205 Sport - Back from the dead!

[DesertSoul]

Our 2006 205 Sport, used every week until 2015 and then sat uncovered with a seized engine in 12 to 50+ degrees centigrade for over 5 years... and along came COVID and I needed a project The refurb took place in our car port during April to September 2020, much of this time was spent waiting for spares as the logistics companies worked out how to move stuff out to the Middle East, but piece by piece in 40+ degrees, the work is now complete. Hope you like it - some details of what was done during the process follow the pictures.

The process:
1. Rip it to pieces, removing all wood (all rotten), most of the electrics and pretty much everything else not permanently part of the hull!
2. Remake all of the woodwork with fully varnished marine ply (unlike the original cheap untreated ply) and re-cover/paint.
3. Complete engine rebuild, altering from 5.0 Carburettor to 5.7 MPI and fit all new marine parts, together with a full transom overhaul.
4. Re-upholster all seats and sun deck (also new wood) in new colour scheme.
5. Install separate electrical system for audio, LED lighting and dash ancillaries, together with 2 x 120AH batteries. Also upgraded alternator and additional 90AH running battery.
6. Install 4000W Rockford/Fusion/Kicker audio system
7. Remake all carpets and canvas.
8. Design and install wrap.
9. Stand back and have a beer!

Main points I noticed in the whole process is that everything you can easily see on the boat is awesome quality, but most of what you can't see is not Now it's all a consistently high quality Had a lot of fun, stress and lost 10kg in the process, but totally worth the effort!

 

[KnoxWill]

Very nice work. Enjoy the "new" boat.

 

[blaster]

So, I have to ask, How fast does she go with the 350MPI instead of the 305 carb? Did you change the gear ratio? What propeller are you running?

Beautiful work resurrecting that 205 from cooked past well done!

 

[DesertSoul]

So, I have to ask, How fast does she go with the 350MPI instead of the 305 carb? Did you change the gear ratio? What propeller are you running?

Beautiful work resurrecting that 205 from cooked past well done!

Honestly can't tell you yet, as have a problem with one injector, so waiting for replacement. At 4,000 on a 23 Prop am at 30 knots. But in early sea trial WOT flashed straight up to 5,000 before we throttled back. So, Gear Ratio is the way to go as cannot really run a bigger prop. Will keep you posted - changes will be done over the winter. BHP went up around 70 with the change. FYI if you are thinking of changing up... Had a problem with the Gear Change Ignition Interrupt, which we thought was all down to adjustment and old cables, until realising that the Carb interrupt actually grounds the ignition for a split second which just dos not work with the MPI. After scouring the internet for days we found a small comment that on the MPI the ignition circuit is broken, not grounded. This meant that I needed to spend about $180 on a new shift plate kit and wait anther 2-3 weeks to get it from USA.... So I designed another solution, staying with the original Plate and Microswitch that used the original grounding of the signal to activate a relay and simply wired the ignition through the relay - it worked great! (And cost $12 )

 

[DesertSoul]

Very nice work. Enjoy the "new" boat.

You're right, it does feel like it did when we bought it... even better to be honest as none of the glitches and little annoying things - Phone Chargers everywhere, LED Lighting throughout the hull, hoses on the cup holders that take spilt drink out of the storage compartments, better soundproofing and sound treatment

 

[daddyox]

Wow that’s so impressive. Nicely done!!

 

[blaster]

When I Repower I plan to upgrade the HP. This is the first thread on the Interwebs which outlines this Repower to a 350 on the SeaRay 205 sport.

thanks for posting a very informative and helpful thread.

My other thought is that you are going to be fast enough to REQUIRE trim tabs.

I believe you can get a prop up to 26” but low end will suffer. Changing from 1.62 to 1.47 ratio is how I have seen the bigger motor set up.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Looks good. I do like the color scheme. I am surprised by the level of wood degradation. I get the temperature component, what kind of relative humidity does your climate run?

 

[Shaps]

Blown away by how nice that came out. Great job!

 

[DesertSoul]

Looks good. I do like the color scheme. I am surprised by the level of wood degradation. I get the temperature component, what kind of relative humidity does your climate run?

We live in Middle East (Bahrain) - Humidity in July/Aug/Sep can hit 95% regularly... with temperatures ranging from 40-50+ degrees C. If you like transparent CDs, leave one in the glove box for a week It is extreme, but a little bit of varnish and stainless steel staples would have gone a long way Both used in the refurb.

 

[DesertSoul]

When I Repower I plan to upgrade the HP. This is the first thread on the Interwebs which outlines this Repower to a 350 on the SeaRay 205 sport.

thanks for posting a very informative and helpful thread.

My other thought is that you are going to be fast enough to REQUIRE trim tabs.

I believe you can get a prop up to 26” but low end will suffer. Changing from 1.62 to 1.47 ratio is how I have seen the bigger motor set up.

My pleasure - happy to share the details (and traumas!) - see earlier comment on the Shift Interrupt which floored us for a few days. Thanks also for the thoughts on the Ratio - definitely on the list to try.

 

[Blueone]

Very cool

 

[DesertSoul]

Ver cool

Happy to swap Lovely boat

 

[All's Well]

Very thorough restoration, great job!

 

[JimG]

Great job! Congratulations!

 

[Civility]

Good for you. It's so easy to just walk away. EVERYTHING is disposable these days. Glad to see someone take on a project like this. A few years ago, I took on a 1980 Penn Yan 28 Express Sedan (project). It was a blast. Just sold it this year. You can still find photos all over the internet. Its the only 28 Express sedan around. "supastar" was exactly that. Enough said about that. CIVILITY is just plain awesome! Happy to be a Sea Ray owner.

 

[Little Bit]

That's a lot of work! Great Job!!

 

[Stingrayaxe]

Great work DesertSoul. What size sub did you use and are you happy with the location?