"New" Sea Ray 19 footer need help! 1971 SRV 190

[Jacob Barnhill]

Hello, I am a first time boat owner and i got a 1971 SRV 190 from an auction; because of this, I was not able to check the condition of anything other than some auction photos. Listing said '455 olds' and 'boat runs'...idk about the second one. the engine doesn't move the first time we tried it with a breaker bar. its been soaking in lubricants for some days but if we can get it to turn, in my head all it needs is a starter and battery and in theory it should fire up. if it doesn't...I have a whole lot more work to do OTHER than the interior and trailer. btw i don't even know if this floats. let me know if I'm in over my head.

 

[Ericinmich]

There is a saying, there is nothing more expensive than a free boat... and I think you paid for a free boat. You may get lucky and only put a grand or two into it and get on the water without it sinking or having other problems. You may have to put 10k into it and still have something unreliable that you will want to sink...

 

[Golfman25]

You're in way over your head. How handy are you? That's an old jet drive. Strip everything off/out and put an outboard on it. It may or may not work. Good luck.

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

You're in way over your head. How handy are you? That's an old jet drive. Strip everything off/out and put an outboard on it. It may or may not work. Good luck.

the jet being old makes it bad? im good with cars bikes and carpentry

 

[boatrboy]

You're in way over your head. How handy are you? That's an old jet drive. Strip everything off/out and put an outboard on it. It may or may not work. Good luck.

Way, way, way. Sorry if it seems brutal - but I’m pretty sure I’m spot on.

 

[Golfman25]

the jet being old makes it bad? im good with cars bikes and carpentry

Parts. Where are you going to find parts? If it was a standard alpha one, you'd be good. But an old jet drive is a dinosaur.

 

[BillK2632]

Neet being a jet boat, but like others said, you have a project. I guess see if you can get it to start and play with it. A lot of work and money to bring it back to glory. You do have a spare, just it’s a tire and not an engine (sorry couldn’t help that). The old EP and HO slalom skis might be what you really paid for - definitely keep those!

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

There is a saying, there is nothing more expensive than a free boat... and I think you paid for a free boat. You may get lucky

Hello, I am a first time boat owner and i got a 1971View attachment 140565 SRV 190 from an auction; because of this, I was not able to check the condition of anything other than some auction photos. Listing said '455 olds' and 'boat runs'...idk about the second one. the engine doesn't move the first time we tried it with a breaker bar. its been soaking in lubricants for some days but if we can get it to turn, in my head all it needs is a starter and battery and in theory it should fire up. if it doesn't...I have a whole lot more work to do OTHER than the interior and trailer. btw i don't even know if this floats. let me know if I'm in over my head.

and only put a grand or two into it and get on the water without it sinking or having other problems. You may have to put 10k into it and still have something unreliable that you will want to sink...

Parts. Where are you going to find parts? If it was a standard alpha one, you'd be good. But an old jet drive is a dinosaur.

An impeller costs 300 if aluminum, if impeller is good its $0. you tryna scare somebody? alpha one? english?? whats an alpha one? is it from apollo 11? i have a 12jf if im not mistaken

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

Hello, I am a first time boat owner and i got a 1971View attachment 140565 SRV 190 from an auction; because of this, I was not able to check the condition of anything other than some auction photos. Listing said '455 olds' and 'boat runs'...idk about the second one. the engine doesn't move the first time we tried it with a breaker bar. its been soaking in lubricants for some days but if we can get it to turn, in my head all it needs is a starter and battery and in theory it should fire up. if it doesn't...I have a whole lot more work to do OTHER than the interior and trailer. btw i don't even know if this floats. let me know if I'm in over my head.

 

[Bill Curtis]

An impeller costs 300 if aluminum, if impeller is good its $0. you tryna scare somebody? alpha one? english?? whats an alpha one? is it from apollo 11? i have a 12jf if im not mistaken

Congrats on the new project boat. Don't be too optimistic or blind to the $$$$ that will be needed.. It will be an expansive project. But kinda kool if it gets done.

