Official 215 Express Thread

With my 215, I consistently averaged around 5gph. Now, that's not on a trip that took the whole tank. Rather, it was some "longish" trips mixed in with other uses... a little bit of skiing, no wake speed, etc.
 
I will measure mine tonight and send info along.
 
I own a 2004 215 and it's a great boat. Have the 5.0 and plenty fast enough. WOT is 5300 rpm and with a full fuel tank and two adults top end is 40mph. I do have the stainless steel prop so that does help the performance. It did not come with trim tabs and I thought it would be a problem but this is not the case. Good luck.
 
Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread, I have a 225WE which as stated above is pretty close in configuration.

I am installing a fixed VHF and am trying to figure out the best place for the antenna. It seems everyone places it on the starboard side with the mounting bracket bolted into the superstructure, between the gunwale and the bottom of the windshield frame, adjacent to the driver's seat. On my boat (and I think on the 215) this area of the superstructre is not flat, but is rounded with indentations between the rounded areas.

Can anyone tell me how they dealt with mounting the antenna here? It seems you would need to make some type of curved plate to place between the fiberglass surface of the superstructure and the antenna mounting bracket, to follow the contour of the superstructure, so the mounting bracket mates with a flat surface. And you would probably have to put a similar plate on the inside so the backup plate mates with a flat surface too.

I called Sea Ray to find out what they did with the factory-installed VHF option, but they had no pictures or diagrams of the 225WE with that option, and they said no one there knows how it was done. Hard to believe, but that's what they told me.

Any info on this would help.

TIA
 
Mine is 40mph, full tank of fuel, two adults, stainless steel prop.
 
dwmjr71 said:
At what speed?
Click to expand...

When "cruising" I typically kept the RPM's right around 3500. If memory serves, that put me around 30mph, maybe a tad over. But, the speed can change as wind and current will have an effect on it. Best is to go by RPM's for comparisons.

Just something to keep in mind, if you compare to the newer style 215 or 225 (2002 and newer), they are a good 1,000lbs + heavier. So not a true "apples to apples". Just an FYI.:smt001
 
I used rail mount and it worked great.
 
I should have used the quote option. I purchased a rail mount for mine and it works great.
[
quote=lawndoctor;284747]Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread, I have a 225WE which as stated above is pretty close in configuration.

I am installing a fixed VHF and am trying to figure out the best place for the antenna. It seems everyone places it on the starboard side with the mounting bracket bolted into the superstructure, between the gunwale and the bottom of the windshield frame, adjacent to the driver's seat. On my boat (and I think on the 215) this area of the superstructre is not flat, but is rounded with indentations between the rounded areas.

Can anyone tell me how they dealt with mounting the antenna here? It seems you would need to make some type of curved plate to place between the fiberglass surface of the superstructure and the antenna mounting bracket, to follow the contour of the superstructure, so the mounting bracket mates with a flat surface. And you would probably have to put a similar plate on the inside so the backup plate mates with a flat surface too.

I called Sea Ray to find out what they did with the factory-installed VHF option, but they had no pictures or diagrams of the 225WE with that option, and they said no one there knows how it was done. Hard to believe, but that's what they told me.

Any info on this would help.

TIA[/quote]
 
tollycraft said:
I should have used the quote option. I purchased a rail mount for mine and it works great.
[
quote=lawndoctor;284747]Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread, I have a 225WE which as stated above is pretty close in configuration.

I am installing a fixed VHF and am trying to figure out the best place for the antenna. It seems everyone places it on the starboard side with the mounting bracket bolted into the superstructure, between the gunwale and the bottom of the windshield frame, adjacent to the driver's seat. On my boat (and I think on the 215) this area of the superstructre is not flat, but is rounded with indentations between the rounded areas.

Can anyone tell me how they dealt with mounting the antenna here? It seems you would need to make some type of curved plate to place between the fiberglass surface of the superstructure and the antenna mounting bracket, to follow the contour of the superstructure, so the mounting bracket mates with a flat surface. And you would probably have to put a similar plate on the inside so the backup plate mates with a flat surface too.

I called Sea Ray to find out what they did with the factory-installed VHF option, but they had no pictures or diagrams of the 225WE with that option, and they said no one there knows how it was done. Hard to believe, but that's what they told me.

Any info on this would help.

