Thining about moving up to a 225 weekender

As I mentioned, my 03 225WE had 5.0MPI Bravo 3 power. I cant imagine wanting anything less, even an Alpha, particularly if you plan to have more than a few people and do any watersports. The boat with the Alpha might work fine for you depending on what you plan to do though. Before I could give an opinion, I would need to see pics or have a better understanding of the condition difference between the two. You should be able to get an OEM cover from Great Lakes for about $500 which is a good bit less than the value difference between Alpha and Bravo drive. So I think you need to look at cosmetic and mechanical condition differences.
 
I have a 2003 225 with the 5.0 Alpha drive. Currently I do not have trim tabs but have found prop pitch, style and number of blades to be a critical decision. If a correct prop is used it does very well. This boat is a great compromise when you are looking for a boat that can do a wide variety of tasks in different water conditions. It trailers very well and is not hard to load and unload from the trailer if the trailer is set up properly. I purchased the camper package from Great Lakes Canvas and found it to add considerable utility to the boat. If you are by yourself sometimes you will find this boat to be very manageable around docks and the launch ramp. No one single boat can do everything perfectly! If you are wanting a boat that can do it all with some degree of satisfaction then buy a 215 or a 225. If you go much larger you will find trailering and launching to be a task.
 
Going to Look at a 2003 Sea Ray 225 this weekend, it has the 260hp with a Bravo3 drive. Has 360 hrs on the engine. What should I be looking for specific to the Bravo3. It is a salt water boat so any guidance is appreciated.
 
paperhanger said:
Going to Look at a 2003 Sea Ray 225 this weekend, it has the 260hp with a Bravo3 drive. Has 360 hrs on the engine. What should I be looking for specific to the Bravo3. It is a salt water boat so any guidance is appreciated.
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Any pitting or corrosion. If it has been slipped it is going to have some. Some corrosion or pitting on a casing of this age, particularly one that was slipped in salt water would be typical. It really all depends on how bad it is as to whether you need to be alarmed or not. Take some good pictures if you can and post them. Also being a salt boat you have to worry about the engine as well, depending on if it was flushed or not. If this was a trailered or dry stack boat, the drive will probably look fine and the primary area of concern would be the engine since it is not closed cooled and cooling components. The drive should shift fine although the older style Bravo is not quite as smooth of a shift as the newer Bravo but all in all it should shift effortlessly and without major clunking. Another thing to look for would be water the gear oil but that would be hard to tell without draining some out which could be difficult do do in a pre-ownership state.
 
Also, check the manifold and risers for any visual leaks if possible. A little rust around the risers isn't that big a deal however if her whole life has been in salt, they may need to be replaced if they haven't ever been. I can't remember if they switched to the Dry Joint manifolds in 03 - which are the better ones btw.

IIRC, Bravos don't liked to be shifted while the engine isn't running.

Inspect the bellows and find out when those were replaced. Check all through hull fittings at the transom (transducers) for leak potentials. When was the impeller last replaced?

Hopefully he has service records that will help your decision. Depending on the price and if you are serious about the purchase, maybe consider getting it properly inspected.....
 
Boat has been trailered its whole life, no bottom paint :smt038. Having the dealer search for service records. Thanks for the tips.
 
Ok, here is where I'm at, A 2003 225WE with the 260hp with the bravo3 outdrive with 365 hrs. $19,900.00
Compression test #1,4,8, 195
#2,5,6 185
# 3,7 180
Other work just performed outdrive inspected and aligned outdrive to engine, replaced water pump, replaced water hose and themostat, cleaned shift cable cavity, shift linkage. Anything particularly out of the ordinary?
 
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