Buying my first ski boat, a Sea Ray 182 SRX

neuro

New Member
Jul 20, 2018
7
Memphis, TN
Boat Info
2003 SEA Ray 182 SRX
Engines
Mercruiser 4.3
I'm looking to buy a 182 SRX (2003) this weekend, looks like it's been very well kept, 220 hours on the Mercruiser 4.3. Any questions especially for this particular boat that I should ask other than the usual, or things I should look for? Owner did say that the speedometer recently stopped working, any ideas what might cause that? And the RPM gauge occasionally reads double the actual value. Other than that, no known issues. Thanks for the feedback.
 
All of the small SeaRays of that era are solid boats (185, 182, 190 etc). The 4.3 / Alpha I engine package is pretty bullet proof and simple to work on when there is a problem. The one issue with the 4.3 is oil leaks around the timing cover - check for that cause if it is bad it can be an expensive repair because the engine has to come out. If it is not leaking by now it probably won't, check around the bottom / front of the oil pan, if there is oil there, then it is probably leaking. There is no or minimal wood in the boat, plus most don't stay in the water, so rot in transom, stringers etc is really not a concern. It is of the age that some maintenance items are due - outdrive bellows, shift cable etc, so I would get the maintenance history.

My little 185 is a 1999 with 650hrs on it and really has been a great little boat, I've done the maintenance items and rebuilt the carburetor, but nothing you would not expect on a boat that age. As far as the speedometer, the pickup is built into the outdrive, a little hole on the leading edge just below the cavitation plate - it can get clogged with debris, use a wire tie to clean it out.

Good luck, these little SeaRays are probably the best you can buy for the money in a small bowrider.
 
Good info from Bill...

Good luck and welcome to CSR!
 
Newbie here.... thanks for listening in advance...Just bought a 1999 180 bow rider inboard outboard. I’m seeing some small drips of oil coming from 2 small holes on the outdrive...is this normal? Second question...couldn’t find a switch for the bulge pump and so I’m assuming there is no switch and it’s automatic? I lifted the flap in bilge and still no pump kicking on? Any thoughts
 
The oil leaking is not normal, but not a huge deal either. The two main places it can leak are:

1. Oil seal carrier. This is a cone shaped thing underneath the water pump. Might as well replace the water pump impeller while you are doing it, since the pump has to come apart.

2. The shift shaft seal. Another easy thing to do, it is in the front of the drive, where the L shaped shift shaft is.

Both of these are wear items and common things to replace.

You will need to remove the drive and take the upper lower apart to determine which one of these is leaking. It's possible the upper seals are leaking, but check these two common/easy fixes first.
 
The bilge pump switch is right there on the dash - unless a previous owner removed it. The auto part of it should always work as it should be wired direct to the battery - check that, first. Try the dash switch. Then check the fuses. Then bypass the float, direct from the battery, to see if it's bad and/or if the pump is good/bad.
 

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