New (to me) 2001 Sea Ray 210 Sundeck W/5.0

[thesuperzman]

Hey everyone!

I'm very excited. I've been a sailboater for 35 years. With three children and not a lot of time, I thought a power boat would be a great way of going. I found a STUNNING 2001 with only 235 hours, total overhaul done in 2014, all records for EVERY maintenance, kept out of the water, covered, shrink wrapped, etc....16K.

I'm not big about talking about price, but curious if anyone thought I over paid. I was very bad at negotiating this boat (contrary to my usual acumen).

I'm very conscious of my inability to keep assets I own new. Sometimes it's laziness, cost, or forgetfulness. HOWEVER - with a 2001, keeping up with it is imperative. I got a great jumping off point with a boat in fabulous condition.

I know NOTHING about powerboats - and learning a lot already. Open to all the advice on keeping it looking nice as possible. Some questions/comments to start with (if anyone isn't bored reading yet):

1) I keep the boat in salt water at a marina. Flushing seems impossible. I've read, if you keep it in the water, it isn't an issue. Is that true? False? If false, how can I easily flush (beyond inserting at 'T' valve which i may do this winter).

2) I wash down with water every use. But, with cover and carpets..is it ok the carpets get soaked? Can I cover right after I wash down..even wet? How careful do I need to be with the console?

3) Do I need at all to worry about running the boat regularly/long-periods over 3.5K-4K RPMs?

4) I'll winterize with a pro each winter. I presume, even with a de-icing system, I probably should haul and wrap all winter?

What else can I do to keep the boat looking good and that engine functioning well? The last owner used the same mechanic so knows this boat well. I'll try to keep using him.

Thanks..and very excited!!

 

[RichardS]

Welcome to the forum, and thank you for a VERY nice introductory post!

You'll find, as I did when I joined not that long ago, this is a warm and friendly place that is a wealth of information for guys who need a helping hand.

I won't respond to each and every one of your questions as I know the other guys will be happy to touch on them all.

I will say, regarding your "deal".....two things:

1. It doesn't MATTER whether it was a good deal or not NOW. The deal is DONE, and you have to live with it whether it was a great deal or you got murdered. (I feel it's neither one, but my opinion isn't what counts, which brings me to Number)

2. All that matters is that YOU are happy with YOUR boat!! And it sounds like you are!! And that's awesome! As long as YOU love the boat, it doesn't matter what anybody else thinks about what you paid. I once way "overpaid" for a car I had to have. It was a car almost exactly like one I had as a teenager that brought back many happy memories for me and that's what I was really paying for....the chance to sit behind the wheel (or lay down in the back seat!) , close my eyes, and relive some of those memories! Are YOU happy with what your boat? YES? Then you got a great deal!

 

[thesuperzman]

Fair point Thanks!

 

[BillK2632]

Welcome!

As far as the deal you got, seems reasonable, especially given the recent work and condition you described. The main thing is you are happy with it.

1) I keep the boat in salt water at a marina. Flushing seems impossible. I've read, if you keep it in the water, it isn't an issue. Is that true? False? If false, how can I easily flush (beyond inserting at 'T' valve which i may do this winter).
Flushing is imperative in salt water. In a raw water cooled engine (line yours), salt water sits in the engine block and exhaust manifolds all the time. If the engine does not have a flush get, you need to get one and use it religiously.

2) I wash down with water every use. But, with cover and carpets..is it ok the carpets get soaked? Can I cover right after I wash down..even wet? How careful do I need to be with the console?
Carpets are tough, need to keep them rinsed of salt water, but don't want to put the boat up wet either. Unless you are getting it soaked everytime you go out, probably don't need to rinse the carpet every use. If my boat get's very wet, I will try and leave it uncovered overnight (I am in a covered dry storage, freshwater). Try to keep water off the dash / instruments.

3) Do I need at all to worry about running the boat regularly/long-periods over 3.5K-4K RPMs?
Running regularly between 3-4k rpms is not a problem, I would avoid extended periods at WOT though. You wouldn't want to take of on a 1hr cruise at WOT!

4) I'll winterize with a pro each winter. I presume, even with a de-icing system, I probably should haul and wrap all winter?
I would, your not likely to use it during the winter, clean it up good (with a coat of wax), winterize it, cover/wrap it and put it away for the next spring.

What else can I do to keep the boat looking good and that engine functioning well? The last owner used the same mechanic so knows this boat well. I'll try to keep using him.
You say you are keeping it in salt water during the summer? That's not the best situation for a boat this size, a lift or dry stack is better - if you can't do that, I would at least have the bottom painted.

