New Owner of a 1973 Sea ray SRV 190.

[Weirdnerd]

I got today a 1973 Sea Ray SRV 190, I think I went nuts ( not so much more than normal), I have been digesting all the info I can about the model, the engine, structural quirks and related stuff.

The good, there is minimal cosmetic restoration needed I can see, everything seems to be repairable ( except the prop, that looks chewed up)

The bad: I have never owned a boat, I know the stringer issue that may be a problem, and I plan to inspect everything down to a molecular level. I have not run the engine, and it has been sitting on a field for the last ten years, so most likely all seals are shot and I may need to buy some tools to get down to business...lots and lots of things need to be sorted out

The better part: I am an airplane mechanic, and work on composites for a living and can fix almost anything related to carbon fiber, kevlar, fiberglass and aluminium,

Just for starters, does anyone have a link to an engine manual for a Mercruiser 165 inline six engine? I have until spring to play with this project

I will be coming back with pictures and lots and lots of questions

Regards. Werner

 

[MILKWEED]

Welcome, I'm new here as well and am into my first boat and rebuild. Good idea to check all the lumber out to make sure it is sound. No matter what you need there are folks here willing to help.

 

[Weirdnerd]

Well, today I did a cleanup inside the boat, found around 70 lb of garbage in all the nooks and crannies, old water bottles, old napkins, match boxes, brittle rope, ten bumpers ( really?, ten?) a jet ski life jacket kids size, empty juice bottles, water toys and assorted debris , washed the deck and bilge areas, center floor compartment and vacuumed a little.

The canopy is rotted, so I need a new one, the vinyl fake wood grain is sunburned...so it will come off with some toluene, the teak wood needs oil rubbing, the engine top cover will need to be either re covered with formica or make a new one. the forward storage compartment hatch is delaminated, I will make a new one, and the access will need a new water proof gasket.

The fuel tank has around five gallons of rancid fuel ( maybe ten years old) , so it will need to be drained and rinsed, the fuel cap gasket is dry rotted, so I may need a new one, the water pump on the engine has lots of surface rust, wiring is unsecured and somehow very disorganized, the throttle/gear lever needs greasing, engine hoses feel a little hard to touch, so they will get replaced, I found a spot of five inches by two inches of rotted stringer on the top side aft/ right of the center floor storage compartment, the hydraulic lines for the engine trim look discolored... somehow the engine cover feels very heavy and flimsy...I may have to make a new one with fiberglass ( foam core, three plies of RA7725 glass cloth per side, Epocast 50 A1 flame retardant resin, and edges sealed with cabosil slurry, similar in construction to aircraft engine cowlings), some instruments look like they are out of calibration ( oil pressure is reading 40 psi, rpm is stuck on 300 RPM, vacuum shows 15 inches, etc...so I suspect they are poopy), I feel tempted to remove the carpet to inspect the deck, but so far it has passed the stomping test, no thuds.
The trim rubber shocks ( the ones that go in the bolt grommets) are hard as plastic, so they may need to be replaced, and the old prop is chewed up, like someone ran it into sand. I will have to clean and repaint the prop gear assembly as I can see some pitting on the lower fin, as well as a part broken. Will require some aluminum welding to fill the space.
I did not check the transom to see if it was ok, but the sealing around the pass through looks good and flexible.


I forgot to take pictures of the prop area

 

[Weirdnerd]

I forgot to say, I am planning to replace the rotted area on the right stringer with a scarf repair ( 100/1) using hysol 9394 and reglassing the patch. If it is good by the AC 43.13 1B, it should be good for boats.

 

[goin70]

Welcome to the forum and it looks like a nice boat. I recently acquired the same model and year that need extensive floor and stringer repair. It appears that these vintage models had foamed in stringers that might have been a contributor to the stringer rot issues. My boat has a Mercruiser 888 motor with through hull exhaust. Does your boat have a swim platform? Good luck with the deconstruction and I will enjoy following along.

 

[Weirdnerd]

Hi Goin70, the boat does not have a swim platform, but at some points in time may have had two different trolling motors due to some interesting bolt patterns on the stern, I am planning to do some scarf repair on those to restore hull integrity, as well as closing some "extra holes" from previous antennas on the top forward deck, so far I have ordered a engine repair manual, and will be cleaning thoroughly the boat to make a more detailed inspection,

When I decide to replace stringers and deck, I will post detailed info on that, I like the idea of doing a rubberized membrane between stringers and foam, although I will have to make sure it is adequate, as I believe the foam is part of the "box spar/ torsion box" type of structural support. Based on my previous experience on aircraft construction I think doing a full layup on the foam area would solve the water filtration issues most articles indicate.


Other question I have is: does anyone have calculated the loads on the stringers?...it could be interesting to make fiberglass/kevlar "I" beams and fiberglass floor panels to replace the wood completely and make the hull rot proof.

 

[goin70]

Weirdnerd, How is boat restoration progressing? I hope you are having more progress than I am? Always something comes up before I can dive in and make some progress. Please some more photos as you progress! Good luck and have fun!

