1998 Sea Ray 210BR - All Fiberglass, or still some wood?

Adzam

Member
Feb 28, 2011
36
Marietta, GA
Boat Info
210BR
Engines
5.0 Mercruiser
Just purchased a 1998 Sea Ray 210BR. Did this boat still have wood stringers or is it all fiberglass? I read another thread that mentioned it was all fiberglass, but could not find any mention any place else?

Mine has the finished fiberglass floor (but missing the snap in carpet), not sure if this would make it all fiberglass or not???

And while we are at it, what the best cruising RPM for the Mercruiser 5.0 (220HP, non-Fuel Injected)???
 
For best fuel economy 3000 - 3500 rpm. About the wood, someone more knowledgable will have to comment.

I have 1995 200 select with a solid floor but bet its got wood in it.
 
If no one on CSR has the answers, you can call Sea Ray directly and ask them about the materials they used. A service department at a Sea Ray dealership may also be able to tell you.
 
I did just that, I emailed Sea Ray support this AM about a 1998 270 Sundancer and waiting for a reply, once/if they reply I'll post it. I suspect we'll find that it does have wood. I too am looking to purchase a 98 and have the exact same question. If it is wood I'm hoping it's marine grade plywood at least. I understand that some other boat manufacturers in the mid 90s went to marine encapsulated plywood and offered a lifetime warranty. I hope this applies to Sea Ray. I've searched the CSR archive and could not find a definite answer there, maybe I'm doing it wrong.
 
A good Marine Surveyor will also know how they are constructed. And I would recommend a survey on a used boat regardless of how it is constructed.
 
I received this from Sea Ray Weds. morning.

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Sea Ray 270 Sundancer. The cruiser models are fabricated using marine grade wood for the stringer and transom assembly, which is sealed with fiberglass and resin. With normal care, this area is well protected by the full fiberglass deck / cockpit liner.

The Sea Ray structural warranty is for five years from the original date of purchase.
We appreciate your interest in Sea Ray and the opportunity to assist you with this information. If we may be of further assistance, please feel free to contact our Customer Service Department.
Best Regards,

Terry Kerr
 
I was having a difficult time getting a definitive answer from the internet on the exact boat I was considering. So I went on the Sea Ray website to support section and found the link to email your question. I included the hull # and they got back to me with the info in less than a day. That's the ticket!
Whatever you do get a survey and make sure your surveyor is fully capable of checking for moisture in the stringer/transom. You'll sleep much better.
 
What is the email address you sent your question to? I need to ask them the same thing about my 98 180 BR.
 
I would be willing to bet money it is still wood. that is my boat everyone is talking about, and the stringers were only 1/2" Kinda Scary if you asked me.
 
I would be willing to bet money it is still wood. that is my boat everyone is talking about, and the stringers were only 1/2" Kinda Scary if you asked me.

Yah, I think you are right. I have the optional finished fiberglass floor, so I was hoping that this would give me fiberglass stringers. Most likely not much has changed from your boat (1995) to mine (1998)...
 
Adzam,

I cannot comment on your 210. However, the sales literature for my 230 indicated that it had either a composite or fiberglass stringer grid. I do not recall this being mentioned for the transom construction. My previous Crownline had wooden stringers and did a better job of deadening the sound of ripples, chop and etc. against the hull. The increased noise level/hull slap on my 230 was immediately apparent as we were idling out of the marina during the sea trial/demo.
 
PHOTO - SEA RAY BOW RIDER 1989.jpg
Yah, I think you are right. I have the optional finished fiberglass floor, so I was hoping that this would give me fiberglass stringers. Most likely not much has changed from your boat (1995) to mine (1998)...

Mine is 1989 and they used painted plywood (3/8" to 1/2", varies) below deck serving as forms for the pour in floatation foam and substrate for seats, etc. This was also decked with plywood and carpet. All of that rotted out and I replaced it with 1/2" treated plywood decking and miscellaneous supports, with added 2" x 2" stringers for attachments in some locations. Treated materials are a must: it's heavier but will not rot in our lifetime, finished with marine carpet and adhesive. Cautions not to use treated lumber are rooted in fact that any new epoxy attachments needed to secure or serve as deck finish is not feasible -- these new fiberglass materials are incompatible with treated wood substrates; but treated wood is substantially less costly than marine grade plywood and non-wood composites. Hey, I had to do this with a careful eye on service versus costs.