A boat this size is not hard to keep up - keep it clean, dry, covered and perform the routine maintenance (engine / outdrive fluids, filters, adjustments) and it should last a long time. Neglect it, let it sit in the weather uncovered, skip the maintenance and things change quickly. Get a bucket, a good brush and some cleaning supplies - boat soap, vinyl clean/protector and a general spray cleaner like Spray 9 and Serious Shine (leave the household cleaners at home) - most places like West Marine sell a kit to get you started. Every couple of weeks, leave the family at home, grab a beer and go have some me time with your boat and clean it up. Then, when the family is with you, it's a quick rinse and wipe down at the end of the day.

Probably the best thing you can do with a boat is use it regularly.

Now go have some fun with your new boat!

 

[thesuperzman]

Thanks for the terrific feedback! Boat is being hauled on Sunday to paint the bottom. It's definitely not ideal, but trailer is not an option. No lifts available to rent and the own 'boatel' needs 24 hours notice - that's too long. So, it's kept in the water, and even with the bottom painted (I know from many years of sailboat racing), I'll need to go scrub the bottom when the family is swimming.

As for the flushing, this part scares me (meaning, not doing it). But a flush kit seems impossible unless I'm diving into the water each trip back. I've heard about installing a 'T' fitting to divert to clean water. But also heard some nightmares with that. I'm probably going to do that when the boat is out for the season...but that's a few months off :-(

 

[RichardS]

Relax (just take a couple deep breaths now) about the whole "flushing thing".

I had a 21 foot bowrider for YEARS with the Mercruiser 5.0 "TKS" (Turn Key Start) engine. A very simple, carbed engine with an Alpha 1 drive.

Left it in the water all season long, in salt water, every year, for years. Changed the water pump, impeller and did routine end of season maintenance, and the following season after fresh fluids, and one year, the outdrive gimbal bearing, dropped the boat in the water for a season of fun. Engine ran great, never ran even a little bit hot, and I used to run at WOT a LOT, and I mean a WHOLE LOT, when we'd get through the AC Inlet out onto the ocean. (Whether it was prudent to take that boat out on the ocean is another matter).

Anyway, sold it to a guy who enjoyed it another couple seasons after that, and then he sold it to a buddy who I understand is STILL enjoying it, and we all did exactly the same thing. Ran it and enjoyed it!

YES, we bottom painted it.

YES, we replaced impellers and pumps, and we were religious about fluid changes, and occasionally things like trim pump solenoids and starters failed. But those things can (and will) happen on ANY boat no matter what it's floating in.

But we didn't worry ourselves to death about what the salt water was doing to the engine and you shouldn't either. You bought this boat to have fun and to relax, not to stress yourself out.

Wait until you've got computers and DTS systems and multiple big block engines and AXIUS joystick components to worry about....THEN stress! (Wish I had AXIUS to worry about! But I digress! LOL!)

You've got a fairly simple boat that with routine maintenance will give you lots of fun....go start having that fun and do the stuff you need to do at the beginning and end of each season to ensure you can....DURING the season it's BOATING time!

 

[BillK2632]

I don't flush mine, in freshwater, so I'm not as knowledgeable as some others here on flushing. I do know there are kits that allow you to connect a garden hose and flush the engine with it in the water, on boats with Bravo drives (engine mounted water pumps) it simply T's off the water pickup, for an Alpha drive (water pump in the outdrive) I am not sure. Out of the water, no kit needed, just put on the muffs and crank it up. Hopefully someone who knows more will jump in or maybe talk with your dealer. Bottom line, if you can flush it after each use, things will last longer - exhaust manifolds and risers have about a 5yr lifespan in salt water vs my freshwater engine still has the originals at 16yrs.

But I do agree with Richard, I would not stress to much about it.

 

[thesuperzman]

Richard and Bill - thanks for all the feedback. It's helpful. Like I said - my past history isn't good. So, it's important to start the right way.

The gentleman who previously owned the boat was meticulous. He had a full overhaul, including replacing the risers/manifold. Hey - if I have to spend 600-700 every five years for that replacement, and 200-250 for winterizing, etc...that's what I'm expecting.

Thanks for saying 'relax'. I'm trying - buying a 15 year old boat scared me (but after my last one being 30, this much newer).

Truly truly appreciate the warm welcome and copious feedback. It's seriously appreciated. Hopefully I'll be able to return the favor one day