1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

[WVagent]

Hi guys! I'm new to the forum and I just have to say I have found a new home!

I love all of the experience and advice that everyone offers.....all for the love of boating.

Now to my question. I have a 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider. It's in great condition and the 5.7 Mercruiser is mint. Problem is there's a small soft spot on the deck in front of the engine cover hinge on the port side (big sailing term ).

From what I've seen on here, I can only imagine what the deck and stringers are going to look like when I tear it out. It's something that I can do but I don't have any work space to complete a restore.

About how much could I expect to pay if I had a shop re-do my stringers and deck? I can do the aesthetics after the hard stuff is done.

 

[starcrafter65]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

Can't answer your question as my boats are Aluminum now - But that was my first boat and it was awesome!

You might have just a soft floor - hopefully!

 

[britisher]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

Hi and welcome,
I have an 89 180 bowrider, looks very similar to yours. This was my first boat and so was inexperienced when it came to inspecting & buying. I too had the dreaded soft spots and the whole of the wood was shot. I am working my way through a stringer up refurb and at present my total spend on wood, resin, tools, etc is about $1400.00 to date. I spent about $500 with US Composites on resin, fibre glass, etc and around $750.00 at Lowe's & HD on plywood, timber and other bits & pieces. I still have to foam the underfloor so that will be some expense, but that's about all. I seem to recall on another thread someone asked the same question and quotes varied to have it done by others at between $3500 (low side) to about $5000.00 (high side). I don't have space in my garage to do the repair and live in an HOA controlled area, which do not allow boats parked on property. I sneaked mine round to the back garden and have done the work there. I work under a 10 x 10 pop up canopy and have commandeered the patio as the work/storage area. You pays your money and takes your choice my friend.
Have I enjoyed doing the work myself? Yes and No. Most times I get a real sense of pride when it comes out well. other times, I wish I had never started as the job seems to go on forever (say goodbye to weekends!)

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

Expense to have it done is only part of the equation. From reports here on the forum, when hiring it done, the results have been less than satisfactory. Shoddy workmanship seems to be the norm and high prices ARE the norm. Bottom line is, if you want to ensure it's RIGHT you will have to do it yourself. Depending on how much there is to do, if you do it yourself, you'll be out of pocket between $2K to 3K for that size boat. If you decide to have it done $5k will prolly be your price and you won't KNOW what you'll be getting unless you babysit the builder and he'll prolly NOT like that at all.

 

[Struc]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

Do some test borings to see what you are working with.

I have a 1988 Sea Ray 200, and it has a couple of bad spots, but most of the borings I did came out great. There may be less work needed than you have imagined. You might be able to get away with just restoring a small area rather than a full restore of the whole boat - in which case you'll not need a big shop space.

Heck, Friscoboater did his full restore in his driveway with tarps!

Oh, and check out the destruction thread in my signature. My parts boat looked just like yours.

 

[xanthras]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

We had a few soft spots at the rear of my 19' Starcraft (Fiberglass) We had a shop replace about 3 ft of stringer and 3 foot of decking. Including new carpet for the whole boat, Engine removal and reinstall it was about $1800. I think about 300 may have been outdrive work so make that $1500. Goes to show how expensive a full gut could be if you paid someone to do it all.

 

[tinkeringwackyone]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

I recently did an 87 17 Bowrider, cost right around the $2100 range. Did all the work myself, including pulling the engine and outdrive. I agree with above do a few test drills, otherwise if you can run a grinder, a saw, run a paintbrush/roller, scissors, etc, and have time, you too can be one of the few, and proud.

BTW I welcome you to Iboats, and the crazy sane. I had never tackled a project of this size, but with the help here, you can do it.

good luck my friend

Sail on.....tink

 

[WVagent]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

Thanks guys!

She's still in great shape, very solid and runs like a top. I'm really just trying to get an idea of what to expect in the future.

Now I just keep praying for good weather on the weekends

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1989 Sea Ray 190 Bowrider question...

That kind of work is generally DIY or forget it. Costs far more than the boat is worth and as mentioned, few are real happy with the quality of the work done. While unfortunately it is more common than not for there to be nothing but despair under that soft spot but there are exceptions. Perhaps it's just a springy section of deck that delaminated from the stringer? Don't know. Perhaps some careful surgery in that area is in order to see what you're really dealing. Occasionally it is just a patch job. Your boat does look pretty cherry.

 

[Chris35]

Look into Google The Rot Doctor and read!