 

[mickyryan]

Hi Goin70, the boat does not have a swim platform, but at some points in time may have had two different trolling motors due to some interesting bolt patterns on the stern, I am planning to do some scarf repair on those to restore hull integrity, as well as closing some "extra holes" from previous antennas on the top forward deck, so far I have ordered a engine repair manual, and will be cleaning thoroughly the boat to make a more detailed inspection,

When I decide to replace stringers and deck, I will post detailed info on that, I like the idea of doing a rubberized membrane between stringers and foam, although I will have to make sure it is adequate, as I believe the foam is part of the "box spar/ torsion box" type of structural support. Based on my previous experience on aircraft construction I think doing a full layup on the foam area would solve the water filtration issues most articles indicate.


Other question I have is: does anyone have calculated the loads on the stringers?...it could be interesting to make fiberglass/kevlar "I" beams and fiberglass floor panels to replace the wood completely and make the hull rot proof.

you can do that however that would be expensive, there are other products out there if you want to get rid of wood however they all have there own drawbacks, wood will last forever if it is done correctly and care is taken to be sure its sealed in

 

[goin70]

Mickyryan, Thanks for link and information. Getting these projects started and completed is a big proposition. Whenever folks get into the structural areas it get grey and many ways to successfully accomplish the end result of a safe repair and sea worthiness of a vessel. Sometimes too many options and choices. I dread the sanding and grinding. Fiberglass dust is nasty stuff! I hope to get started again soon and will keep u posted on my progress. I still have another project boat, transom replacement that I need to finish before tearing into another project. I seem to like the destruction and slow to get the replacement completed. Have a wonderful holiday season.

 

[mickyryan]

sometimes folks get stuck on the destruction process because they fear their abilities to do the construction process , you have lots of support here so don't let that stand in your way.
it isn't really a grey area because if you do it exactly the same way the boat was originally done but encapsulate better and cover better you will have a boat that will probably outlast your liking for the boat anyways my boat was built for a 5 yr lifecycle if it lasts longer great but I bet at about 5 yrs I will either want a larger boat or a different boat, I will most likely strip all the good stuff off this one and build another then, i was never building to sell built for my liking .

 

[CrazyFinn]

it isn't really a grey area because if you do it exactly the same way the boat was originally done but encapsulate better and cover better you will have a boat that will probably outlast your liking for the boat anyways my boat was built for a 5 yr lifecycle if it lasts longer great but I bet at about 5 yrs I will either want a larger boat or a different boat, I will most likely strip all the good stuff off this one and build another then, i was never building to sell built for my liking .

Good points... With my boat, I realize that if I ever sell it, I won't get very much for it, so I don't care if it's "original" - so I will improve and modify as I see fit. The crazy thing is that I am already viewing this boat as a training experiment - if all goes well, maybe I'll get a bigger boat as a more long term project. I can see how this can be addictive...

Glass, resin and wood aren't that difficult to work with - just get started and take your time. And if you really mess up, you CAN try again. I'm truly impressed by the amount of knowledge and assistance on this board.

 

[goin70]

Merry Christmas and good information. I am exactly in the same situation and have a practice boat that I am working on and after I get it completed correctly.
I have another boat in the wings.

My point about grey was that the discussions between marine plywood and new composites are all over the board. Depending on where you stand the preference is different. I belong to other high performance forums and in many cases, but not all, prefer marine plywood over the composites because of the structural loads and the high density and compression strength of marine plywood verse composites.
I am leaning back towards the marine plywood after seriously considering a composite. I will send photos and keep you posted when I get into the construction aspect after the holidays. Good luck with your projects and thanks for the great reply.

 

[mickyryan]

I feel composites have there place just imho not in the stringers or transom but its personal preference I guess.

 

[goin70]

I agree! I feel you are correct and cannot go wrong with transom and stringers in wood, provided the installation and wood preparation before and after installation are followed to the best methods. I will be using wood on my projects! How do you feel about epoxy?

 

[jbcurt00]

Goin7, discuss your boat and its repair in a topic about your boat, not here in someone else's topic

 

[Weirdnerd]

Well, so far I have done some repairs, on the boat, took the fuel tank out, removed all the old paint and tested it at 4 PSI, no leaks, but it has some very old repairs on a crush damage on a corner, the fuel level float works as advertised and sends a signal, I had to change all the fuel line between the tank and the engine, it was rotted and brittle, painted the fuel tank with epoxy paint and it looks nice, today I inspected the electrical system and removed some extra wiring that was just there, no beginning or end, installed some "clickbond" type of wiring studs to route electrical wiring properly, cleaned the bilge and I am removing some cosmetic parts to rebuild them ( the "brow" on the instrument cluster and a shelf on the starboard dash board section, I need to get an "O rig for the fuel cap as the old one is cracked, On the rest of the boat, I am rebuilding the impeller pump, and fixing the skeg that was damaged...

Does anyone know a catalog to get parts for a 1973 Mercruiser, I/O engine, 6 cylinder inline/ and upper and lower unit?...I am having a heck of a time finding part numbers to buy them...I see there are three different types of numbers and I have no idea if they are the right ones.