New 1984 225SRV

270win

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2009
1,019
Atlanta, GA
Boat Info
1995 Sea Ray 330 SunDancer
Engines
7.4 V Drives
I bought an 84' 225SRV today. I've always liked these boats a lot but they're pretty hard to find. This one is a good project boat. It's extremely solid and dry, but it needs lots of cleaning, mechanical overhaul and some refinishing of the interior. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow...
 
So here she is-
searay3.jpg


Needs a serious clean up!

The trailer needs a wheel bearing and hub along with 4 new tires, but it's really solid.

searay.jpg


All the gauges are clear and the helm is in really good shape. The upper dash pad needs to be reupholstered.

searay1.jpg


It's filthy but it's pretty solid. The laminated cooler door lids have some de-lamination and rot, the anchor locker door on the bow is the same. Pretty easy fix. The upholstery is usable but does show some age. The only other rot is in the side panels and it's a 4" x 24" piece of wood on both sides. Everything else is rot free.

searay2.jpg


The cabinetry beside the door is really solid, but the finish on the wood is flaking off. I'm sure it's a vernier finish...I have a cabinet maker friend that I'll enlist to come up with a good fix.

The block is cracked but has low hours. Maybe some useful parts to complete a new long-block. He said the drive is in good shape but I'm going to install a new one anyway. I probably wont start work on it until January...

Oh yeah, the swim platform has some soft spots so I'll probably just remove it and have it replaced.

Now the fun begins!:thumbsup:
 
She is just like mine, if you need any parts for your boat i have a whole basement full of stuff, just let me know what you need, and good luck with her!!!!!!!!!!!!! rob
 
270Win,

Welcome to the "tiny cruiser" club!

I had the same problem with the hatches in the stern. This is called a "fishbox" in the original brochure. I've used it as a cooler, without much success (there's no insulation and the heat from the engine melts ice very rapidly). Anyway, I used king starboard as a replacement, keeping the original teak trim. came out nice. won't rot again.

I'd like to see pics of what you do with the interior wood when you're done!
 
She is just like mine, if you need any parts for your boat i have a whole basement full of stuff, just let me know what you need, and good luck with her!!!!!!!!!!!!! rob
Thanks!
Do you have any new side "Sea Ray" emblems or know where I can find them?

Also a set of those back cooler door lids would save lots of time.

I'm sure I'll find more a once I get to the shop and take inventory.
 
270Win,

Welcome to the "tiny cruiser" club!

I had the same problem with the hatches in the stern. This is called a "fishbox" in the original brochure. I've used it as a cooler, without much success (there's no insulation and the heat from the engine melts ice very rapidly). Anyway, I used king starboard as a replacement, keeping the original teak trim. came out nice. won't rot again.

I'd like to see pics of what you do with the interior wood when you're done!
I'll look into king starboard, no more rot sounds great! I wonder if there's a way to add insulation in the engine compartment? Should be easy when the engine is out.

We'd like to use it as a cooler at the lake and a fish ox when we take it to Mexico Beach this summer...if it's ready by then.
 
I looked at the Kingstarboard website, it looks interesting. Anyone got any pictures of this material in use?

Also, I'm looking at engine builders. I'm not spending MerCruiser factory type money on an engine/outdrive. I've been talking with Rapido Marine about a long block roller motor and looking into Sterndrive Engineering for a new outdrive. Any other alternatives would be great to investigate.
 
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And so it begins-
I decided to go ahead and get the boat to the shop this week. Part of the reason I got her so cheap was the fact that the trailer needed, and still needs, help. The biggest issue was the left rear wheel hub and bearing were shrapnel. It was also sitting on two flat tires...the other two were slightly less flat, but equally dry rotted. When the bearing failed, the driver failed to stop. The spindle was scored so pretty badly in several places that the inner bearing had to be cut off. But once the remains of the bearing were off and the spindle de-burred, the new bearings and hub assembly went right on.

The trailer pulls great. I have four brand new tires being delivered to the shop tomorrow. The surge brakes and lights don't work, so I'll have top tackle those soon too. I think I'm going to sand blast the trailer and repaint it black.

Anyway, on the way home I decided to stop and pressure wash the worst of the gunk off of it to get an idea of what I have to work with...this boat is going to clean up really well, I think. I'm going to remove the tape stripes and have those redone after I get the gel-coat back into shape.

I took some better pics of the boat and trailer-
SeaRay1-1.jpg


SeaRay-1.jpg


I'm now researching engines and considering options on the outdrive. I'm not sure if I want to have the outdrive overhauled or just spring for a new SE outdrive. I'll know more once I dig a bit deeper...
 
