220 BR Listing to Starboard

[U869]

I have noticed that the 1995 Sea Ray 220 BR has started to list to Starboard. It even lists when in the slip and all the gear is removed.

The front cockpit is in need of full restoration: water has apparently intruded between the fiberglass cockpit and the stationary boat cushioning, causing the wood backing to rot and the staples have pulled away and, not being stainless, rotted as well. It's pretty ugly.

Does anyone know if the two situations are probably connected? Is water somehow "trapped" on the starboard side and not flowing to the bilge? Without knowing intimate details of this boats construction, how do I find out?

Regards
U869

 

[springer3]

I don't know the details on your boat, but my 215 EC has some watertight compartments in the bow. Sounds like one of your's got filled up and can't drain. Talk to an expert, for I am not one. On speculation, perhaps a hole saw to open an inspection port in the most likely compartment is the right start. Plumbers have expanding rubber stoppers for most popular pipe sizes. Cut the hole that size, and you have an of-the-shelf plug to re-seal the inspection port.

 

[chuck1]

Before you start cutting holes, you may want to talk to your local dealer or Sea Ray.

PS - You may get more responses if you update your signature with your boat/location info.

 

[U869]

Gentlemen:
Thank for for these thoughtful responses. They were of great help.

FYI, I spoke with my local Sea Ray service department and they expressed the opinion that if the boat is listing at the dock, it almost certainly MUST be leaking water from somewhere. And, the water MUST be trapped and the only way to find it is to start probing. And, hold on to your wallet.

I am in southern NJ and coastal waters of Cape May county. I am going to have the boat upolstry problem repaired and have Sea Ray service probe within the next two weeks and I will report the results.

I did not know that most or all of these boats have water tight compartments, by design then. Thanks for the info

Regards,
U869

 

[U869]

Hello All:

Well, the local Sea Ray boys indicate the boat is listing (perhaps unsafe going forward?) due to the entry of water thru the floor. The floor is the problem

According to the local, boats from 1995 were made with a solid wood floor, that was coated in fibergalss, top and bottom. When they attached anything like seats or carpet, that, of course, created a hole and over years the water has funelled and wicked into the wood and now the entire floor must be replaced. This analysis was as a result of me bringing the boat and listing problem to MarineMax and asking them for a resolution. They are not offering to do the work! Too big a job, but they will recommend "ind. contractors" familiar with the problem.

Since I did a full, tune up with many repairs / upgrades (recommended)this spring, shouldn't the experts give me some feedback on my boats condition? They did a water testing? ($$$$.$$) Money down the drain??

Not unique to Sea Ray? After 2000 (or so) this problem was not important as they went to a "solid fibergalss floor". Whoa!

Beware?? If your on a 1990 - 1999 Sea Ray should you be vigilant about possible floor failure? Listing? Replacement in the future?


You tell me.

No estimate on the floor replacement cost, I will post as received. I am not having a good day. For a 14-year boat, it's bristol condition makes this much worse.
Better for you I hope

I would love to hear some opinion on this: I won't be boating for a while
U869 SO NJ :smt089

 

[springer3]

One reason Sea Rays fetch better prices on the used boat market is they have a reputation for not rotting out prematurely. Are the places water got in factory attachements, or did someone drill in after the boat left the factory? How was the boat stored? I can imagine water will penetrate sooner if the boat was not covered. A humid environment also speeds rot. Fourteen years does seem very soon to have this problem, but I can understand why Sea Ray would not warranty the repair.

 

[U869]

springer3:
Thanks for your response, it's good to talk with someone that is interested.

There were no "non-factory" attachments later added to the boat. I have never drilled holes so the best thinking is the water entered around factory installed screw holes for the ski hatch, carpet screws, engine hatch, etc. The boat was always covered and stored either indoor or under a winter cover. Cockpit covers in the summer at berth.

I can tell you that I would never ever again take a hose up into the boat when doing a wash down and clean up. Perhaps you will tell me that of course I should have known that a boat's cockpit with permanent carpeting should remain dry under all conditions, but such is not the case with swimmers coming aboard dripping wet and the need to do clean-up.

There is atleast 1" of water in the bottom of the boat along with saturated wood flooring and all the foam that is placed in between at construction has wicked water. I cannot estimate how many pounds of water is being hauled around excess, but takes 200 lbs to conteract the list, so it has 200+.

I am told if the stingers are saturated and need replacement, the boat will never again go in the water. It's too bad, this is a nice looking, nicely kept boat. Replacing stringers is not an option according to my local guy.

It is good of you to express your opinon on Sea Ray boats: should I bring this to the attention of Sea Ray headquarters as I have not done so too date? Perhaps I should make some noise about this?

In any event, if anyone has a 1990's boat with permanent carpeting I would recoomend thinking twice about allowing wet swimmers or ever bringing in a water hose to clean up fish residue or bait. This is not an option for those boats as they need to be kept very dry inside the cockpit. And this is unacceptable for me with a sport boat, Sea Ray or other.

U869

 

[BiffStroganoffsky]

Wow...200lbs is a lot of water for the plywood in that flooring to hold. Any chance most of the water has collected in one of the cavities below the floor? The fact that it is listing to one side makes me think that most of the water has gone through and collected below the flooring. Do you see any noticeable bulges or soft spots in the floor? Since you have already put a sizable investment into it and really can't make it much worse, I might consider drilling some medium sized holes through the flooring and heating the space beneath the floor with a golden rod or two to see if that will dry it out and correct the listing. If there is a sloshing pool, go ahead and pump it out first. If that fixes the problem, I would go back and epoxy all the holes in the floor (including the previous non-factory stuff) or at least plug them before gluing down a new rubber membrane and carpet. If the holes and golden rod(s) don't get rid of the moisture, well...you probably didn't want to spend the money to have a professional fix it anyways. Good luck.

 

[springer3]

A squawk to Sea Ray can do no harm, and you might just get some relief. They need to study what happened to improve the design of future boats and possibly send an advisory to existing owners to take preventive measures. Extented warranties are great PR at a relatively modest cost. Sea Ray has high owner loyalty, and they should be willing to invest in their reputation. I am on my second, and I never even looked at another brand. My 82 205 Seville had permanent carpet. My 96 215 EC has snap-in carpet. I prefer the snap-in because of easy clean-up. Neither boat has rot problems, but both were trailered to the water.

All that said, why are you not willing to invest in the repair? Rotted floors and transoms are common, and repair procedures are in the DIY range if you are an average or better carpenter. A fellow who used to work for me replaced his entire floor by himself, and still uses the boat a decade later.

 

[U869]

Thanks to everyyone for weighing in.
I contacted Sea Ray customer service and ask for some help and opinions. The rep refused to push this to the next level and basically said what do I want from a 14-year old boat? They maybe interested in the end result, "sure, let us know". They didn't express any particular interest in seeing the survey, although they originally recommended it.

After speaking with 3 surveyors and several boat yards, I do not think this a DIY project. Taking up everything and then the floor is one thing: almost all opinions indicate that the floatation has wicked the water and needs replacement as well and 75% suspect partial stringer failure, especially in the rear starboard quarter.

So basically, I will be pulling everything out and down to the shell and if the stringers are saturated, 100% opinion say it's a no go. How much I need to spend to get to this point is relevant.
Regards,
U869

 

[springer3]

Too bad Sea Ray is not standing behind it, but after 14 years it is understandable. Depending on the condition of the rest of the boat, you may find someone willing to buy it and tackle the floor replacement. Otherwise, a salvage yard will sell the engine and fittings. Do something soon. Let it sit too long, and everything of value left in the boat deteriorates.