SeaRay 240 OVR problems getting going

[litespeed999]

I'm new to this community and semi-new to boating. Last year I bought a "new-to-me" 1993 SeaRay 240 Overnighter with the 454 and Bravo One drive. After taking it out for over a year now, I'm very worried this boat won't work for my family and I. The problem is with its acceleration. Despite having a very powerful engine, the boat accelerates very poorly and takes a awhile to get on plane. So much so that my passengers(wife and kids) are uncomfortable with the amount of tilt and how long it takes just to get the boat on plane. I have found I have to push the engine to at least 3000 RPM to get on plane and if I try to go any slow it slow off plane. If I try to push the motor more, it just seems to bury the stern into the water more and won't help get the boat up and going.

I have a friend who also got into boating recently and has a 1997 23" Regal with a Volvo 5.0 and Brave Three drive. It also has a dual action prop which he says is why his boat gets on plane immediately and doesn't "wander" at no wake speeds. My boat wanders like crazy at slow speeds.

I have trim tabs and they seem to help a little, but this doesn't seem right for a boat with such a powerful engine. My dad says SeaRays are known for taking a long time to get on plane, but I wanted to ask the community if this just how this boat behaves or is there a problem with my prop pitch or drive?

I apologize in advance if I am not in the right forum or am not stating things correctly. Any advice would be very welcomed!

Eric

 

[JimG]

That motor and drive should put that boat on plane quickly. A few tips to try next time you attempt to get on plane:
1) Make sure the drive is trimmed all the way down.
2) Go immediately to WOT (wide open throttle)
3) Once on plane, back the throttle off to a comfortable speed
4) Begin to trim the drive up to maximize RPM/speed... do not trim up to the point where the prop comes out of the water.

If this does not work, you could have other problems... Incorrect prop pitch, ill running motor, bottom debris, etc.

The single prop drives will wander more than the dual ones.
Properly fitted Sea Ray boats get on plane just as quick as the others.

Welcome to your first post on CSR!

 

[skibum]

Eric - 3000 RPM is most likely NOT enough to get on, or stay on plane. I have a 496 in my boat, and I need to be above approximately 3200 RPM to run on plane. I normally run at 3450 RPM if I'm babying it, or 3600-3700 (which is actually still babying it) to go faster.

Are you using the drive trim as you come up on plane? I throttle up to about 3100 RPM, and then start bumping the drive up a little at a time until the RPMs come up, the bow drops, and she's fully on plane. Your boat should behave similarly.

Have you checked the prop to make sure that the previous owner hadn't changed it from the factory specified pitch?

Something surely doesn't seem right, a 454 ought to move a 230 with no problem. And not to bust your Dad's chops or anything, but Sea Rays get on plane as quickly as any other brand of boat with similar power to weight ratio.

One last thing. Did you get a survey when you bought her? It's the worst case scenario, but if there has been water intrusion your boat might weigh quite a bit more than she should. That would cause a similar issue.

 

[litespeed999]

Thanks for the quick replies and great advice. About the 3000 RPM thing, that seems to be the minimum RPM I can run the motor and expect it to stay on plane. The wife(who is not a boater or a brave soul) just freaks out if I try to push the boat faster than plane speed or if we are trying to get on plane for too long. I am constantly trying to get the minimum speed vs. keeping it on plane vs. the amount of bounce from waves. To be honest it has been a pain! I am fine with the boats plane and ability to cut wake, but I'm hearing a lot of flack.

To answer skibum's questions, I didn't have a survey done on the boat. I didn't know it was a necessity. Should I have one done now? I could also have them check my prop and drive to make sure they are all good. I also have a problem of finding a good mechanic who will call me back. When running the motor it sounds strong and I can get it up to about 50 on a calm day.

 

[Fred]

Keep the boat, get rid of the wife. :huh:

 

[skibum]

Do you trailer the boat? If so, take it to a truck scale. Weigh it. Subtract the weight of the trailer, fuel, water, and any items you have on it. Look up your boat on Sea Ray's web site. If it's close, then you should be okay. If it varies from the factory spec by a good bit, hire a surveyor to get some moisture readings or have your mechanic check it out.

To tell you the truth, it just sounds like you are trying to go too slow. Take a buddy out without the wife and use the throttle. The trick to a smooth ride is proper drive trim, and if necessary, trim tab usage. You need to learn to drive it without input from the peanut gallery. Once you figure it out, bring the wife. :grin:

 

[Gary Lewis]

Do you trailer the boat? If so, take it to a truck scale. Weigh it. Subtract the weight of the trailer, fuel, water, and any items you have on it. Look up your boat on Sea Ray's web site. If it's close, then you should be okay. If it varies from the factory spec by a good bit, hire a surveyor to get some moisture readings or have your mechanic check it out.

To tell you the truth, it just sounds like you are trying to go too slow. Take a buddy out without the wife and use the throttle. The trick to a smooth ride is proper drive trim, and if necessary, trim tab usage. You need to learn to drive it without input from the peanut gallery. Once you figure it out, bring the wife. :grin:

Amen! My 230 with a smaller engine comes on plane very quickly with the drive fully down/in and the tabs fully down - now that I have the right props. And the right props made a huge difference.

To to find out if you are propped correctly you need to do a full-throttle run. And the engine should tach out to the top of the range when you have the minimum load onboard. For instance, my 6.2L should run between 5000 and 5200 and when I got the boat it would only run 5000 with two onboard. A prop change from 26" to 22" props got it to 5200 RPM and made a huge difference in coming out of the hole.