I had a 1988 SeaRay Sorrento. I found the build quality to be inconsistent across the boat. Some parts were made well other parts were made poorly. SeaRay had a quality reputation in 1988, but my boat did not match that reputation IMO.
For example, the plywood deck was glassed with a chop gun. Not unusual, but they seemed to have run out of chopped glass as they went, leaving the transom area treated with just resin. It rotted away, however, there was a skin of glass under it protecting the floatation foam from water. Good stuff.
The center of the Vee hull was supported by a piece of 3/4" scribed plywood, which was supported by the bottom of the ski well. The staples holding the hull support the ski well floor rusted away, the support fell over and the hull deformed. I had to replace the hull support, and the ski well sides and bottom. The top of the ski well had been cut to accept the cover, but the deck plywood edges were not sealed and rotted away.
I suspect the foaming of the hull was incomplete as a strake cracked down the middle. A strake is usually very strong because of the shape of the glass, and the foam support behind it. The crack caused a pretty good leak, and I had to pull the boat or it would have sunk.
The side panels were made of pieces of what looked like scrap wood stapled end-to-end and cut to shape. I needed to replace them with a piece of solid plywood, due to rot.
The boat had a walk-thru windshield. The moveable part of the windshield would fall thru the fixed part of the windshield if I hit a wave with it closed. Obviously, the hull was flexing, gunwales moving out. I expended the lip on the moveable part, and fixed that issue.
Those were the major issues. The wiring, powerplant and fittings were nice, and I did not have any issue with them. I did not have any obvious transom rot, but the doghouse and some of the transom bulkheads needed to be replaced.
Best of luck with your project.
