New to me 2005 Sea Ray 270 Sundeck

[Ryan McAndrew]

Hello all! I just picked up a 2005 Sea Ray 270 Sundeck. First boat for me. We boat around the upstate of SC (Hartwell, Keowee and Jocassee) and will probably take to coast once or twice a year. Looking forward to learning from you all! Boat is in shop now getting trim sender and limit replaced. ( i just watched youtube videos and feel i could have done it myself!) Also, trailer getting all new axels , brake actuator, and brakes. But i think i got a good deal! Oh, i put a new head in. That was a pain the a%$ and required cutting fiberglass, but at least it doesnt smell anymore! Cheers!

 

[Espos4]

Congratulations and welcome!
That’s a great boat and a great engine too.

what fiberglass did you have to cut to remove the head?

 

[Ryan McAndrew]

Congratulations and welcome!
That’s a great boat and a great engine too.

what fiberglass did you have to cut to remove the head?

The same head was not available, and the one I bought had a pump out connection that was on the right side and not centered like the original. The head would not mount to the floor correctly (centered) without me moving hoses, so I cut up the fiberglass and moved the hoses. Just have to do a little fiberglass patch work now. Pics below...

 

[All's Well]

Welcome to CSR - you have a fantastic area to boat in, I'm sure that you'll enjoy the new boat once you get it dialed in

 

[Espos4]

I would say no. That’s a pivot point and will wear away quickly.

did you have a prepurchase survey done on the boat

I’m surprised a surveyor would miss something like that.

 

[scoflaw]

There's a bushing that goes in there. So if the aluminum isn't egged out possibly that could fix that area.

 

[ColoSR]

Sorry to hear about this, same thing happened to me. Wasn't bad at first, but got worse quick so that I was afraid to leave it in the water. I ended up replacing the entire transom assembly for speed reasons, it was 4 weeks to get it rebuilt versus 1 week if we went with the new merc assembly. I went with the new assembly because it was July and rebuilding would have ended the season for me. Mine was particularly bad because the water had rusted out a number of parts including the U-bolts in the driveshaft, the coupler, and one of the engine mounts. I don't know how much was fear mongering, but worst case scenario was sinking the boat if things came loose and punctured the hull or bellows.

If you are going to have a mechanic do the work, replacing with new usually ends up being cheaper and less risky. Many of them can't be rebuilt, so you can end up wasting labor hours if they can't get it back together. New also reduces the labor for reinstall since they aren't fighting the old parts and gets you new trim rams and hoses.

Parts delivery and some time to let the wood in the transom dry out was the schedule limiting activities for me. Most folks replace the starter while the engine is out because they are pretty cheap and a real pain to access while the engine is in the boat. Personally, I would replace the alternator and the engine oil/temp sensors while the engine is out. I didn't have time, and the alternator went out the first time I put the boat back on the water.

Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions

 

[ColoSR]

If you are going to do the work yourself, there is a fix from JR Marine. The thread below talks about it.

http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/leak-swivel-shaft-steering-pin.68157/

 

[Espos4]

The link for the JR Maine is for a steering pin repair. This looks like a hinge pin issue that was show in the video

 

[Espos4]

When you move the Outdrive left and right at the end of the video, is the steering wheel turning during that movement? Or is the steering pin really that loose??

 

[Espos4]

You really need to evaluate the entire transom assembly on that boat. If the pivots and steering pin are that bad, it’s quite possible that the entire transom assembly needs to be replaced. Check the water inlet for
Bravo-itis, check the U-joint bellows and shift cable bellows etc.