Interested in a Sea Ray

[speakrdude]

Hello All. I am looking at purchasing an 88 model 300 WE (30' Weekender) fixer upper kinda project. I'm into that kinda thing. I have restored a couple of 28' Bayliners and a Maxum ski boat so far so I am not a stranger to this madness.
Any pointers on this boat? Good or bad? I have never owned an inboard, just I/O's. Will I need special highway permits to haul an 11' wide boat through 4 states?

Thankx in advance.

 

[Sundancer]

You'll definitely need the permits! They can be found online fairly easy depending on which states you are planning to travel through.

I'm partial to boats of that era and they are generally a good platform to start from. I'd still get a survey to get a heads up on stringer and transom rot. They will note other things as well. You can leverage that list in the price especially in this market!

Where are you located and what four states are you hauling through? Is this a freshwater or saltwater boat?

 

[speakrdude]

Is a good enough deal that I will probably fore-go the surveyor route. Is in Southern FL so I will assume salt water most all of its life. Is fresh water cooled so I should only be looking at the man's. for replacement. The engines are a work in progress as one has just been replaced and the other is in the reassembly stage, still out of the boat. Shafts, rudder, props, all look to be in ok shape. Trailering is a 1250 mile journey through FL, GA, AL,TN, and finally all the way through AR. Trailer is a triple axle aluminum, 30 footer. I've installed electric brakes on the front axle only (so far) and my tow vehicle is an 03 K1500 Chevy Z71 w/ off road towing package.

 

[beerman]

Wow. Hopefully you are joking about the truck/trailer combo. Do a search on here as there has been a lot of discussion regarding towing.

 

[Scottzzzy]

I would check the towing capacity and the dry weight on that boat. Seems like there is an issue there. There has been some discussion about insurance liabilities when you exceed the listed capacity on the vehicle.

 

[Sundancer]

The dry weight on my boat is very similar to your Weekender. It's around 10,000 lbs OFF the trailer. Add the trailer in and you are staring at over 12,000 lbs EASY! Depending on your axle ratio that could be double your tow rating. Your front wheels will be VERY light on the ground and with only one electric brake on the front axle you probably don't meet the requirements in any state! Most mandate brakes on each axle, but I'm sure some states have exceptions to that rule. I'd rent a truck for that load rather than tear my own up. It will be a whole lot cheaper in the long run! I weighed our boat with 1/3 fuel in the gas tanks as I was bringing it home from storage and we tipped the scales at 12,600 lbs with 990 lbs on the hitch. I have a beefed up hitch too! I really would encourage you to look at a renting a tow vehicle or go to one of the online boat haulers to see what they would charge. It might not be as bad as you think!

 

[trebbel]

On a 1988 300WE look carefully at the stringers for rot and/or cracks. Blisters are an issue on some of these boats. Positives are many on this boat, we had one for many years. The rails on deck are steel, not teak for lower maintenance. The 350's are good performers and economical. Wide beam, roomy cockpit. Great boat for a couple and room for another or two if you really like them...

When I was a kid my parents had the berth, my sister got the dinette and I got the floor. I thought we were kings! I think yo uwill love this boat.

Please listen to the other guys about towing...

Good luck with your new boat.

 

[speakrdude]

Sounds like I should take my Ford f350. Its a box truck but it considerbly heavier rig for towing. The sad part is, the dealership who is selling me the vessel said my truck would be ok.
Thanks for everyone's input.
Now, back to the boat. Any pointers?
jim

 

[Weave]

The dealer will tell you ANYTHING you want to hear regarding towing capacity...They assume ZERO liability if you were to drive off the lot and kill someone not being able to stop that monster sized boat. The last thing they want to do is lose a possible sale due to them telling you you are not outfitted to tow safely.
You are MUCH better off with the F350.
Let us know if ya buy the boat!

 

[Tail Chaser 661]

Theres no way you want to pull that distance with a 1/2 ton truck.

The brakes are not made for slowing down that much wgt.
And the Transmission/Driveshaft/Rearend is not made for pulling that much wgt.

You could end up with a very expensive repair bill along with the white knuckle ride.

 

[tollycraft]

Sounds like I should take my Ford f350. Its a box truck but it considerbly heavier rig for towing. The sad part is, the dealership who is selling me the vessel said my truck would be ok.
Thanks for everyone's input.
Now, back to the boat. Any pointers?
jim

Hi Jim. I have the same boat. Wouldn't trade her for anything. You'll like the straight screws, she handles well. The 350's are great engines. Fairly fast for a a cruiser its size. I found the sweet spot to be 3100 rpm's which gives me 28 mph. Very stable boat, jumps up on plane quickly for a boat that size although I take her up slowly as I'm not one to crack open the throttles when there is no need to. She has a great ride and handles well in heavy seas. Congrats on the boat, I think you'll like her.

 

[tollycraft]

Hi Jim. I have the same boat. Wouldn't trade her for anything. You'll like the straight screws, she handles well. The 350's are great engines. Fairly fast for a a cruiser its size. I found the sweet spot to be 3100 rpm's which gives me 28 mph. Very stable boat, jumps up on plane quickly for a boat that size although I take her up slowly as I'm not one to crack open the throttles when there is no need to. She has a great ride and handles well in heavy seas. Congrats on the boat, I think you'll like her.

By the way, I agree with Sundancer regarding you towing the boat. My 07 Chev Sierra has a heavy duty towing package but is still only rated for 10,000 lbs which isn't enough for that boat, I wouldn't tow mine as I believe the liability is too great. The boat is definitly over sized for the road so permits will be required. I don't think it's worth it in the end as the guys that do this for a living have everything in place to haul a boat that size and if something goes wrong, your bacon is covered. Good luck with the boat, keep us informed.