1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

kshallen · Apr 26, 2014

Hello to all. I have finally decided to embark on my project boat. I've owned it since 1995 and due to poor care and feeding, (and it's age) I now need to completely rebuild it. Floor, upholstery, engine.

Here are a few pics before I begin ripping the floor apart.

Thanks to all in advance for the advice I'll need for a successful outcome.

kshallen · Apr 26, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

Woodonglass provided an excellent tools, equipment, supplies, and materials list in a post titled "1984 sea ray rebuild (new pics & question)". In that list it has Poly resin listed. I thought I read on one of these posts to use epoxy resin. Or was that only for special purposes like the transom? I'm far from an expert here and and just seeking verification. Thanks.

Sparkinator · Apr 26, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

The only epoxy I used on my transom rebuild was gluing the two pieces of ply wood together that was used for the transom. I glued a 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch pieces together with the epoxy to get the thickness I needed for the transom. Once the plywood was glued together, I layered it in 1708 woven mat with poly resin. Gluing together with the epoxy was probably overkill. A lot of people on here just use liquid nails or some other wood adhesives to glue the transom wood together. Once the wood is bonded, the poly resin is used to seal the plywood from the outside and bond the wood to the hull.

Poly resin is the resin your boat is made of, so poly is what everyone uses to rebuild. I used poly to lay all of the fiberglass mats, tabbing the transom wood to the hull, re-installing stringers, putting the floor back in, etc.

kshallen · Apr 27, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

Thanks Sparkinator. I'm like a sponge here and learning all I can. I attended a seminar yesterday at a local West Marine on Epoxy Resin. The guy was a science geek and said that Epoxy resin has a bonding strength of about 2500 lbs/sq in and poly resin is about a tenth of that at 250 lb/sq in. And he said that Epoxy resin has very little elasticity or "give". For that reason he recommended that I attach the stringers to the boat mold with Epoxy resin. Any other thoughts from anyone? Should I take his advice and use poly resin for the rest of the areas where water sealing is needed but not so much strength?

kshallen · May 3, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

OK. I'm starting to absorb all the valuable info on this forum. I sent a private message to an expert on these forums earlier today. Hoep he replies. I'm at a decision point before I order my materials. Poly resin makes sense in the pocket book. But it might take me longer to do the stringers, cross members, and deck than epoxy. And I would LOVE to be in the water within 6 weeks or so. I start demo this coming week. Can anyone comment if I use poly if it will take longer than epoxy and if so, how much longer? I realize that there is the UV aspect of the items that will be exposed. I'll be finishing those surfaces with gelcoat. I'm willing to pay an extra $400 - $500 to be on the water sooner than later. Again, the floor is a complete gut and build.

Also I still need to figure out if the transom is going to be replaced or not. I probably need detailed instructions for checking that with certainty. I'm concerned about the subjectivity of a few bore holes to tell the real health of the transom. Anyone have any detailed advice on this or point me to definitive info?

Thanks everyone.

Woodonglass · May 3, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

Poly is more than adequate to do your boat rebuild. It will be MUCH faster to build with than epoxy. Poly sets in about 25 mins and you can lay your next layer. Epoxy if the temps are right, about 4 hours minimum. If you want to gelcoat, You MUST use poly. Gelcoat and epoxy don't play well with each other. The strength of Poly is MORE than ample for what you will need for your boat. It's true that epoxy is stronger and has better water resistant characteristics. But, I haven't seen an Polyester build boat suffering from water logging issues in their laminations and some of them have been sitting in marinas for decades!

If you're a workaholic and have a LOT of time to dedicate to this project you MIGHT get it done in 6 weeks. There's a LOT of work to do between now and then..

kshallen · May 4, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

Thanks woodonglass. You are quite kind to be such a willing expert contributor of advice to us rookies.

I didn't realize that I could apply the poly resin in such a short amount after the previous application. (Must have missed that in my reading!) THAT alone will save me plenty of "duration of waiting" time during the rebuild.

I will be putting my materials order into US Composites (per advice on these forums) or a local supplier (to avoid shipping costs - if any) this coming week. I have an acquaintance who is the fiberglass guy for one of MN's largest boat dealers. Perhaps he has a quality supplier recommendation.

And yes, I am a bit of a workaholic AND have time most days and evenings to tackle this. You did trigger a thought for me however. Maybe I should ask this acquaintance if he's interested in a little side work tackling this with me to reduce rebuild time. Hmmm. A mechanic friend will be resembling the drivetrain. My goal = be on the water by sometime in June!

Thanks again. I'll journal this experience along the way.

tpenfield · May 4, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

A few more pictures would be helpful, but it seems like you will be gutting this boat and rebuilding from the hull - up.

Using epoxy and poly in combination can get tricky, because epoxy is a good adhesive whereas poly resin is not so good as an adhesive. So, you are best to use 1 form of resin, considering you will be doing a full rebuild.

I have used Vinyl Ester resin in my rebuild/repair work, mostly because that is what the boat was made from originally, but also because it has some better water resistance and adhesive characteristics than regular polyester resin.

Anyway, it is best to go through the boat entirely, figuring out what is 'good' and what has become water saturated or rotted, then plan out your rebuild. Not quite sure you have done that. . . . :noidea:

kshallen · May 5, 2014

Re: 1985 Searay 197 Monaco Complete Restoration

Yep, a complete teardown. The motor mounts are shot. as are the stringers and of course the floor. I am going to find a moisture meter to determine the health of the transom.

I'll be doing teardown this week. Bought 3 sheets of marine grade 3/4" and one sheet of 1/2" marine grade plywood yesterday to let it dry before I start needing it. Hopefully giving the sheets a suntan will accomplish that. Anyone else have any better ideas for peeping the moisture content in the plywood?

I'll post a complete set of "before" pictures this evening. I don't think I'll be shooting any videos unless educationally necessary. Friscoboater's video diary is comprehensive enough for anyone with basic mechanical and woodworking skills to be able to accomplish this. Thanks in advance to all.

tpenfield · May 5, 2014