1978 SRV-260 need hull/transom structure details for rebuild...

[White90GT]

I recently picked up a 1978 SeaRay SRV 260 with twin 165 Mercruisers. I haven't been able to find much info on this exact boat with the dual six cylinder motors. I believe its the weekender model, has nice sized v-birth and an aft birth right under the cockpit area. Small Fridge, alcohol/electric Stovetop, and a marine head with sink. Nicely setup old boat and I really like the looks of her. Both motors have been rebuilt and bored .040. Heads have larger valves with hardened valve seats. Carbs rebuilt. Outdrives rebuilt by Palmer Power here in Houston. All new gauges in a box waiting to be installed. New stainless rail supports all around, etc... The previous owner spent a lot of $$$ getting the motors redone and all the extras, but gave up on the boat when he picked up a 1989 SeaRay 340 that he keeps down at the marina.

All that said the boat needs almost the entire hull structure redone.

The transom is rotted, the stringers at the rear are rotted, all the wood around the fuel tank foam is rotted and the foam is full of water. The deck itself is solid and the cabin floor all feels solid. Its just the bulkheads, stringers, transom, and anything that was touching the foam.

The thing I don’t know is does this boat have stringers that run all the way to the front of the boat or are they just in the rear area? I’m trying to figure out whether it’s worth rebuilding. If I have to rip out the bathroom stall and all of the cabinetry inside, I’m thinking I’ll find another donor boat in better shape to put all this drivetrain in. I mean I like the looks/shape of this old girl, but that’s a lot of work to rip all that out, rebuild the stringers and bulkheads and put back together. If it’s just the bulkheads around the tank and the stringers from under the cockpit back, I think I may tackle that job.

Here are a few pictures of the ole girl…
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMAG5447_zpst0gkahcf.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMAG5446_zpspgo4g3yw.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMAG5451_zpsw2z2kt4w.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMAG5447_zpst0gkahcf.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMG_0309-20160413-101636739_zpsshwpjqbx.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMG_0310-20160413-101636659_zps3mdazujo.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMG_0307-20160413-101636955_zpscq1is83t.jpg

 

[White90GT]

Here are the pics...

[imghttp://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/carlrenee1/BoatStuff/IMG_0309-20160413-101636739_zpsshwpjqbx.jpg[/img]

 

[White90GT]

Transom shot

 

[White90GT]

 

[White90GT]

 

[White90GT]

 

[White90GT]

I've drilled core samples under the keyholes in the transom and on each stringer 4" from the transom and 4" from the bulkhead for the engine bay. Rot in all of it, water poured out in a couple of them.

Front small bulkhead in cabin where cabin bilge pump sits also rot. Front bulkhead in front of an on top of the gas tank is rotted/wet too.

 

[White90GT]

So again what I'm looking for is a diagram or at least someone who knows how the under structure of this boat is laid out. This way I can determine what has to be removed for rebuilding the bulkheads and stringers.

 

[White90GT]

Guess nobody is familiar with this boat or knows where I can get a diagram. I've gotten on the SeaRay website and did a contact request with the details and the serial number on my boat, but haven't heard a word back yet.

 

[White90GT]

Well, here is boat option #2. Not a SeaRay at least not that I know of, I haven't gotten many details on this one, but it is a possibility that it could be donated to our Sea Scout group. If thats the case and the Sea Ray is too far gone, perhaps this hull is in better shape and I can put the motors/drives in it. Obviously the motors in this other boat are junk since the guy pulled the carbs and exhaust and left the engine open to the elements for god knows how long.

 

[White90GT]

Can't believe nobody else has replied.

I've dug a little further into the boat..

OK, spent a little more time on the fuel tank and finally got it to release from its styrofoam tomb. I haven't fully removed it yet as I'm going to borrow my neighbors tractor with front end loader to lift it up out of the boat, but I've got it to a point where I can get it out with the tractor.

I had previously attached a ratchet strap to an opening in the floor and another through the keyholes in the transom to keep pressure on it as I pry'd it up with a 4' long crow bar, but that wasn't working. So I tried another approach...