270win,

Here are some pics that include the king starboard in action:

http://s862.photobucket.com/albums/ab188/ghuskin/

I looked at trying to add insulation, and there's really not much room to anything substantial. We bought some small soft-side coolers that fit inside and do a rather nice job of keeping things orderly in that space.
 
Also, you might want to insulate the "motor box" if it's not already.

Enjoy!
Thanks for the link to the pics! NICE boat!!! Did you use Cetol on the teak cabin doors an the bar area? That sold me on the King Starboard for my cooler doors and anchor locker hatch.

I was thinking about using Dynamat for the cooler and motor box insulation. It's very thin and it does a great job! Keeps the floors on old hotrods nice and cool.
 
Thanks!

yes, i did use Cetol on the cabin doors and bar area. I'm not sure that was the right product for those panels, but it came out nice, and is holding up so far. I do like the Cetol for the actual teak (holding up extremely well!). Lots of elbow grease...

Not many places to attach anything on the underside of the "fish box". I seem to recall that it kind of hags there (held up by the lip where it's screwed from the inside).
 
Thanks!

yes, i did use Cetol on the cabin doors and bar area. I'm not sure that was the right product for those panels, but it came out nice, and is holding up so far. I do like the Cetol for the actual teak (holding up extremely well!). Lots of elbow grease...

Not many places to attach anything on the underside of the "fish box". I seem to recall that it kind of hags there (held up by the lip where it's screwed from the inside).
My teak is in pretty good shape...salvageable anyway. Just pressure washing it made it look pretty good already.
But the venear (sp?) on that bar area is pealing and looks bad. I don't want to paint it and I'm pretty positive that there's no way to restore the finish. If I'm wrong on that let me know. Structurally all the wood in the bar area is very solid.

On the coolers, Dynamat has an adhesive on it and, if needed, a good coat of 3M adhesive might do the trick. I have no idea what the space even looks like yet so I may be way off base on what I'm thinking here.

I've had a few boats, but this is the most excited I've been about one yet! :)

I'm almost finished with an engine install in the GTO, hope to be done in another couple of weeks. Then the boat (Quaisey) is going into the shop.
 
There's really not much you can do about that veneer, other that paint, replace, or resurface if in the condition you describe. The veneer does not take stain of any kind.

I had a new anchor box hatch made (in photos) with teak veneer (over marine plywood) and flanked with original trim, then sealed with Cetol. I have thought of using teak veneer to resurface these pieces had they been in worse condition, and would give a richer look to the cockpit.

Keep us informed on your progress!
 
There's really not much you can do about that veneer, other that paint, replace, or resurface if in the condition you describe. The veneer does not take stain of any kind.

I had a new anchor box hatch made (in photos) with teak veneer (over marine plywood) and flanked with original trim, then sealed with Cetol. I have thought of using teak veneer to resurface these pieces had they been in worse condition, and would give a richer look to the cockpit.

Keep us informed on your progress!
Would King Starboard work for the anchor hatch too?

I'm also looking at replacing the cabin ventilation hatch with a smoked forward opening hatch rather than the original.

I don't think Cetol will hurt anything. If it doesn't last long I'll just have to refinish the bar anyway so basically nothing lost there.

I'm still debating and researching engines and outdrives. Whether I want to rebuild the current drive or just replace it. I havea little time, but I want this boat water ready by early April so it's going to be a busy winter.
 
i don't see any reason why Starboard wouldn't work?

For me, it was asthetics. I really don't like the stark white against the bow. It looks a bit out of place. I will be replacing the cabin hatch/access with a piece that matches the anchor box. I think it will provide a much warmer look.

I think you will be fine with the 260hp Merc/Alpha1 set-up. I have the 228hp Merc, and it's adequate. I would love the extra HP!!

The underside of the port gunnel is a great place to mount a bazooka sub (it will be hidden by the seat).

If you find a way to mount cockpit speakers, please let me know. I'm dying for suggestions...

Happy New Year!
 
I'll post some GTO pics tonight. I'm almost afraid to take the cover off of the boat, once I do, I know I won't want to do anything else.

I was thinking about the dove gray Starboard, it might match the hull color. I wonder if they would send me a small sample? I'll check that in a minute.

I was going to ask you about speaker locations too. The bazooka tube idea sounds good. That's a bit down the road for me at this point. :grin:

I've been thinking about the fuel tank too. Sitting for two years...I haven't even bothered with smelling the gas. I'm sure it's bad though.

I'll stick with the 350, but I've seen listings for 290hp roller cam engines that are supposed to save fuel. I'm sure that's if I stay at similar cruising speeds. Idk, the 260 was good for upper 30's in my buddy's boat. We spend 90% of our time at or below 3K RPMs riding around which should give a nice cruising speed. We're on a land locked lake so there's nowhere to go really.
 

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