Motor Q. please answer

J

jimbow912

New Member
Jul 30, 2010
51
MA
Boat Info
1985 21' sea ray cc
Engines
5.7L 350 merc w/alpha 1 drive
this is my new boat
I just bought a 1985 21' sea ray cubby cab has no motor what tipe of motor is in that size boat i think its the 470 3.7L :smt017
 
Last edited:
I have an '83 225 cuddy cabin, and it has a GM 350 in it.
 
Check with Sea Ray and they should be able to help you out. My 1987 has a 260 hp Mercruiser powered by a Chevy 350. For the 87' there was only the option for OMC or Merc and no options for smaller hp. I didn't see a listing for engine on the sales brochures from Sea Ray for your boat(Searay.com). Good luck, I like the layout a lot so far our boat has been great for weekends out on the lakes. :smt001
 
there is a long # on the back right of the stern will that help i did not look up that # yet and there is a serial # on the Transom:smt100
 
You might be able to give those numbers to Sea Ray and if they have old documentation, they might be able to tell you what engine came in that boat. Is just the engine missing or is the whole power package missing? Does your boat title or registration say how many horsepower the boat had? If we knew what your purpose was of finding out the original engine size then we might be able to help you some more.

If the boat did come with a 3.7, I wouldn't put one back in it unless everything else to support the basic motor was still there. I don't think you'd be happy with the performance of the 3.7 and they have their share of problems. A 3400 pound, 21' cuddy is lot of boat for a 4 cylinder engine.

Looking a little closer, I see there are 3 more 1987 21' cuddy's:
the Monaco - http://www.searay.com/boat_graphics/electronic_brochure/company1729/1C1_27_74DERNKB5514.pdf
the Seville Cuddy - http://www.searay.com/boat_graphics/electronic_brochure/company1729/1C1_27_74DERNKCR516.pdf
the Seville Midcabin - http://www.searay.com/boat_graphics/electronic_brochure/company1729/1C1_27_74DERNKD0517.pdf
If you can determine which one of the 4 you have then go to the prop selection chart at http://www.searay.com/boat_graphics/electronic_brochure/Company1729/1C1_25_74DEIP4PW0I.pdf and you'll see what engines were available in that boat.

Larry
 
sea ray call me back 2day and told me what motor it had a 4.3L V6 in it and now one of my grandfathers friends showed up and he is all in sea rays and looked at it but 1 thing was puzzleing there is a pipe comeing out of the bottom on the engine compartment and it hase a ball cock and it looked jimmy riged for somthing. the guy i got it from pulled the motor out and then sold me the boat and trailer for 300 bucks i for got to ask him what motor was in it and now i want to know what this pipe was for im thinking he hade a 350 in it and he wanted it i dont know.
 

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yea the motor is not there and the Sterndrive but the Transom and avery thing is there needs motor and out drive if it hade a 4.3l in it can i go up to the 350?

 
The egg shaped knob on the bolt is for a sliding seat to secure it.
 
i just need to know what that pipe was used for it gos down to and under the boat to the water intake strainer but it looks like the pipe was rerouted for somthing may be a biger motor if any one have any pics of the motor bay in that year that can be a big help to :smt001
 
OK, since it has a strainer, it's definitely a water intake of some sort. Your boat has an I/O (engine/drive) setup, so cooling water should come from the outdrive, not the hull. I don't know what that's for unless the boat had a raw water washdown system installed at some point in time.

As for the replacement engine, it all depends on what has been done to the boat. It looks to me like the boat still has the original engine mount points, so it probably is still setup for the 4.3. I believe if you go to a V8 (5.0/305 or 5.7/350) you may find that the engine mounts need to be further forward. I'm sure you could put a V8 in the boat, but how much modification are you willing to do? The V8 is longer than the V6 so even the engine cover may interfere. A V6 should drop right in with no modifications.

Larry
 
ok so ill just stay with the 4.3L how good is the 4.3L?
kay thanks for the info so far:smt038
 
I've never had a 4.3, but I can say the 4.3 was much better than the 3.8 that Merc offered for a few years. The 4.3 has been used in boats for many years I know of no major problems or concerns. I would go with one with a 4 barrel carburetor. You'll need a complete engine since I assume everything is gone that was attached to the original. That means the marine carburetor with flame arrestor, marine fuel pump, and marine ignition system. Don't use car parts! If you can find a complete MPI engine that would be worth considering.

Larry
 
im trying to find a web site that tells u how to swap a 4.3L to a 5.7L :smt024
 
The Vortec is a better choice. More power and more fuel efficient. I would buy the most complete engine I could find. If you need a carb, starter, fuel pump and/or distributor you'll need to purchase marine ignition protected versions and they cost a bit more than automotive versions. Are you short on time or money? If so, I'd go with a complete 4.3L. If it's neither, then the 5.7 could be an interesting project if you think it is feasible meaning that it would fit. The 5.7 conversion will require wood and fiberglass work, the 4.3 is strictly mechanical work only. The longblock will have all the basic parts, but you'll need to pick an induction system and many other parts.

Larry
 
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