If you pull the floor panel over the fuel tank, you should be able to easily inspect the form material used on yours. None of that work served as primary structure, although it did provide attachment points for finishes laid over it. The engine is mounted on heavy glass enclosed timbers and appear to be isolated from the referenced secondary form work. Those timbers are the only primary structure, and do not extend beyond the bilge will/engine compartment on mine.

My transom only had 1-inch thick wood core, embedded in heavy (1/2" thick) fiberglass construction; and is now subject of an attempt to arrest rot that I discovered around the drain plug. This wood and fiberglass assembly only extends up to a height of about 16-inches above the keel, with the top section serving as a much more robust structure above that. Geometry plays a large role in contribution to final strength and the comples shape of the upper top section is way stronger than the flat plane transom section, but 1/2" fiberglass is a hefty section. The top and hull bottom connections provide needed stiffness in the plane section of the transom.

The GMC 4.3L V6 and Alpha 1 outdrive are not sturcturally dependent on the transom; although it passes through it and maintaining a seal is of paramount importance. That load is fully supported on the timber structure.

Wood and fiberglass have similar tensile strength and hence normally work well together as a composite material when stressed. Given the thin wood section (1-inch instead of 2- to 3-inch normally found in transoms) it primarily served as stout fromwork that served as the substrate for the fiberglass overlay; and once that cured, is not a significant contributer to the structural capacity of the transom, where the fiberglass takes over.

We will see. To date, no cracks or signs of fiberglass distress, even with core rot.
 
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Your alpha drive is 100 percent dependent on the strength of the transom, that's all it attaches to. The drive and engine only connect through the driveshaft.
Also wrong about the P/T plywood lasting your lifetime. Believe it, that product starts to rot after a few years subjected to moisture. There is a reason boat builders don't use it in areas that will get wet. I skimmed the deck of my old center console with home depot 3/4" P/T and after 3 seasons it's failing and was coated with a marine paint.
 
Your alpha drive is 100 percent dependent on the strength of the transom, that's all it attaches to. The drive and engine only connect through the driveshaft.
Also wrong about the P/T plywood lasting your lifetime. Believe it, that product starts to rot after a few years subjected to moisture. There is a reason boat builders don't use it in areas that will get wet. I skimmed the deck of my old center console with home depot 3/4" P/T and after 3 seasons it's failing and was coated with a marine paint.

I greatly appreciate your thoughts and experience in this as I am on the cusp of either investing significant funds in a boat that has taken a lot of work to ressurrect and has occupied much of my free time and considerable expense for a couple of seasons now; so this is not inconsequential. The alternative is to just scrap what I've put into it so far and your observations matter.

Observation suggests that the engine block in this boat is secured to several substantial engine mounts that do not rely on the transom, but are supported on major timber elements, embedded in fiberglass roving and epoxy; and the outdrive is cantelevered offf of that. While the outdrive does pass through the transom, the weight of it is bolts firmly to the engine block (through which the bulk of structural load passes to those engine mounts). While the transom is not completely isolated from flexural loads, it appears to be a secondary structural member under this arrangement.

As for treated wood, your mileage may vary. In my architectural practice I have used pressure treated wood (timbers and plywood) for foundations that had programmed lives of forty years -- in other words, not expected to last "forever" -- and I have yet to see a failure, and these are buried into the earth where moisture is a constant factor.

Still assessing my options and penetrating epoxy injections to arrest rot and block furth moisture through the wood core; supplemented by epoxy fill injected into the cavity that has formed around the leaking drain plug remain high on the list of remedial tasks under consideration.

Investigation continues: going in with a boroscope to better assess the extent of rot comes next, but so far it appears to be limited to a height of a couple of inches by about a foot across the bottom of the transom around the drain plug.
 
Not only is the drive/transom assembly
supported 100% by the transom but the 2 rear engine mounts attach to the transom assembly as well. The 2 front engine mounts are supported by the stringers. There is no cantilevering, look closer, there are no bolts connecting the engine to the transom/drive.
Seat of the pants test would be to put all your weight on the leg and see if you see flexing.

There are several grades of P/T lumber. Home Depot probable being the worst.
 

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