New guy with a question.

[gsh]

My brother-in-law just bought a 1973 SeaRay SRV190 for $500. The boat is weathered some, but not bad for a 37 year old boat. The engine runs great and everything seems to be in decent condition except for one thing.

There is a soft spot about 1' across in the floor just ahead of the engine.

Is this an indicator of serious floor problems, or could it just be this one spot?

 

[vernonbean]

Re: New guy with a question.

Welcome to iboats! I just recently joined here myself. It's a great site with a wealth of information. Just browsing through other posts has answered 99% of my questions.

Hopeful answer: it's just that one soft spot that has a problem.

Likely answer: You are in for the long haul and a full restoration is in order. My limited knowledge on boats is that once the deck starts to rot, it gets into the stringers and from the stringers it gets into the transom. I just recently bought a cheap, old boat and it was 85% rotted out. I'm in the process of restoring her from scratch now.

There are a lot of people here with a lot of knowledge greater than mine on boats. I'm sure some of them will chime in on here.

If you do a search on "soft spot" "deck rot" "transom rot" or a few other phrases, you can find the process for checking if it's an isolated problem or not. Scroll through the restoration forums to see what you are most likely in for. Good luck.

 

[oops!]

Re: New guy with a question.

welcome to i boats.!

congrats on your bil's purchase.

the 190 is a fave boat on mine and the 73's were really good.

one soft spot on the deck is no reason to slit your throat.....but its best you fix it soon....if you dont...it will spread and you will be in for a project.

id say......read here to find out what else to look for.....run it for the season....enjoy...then in the winter....fix the deck.

there are a few srv's that have been restored here.

look for mrdflores sea ray thread.
another called hull extension in progress. and i think there is a few in the completed projects forum....but do a search....you will find lots here.

cheers
oops

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: New guy with a question.

welcome to iBoats...

Like Oops! said, enjoy it for the season, but plan to do some repairs this winter...

the late 60's and early 70's SeaRay's are on the top of my list of favorite boats. They have gorgeous lines and are built like tanks..

Mine is a '73 SRV220 OV, that is going through a semi-resto right now, mostly cosmetic upgrades and electronics. But next winter, i plan to get in under that deck and check everything out.

Here are a few threads to follow to get you started:
#1. Best SeaRay thread: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=234392
#2. Best General Info thread: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288451