An FYI: Alpha 1 is a Mercruiser sterndrive / outdrive for 300 hp and below smaller boats.

Kinda odd, but I am intrigued with that set up, just for the sear novelty of it and the challenge.... So many possibilities..
Just the idea of an olds 455 is soooooo old school. If the engine is toast, I would be upgrading to a more modern power plane, like a BBC 454, where parts are more readily available.

1st thing I would do is disconnect the jet drive from the engine before attempting to turn the engine over again. Separate all main components so the offender can be ID'd more easily.

Have the transom checked for rot (common in old boats) and ensure the stringers aren't rotted.
Fuel tank: Very important... have it tested for integrity. Also get the old gas out and replace ALL the fuel lines with CG APPROVED lines.

I wouldn't invest any $$$ in that hull if it isn't deemed solid. That would be good money after bad, since they aren't worth much in decent shape..

 

[Golfman25]

An impeller costs 300 if aluminum, if impeller is good its $0. you tryna scare somebody? alpha one? english?? whats an alpha one? is it from apollo 11? i have a 12jf if im not mistaken

Alpha one is one of the most common drives around. There are tens of thousands out there so you can find used, rebuilds, and parts when needed. An old, uncommon jet drive, good luck.

 

[Golfman25]

Search for frisco boater on YouTube. He has a whole series where he rebuild a mid 90s sea ray.

 

[BillK2632]

Hey I liked the video - love seeing stuff like this. Take the advice offered above and especially lookup Frisco Boater and watch is videos. He bought a late 90's SeaRay that he thought was turn key and turned out it was full of rot -- he made a series of videos of him fixing it up -- it turned out pretty good! That little SeaRay you have is a classic, I love the lines of the older ones like that. The Berkely jet is a bit of a unicorn, don't see those in this type of boat anymore, but if you get it running with the 455 it will be pretty cool! The "new" version of that boat would have a Mercruiser 3.0 or 4.5 coupled with an Alpha I outdrive. My advice is to checkout the hull (stringers/transom) first and see what you have, if they are rotten you have a much bigger project -- if not your looking at cosmetics and the engine drive work. Either way it's a project and it sounds like you enjoy that sort of thing. Don't be discouraged by any comments from us -- most of us are just trying to help you understand what you have (and we can't help the occasional joke thrown in), plus like my late father in law, we will always tell you the truth, even if you don't want to hear it! Most of us have been there at some level with a project on our own boats.
Good luck - keep up the dialog and the videos - the cursing is ok, you should hear me working on my boat!

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

Congrats on the new project boat. Don't be too optimistic or blind to the $$$$ that will be needed.. It will be an expansive project. But kinda kool if it gets done.

An FYI: Alpha 1 is a Mercruiser sterndrive / outdrive for 300 hp and below smaller boats.

Kinda odd, but I am intrigued with that set up, just for the sear novelty of it and the challenge.... So many possibilities..
Just the idea of an olds 455 is soooooo old school. If the engine is toast, I would be upgrading to a more modern power plane, like a BBC 454, where parts are more readily available.

1st thing I would do is disconnect the jet drive from the engine before attempting to turn the engine over again. Separate all main components so the offender can be ID'd more easily.

Have the transom checked for rot (common in old boats) and ensure the stringers aren't rotted.
Fuel tank: Very important... have it tested for integrity. Also get the old gas out and replace ALL the fuel lines with CG APPROVED lines.

I wouldn't invest any $$$ in that hull if it isn't deemed solid. That would be good money after bad, since they aren't worth much in decent shape..

