1988 34' express cruiser

[vat-19]

Hello, I am a newby and would like some advice and honest advice. We made an offer on a 1988 searay express cruiser with original 7.4 l inboard mercruiser FWC motors, showing 1359 hrs on the motors. The boat appears to be well maintained however I am worred about the amount of hrs. Is this something that I should worry about. I am also in search of fuel consumption numbers at different speeds and rpm. The broker tells me that I should get about 1 mile per gal at 20 knots, so that would equate to about 20 gals/ hr.
Also there are cracks in the gelcoat around the side exhaust for the motors and generator, should I be concerned about this?

Thank you in advance for your support and direction

 

[witchhouse]

I would suggest you get a survey by a certified surveyor. Get your own don't use brokers. Just my opinion. I did not and wish I did although I will have one done in the next few weeks before launch.. I was willing to gamble with the boat but not my family.

Good luck

Witch

 

[tollycraft]

Hello, I am a newby and would like some advice and honest advice. We made an offer on a 1988 searay express cruiser with original 7.4 l inboard mercruiser FWC motors, showing 1359 hrs on the motors. The boat appears to be well maintained however I am worred about the amount of hrs. Is this something that I should worry about. I am also in search of fuel consumption numbers at different speeds and rpm. The broker tells me that I should get about 1 mile per gal at 20 knots, so that would equate to about 20 gals/ hr.
Also there are cracks in the gelcoat around the side exhaust for the motors and generator, should I be concerned about this?

Thank you in advance for your support and direction

Cant address the mileage as I have 30 ft EC with 5.7s. You definatly need to get a survey for the hull and the engines. As far as the cracks around the exhaust ports, the surveyer will address that. However, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it as most of the Sea Rays I've seen your year (including mine) have them, not sure why, but never been a problem for me and the surveyer didn't have a problem either. No question here though get the survey done.

 

[tobnpr]

Based upon the age and hours on the engines I would factor in the cost of a repower when considering the boat's value.

Given the current market, unless the boat were realistically priced to reflect this, I'd look for one that has been recently repowered.

Probably no reason to be concerned about the cracking you see around the exhausts (got a pic?). I have it as well, it's a fairing putty used to blend the exhaust tubes into the hullsides after they're glassed in place- not structural in nature.

 

[sprink56]

I have a 1989 39 EC and mine was repowered in 2001 and now has 600 hrs on the re-powered engines. Don't know what the ask is on your deal but if you have to re-power you will spend $15K~$20K to get it done.

Keep your eyes open for that model (which is a good one) that has been re-powered. They are out there and can be had reasonably.

The other issue that would drive a deal for me on that model is does it have A/C and a generator?

Good Luck.

 

[vat-19]

Thank you for your response. It has a 7kw westerbeke genset with 545 hrs and looks to be a 12,000 btu crusair. The engine compart is clean and appears to have been well maintained.

Thanks in advance for your direction and support

 

[tmal2]

Hello, I am a newby and would like some advice and honest advice. We made an offer on a 1988 searay express cruiser with original 7.4 l inboard mercruiser FWC motors, showing 1359 hrs on the motors. The boat appears to be well maintained however I am worred about the amount of hrs. Is this something that I should worry about.

vat-19, I've got a 1989 340EC. Not much changed between the 88 and 89.

The hours would be my biggest concern with that boat. In my eyes, you're on borrowed time with that many hours. You may get another 100-200 hours out of them but they may also fail tomorrow. You're at that point.

I am also in search of fuel consumption numbers at different speeds and rpm. The broker tells me that I should get about 1 mile per gal at 20 knots, so that would equate to about 20 gals/ hr.

I think 20 GPH is slightly optimistic but in the ballpark for the 7.4s. I cruise at about 3000 RPM which gives me about 20-23 knots. At that speed I'm burning about 23-25 GPH in good water. I'm sure you would be close to those numbers. If the boat you are looking at is a 340DA (Sundancer) I thing the GPH will be just a little bit higher.

Also there are cracks in the gelcoat around the side exhaust for the motors and generator, should I be concerned about this?

Thank you in advance for your support and direction

Don't worry about those cracks. I have not seen a Searay of that generation with the same exhaust that didn't have those cracks. It's nothing structural.
A few other things you will want to look for in that year/model are leaks. Many of the ones I've seen all leak in the same spot. The first is in the port side closet. Recaulking the window frame and rubrail should fix this problem. A second common spot for leaks is just above the galley right below where the horn is. I'm fighting a leak there myself. (Read this thread for more information. http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17175)

One other issue common on these boats was a worn/dry rotted headliner at the end of the counter near the head door. I've seen it on numerous similar boats. It MAY be from the location of the heat/AC vent. It blows out right there onto the headliner.

My only other gripe with the boat is the engine room. Searay did a horrible job designing here. Working down in the bilge can be frustrating at times due to where things are placed. As an example, both inboard exhause hoses run directly over my strainers. They are about 8 inches above them. Something as simple as cleaning the screen basket becomes a very frustrating job since I can only get the baskets 3/4 of the way out before I hit the exhaust hose. It would have been very easy for Searay to mount the strainers someplace else and the engineers should have caught this but they didn't.
Other than the things mentioned. I do think it's a fantasic boat. It's tough to find that kind of room in any other boat of the same size/year.

I've had my 340 for 6 years now and have been over just about every part of it. If you have any other questions I'd be more than happy to help with what I can.

Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

 

[vat-19]

WOW, thank you for all your great info. This going to be our first searay and we are pretty excited. Of course we will be having it surveyed but I just wanted some more info. The engines are fresh water cooled and appear to be in good shape. I will have the surveyor do a complete engine survey including an engine compression. I have heard of some owners getting as much as 2000 - 3000 hrs on these motors. I guess as long as I keep the rpms below 3000 it should last a little longer. Do you have flow scans? The boat I am looking at is a repo, however the previous owner really looked like the took care of it. The only thing that has to be done is new canvas and a good wash and wax. There is some wood rot in the cockpit area but htis is minor in my opinion. I would like to carry this dialogue elsewhere to further discuss boating. I can be contacted at vat-19@juno.com
I hope this is okay and eagerly look forward to your response.
Thank you for your direction and support

 

[NorCal Boater]

Vat,

There are way too many of these ECs and DAs around to buy one with high hours and rot anywhere. Unless you are getting the boat for under $20k I would continue to search. I bought my '89 3 years ago with only 440 hours.

Look around. I think you can do better regardless of what a surveyor says. :smt009

 

[SCORPIO]

What is rotten? If its jsut the upholstered panels on the sides thats an easy DIY job. Now if its the deck or superstructure thats rotten, thats a whole different ball game. Not a simple DIY project and could be a lot of $$$$ to have it done professionally.
JMHO