1981 245 SDC- Refurbish

Thornton69

Thornton69

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2014
1,149
Northern BC
Boat Info
1981 245 SDC
2021 Solar 420
Engines
'97 5.7 Bravo 2
'20 Merc 25 EFI Jet
Hello all!
I have recently purchased a 1981 245 SDC to refurbish and will hopefully get many years of use out of it. I was told it was a custom build by Sea Ray and cannot find any real specifications for it. From what I have found on the SR website it is pretty much identical to the SRV Sedan Bridge minus the upper bridge. It is the first cruiser I have ran so am not sure what to expect out of it. My experience has been with river/jet boats with a much higher hp/weight ratio.
I took it out for an overnight cruise this past weekend to get an idea of where all to focus my attention this winter. It felt to me to be underpowered and not really getting on step. It has the 260 Merc in it. My top speed was about 18-20 mph @ about 28-2900 rpm. I played lots with the drive and tab trims but that was the best I could get out of her. The bow seemed to ride a bit higher than what I was expecting. The engine was last rebuilt in '92 but sounded strong. I confirmed full throttle with secondary's opened. Does anyone know what I should expect for top speed?
From in the engine compartment the hull looks structurally good. Very clean with no visual defects or indications of swelling or cracks. The SR site sais they used a closed cell floatation that year but suspect I may be packing some extra weight. Can a guy drill some 2-3" holes from the inside between stringers and bulkheads for inspections or is there a better way to find out? I ran it over the scales and found it to be about 7200 lbs with the tandem trailer. The freshwater tank was empty, no gear in it really to speak of and about 30 gal of fuel.
I am a mechanic by trade and plan on rebuilding the engine and drive this winter among other things. I was planning on stroke/camming the current 5.7 for a little better bottom and economy if the drive can handle it and it is a good sized package for it. If it is undersized then probably best to look at a whole new repower.
Please share your thoughts and recommendations.
Thanks in advance, John
 
That engine is reving WAY too low if all you're getting is 2900rpm. Verify the prop pitch is correct...I suspect you may be onto somthing with the weight though. What did Sea Ray say it was supposed to weigh dry?
 
I had talked to Sea Ray and they unfortunately do not have any specs in their archives for this or any other 245's built in 1981. The boat has been parked for a couple of years and I suspect an ignition issue (possible stuck mechanical advance) for low power/rpm's. I plan on upgrading the ignition system with cam when doing the overhaul so am not too concerned with it at this point. Am curious to hear what others get or had gotten for top and cruise speeds out of their similarly sized boats. The previous owner said he never opened it up but would cruise at 22-24mph @ around 3200rpm.
As far as weight goes, am hoping to get input from others as well. I have spent several hrs going thru other threads on this forum to get an idea of where to expect to find the stringers and bulkheads but could not find any photos on similar 245 projects. The main stringer locations are pretty obvious. I will try locating the others with a stud finder and poke around this weekend. Tried to upload a pic of my boat but am unable to set my camera low enough to accept it.
Thanks!
 
Use photobucket to host your pictures and link them here or donate to the forum for pic hosting here. I will be following this thread since I really like hearing about the older boats.
 
Here are a few pics of our new boat. It has been pretty well taken care of by the previous owners. Going to focus on hull engine and drive over the winter.
 
Last edited:
Very nice boat! I have an 81 245 SRV and love it. Pretty nimble and stable for its size. Had the same issue with the advance, and a whole lot of other issues too, but still love the boat. I bought another boat and my 245 had been hauled out for about 2 weeks now, and am missing her already :smt089. I don't know what possessed me to get another boat, especially not a sea ray... Oh wait, the admiral saw it and wanted it. I've been through my 245 pretty thoroughly, if I can help, let me know.
 
Thanks Rick. Will be looking forward to input and advise from yourself and others as this project progresses. Been busy getting the freezers full and preparing everything else for the white stuff. The engine is on a stand and a winter cover built over the boat as of now for its repairs. Contemplating weather to dump a bunch into overhauling this older 5.7 or building a later marinized vortec version similar to the 330hp Kodiak in my jet boat. My other tub runs a 3200 cruise and 4200 wot so torque curve should be good. Kinda liking the idea of having them both the same so there is always a spare around for both applications. Looks like the rear entrance frame and panels have to be removed to pull the fuel tank so that is probably where I am going after next.
 
These are my all time fave Sea Rays. Can't wait to see it with an MPI 350 in it. All the best. Did you ever figure out why it didn't attain WOT spec?
 
Chris Nowell said:
These are my all time fave Sea Rays. Can't wait to see it with an MPI 350 in it. All the best. Did you ever figure out why it didn't attain WOT spec?
Click to expand...

I'd LOVE to see that boat with an MPI 350 in it!! Just for the heck of it, did you happen to check the distributor on that engine? My advance was sticky, and the whole inside of it was pretty ratty. It would barely snap back when I advanced it by hand. I happend on a new Mallory points distributor for $100, so I just swapped it out. I immediately noticed a vast improvement in performance. I did disassemble the old one and cleaned it up, etc., but never got the chance to throw it back in to see how it would perform. All said and done, I'm getting about 38mph on the GPS with a 14.75x15 prop, and about 32 with a 16x16. The 16x16 prop lugs the boat down quite a bit, but jumps out of the water and on plane very nicely.

