Almost, maybe, a Sea Ray owner with a question...

B

Bonecat

New Member
May 9, 2021
2
Boat Info
1999 180 BR 3.0
Engines
3.0 mercruiser
Hey all. First time poster in search of some insight...

My wife and I have a small cottage on an inland lake system in central Michigan (Horsehead Lake). There are three lakes, the main lake and two much smaller lakes that connect to it via shallow channels. Water levels in these comparatively short channels (<100 yds) hovers around 20” - 24”.

My wife suggested that we get a small sport boat to pull a tube and those sorts of jocularities. We’re both retired and the budget doesn’t stretch to a new boat. We stopped by a local dealer and came across a 1999 Sea Ray 180 bowrider with a 3.0 stern drive. The boat has obviously been well cared for and is very clean and the price was reasonable, given today’s realities. We were sufficiently impressed to put a small deposit on the boat yesterday to hold it.

After doing some further reading, I’m growing a bit concerned that navigating those shallow channels could be a problem. I have had prop strike in those places in a couple inattentive moments with my 20’ pontoon boat. The channels cannot be gone through at speed due to wake restrictions and local etiquette, so I’ll be picking my way through regardless.

I’m a reasonably experienced Great Lakes sailor, but my power boating experience is limited to outboard powered small boats. I’m really not familiar with stern drive boats.

So, with all of that as background, do you think we’ll be ok with the 180, or should I be looking for something with an outboard that I get farther out of the water?

I’m going to have to make this decision in the next day or so and would appreciate any insight I can get from more experienced boaters. Many Thanks!!
 
I like stern drive boats due to the clean transom area, visibility to the rear, and familiarity with the engine; however, if it were me in your area, I would look for an outboard.

20 inches of water is pushing a stern drive because you will have to raise the drive up pretty high while running and risk binding your driveshaft.
you also have to account for those seasons when the water will be unusually low.
 
An outboard would be better. The higher you have the drive up the more stress you are putting on the U joints of the sterndrive. It won't damage anything right away, but I don't think it would be a good thing in the long run. Also, I'm not sure a 3.0 stern drive would be a good choice for pulling tubes, etc. I would think you would want at least a 4.3 stern drive for pulling tubes.
 
I agree about the 3.0L. I'd test that boat with several hole shots and at least 4 people on board and see if the performance is adequate. I think you'll find it'll struggle.
 
I'd be looking for a boat with a jet drive. It can navigate in those depths no problem. Probably won't be a Sea Ray
 
Agree with the 3.0L comments. I owned basically the same boat with same engine for 5 years. Was the perfect starter boat for me, but you may have a hard time pulling tubers. Won't be efficient anyway, and may have a hard time getting out of the hole. Especially if you have 4 people on board
 
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Outboard with stainless steel prop works in really shallow water. Less weight, it draws less water as H. Bogart told Hepburn. Spinning the prop in mud polishes it although the occasional rock requires a little filing. Water pick-up is low while my I/O's Alpha one wants 18" coverage. Outboard definitely shoots stream of water out piss hole when there is adequate coverage despite being tilted at 45 nearly degrees. I/O has a less positive indicator. Get a used performance rig with the whole outboard on a hydraulically raised bracket. Can't imagine a fisher with a sterndrive.
 
Outboard with stainless steel prop works in really shallow water. Less weight, it draws less water as H. Bogart told Hepburn. Spinning the prop in mud polishes it although the occasional rock requires a little filing. Water pick-up is low while my I/O's Alpha One wants 18" coverage. Outboard definitely shoots stream of water out piss hole when there is adequate coverage despite being tilted at nearly 45 degrees. I/O has a less positive indicator. Get a used performance rig with the whole outboard on a hydraulically raised bracket. Can't imagine a fisher with a sterndrive.

To winterize your outboard, place it in the upright position and top off the tank with the 100% gas you've used the latter part of the season and disconnect the battery. The I/O is confusing or costs $500 and may have a cracked block in the spring if you got it wrong.
 
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I owned the EXACT same boat as you. As long as you're not loading the boat up with lot's of people, you'll be just fine pulling the kiddos on a tube. Skiing and wakeboarding is fine, too. It's not a rocket ship, but the hull design is very good. You could always change the prop for a better hole shot (but you'd lose top end). I did that for the times I was going out with buddies to mess around. Only takes 5 minutes to change a prop (or leave it on the whole season). Pulled a slalom skier very well with that - even pulled two skiers (on two skiis each) so we could battle and try to knock the other one down! Another option is SmartTabs - fantastic option for hole shot.

However, that boat floats (with no one in it), like most similar boats, in about 18" of water. There's no way you're going to be able to run the engine (without causing damage) in the depths you mentioned. Can't happen.

How do you feel about paddling through or poleing through?

Even with a jet boat, that's risking problems as it could suck up small stones.
 
I would ask and look around the lakes you are on. What are others using? There probably is a reason. I'm thinking an outboard powered boat would be more practical for navigating those channels. Sticky with an aluminum prop. If you ding something you will more likely only damage the prop. In many cases it can be repaired. A stainless prop will transfer the impact to the drive components. You are more likely to break something much more expensive. Unless you are going for a higher HP motor you won't notice the performance difference between the two props. That said the 180 is a really nice boat and the 3.0 is decent power for what you will be doing. You just need to figure out how to navigate the channels.
 
Thanks for everybody’s insights, as nice as the boat is, it isn’t right for us and I’ve let the deal go.

However, I have a line on a 1998 Sea Ray 180 bow rider that has a 115 hp Mercury outboard that is original to the boat. I’m going to look at it tomorrow afternoon. It appears to be in reasonable condition and has been actively used and maintained. It’s currently in the water and I will be able to hear it run and possibly take it for a short ride.

Any input on what I should be looking at/for? I’ve tried to locate more details on the boat, but can’t find much. If anyone can direct me to to that stuff - brochures, manuals, etc. - I’d be grateful.

Thanks again for helping out a newbie...
 
The link in post 16 has the owners manual, the Sea Ray website has additional information on legacy boats. Sometimes you need to go forward or backwards a year or two because they don’t change the manuals every year.
 
first issue is power as it should have a 150hp V-6 but can get by with a V-4. The 2 strokes were more powerful, especially on initial pull. Early (90s) 4-strokes were anemic but did not have oil in the fuel (automatically injected from separate oil tank) which smelled and smoked slightly. First Merc 4-strokes were Chinese, Tohatsu, with a good reputation. That old, a compression check would be good. Cylinders should be w/i 5 psi of one another and max pressure is less important. A 4-stroke will have a dipstick and you can look at oil which should not be too dirty or cloudy and at marks. If hull has wooden deck, walk it w/ care feeling for soft spots. A rotted boat should be rejected.
 
From experience, not just theory... that 115HP on that boat is fantastic. The boat actually ran very well with the standard 90HP. You'll be very happy.

The boat is a VERY solid boat. Fiberglass stringers and floor. From '98-'01 (that was the model run), it was the best selling boat in America!

For compression (if you know how to do that), look for no more than about a 10% swing from highest to lowest. However, even if it's a little outside that range, I wouldn't really be too worried. If it runs well and gets up to speed and RPM, go for it. Don't wait - good boats are selling VERY quickly for top dollar, right now.
 
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