favor and do this right now. You have a 42 year-old boat....why take the chance. Do it now while everything is accessible.
 
NorCal Boater said:
I feel you are making a mistake in not addressing the stringers now while it is all open. Just because everything has dried out does not mean there is not rot in there that you can't see right now. The stringers may have been substantially weakened.

My last name is Murphy and one of the Murphy's Law axioms is, "There is never time or money to do it right but there is always time and money to do it over."

Do yourself a favor and do this right now. You have a 42 year-old boat....why take the chance. Do it now while everything is accessible.
Click to expand...

I forgot to add that I understand to some degree as I am restoring/refurbishing a 1985 23' Cobalt.
 
NorCal Boater.
Thanks, I agree with your thought process and appreciate the push.
I think I will have a better understanding of the condition when I remove the gas tank.
It is in my nature generally to go all the way with these things! So I will likely pull them. I will let you all know!!
 
HAHA. No, I meant I started the post to get folks to give me there opinion on the right things to do! I usually know but I like to hear others tell me.

Thanks for your input and please keep up it coming!

Thank you much!!
 
DM, what do you have for an engine in that boat? Wondering what would be the max HP that would fit into that engine box....

Thanks
 
It has a 351 W suppose to be 233 hp? I am rebuilding and will be looking to push that closer to 285-290. New 4 Barrel carb and intake vs the 2bbl that is standard. Compresion bump to 9:1 from the original 8:1, and a little different cam. Alpha and pre Alpha outdrive are only rated to 300HP. I dont expect her to be fast, my real hope is that the changes will alloew for a good cruising speed just before the secondaries so to get a little better fuel efficiency. Probably will also get rid of points and use a Pertronics conversion.
 
NorCal Boater. Just wanted to let you know i started digging into the foam and stringers today. Engine mounts were soaking wet as was the bottom few inches of foam .
Thanks for the push in the right direction.
Thoughts on the need for additional support of the hull while I am doing the stringers? Boat is sitting on its trailer.

Also suprised to see the stringers sit an inch or so off of the hull!? there was flottion foam under them.
This is confusing to me as I would assume that i would be bedding new stringers to the hull with a thickened Epoxy and then tabbing them to the hull. Appears to be none of that on the factory work
 
Techie Techie, to further answer your question. I dont see a bigger block fitting into the engine bay on this boat. Very tight with the 351
 
dmnolan said:
NorCal Boater. Just wanted to let you know i started digging into the foam and stringers today. Engine mounts were soaking wet as was the bottom few inches of foam .
Thanks for the push in the right direction.
Thoughts on the need for additional support of the hull while I am doing the stringers? Boat is sitting on its trailer.

Also surprised to see the stringers sit an inch or so off of the hull!? there was flottion foam under them.
This is confusing to me as I would assume that i would be bedding new stringers to the hull with a thickened Epoxy and then tabbing them to the hull. Appears to be none of that on the factory work
Click to expand...

I'm so glad you followed that advice. That could have been a disaster down the road.

I'm surprised to hear there is foam between the stringers and the hull. I do have to admit tho that I am not fully versed at how the hulls were built back then. I know people repair them all the time but whenever I've been looking for a boat and I find one with any type of wet hull I usually run the other direction mainly because that is not a repair I am familiar with. I'm wondering if the hull delaminated from the stringers and the wet foam just worked its way in the void. Can you tell if the amount of foam under the stringers is uniform the length of the boat/stringer? In the brochure page for your boat the first thing Sea Ray lists is "Full Foam Flotation" but I'm not sure how that all went together. http://www.searay.com/boat_graphics/electronic_brochure/company1729/1C1_27_74DERNIQX212.jpg
You might want to start a new thread titled something like "Wet Stringer and Foam....Help" and it will get the attention of others on the forum that have tackled that job. I don't want to rain on your parade but unless you have the knowledge and means to make those repairs yourself you may want to reconsider. You may be putting more into the boat than its worth. However, that said, that is exactly what I am doing with my project. My boat was one I owned in the late 80s and early 90s. I have a lot of reasons for my project and most of them sentimental and emotional. A terrible combination when dealing with old boats. However, the boat is fairly rare with a limited production run and the hull is rock solid.

One last thing.... Sterndrive Engineering, or SEI, is a company that makes after market outdrives and components. I posted something somewhere about my boat having a 383 Stroker motor in it with HP somewhere around 350. I have an SEI outdrive on the boat and I mentioned that I was going to have to be judicious with the application of power to maintain the integrity of the drive. Someone from SEI responded and stated that SEI feels their Alpha replacement drives would easily handle the additional power. If you are looking to replace the drive anyway, and you should get away from the pre-Alpha drives, you may want to look at the SEI106 which is the proper gear ratio for your boat. Retail is about $1300 and it would bolt directly to you gimbal housing assembly.

Here is a pic of what I am restoring/refurbishing....
IMAG0055.jpg


Good luck and keep the questions coming. I'm happy to help where I can. Oh....did you figure out how to post a picture?

Shawn
 
Shawn

Definitely poured in place. spacing is very uniform and the foam under the stingers is adhered to the hull similar to everywhere else.
I am not concerned about doing the work, have built some small wooden boats and I am very familiar with the wood work and glassing involved.
I hear what your saying about the cost. I would guess this boat was 13K new, I got it for 0 and could put that 13K back into it when I am done!! Rebuilt motor, new outdrive, marine ply and epoxy/ glass add up quick! Still will be alot of boat for that cost in my mind, and it will be the way I want it.
I love the lines of the boat and think it will be perfect for the wife and I to take advantage of Narragansett Bay and Marthas Vinyard etc!. I have a weird passion for fixing up old things, they have such timeless style.

Thanks for the notes on SEI, that is the plan for me. All i have read would indicate it is a solid choice and half the cost of the Mercruiser. The money I save there will pay for a rebuilt transom/ gimble mount.

Have not figured the picture thing out! Will hit up one of the young kids at work this week to set me up! Will share as soon as I have it figured out!

Sweet boat BTW!

David
 
What I've done on the pictures is this.... I take most of my pics with my phone and save them in an MS Picture Folder as a .jpeg file. Then I open that picture with the picture viewer, and in the toolbar at the top click on "Picture". When you do that a drop down menu opens. The bottom choice is "Compress Pictures." Select and it opens a dialogue box on the right. there a 4 Target buttons, click on "Documents" the save it under another name. Now it is a size that will allow you to post it. If you are replying to a post like you and I are doing there are 3 buttons on the lower right. Click "Upload a file" then go to the file where you saved that compressed picture and double click it. It will drop into your post. Whatever picture viewer you use just look for a way to compress the image.

As far as the value of your boat you can't use what the boat cost new. There are 2 sources, like Kelly Blue Book, for boats. One is the N.A.D.A. Guide and the other is the BUC Book. Your boat in good condition is most likely valued at $2500-3500. If you were to try and sell it and were able to find someone that wanted that particular model you might get $5-6000. And I know because I'm in....well the same boat. I'm in to a 1985 Cobalt almost $10k including what I overpaid for the boat. If I tried to sell I might get $5-6000 assuming I found someone that was willing to pay that for a 30 year old boat. But I'm doing mine to keep so I don't care.

Check eBay for the gimbal mount. I bought one complete with trim cylinders, power steering slave, transom plate and a new gimbal bearing on craigslist for $200. With new bellows and trim senders I was into the thing about $300 and was from a 1990 Maxum that had never seen salt water. I got lucky.

Have fun, do it right and double any estimate you have for time and money to complete the project.
 
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