Sea Ray S23 Sorrento 1988

[shistr]

Just bought our boat and are having a few hicups as with all used purchases. Long story short is that the fiber between the outdrive and the transom has a crack and is letting water in. I have prepped the motor to pull it out and have a friend go through it for an oil leak and to make sure there is nothing else wrong with it. However my problem is that I have never pulled a motor out of a boat before and need to make sure what I am doing is right. i have diconnected all electrical, trottle assembley and wiring harness. I believe that I am prepared to pull the motor but can find anything online to discribe how the driveshaft is removed from the transom.

Excuse me if all my words are not correct but this is my first boat and first time under the old shade tree.

i don't want to skimp on my baby! My wife doesn't know it yet but the motor is going to be rebuilt even if there is nothing wrong with it. Also I have ordered the outdrive gasket and stuff to rebuild the power steering pump. i do know the steerig cable is bad but should I replace the helm too? The dealer said i should but the one in it is in good operation.


Thanks for any help or advice you may have!!!

 

[Quint4]

I assume you have an alpha1 outdrive. Here is a link that details how to remove it. Make sure your transom wood is solid and not rotted before replacing gasket.

http://www.sterndrives.com/replace_alpha_shiftcable.html

 

[Sorrento Dude]

Be sure that it is not rotten. You need to pull the outdrive to pull the engine. When yo do the drive shaft will come out of the engine and allow you to pull the engine. You Tube has allot of videos on how to do it. You need to determine if you have a rack and pinion or a rotary style steering system. I replace my helm and steering wheel when i changed out my steering cable. Teleflex makes a good complete system. Good luck!

 

[shistr]

worst fear was realized yesterday. I will need to replace the enitre transom to make sure it will last. The wood was rotten to the point that repairs would be all for nothing when it breaks again. I found a good fellow thru church that does this repair and will do it for 1600.00. That includes complete transom replacement and motor mounts. Seemed like a pretty good price to me concidering he pulled the motor with his fork lift and will help me get it back in. He use to work the assembly line for sea ray so he knows the boat well and came with higest reguards in his work from others.

I was thrilled at the ease of which the outdrive and motor came out. I had it prepped in under an hour for removal.


It is an Alpha 1 outdrive.


Now the fun begins. The motor is in the shop and my guy said I can take pictures of the mess start to finish. I have a rack and pinion so I going to replace the sterring cable and rebuild the assist pump. :huh:Should I replace helm while I am at it?:huh:

I know money doesn't grow on trees, but i do not want to skimp on this boat as it is my baby!?

Thanks for the info guiys, I pulled the tech manual of this site and it's a breeze to work on so far.!!

 

[Sorrento Dude]

Sorry to here about the rot. I can feel the pit in your stomach from here. $1600 sounds like a good price. I would suggest replacing the helm as well. Teleflex makes a great complete system called "The Rack" Its not that hard. Make sure that you get the correct size cable. Your hold cable may have the length on it labled near the transom side. If not, there is a formula on the net that will explain on how to get the correct size. For ease of removal i cut the cable on the helm side to get it out. Good luck with fishing it through. It can be real tuff sometimes.


Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

I remember seeing an episode of Boater's TV where they replaced a rotted transom. Once the area is clear and accessible it looks like a relatively easy (although messy) job.

Looking forward to some photos of your progress!

 

[TheLucille]

worst fear was realized yesterday. I will need to replace the enitre transom to make sure it will last. The wood was rotten to the point that repairs would be all for nothing when it breaks again. I found a good fellow thru church that does this repair and will do it for 1600.00. That includes complete transom replacement and motor mounts. Seemed like a pretty good price to me concidering he pulled the motor with his fork lift and will help me get it back in. He use to work the assembly line for sea ray so he knows the boat well and came with higest reguards in his work from others.

$1600 is definitely a good deal for that work. It's usually about $250 for someone just to pull the motor. I hope he has experience doing this fiberglass work, simply working at Sea Ray would not seal the deal for me

 

[shistr]

$1600 is definitely a good deal for that work. It's usually about $250 for someone just to pull the motor. I hope he has experience doing this fiberglass work, simply working at Sea Ray would not seal the deal for me

He came highly recommended from several friends at church and it turns out that he attends the same church we do.

Reality is that I Pulled the motor, albeit we used his fork lift to get it out, but he agreed to help me re-install the motor once the transom work is done.!!

I took before pictures and will post both before and after when the work is complete.

I will be giddy to get her back but sadly we still have cosmetic work such as faded paint, and new bumper to put on!