Alas, mine will be for sale in the spring. Told the admiral to stop nagging, or I'd sell it to myself, at a fantastic price!
 
So plans have changed a bit for now or maybe just delayed. Ended up picking up a newer 5.7 vortec engine with plans to stroke it but had to hold off due to other unexpected expenses with the trailer. It has 800 hrs on it but the compression is respectful so going to give it a go for the season. It came with new manifolds, risers and tune up kit. The trailer ended up being rotted out form the inside and structurally unsafe for the road so it had to go. Was unable to find a decent replacement over the winter so ended up going with a new hd aluminum bunk type. The hull turned out to be solid with sound stringers and transom so that was good news. Sent props out for the main and kicker for build up and pitching. Have some unexspected mods still to do with the engine swap but got it set into place today. Heres a few pics.
 
Last edited:
Be cautious with the horsepower for your boat unless you plan on changing the drive. The Merc Alpha and pre-alpha drives were OK up to about 300 HP. More than that and you are on borrowed time.
 
I have read that in several spots in this forum. I pulled out a tired pre vortec 260 Merc. This engine at least in my jet boat is rated at about 315 in the 5000 rpm range. Don't plan on being up there so guessing it will probably not see much more than 275. Hoping to get it up in the 400 hp class when it comes time to stroke it and am looking for suggestion for what would be best for drive upgrade. Won't be till next winter but probably wouldn't hurt to start keeping a eye open now. Hopefully can get her back on the water soon without to many surprises. The boat account took a kicking with the trailer. Appreciate any and all inputs, suggestions and concerns.
 
The alpha 1 gen 1 can not operate that long with 400 hp all you need to do is put in a bravo transom assembly and new drive about $6000.00. Check for water in sides of bilge around motor mounts take 2 inch hole saw and take out plug from your rpms you most likely have water in hull. I had a 1981 225 cuddy and had water in foam water gets in from all screw holes in floor from seats. I put a 2 inch pluming bung from home depot in cut outs took a couple of months for foam to dry out.
 
This boat has a self bailing high deck which drains out the transom. There was no indication of any moisture in the hull from all the screws I pulled in the engine compartment. Even the transom was solid and the layers of plywood around the gimbal mount looked unweathered. I will drill some holes and have a peak outside of the stringers in the engine compartment. I did a couple holes inside the rear of the cuddy and all was good. Will the bravo fit in the transom hole without major redesigning? I don't mind cutting a bigger hole but would like to avoid reengineering it. Seems to be a few guys taking these older boats and converting them to outboard. That is where this engine came from. It had a '97 alfa 1 but with a higher ratio and smaller but steeper pitched prop so passed on it. Hoping to find a complete set up from the bell housing back for a decent price and overhauling it before installation.
 
Drilled a couple holes in the engine compartment and confirmed no signs of any kind of moisture in the foam. Nice to know that isn't a problem. Going to stick a couple expanding plugs in them for now. Cleaning up the hull scrapes and chips and will be fitting the new trailer under her next week. Exhaust, raw water pump, wiring and hopefully have her back in the water in a month or so.
Talked to the fellow I get my engine goodies from. Told me no worries on the Bravo. Pretty easy swap. Only have to drill a couple additional holes and replace shift linkage. Already have the raw water pump. Currently has several take outs on his floor and will set me up from bell housing to prop for around 2500. I am not in a rush so will hold off until he gets a low hr'd assembly in. Next winters project.
 
Last edited:
A little update. Repaired front keel dings from the old trailer with glass. Gel coated all the scrapes and nicks. Gave her a quick polish. Got the trailer set up under her and adjusted pretty good I think. Main bunks are 1" from back of transom and there is about 560 lbs on the tongue with empty tanks. Completed the engine install. Had to do some modifying to fit the newer engine in to the flywheel housing to accommodate the bigger flywheel. Mounts were in the wrong places for the transom ears on the new housing so will hang onto it in case I need it for drive upgrade time. Modified some mounting brackets for the new raw water pump. Had to replace it switching to a serpentine belt. Pulled the outdrive and installed new trim senders. That was not a fun one for me. Confirmed alignment of all with good shaft to coupler engagement. Had the props tuned up. Set up the shift linkage. Also had to modify it's mounting to accommodate the larger distributor. Replaced pretty much all of the plumbing hoses. Switched the exhaust manifolds to raw water cooling. Started cleaning up the wiring. Set up the trim gauge and cutout. Flashed up on the trailer and all is looking good. Unfortunately our local lake launch is still closed so am going to have to wait for a trip to the ocean for the real results. Have to figure out a mounting system on the roof for an 8' inflatable tender I picked up. Also planning to put a partial top on the rear of the cabin to protect the entrance and give a place to duck under in foul weather. Getting close. Can taste the prawns and crab already.
:smt038
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys! Lots of little stuff to do yet but should be good to hit the water now anyway. Time to start throwing the boat funds at fuel.
 
Got her out for a nice overnighter trip in a small channel on the BC coast with my wife and and youngest son. Real happy with the performance of the new to me engine and overall boat in general. Pretty quick on step, good plaining and handling. Kind of have to relearn the reverse thing though after running the jet boat. I seem to be going the wrong way every time I back up. Did really well with the prawns, crab and even a couple red snapper. Looking like she is good to go for the season!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,248
Messages
1,429,268
Members
61,128
Latest member
greenworld
Back
Top