1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

I created some limber holes in the stringers with a hole-saw and small pieces of PVC coated with epoxy.



And ran the main PVC drain line across the hull, capping it with a poly/cabosil mix.



Poured a gallon of water into the open area of the bow with complete drainage and no leaks. Success.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Instead of pour foam, I cut up multiple pieces of the blue and pink foam and layered them the in channels. These were packed very tightly but not against the edges of the stringer to allow for proper drainage. I also slapped on some more epoxy over where the PVC meets the bulkhead just for added insurance.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Originally I wanted to lay down the side deck pieces first, so I could create a removable gas-tank hatch. I got both sides done and they looked pretty good...





....until I installed the bow portion of the deck.





Ouch. I have no idea how this happened; somehow through the process my measurements got all out of whack (I blame the August heat). Back to the drawing board; I removed both sides and went with a once-piece design, foregoing my idea of a removal gas-tank. Oh well, live and learn.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

I wanted to share a few things I have found throughout this build. First off, I was getting sick and tired of the cheapo nitrile gloves that kept breaking and ripping until I found these guys. MUCH thicker and sturdier than the ones I was using, and not that much more expensive.



Also, regarding sandpaper (I am using a Bosch Orbital), I now avoid those Red-Resin type discs; they lose sharpness VERY quickly. I have found that the aluminum oxide & ceramics last much longer and tend to cut into fiberglass much better. The Diablo and Norton BlueFire seemed to be the best. YMMV.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Since I am going to be gelcoating (or painting..have not decided yet) the deck and interior, I have had to do a TON of prep work to these interior pieces to ensure they are completely smooth with no voids, dips, etc. Here are the helm supports; I cut these out of 1/2 ply and took a 1/2" rounded-router to both sides.





I wrapped the edges with CSM, sanded, then covered both sides. Once both sides were glassed, I sanded again and used a poly/balloon mix to fill in the voids.









Both of these pieces were very difficult and time consuming; TONS of manual sanding, fairing, then sanding again. I want to estimate that these two helm supports took between 2-4wks to create since I usually work on the boat after work for a few hours at a pop. All in all I was very happy with the way that they turned out, and knowing I can avoid laying down carpet makes it all worth it.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

After the supports were constructed, I used clamps and epoxy to attach them to the helm and tabbed in with some 1708.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

With the supports installed, I started building out the rest of the bow. I used clamps and 2x4's to keep everything square and lined up. Note the random swatch of 1708; I did it that way so I could tab in the helm & bow supports and have everything match up. Also, pay no attention to the sloppy resin-globs at the top of the photo, that was a resin and chopped fiber testing ground.



Once they were dry, I was able to complete both sides of the bow. Bottom I used some 2x2 as supports and so I could screw in the bow pieces. The holes were filled with resin, then screwed down and covered with PB.





Here is the bow that had been covered in CSM and the start of the long sanding process (along with the start of a new bow-step).

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

In my "downtime" waiting for resin to cure, I have been building a speaker box that will be built-in to the design of the boat. This will house a 12" Boston Acoustics Pro powered by a Sony 600w amp. This is bar-none of of the most indestructible subs I have ever owned. The box it was in was completely filled with water; I pulled out the sub, let it dry, and it fired right back up.

The box was constructed with 1/2 ply, and the seams filled with epoxy, fibers, & cabosil, and the interior lined with epoxy and 3oz cloth.



I don't know how I went without owning a router for this long, I freaking love this thing.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

I will be better with posting updates from this point forward and should have some updates within the next few days.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

It's hard to follow but your using epoxy & polyester resins for your build?

And have avoided using the epoxy in places you think you might be finishing w/ gelcoat, correct?

Except for the side deck panel misalignment, it looks to be coming together pretty good, congrats.

 

[britisher]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Doing a good job there. Mine's an 89 SR 180 BR, very similar design. Had to same as you with 100% rot.
One thing I noticed you may have overlooked... On the new transom where the transom housing is bolted, you will need to cut out 2 diagonals near the top to allow the steering arm to fully move. Friscoboater had to do it on his SR thread. It's easy to do. Just offer up the transom housing from the outside and you'll see where and how much to wood remove on the inside.

 

[sheboyganjohn]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Looking good. My build for this year is still buried in snow and being in the negatives during the day here, would not have anything done to it if there was no snow. Will have to wait until April or so. Reading posts like yours keeps me looking forward to spring.

