Bringing home a 1985 30' Weekender

DKRanger22

DKRanger22

Member
Apr 28, 2009
135
Eastlake, OH
Boat Info
300 Weekender, 1985
Engines
Twin 350 Crusaders, 270 HP
It's been difficult getting sleep the past few nights!! On Friday, I will be traveling from Cleveland, OH up to St Clair, MI to take delivery of my new (well, 24 year old, but new to me) 30' Weekender. :grin: Arranging for freight and all of the various neuances of taking it from one marina to another have been exhausting, but I believe everything is falling into place (fingers crossed, I won't relax until it is dockside here on the Chagrin).

The boat has been beautifully maintained. Indoor stored during the winter, covered storage in the summer - sure seems to have done wonders as there is no sign of sun fading on any of the cockpit upholestery or striping... just plain, well taken care of. I can't wait to fire up those 350's and give her a dance.

Here are a few pics. Hope you enjoy them! (first pic shows old upholestry on the seats, which is the only upholstery in the cockpit to be recovered, which can be seen in the following pics - everything else is original and mint condition).

302.jpg


304.jpg


301.jpg


303.jpg


Andrew K.
 
Andrew,

Where do you dock at on the Chagrin, i have several friends who keep ther boats there, and they all hapen to be 25 to 40ft Sea Rays !!!!!! Robert
 
looks good...enjoy it.
 
Nice one, good luck
 
Great looking boat! I am looking for one just like it. Where do you dock in Chagrin?
 
We enjoyed our 1986 WEr. It was the same color. In 1986 the color was the lightest SR sold. It was called "Sand." We paid $53,000 for the 86 new and sold it in 1993 for $43,000.
 
Thanks for all of the positive comments, fellas! I will be docking on the main channel right across the river from LCYC and Sima. I'll be two boats in front of a 25.5' 1985 Amberjack (Honeybug), which is the boat I grew up on (neighbors). I should be docked and in the water at some point next week.

Robert - who are the folks (or boats) that you know on the Chagrin? I know quite a few people there.
 
Hey DKRanger,

Thanks for sharing the photos of your new baby. Send me any additional photos you may have,especially of the interior if you don't mind. I want to get a good look at a nice 30ft. Weekender.
Mooner
 
Mooner,

I'm going to be heading up to Michigan to pick her up tomorrow. The only photos that I have right now are the ones posted above, which the owner sent me via email. I'll be sure to take the digital camera and document the entire move, and give you some nice pictures once I get her home and shined up. It's going to be a busy weekend of polishing, painting (bottom needs some good ablative put on it), and prep for the splash date!
 
Well, after a long week of anticipation and another long day on the road, my baby is finally home and sitting on the shores of the Chagrin river awaiting a fresh coat of bottom paint and some elbow grease with the orbital buffer. And I couldn't be happier :grin:

Every now and then, you run into certain people that make you think "what is this world coming to?" Luckily for me, everyone who I have met along the way to owning my first Searay has turned out to be a remarkable group of people. All perfect strangers just over a week ago, but now a group of people I will not soon forget on this memorable day. And I owe a debt of gratitude to each and every one of them for making this happen.

First and foremost, the previous owners Ken and his wife, were a pleasure to meet and deal with. After taking a closer look at this 24 year old boat, you get a better appreciation for the amount of time, effort, and hard work that went into every inch of this thing. I plan to pick up the torch right where you left it, as this will be my pride and joy. Hopefully, you can rest easy knowing she's in good hands. Ken and his wife adjusted their schedules to acommodate my visits, provided me with tons of history, documentation and information on the boat, and afforded me a fantastic opportunity to own a tremendous boat. I am looking forward to many years of enjoyment. I can't thank you enough.

Secondly, I owe a big thanks to Dave's Marine Transport from Marblehead, OH. Dave and his wife Marnie own and operate the company, and come from many years of boating experience, having managed and operated a marina in Marblehead for a number of years. Dave has some top of the line equipment (GMC C4500 and a Hostar GS3600 hydraulic air ride trailer), which handled 10,000 lbs of Searay through the bumpy streets of Detroit with ease. What really set Dave and Marnie apart from the other transporters that I called was their customer service. Marnie took the responsbility of making pick up and delivery arrangements with both marinas, which would have probably given me gray hair, had I had to do this on my own. Talk about service! If anyone is in need of hauling a boat in and around the Great Lakes region, I highly recommend that you give these guys a call: www.davesmarinetransport.com

I also owe a big thanks to John over at City Marine in Eastlake. My experience with John has been quite contrary to what you typically see here on the Chagrin. Normally, the marinas see a newbie like me coming from a mile away, and they proceed to rake you through the coals. John, however, made arrangements to receive my boat on very short notice, and provided the space, jackstands, power, and water necessary to get my boat water ready for a nominal fee. John - If you continue to operate your business in this fashion, it will continue to boom for many years to come.

And finally, I owe some thanks to the folks up at River's Bend Marina in St. Clair for moving a handful of boats to make mine accessable for the pickup.

For a while, I was doubtful that everything would fall into place, but thanks to all of these wonderful people, this turned out to be a fantastic day.

On the hoist...
IMG_0074.jpg


IMG_0075.jpg


Dave backing in to position...
IMG_0076.jpg


IMG_0077.jpg


Ken and his wife...
IMG_0078.jpg


I'm the idiot with the big dumb grin on my face...
IMG_0079.jpg


A shot of Dave's rig back home at City Marine in Eastlake...
IMG_0080.jpg


Temporary home for the weekend of prep work...
IMG_0081.jpg


My brother might be happier than I am - he hasn't paid a dime and will enjoy the boat as much as I will. I can't complain, he did buy me dinner and beers...
IMG_0082.jpg


More pictures to come as I make some progress over the weekend...
 
Awesome!! Hopefully, I'll get to see your boat this summer. I just hope I can find one similar to yours. Thanks for sharing and have fun.
Mooner
 
Great boat I have 86 30ft. weekender,good luck.
 
hi i just purchased the same exact boat in new jersey and i cant wait to go out on her for the first time , do you like the boat and how does she handle ? this is my first sea ray and 30 ft boat and noticed you have the same one
 
i have a 30 weekender.. you will love the handling.. great riding boat.. is a wet boat thou... she is great around the docks too... i can put her anywhere i want her docking... just keep an eye on the limber holes in the stringers.. i have heard alot of stories of rot.. and the anchor locker is desinged kinda stupidly the rain water runs right in under the hatch and rots it out... then fills locker and plugs little drain and you will end up with water infront of berth..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,182
Messages
1,428,060
Members
61,088
Latest member
SGT LAT
Back
Top