Sea Ray questions.

-
Cope

Cope

Fusing with fire
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
6,737
Reaction score
10,191
Location
San Jose, Ca.
I'm going to look at this on Sunday and wonder if folks have an idea about known issues or problem areas with these?
Mostly the I.O. and engine. The V6 seems a little small for such a large boat and I've never owned a I.O. drive. (I grew up around race boats)

1987 SeaRay Mid Cabin 21'

Thanks for the advice.
 
looks great for an 87

i would make sure you have them hook up the hose for dry testing the engine
this will show you if the boat has always been properly winterized and your not leaking water anywhere (that is presuming this is a lake water cooled engine, and not a self contained system like in a car)
 
Looks to be a nice boat! I'm not well versed in boats, but check the gasket/boot from outdrive to boat. I looked at a boat that it was torn and was quoted around $800 to install one?
I would say V6 is plenty big enough if it was maintained properly. Check for service records.
 
I could be wrong but I am fairly certain that has a wood floor in it.

I’ve been through that once and I will never put up with it again. I am not a professional carpenter but I have done a fair amount of wood working and that floor was awful.

As far as the engine goes. The v6 is fine for that boat just because you are not getting a boat like that for skiing or speed.

Take the boat out on the water for at least an hour. Turn it on and off a lot and really feel for any changes in rpm when cruising.
 
Be prepared for a lot of maintenance and unforeseen future parts failure no matter what boat you buy.
maintenance is your best defense when owning a boat.
I think the boat is well maintained and worth the investment. take a look !
 
Back in that boats day, the V6 of choice for boat mfg's was usually the GM 4.3 My wife had a 17' Javelin ski boat when we got married, and it had the 4.3 V6 in it. It was plenty of giddy up - go for that boat, but I'm sure it weighed considerably less than the one you're looking at. We never had a minutes trouble out of it, other than the starter solenoid took a dump. Boat place wanted a hundred bucks for one, and I went to the NAPA store and got one for an S10 truck for like $14. Exact same part, and was on the boat when we sold it. That boat you're looking at looks to have been taken care of and sat inside when not in the water. About any boat is just a hole in the water to throw money into, but they can be a lot of fun. We have 2 smaller holes in the water to throw money in now.....a couple of old Kawasaki 900 Jet Skis. But.....I've never seen a hearse that looked like an armored car! If you get it, enjoy it! :D
 
I'm actually very familiar with boats. I own a Catalina 25 and grew up racing a flat bottom jet.
This will just be a fun day cruzer.

I just never had an I.O. drive.

I'll let ya know, if it looks as good in person I'll probably end with with a mother hole in the water to throw money into....
 
Cope said:
I'm actually very familiar with boats. I own a Catalina 25 and grew up racing a flat bottom jet.
This will just be a fun day cruzer.

I just never had an I.O. drive.

I'll let ya know, if it looks as good in person I'll probably end with with a mother hole in the water to throw money into....
Click to expand...

My buddy bought a formula with an i.o. Motor last year. Ran great during the test drive then took a dump on us on the Ohio river and we were down stream of the ramp. We ended up replacing the fuel pump and it ran great then it started to overheat. Chased it down to being the sea water pump and it was destroyed. We got that replaced and it’s run good ever since but that was my one nightmare stories after being around boats for 27 years.
 
Sea Ray good overall boat. Everything up in up all good.
Bayliner.... forget it.
 
We had one, a little older, of that size we used for salmon fishing in Lake Michigan. Ford 302 for power. It was extremely dependable. Gas tank sprung a leak, it caught fire in the bilge. I dipped a five gallon bucket into the lake, tossed it over the entire fire and miracle of miracles it went out.

I'd say a well maintained boat like that is well worth it.
Biggest drawback to that is the trailer, IMO.
It looks to be not even half the trailer that boat should have. I would at least double check it, before I pulled it too far.
 
I don’t think you can go too wrong with that. It’s all about the condition and that one looks well taken care of. Sea Ray is probably the best brand to buy.
The I/O units in my experience work well but anything with an engine or boobs is trouble sooner or later.
As mentioned a good trailer is important, check the wheel bearings, it looks like it has bearing buddies which is good.
Budget a lot more than the purchase price for gas & small repairs/upgrades plus food & drinks.
Get a weather radio and severe weather app for your phone.
Then there’s the weird effect on ladies when you take them on the water so you need to be prepared for that too.
 
Its mine, 5,500.00

All new canvas last year, current tags and its CLEAN.

stored inside for the last 12 years.

New GPS fish finder sonar, not even out of the box.

This guy took great care of her. 360 hours on the gauge, all original.

Zero oil in the bilge and clean as a whistle.

The only issue I could see is the blige blower is a little rusty (sounds funky) and I will have the out drive serviced. Just cus I dont want any issues with things I know nothing about.

Thursday she will be on the water and in a slip.

She gonna be tons of fun for me, my sis and the girls. I grew up boating and look forward to sharing that experience with my sisters girls!

Next on the list is a Hondo.... when they get older really show em what boats are for!

:)

Thanks for all the advice!
 
Congrats! Looks good!
Sea Ray one of the high end boats. You might check for any soft wood in the stringers (if used on that model) or spongy floor areas and transom cracks. The 6 should be just fine if running right and the tabs will help. Docking it in windy conditions could be interesting.
My 19' - 190 HP boat will go 50+ with the 2bbl on flat water. The V-6 in mine makes it a little heavy in the *** so I have to watch the shallows.
upload_2018-5-21_10-52-9.png


Maybe a helpful link.....
Choose Schematics - Marine Parts Express
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top