TIA
Click to expand...
[/quote]


I know this is not much help but there are pictures here somewhere that someone had posted of a 225WE which had a factory mounted VHF radio. I was once looking to do what you are trying and these shots showed good pictures of the Antenna mount. I did a quick search and didn't see it but they would have been posted before July 2009. Hope this helps!

Jason
 
I know this is not much help but there are pictures here somewhere that someone had posted of a 225WE which had a factory mounted VHF radio. I was once looking to do what you are trying and these shots showed good pictures of the Antenna mount. I did a quick search and didn't see it but they would have been posted before July 2009. Hope this helps!

Jason[/quote]

I spoke too soon. Here is the link with those pictures.

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15857&page=2

Jason
 
Great thread. Had ours for about 6 months and yet to overnight. Prior owner didn't take care of her so we are learning what B.O.A.T. stands for. Break out another thousand. We cruise the ICW and had more ups than downs. Just installed smart tabs this past weekend but have yet tested them. Only the two of us (plus 2 pups) so we are hoping the weather holds to spend either Christmas or New Years Eve doing the overnight. So far we love it. I made a portable inverter set up so the frozen drinks aren't left out.:grin:
 
Milo. How do your smart tabs work? I have a '99' 5L EFI 240 hp I thought they might help.Theres a lot of rocking when people move about. and a slower planning speed might be possible.
 
lawndoctor said:
Hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread, I have a 225WE which as stated above is pretty close in configuration.

I am installing a fixed VHF and am trying to figure out the best place for the antenna. It seems everyone places it on the starboard side with the mounting bracket bolted into the superstructure, between the gunwale and the bottom of the windshield frame, adjacent to the driver's seat. On my boat (and I think on the 215) this area of the superstructre is not flat, but is rounded with indentations between the rounded areas.

Can anyone tell me how they dealt with mounting the antenna here? It seems you would need to make some type of curved plate to place between the fiberglass surface of the superstructure and the antenna mounting bracket, to follow the contour of the superstructure, so the mounting bracket mates with a flat surface. And you would probably have to put a similar plate on the inside so the backup plate mates with a flat surface too.

I called Sea Ray to find out what they did with the factory-installed VHF option, but they had no pictures or diagrams of the 225WE with that option, and they said no one there knows how it was done. Hard to believe, but that's what they told me.

Any info on this would help.

TIA
Click to expand...

This reply is a little late, but here's a picture of my vhf from my 1995 215EC:

Picture%20008.jpg


Picture%20010.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aZwxM130VuE/S6GS05wwHiI/AAAAAAAAB7g/xKy7OwSroqY/s400/Picture 008.jpg
 
First big storm in my 1996 215 EC. I was camping, and the sky light leaked. It started after several hours of rain, but it was a lot after it started. The PO caulked the glass to the fiberglass, using marine RTV. I seriously doubt that leaked, but I suspect the hinges let the water through, and that explained the delay - water needed but build up before coming over the dam that normally holds it back. Bottom line is I think the PO made a mess.

Anyone know the good fix for this problem?

TIA
 
Well, you could try a thin bead of caulk around the outside edge. But, considering it sounds like the PO simply put a band aid on the problem, your best bet would probably be to remove the hatch, clean it real good and then re-seal it properly. Replace the gasket, while you're at it. It's not nearly as hard of a job as it seems.
 
:thumbsup:Great info in this thread, thanks guys. I take delivery on May 8th of my 1999 215 EC from MM of Somers Point, NJ.:smt038
We will be boating out of the Salem/Delaware Rivers and down the C&D Canal. It's been several years since we had a boat with a cuddy. We had Jet Skis for the past several years. We are really looking forward to the comfort and occasional over night on the hook. I will try and post some pictures when we get the shakedown cruise on the 8th.
Enjoy the season!
 
Lazy Daze said:
Well, you could try a thin bead of caulk around the outside edge. But, considering it sounds like the PO simply put a band aid on the problem, your best bet would probably be to remove the hatch, clean it real good and then re-seal it properly. Replace the gasket, while you're at it. It's not nearly as hard of a job as it seems.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I priced new hatch covers, and considering the cost, fixing the existing one is a no-brainer. Do you have a source for the proper seal, or is the seal something you fabricate?

Thanks again for the advice.
 
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