 

[Hort5]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Kabookey, things are looking good. Keep up the good work and keep us posted! It's guys like you and Friscoboater that give the rest of us hope and encouragement. I also have the same 87 SeaRay but mine is blue and has the 3.0 Liter engine. A couple of years ago I noticed my front engine mount is sinking. I'm sure it is rotten inside that fiberglass box, just as yours was. Because of lack of time, I've let the boat sit in the garage, but the whole family is missing the boat. So I'm starting to thing about getting started. I'm just not sure if I should just start ripping the boat apart and do a complete rebuild, or try to just do the front engine mount and check a few other areas. I've seen on some other post where guys drilled some holes to check the condition of the transom and stringers. What do you guys think?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

It's rare that a 27 year old boat that has rotten motor mounts and has NO other serious issues. I Highly recommend core samples of the transom, bulkheads and stringers in all accessible areas of the boat as well as thorough inspection of every nook and cranny of the deck searching for soft spots. Hope for the Best...Prepare for the Worst!!!!

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

It's hard to follow but your using epoxy & polyester resins for your build?

And have avoided using the epoxy in places you think you might be finishing w/ gelcoat, correct?

Except for the side deck panel misalignment, it looks to be coming together pretty good, congrats.

Correct. Epoxy was used for bonding purposes only (butt-joints, speaker box, helm, etc.) All surfaces that will be gelcoated are poly only. Thanks for the comment!

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Doing a good job there. Mine's an 89 SR 180 BR, very similar design. Had to same as you with 100% rot.
One thing I noticed you may have overlooked... On the new transom where the transom housing is bolted, you will need to cut out 2 diagonals near the top to allow the steering arm to fully move. Friscoboater had to do it on his SR thread. It's easy to do. Just offer up the transom housing from the outside and you'll see where and how much to wood remove on the inside.

I must have left out those photos, hah. Yes, I cut out the area for the steering arm using Frisco's hole-saw method then coated the area with resin then painted.

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Looking good. My build for this year is still buried in snow and being in the negatives during the day here, would not have anything done to it if there was no snow. Will have to wait until April or so. Reading posts like yours keeps me looking forward to spring.

Much thanks! Since I am in Florida I was able to avoid the snow but it has gotten a bit chilly at times. I tell you what though, I would much rather work on the boat in 50 degrees than 100+. Keep us posted on your build!

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Kabookey, things are looking good. Keep up the good work and keep us posted! It's guys like you and Friscoboater that give the rest of us hope and encouragement. I also have the same 87 SeaRay but mine is blue and has the 3.0 Liter engine. A couple of years ago I noticed my front engine mount is sinking. I'm sure it is rotten inside that fiberglass box, just as yours was. Because of lack of time, I've let the boat sit in the garage, but the whole family is missing the boat. So I'm starting to thing about getting started. I'm just not sure if I should just start ripping the boat apart and do a complete rebuild, or try to just do the front engine mount and check a few other areas. I've seen on some other post where guys drilled some holes to check the condition of the transom and stringers. What do you guys think?

Thank you! Frisco's thread is one of the best out there, I learned a ton by reading and watching his vids.

What I learned from my build was if its rotten in the mounts, its going to be rotten in the stringers, and vice-versa. When I finally got to ripping apart the mount, I realized how poor the original design was; the stringers were not tabbed in to the hull so there was a huge gap between stringer and hull that was filled with foam. Water got in, pooled up, and eventually made its way through the stringer system and the transom. Had I replaced the transom the first time I had the boat apart I would have saved myself a ton of work and money, but I actually enjoy doing this so it wasn't that bad for me, hah. If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up, thanks again!

 

[kabookey]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

It's rare that a 27 year old boat that has rotten motor mounts and has NO other serious issues. I Highly recommend core samples of the transom, bulkheads and stringers in all accessible areas of the boat as well as thorough inspection of every nook and cranny of the deck searching for soft spots. Hope for the Best...Prepare for the Worst!!!!

This is actually the 2nd time I have had the boat apart. When I first got the boat 4yrs or so ago, the boat was a mess; the deck was soaked, stringers shot, and anything made of wood was rotted. I replaced everything BUT the transom and mounts. The boat ran like a champ for 3yrs, until I noticed one of the mounts had collapsed. This started my "re-restoration"; a top-down complete rebuild (I am a glutton for punishment, what can I say). Your comment is spot on though; I now tell folks, if you are going to do it, do it right the first time and don't cut any corners. I hoped for the best and years later got the worst (but learned a LOT in the process). Thanks!

 

[slow joe]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville "Re-Re-Restoration"

Wow, that's a pretty thorough restoration. Similar to what I'm doing currently on my '91 Conquest.. I'll be following along with this since you're well ahead of me so I can take some pointers and work them into my boat. :rockon: