The saga begins - bringing my $100 Seville CC back to life

[OldEngineer]

Yep, I did it. She looked so sad in the Boats.com ad, then I looked at the price ... "a hunnerd dollars! Yikes! A nineteen footer! Boat and trailer, babe!" The Admiral just sighed: "another boat, eh?" (I will petition the Hole In The Water forum for membership). So, 2-1/2 hours on the road, paid the Marina, hooked her up to Big Tater, then 2-1/2 hours back, constantly watching the partially dry-rotted trailer tires wobbling, but holding together for the complete trip. We arrived home, parked her at the edge of our cul-de-sac and the rest of the Tribe came piling out of the house to see the new boat. She will be our family fun-on-the-water boat, but we are all trying to be realists here. Some previous owner had begun a rehab, ripping out all the carpet, and the entire rotted aft end of the cockpit. Only the jump seat bases on either side of the engine remain. Fortunately, the engine and drive are intact but internal condition unknown at this time, and the forward folding seats, transom, deck flooring and stringers seem sound.

My first task on the list will be de-mounting the stern drive and installing a new water pump impeller kit and prop (present one is really chewed up). Once the drive is off, we can back the boat up the rather steep driveway ramp and into our driveway, and get her off of the trailer and up on boat jacks. The trailer needs all new rollers and lights. I already replaced the busted, rusted trailer jack. Then I can start on the transom mounts, engine itself, the power steering, the tilt lift pump hydraulics and electrics, then the boat electrics (lights, horn, bilge pump and bilge blower). If I can get all that squared away, then we can start budgeting for the cockpit interior needs. All in all, this thread will most likely run throughout the winter, with a very tentative splash date late next Spring or early Summer.

I have lurked on this forum for a few days now, and I see so many excellent suggestions and guidance from many folks with the same interests (translation: addiction to fixing up old boats), so I am cautiously optimistic that we can restore this sweet little boat to a safe, reliable fun-producing condition. She won't be spit-shine perfect, but hell, she's a boat!

Fair Winds and Following Seas to all,

Al and Bernadette

 

[spikedaddy99]

Take lots of pictures. We love watching restorations.
Mike

 

[Boater420]

Welcome to CSR, best of luck with the restoration! I love watching old boats being brought back to life.

 

[OldEngineer]

OK, here are some "first baby pictures" ...
Drive condition slightly corroded, but manageable. Minor note: from the number "17" on her port stern, she must have been a rental boat at some point in her life. There are no signs of a boat name anywhere on her hull or transom, poor nameless baby! We'll correct that omission soon! The Tribe is already at work picking a suitable name for her.



Trailer is in sad condition, but repairable, lots of oxidation, but I hope a good washing and Vaseline treatment on the hull will improve her looks







Rear bolster and jump seats gone, but I hope the rot did not extend to the transom or the hull stringers



Deck looks worse than it really is, walking around did not reveal any soft spots





All thoughts, comments and suggestions are most welcome.

Regards to all,

Al and Bernadette

 

[wrvond]

Wow! What a project! Looking forward to following your progress.

 

[fwebster]

The number on the transom is most likely a storage location number in a dry stack marina. The number is positioned so it can be read from the back of the boat so the forklift operator can see the boat's location without having to climb off the lift truck.

 

[brewster16]

I agree it was likely a dry storage rack number

 

[Strypes]

Nice! :thumbsup:

Good luck!

Cheers

 

[dvx216]

That size boat and motor is a great combination.If the motor still has points NAPA has a conversion kit for it that is worth the money.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Al, have you talked with a psychiatrist about your masochistic tendencies?

Just kidding. For $100 you got what looks like a helluva deal. I'll be watching the pics as you bring her back to life.

You mentioned a Vaseline treatment. Are you considering using Vaseline instead of wet sanding that gelcoat back to a shine?

 

[OldEngineer]

Masochist? But it feels so good when I stop bashing my head against a stone wall ... or my aching arm and hand from pulling my wallet out so many times already ... :grin:

Of course, a good wet-sand and compounding session is the preferred method to restore the gelcoat to a lasting shininess, and is on the rehab schedule, but for now, the Vaseline treatment is a short-term, feel-good fix that the Tribe can do right now while I'm working on the essentials (engine, drive, electronics) without them getting underfoot.

On the number on the transom, good catch, y'all! I have never "boatel'd" a boat, so that number was a mystery to me. (Shoot! Y'all just ruined a part of the fictional story I was gonna write: "... curious, Ole OldEngineer reached out, and gently touched the number on the transom of his new purchase. As his fingers touched the hull, he heard a soft, feminine voice in his head: "Sir, did you rent me? I am so tired, and my battery is so low, I can barely talk, but I will do my best to serve you...")

Oh by the way, the Tribe finally settled on a new name for the boat. She will be christened 'Ohana Nani Nui, which means (loosely) in Hawaiian, Big Beautiful Family.

On a more practical note, the outdrive gets removed this Thursday evening (when my step-daughter's boyfriend is free to help), and I have 90-weight gear oil, gear oil pump, grease and an impeller rebuild kit on order hopefully to arrive that same day. I will order a replacement prop today as well. Three-blader I think, 14x19 per the prop matrix on Sea Ray's website.

Regards to all,

Al and Bernadette

 

[Lazy Daze]

Fixing an oldie is a labor of love, to say the least. It seems like you're going into it with the right frame of mind, though!

On the prop issue... are you sure you need a new one? What's the current pitch (usually stamped between blades, or around the hub)? It's not a great picture, but from what I can see the prop only appears to need paint? Save money where you can... things start to add up real quick. :smt001

 

[OldEngineer]

Dennis,

I am part Scot, so I hear you loud and clear when it comes to minimizing monetary outlay. The stern picture doesn't show the nasty details. The prop is chewed up pretty badly; multiple notches on the leading edges, and one blade edge bent back. I'm willing to pay a reasonable sum now, rather than much more later. I think that has been my biggest takeaway from all the restore stories I have read on this Forum.

Regards,

Al and Bernadette

 

[Lazy Daze]

Another option, Al, is to send it out to get repaired. From what you mention it sounds like a $60 job, give or take. Just throwing an idea out there so you can make a good decision. But either way, good luck with the fix up! The best thing about this might the memories the family will have working together on it. :thumbsup:

 

[OldEngineer]

Dennis,

again, good thought, and I considered that option. In 'Ohana's case, she has not been in the water since 2010 (so the PO told me). The prop metal may be fatigued, and when rehabbed, may fail at the worst possible time (yet another of Murphy's Laws). Besides, new prop (Michigan Wheel Vortex 3-blade) is on order (the OCD side of me likes new :grin

Regards,

Al

 

[cwiert]

my $0.02 is to suggest confirming that the transom and stringers aren't rotted before opening the purse strings on other items, like props. If it were me, I'd make a priority list of things that needed to get done. A new prop would probably be towards the bottom of that list.
But good luck with everything. Can't wait to see the progress.

 

[OldEngineer]

John,

good point. Basically, I'm afraid to do any poking and probing for rot. That said, I need to "sailor up" and go find out. But what is the best way to check for rot in the transom? Drilling inspection holes? Scary! But if necessary, will do so. Thoughts, anyone? URLs to past threads on the subject of rot?

Many thanks and regards,

Al

 

[Lazy Daze]

Al, you can knock on areas with your knuckles or even with the side of a nickel. It sounds like you've got some experience in many different DIY kind of things so I'm sure you'll be able to tell. That will give you a quick idea, but yes, the most conclusive way is to drill some 1/4" exploratory holes. You'll most likely find some soft spots and even a little rot - and that would be expected and even considered normal. The big question is how much. Don't worry about holes - you already have a bunch of them in the boat! They can all be filled back in with thickened epoxy.

Start at the bottom and near any existing holes or other possible areas where moisture can get in.

 

[blaster]

Push down on the top of the outdrive and see if the transom flexes.

 

[OldEngineer]

blaster,
ok, we just concluded a highly-calibrated diagnostic on the transom. Admiral was stationed on the trailer tongue, and I gingerly placed my suddenly increasing 210 pounds of enormousness on the outdrive, stepping with both feet on the splash plate, then vigorously jumping up and down. Other than a few squeaks from the Admiral up forward, the transom did not flex at all! Excelsior!