1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

[eZZi Bob]

hey guys what you all think about a 1980 20 foot Sea Ray with a Mercruiser 351 v8?

 

[NCCamper]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Welcome to iBoats.

In general, I think 20' Sea Rays are great boats, especially with a V8 Mercruiser. But I am biased towards the Sea Rays, especially towards 20-footers (see sig line).

However, you will get better information if you supply more detailed, specific info about the boat, and about what you want to use the boat for.

You are asking for opinions, without giving enough info. Have you done a sea trial? Seen service records? Have any photos to post? How does the engine and drive look? How does that deck feel? Does the boat show obvious signs of PO taking pride in the ownership?

The more we know, the more we can offer!

Good Luck!

NCC

 

[eZZi Bob]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Sorry about the lack of informatio. I don't know much about it. I am thinking of buying it for 1500. This is my first boat I will have ever owned. What should a look at when I go check it out? The guy says that the engine runs great. It also comes with skis, depth finder, tube, and some other stuff.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

The engine is a good combo for that size. Probably the 233HP or 255HP version with the Alpha drive. The engine is good, no problems with parts despite it being a Ford make, which was only used for a few years in the mid-late 70's. Sea Ray's are good boats, but any boat of that age should be checked for signs of wood rot in the floors and more importantly the transom. Otherwise, it sounds like a steal if the interior and mechanicals are in good shape.

 

[NCCamper]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Oh, no need to apologize! You will find the folks here very helpful. But they do need something to work with, in order to help you.

Like I said earlier, look at the overall condition of the boat. Sea trial it, if you are able. Owner says it runs great, and that may very well be. Does he have service records? A 29-year old boat well-cared for may be great.

What to look for, a partial list, given my limited knowledge:
- Use a mallet, and tap on the deck. Does it sound solid? Does it feel solid? Water intrusion repairs are costly and time consuming. What is the condition of the transom?
- Look at the condition of the engine and outdrive. How do the fluid levels look? Condition/color of the fluids? Has the engine or drive been rebuilt? Records?
- Check the steering and tilt/trim operation.
- Do the gauges and electronics work?
- Overall condition of the boat: hull, interior, etc.
- Title, registration, & etc for boat and trailer?

You have to ask yourself if this boat will meet your needs. Fishing, cruising, watersports? Are you hoping to buy the boat turnkey? In other words, you don't want to put too much time in it before you are ready to splash?

These are just a few things off the top of my head. Other more experienced boaters will probably chime in. Most have forgotten more than I'll ever know!

Good luck, and let us know haw it works out. BTW, there are a few boaters here with older Sea Rays. If they are treated well, they will treat the owners well in return!

NCC

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

On a side note, I wouldn't buy a new SeaRay in the bowrider series, those things look as cheap as a bayliner! The 90's and earlier models are definitely solid though. SeaRay's cruisers are an amazing boat though; with an amazing price.

 

[eZZi Bob]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Thanks You'all have been a great help. I will check that stuff out tomorrow when I go see it. The guy says the only reason he is selling it is because he is getting married and they just got a house where the homeowners associations wont let them have it in the neighborhood. It is right now sitting at his friends appartment complex. The one thing he did say to me is that one of the floor boards is rotted. I guess it is the one for a storage compartment. He said the rest of the floor is fiberglass. He also just reappolstered the seats, painted the trim, and restaind the wood.

The engine hasn't ran for about 6-7 months but he says it runs great. I would love to test the engine, does anyone have any pointers on that? Water doesnt have to go thru the engine correct?

Hopefuly everything is alright with the boat. I am excited to get my first boat.

Thanks again
Bob

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Whoa! Water does need to run through the engine. I/O's typically get their coolant from the water course they are in. When trailered you can connect a garden hose to 'ear muffs' placed over the intakes on the lower unit and provide water, but don't run the engine without water.

A sea trial is the best way to safely run the engine and get a feel for how it actually runs.

Good luck.

 

[NCCamper]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Yeah, and if you do run it on "muffs", don't let the RPM's go too high; if you do, the water hose will collapse from the engine trying to draw in too much water. BTW, muffs are a device that wraps around the water intake ports on your drive unit, and a garden hose is connected to it.

