1978 Sea Ray Floor Repair

72elk

Recruit
Joined
Jul 18, 2018
Messages
2
Daughter and I just bought our first boat, a 1978 Sea Ray Srv 197.....18 footer with Chevy 305 and mercruser drive. Boat looks good for its age and runs good. The Ski storage cover seemed spongy so I opened it the wood support holding it in place is rotted. I'm guessing I will need to replace the floor this winter. Any help would be appreciated.
 

wahlejim

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
Messages
884
I don't want to burst your bubble here, but look through the restoration forum. A lot of projects that start with 'some' rotted wood in the floor or ski locker turn into complete rebuilds. Boats tend to rot from the bottom up, so there is a good chance your will be replacing not just the floor, but stringers, transom, and re-glassing the whole thing. If that is a project you are willing to take on, there are plenty of knowledgeable people here to help you out. If not, no one would blame you one bit. You can chop the motor out of that thing and sell the motor and outdrive to recoup some cost and have the hull disposed of for a fee. Ultimately, your choice to make. Just make sure you see some of the threads to see what you may be in for.
 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
18,445
Daughter and I just bought our first boat, a 1978 Sea Ray Srv 197.....18 footer with Chevy 305 and mercruser drive. Boat looks good for its age and runs good. The Ski storage cover seemed spongy so I opened it the wood support holding it in place is rotted. I'm guessing I will need to replace the floor this winter. Any help would be appreciated.

:welcome:

Where do you live? Not sure we'll be able to come over to help, but maybe :)

As mentioned more than just the floor could be rotted. The structure under the floor usually rots first. Lots of threads on the restoration forum to study and learn from, and then folks can offer guidance along the way. I bet you thought owning a boat would be 'fun' :)
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,930
Do you have any history about the Boats Maintenance and Care? Finding a 40 yr. old boat with just a rotten ski locker would be highly unlikely. As stated, there's a 95% chance she's in for a total tear down and restoration. I'd HIGHLY recommend you core sample the transom before going too far out in the water. A Bad transom can lead to some catastrophic failures.
 
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