Thank you. Your comment actually gave advice unlike the others. i have plenty of marine places around that could do an inspection of the transom and other parts. I know ab the gas... its been sitting since '05 (probably) so that shouldn't have to be said to put new in. ima try my luck... Thanks again

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

Hey I liked the video - love seeing stuff like this. Take the advice offered above and especially lookup Frisco Boater and watch is videos. He bought a late 90's SeaRay that he thought was turn key and turned out it was full of rot -- he made a series of videos of him fixing it up -- it turned out pretty good! That little SeaRay you have is a classic, I love the lines of the older ones like that. The Berkely jet is a bit of a unicorn, don't see those in this type of boat anymore, but if you get it running with the 455 it will be pretty cool! The "new" version of that boat would have a Mercruiser 3.0 or 4.5 coupled with an Alpha I outdrive. My advice is to checkout the hull (stringers/transom) first and see what you have, if they are rotten you have a much bigger project -- if not your looking at cosmetics and the engine drive work. Either way it's a project and it sounds like you enjoy that sort of thing. Don't be discouraged by any comments from us -- most of us are just trying to help you understand what you have (and we can't help the occasional joke thrown in), plus like my late father in law, we will always tell you the truth, even if you don't want to hear it! Most of us have been there at some level with a project on our own boats.
Good luck - keep up the dialog and the videos - the cursing is ok, you should hear me working on my boat!

Thanks for your advice man, I'll keep you updated with videos and I'm going to stay positive. Thanks for the compliment too seems like people just want to call it a POS for some reason. Probably many reasons to call it that honestly but it wont be for much longer. anyway thanks for the support!

 

[Pirate Lady]

I dont believe the previous posters were calling it a POS. They were trying to advise you to what you are getting into. Taking on a project like that when you dont even know what an Alpha 1 is gives an indication you have a long way to go. Good luck, its not like restoring an old car. Old cars wont likely kill you if they break down.

 

[Golfman25]

I dont believe the previous posters were calling it a POS. They were trying to advise you to what you are getting into. Taking on a project like that when you dont even know what an Alpha 1 is gives an indication you have a long way to go. Good luck, its not like restoring an old car. Old cars wont likely kill you if they break down.

Agreed. With all due respect to the OP, he comes in and asks if he's over his head, and then is critical of the response. You're not going to get a bunch of warm fuzzies, unicorns and rainbows here. You'll get the truth, cold and hard as it seems. This story has been written thousands of time, on this and other forums. Only question is whether he'll have the werewithal to see it to the end.

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

I dont believe the previous posters were calling it a POS. They were trying to advise you to what you are getting into. Taking on a project like that when you dont even know what an Alpha 1 is gives an indication you have a long way to go. Good luck, its not like restoring an old car. Old cars wont likely kill you if they break down.

Thanks your comment, gave 0 help!

 

[Jacob Barnhill]

Agreed. With all due respect to the OP, he comes in and asks if he's over his head, and then is critical of the response. You're not going to get a bunch of warm fuzzies, unicorns and rainbows here. You'll get the truth, cold and hard as it seems. This story has been written thousands of time, on this and other forums. Only question is whether he'll have the werewithal to see it to the end.

thanks for your fantastic assistance

 

[keokie]

Well, yes this could be a problem. But then again, you said you had carpentry skills, right? If the boat has rot in the transom, stringers, or floor (which is very likely), you may have the skills to address the problems with minimal amounts of money (but a ton of labor). But on that size and style of boat, all new transom, stringers, and floor is doable for a decent carpenter.

I would assess the structural aspects of the boat first and determine if you are willing to take them on.

If yes, the mechanicals are a little easier.

I disagree with posters about the unicorn nature of the drive and motor. Plenty of guys running old 455's in the hotrod community. You can get the parts. And the Berkeley pump... I know out here in AZ you can still get parts. They aren't that complex to rebuild, and very reliable when done right.

Now, all the cautions about a free boat being too much can be very true. You definitely need to have time, some talent, and patience. And yes, money. The money part will be very relative to your time, talent, and patience.

I would highly recommend making an honest road map of what needs to be done starting with the structural, then mechanical, then cosmetic. Do some research to get a ballpark on costs. Then make a decision.

If it were me, I would not be spending money until I was quite confident I had the time, money, and capability to see it to the end. Because you could easily spend 5, 8, or even 10 grand and only get halfway there. And halfway there is still a boat that would have a market value approaching zero.

But that boat all re-done.... would be very cool.