If the owner says there's a soft spot in one part of the deck, better pay real close attention to the rest of the deck. There is wood in that deck - it may be covered with fiberglass, but there's still wood in the deck!

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

NCC

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

It will be quick & have plenty of pull for skiing.....
Have him take you for a test ride, running it on muffs won't tell you a thing, you need to test the engine under load.....
Make sure that it will get to WOT (4200) RPM MIN......
I would not be overly concerned with a soft spot in the deck, it can be easily fixed.....
$1500 is a good price if it is sound mechanically....
The small block Fords are reliable engines.....

 

[coastalcruiser]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

The small block Fords are reliable engines.....

I know a guy that put 4000 hours on his 302 sbf

 

[eZZi Bob]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

Hey guys, thanks so much for all of the information. I am cramming as much info as I can about this boat/engine. So far I like it.

I went and checked it out today. Unfortunately, he wasn't there so I just looked at the interior, checked the floor, looked at the engine, looked at the exterior, and stuff like that. Everything was "alright", I mean the interior needs some work but not that bad, mostly for and 30 year old boat. The trailer is a big peice of crap tho. I will have to get another one.

The floor seemed to be fiberglass but I thought that I read somewhere that it was wood. There was two areas that was rotted. It was where a top of a storage door sits on, looks like an easy fix. The other looked fairly simple as well. It was the front bottom and right bottom side of the compartment the engine is in.

Exterior looked good besides three spots. The front U bolt that the wintch hooks up to. It looks like it was pulled out about 1/4 inch. I called him and he said it didn't leak water there and it used to have some sort of metal/rubber grommet on there. The other two were cracks in the fiberglass one about the size of a quarter, the other about three inches. Looked like maybe he hit the dock. They where up top above the bump rail.

I only had two concerns about the engine besides that I haven't heard it run yet. They are right next to the propeller, they looks to be two hydraulic arms, they look like they lift and drop. The ends of these have a lot of rust on them. What are these and are they pricey to replace, if necessary to replace.

I talked to him today and he is working so tomorrow he is going to take me out on it. I will make sure we get up to 4200 RPM. The one thing that is concerning me is that he keeps mentioning that he hasn't taken it out for a year. I really hope this thing runs.

Thanks again guys
Bob

 

[CaptnTony]

Re: 1980 sea ray w/ mercruiser 351 I/O

I have a 1980 SeaRay 197 which I purchased about 4 years ago for 4,000.00. It has been worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY!

The family that owned it before us (bought it new) took GREAT care of it. We have records, and have kept ours for what little we've needed to do (winterize, checkups, trailer tires etc).

Those two arms that lift and drop the outboard portion of the motor are called Trim Cylinders. I've had to replace mine once in 4 years (I'm cheap though and don't buy new ones). I was lucky and found mine on eBay for about 1/4 the price from our local boat shops. The big things with these is not the rust (I haven't seen many that are rusty), but the pits and hydraulic lines because they will slowly release your fluid and the trim will stop working properly. I stopped keeping the boat in a harbor on the Mississippi because it seemed to take it's toll on the trim cylinders (even my parent's houseboat trim cylinders were taking a beating being on the water all summer). That, and the discoloration of the hull really sucks. I still haven't found a good way to get it back to a nice bright color!

What I've found. The boat has plenty of horsepower, but is slow to get there. I have about 0 holeshot on the beast. We pull tubers (up to 3 tubes) with NO problem. Sometimes those 3 tubes have 6 people back there. Skiers on the other hand require a bit more finesse. I generally start pulling them slowly through the water then gun it to get an adult up. A child is much easier. I've had the ole girl up to about 57mph with just me in it (about 225lbs) and it hauls quite nicely with a load of 8 (4 adults and 4 teenagers).

If it's your first boat (as mine was), remember that you should have it 'winterized' if you live in a cold climate where you have to store it for periods of time. BAD VOODOO if you don't (possibly)! I would also suggest a nice cover for it when you get a chance - makes it real nice to store and not get dust while it's in the garage / shed.