I took a 4"x4" board across the beam/sides and attached a come-a-long to a hole in the back of the tank and put heavy pressure with the come-a-long as well as using the pry bar. Still very little wiggle. So I grabbed another 4"x4" board across the beam and my 2nd come-a-long and cut a notch in the tank about mid way up (where the step down is from the taller part of the tank to the smaller part that is under the aft birth) and attached the come-a-long to it at a bit of an angle, so I got upwards pull and rearwards pull with two come-a-longs now as well as a strap through the key-holes in the transom. With some pretty heavy tension on the come alongs, some working of the rearward ratchet strap, and some prying with the 4' pry bar, she finally started breaking loose from the foam. What a PITA! Even once it was broke loose, it was still wedged in the tomb pretty well and was a fight to get it to move towards the rear of the boat to a point at which I should be able to attach it to the front end loader of the tractor and get it up and out of the boat.

So now with the tank out of the way I can get serious about measuring and cutting all the bulkheads out of the way and continue my search to see how far forward the rot actually goes.

I did do a little searching online last week/weekend for another Sea Ray within a couple years of this one with twin engines like this and I didn't find a single boat for sale like it. I found some Sea Ray 260 Weekenders, but they were all single engine boats with either a small block 350 or a big block. In a boat this size, I prefer the twin engine setup pretty much as I said before, you can go off shore and if for some reason one engine has issues you can limp home on the 2nd engine.

On with the pics...

 

[Bt Doctur]

My 24 WE had the same twin setup.For the frot mounts we removed all the screwed together plywood and use a section of MicroLam .The transom rebuilding went fine once all the rot was removed. Remove all the attachments from the transom and cut from the inside leaving the glass skin.

 

[keokie]

Yep, there is a lot of work to be done with that one! Do you have decent carpentry skills? If so, it is a project that can be done a step at a time...

 

[White90GT]

I'm a Jack of all trades but Master of none lol.

Yes I can cut some boards and build some boxes. I think the cost and time is what is going to keep this a slow long project.

FWIW I've rebuilt my 80 Mustang Coupe race car from the ground up. I've roofed houses, built decks for mobile homes, and even done framing and sheetrock work on my parents rent houses. So when it comes do getting stuff done I typically prefer not to pay someone to do something I can do myself unless it is so cheap for them to do it, it isnt worth my time.

 

[skibum]

You should check out iboats. They have a bunch of guys that have been through this before, and are just crazy enough to help you with this one...

Edit: Uh.. never mind. I see that you found them. :huh:

 

[White90GT]

You should check out iboats. They have a bunch of guys that have been through this before, and are just crazy enough to help you with this one...

Edit: Uh.. never mind. I see that you found them. :huh:

Yes, iBoats is my primary source for rebuild and boating information. I come here for pictures and SeaRay specific info.

 

[dvx216]

Go to youtube search friscoboater he has some good informative videos

 

[White90GT]

OK so Im having issues getting the tank out. I actually cut a slot in the back of the engine hole cover. Now its hitting the front of the engine bay hole and hitting the back wall/rail. Im not cutting that. The entire area above the engine bay looks to be a separate piece from the main deck. Anyone have an idea of the best way to remove that entire section? It looks like thats gonna have to come out to get the new transom in in one piece.

 

[BillK2632]

Wow - +1 on on Friscoe Boater, that guy rebuilt a SeaRay 220 that he bought and found out it was rotted all to heck, he documented everything and did a really good job. I would think the work on this boat would be similar.

Working on old boats is a labor of love. I wish I had the time and patience to take on something like this and a big old barn to work in.

Keep going!

 

[Lazy Daze]

Most likely the reason you had such issues removing that tank is because the foam has soaked up water/moisture and expanded. It wasn't really known back then (I suppose), but now a days it's a no-no to foam an aluminum tank due to it causing corrosion/pitting/holes. The same with the bottom supports - often they weren't permanently sealed to the tank and it allowed water to collect between the bottom of the tank and it's support. Heck, even plastic tanks are only loosely wedged in place.

With that being said, have you pressure tested the tank? If the pressure doesn't hold, I would just remove all gas, flush it out good, and then cut it up to make removal easy peasy. Heck, considering it's almost 40 years old, I would be tempted to do that anyways.