advice on an oldie

[jakebrake]

Hello All!

i'm new to boating, and, on a budget. Ran across one, and i'd like a few more opinions.

1973 srv 220 888 mercruiser (rebuilt 3 years ago) one 6inch by 6 inch soft spot on floor, hull solid, transom seems rock solid, trailer, winterized and parked 3/08, no engine cover.

very reasonable price tag.

the hatch to the cabin may or may not be missing (the interior was all removed as the owner was going to redo it, but his situation has changed a bit)

any worries with this boat/engine combo?
a little work doesn't frighten me.

 

[rob83srv225]

as long as the transom and stringers are solid, go for it and fix her up, and post some pics along the way, i love to see the classics. rob

 

[keokie]

Hold on a minute. That soft spot on the floor is typically just the tip of the iceberg to much larger problems. Also, in the 70's Sea Ray used a lot of steel gas tanks and foamed them in to the structure. When they rust through (and eventually they all do) the fuel leakage into the foam is a huge hazard. A rusted through tank is difficult to diagnose, and even more difficult to replace. Sea Ray has since stopped using steel for gas tanks and doesn't foam them in any more.

 

[jakebrake]

Keokie
That soft spot is where the drivers seat was mounted. It appears to be at a seam. I guess it would be moe accurate to say a crack in the floor. Then again, I could be just splitting hairs.

 

[keokie]

A crack in the floor is still a problem as it lets in moisture. This leads to rot that degrades the backbone of the boat. Also, in the case of the steel tank boats (which I am 99% sure this one is) it allows the foam to become saturated. This means the fuel tank will rust from the inside and the outside. The soft spot/crack in the floor would have me heading for the door. A foamed in steel tank.... I run.

There are plenty of fantastic old Sea Rays for very, very little money. I'd skip the built in steel gas tanks for sure, and heavily avoid any with indications of rot.

 

[AKBASSKING]

In getting a "classic" you will have to be willing to spend a lot of money and time on it. It is not just a "turn key" operation. As stated above, you will need to upgrade and take care of all the "soft" spots. What you don't want is that once you buy the boat you find out the structural repairs are more than the boat is worth.

Unless you are a really good DIY kind of guy, having someone else do it will crash your budget fast.

Good luck.

 

[dig2fly]

Hello All!

i'm new to boating, and, on a budget. Ran across one, and i'd like a few more opinions.

1973 srv 220 888 mercruiser (rebuilt 3 years ago) one 6inch by 6 inch soft spot on floor, hull solid, transom seems rock solid, trailer, winterized and parked 3/08, no engine cover.

very reasonable price tag.

the hatch to the cabin may or may not be missing (the interior was all removed as the owner was going to redo it, but his situation has changed a bit)

any worries with this boat/engine combo?
a little work doesn't frighten me.

The manufacturers holesawed 2-3" holes in the floor to pour in expanding foam. The foam is of the open cell type which works like a sponge. When water wicks through the foam it travels to the wood stringers and the transom which is plywood core. I repaired my '77 20' SeaRay by cutting out 30% of the floor, drying and treating anything else questionable with penetrating epoxy ,and replacing the floor ,then foaming through the holes and glassing over the floor to seal it. Its a nasty job and I don't think I will do that again. Dig2fly

 

[jakebrake]

well, i did it now.
picked up my new old boat last night. an 88 seville cuddy. Needs an impeller and a steering cable. Both pretty straightforward jobs, i assume? the impeller looks pretty basic. is the steering cable a real pain?