New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

[TheTopMinnow]

Hello everyone,
I am new to the site and thought I'd say hello and introduce myself. My wife and I have been looking for a boat for the family and didnt want to pay 30 - 40K for a new one. So I found a used one locally for sale. I am going on Sunday to take a second look at a 1989 Searay 220cc. The boat is priced very cheap because the owner has owned it for 20 years and had it in the same covered slip the entire time. Routine maintenance has always been done and it has never given any major problems. The guy that owns it took us out for a ride in it last week and she rides very smooth. The engine ran smooth and strong. Don't get me wrong she needs a little work such as rewiring the gauges that have either gone out or been intermittent the whole time, replacing the top and seats( just a few rips from use), and at some point i'd like to give her a new paint job.
What i's like to find out is if anyone has any advice on things to look out for or past experience with this or any boat this old. Thanks in advance for any help or warnings.

Dave

 

[Bondo]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Hello everyone,
I am new to the site and thought I'd say hello and introduce myself. My wife and I have been looking for a boat for the family and didnt want to pay 30 - 40K for a new one. So I found a used one locally for sale. I am going on Sunday to take a second look at a 1989 Searay 220cc. The boat is priced very cheap because the owner has owned it for 20 years and had it in the same covered slip the entire time. Routine maintenance has always been done and it has never given any major problems. The guy that owns it took us out for a ride in it last week and she rides very smooth. The engine ran smooth and strong. Don't get me wrong she needs a little work such as rewiring the gauges that have either gone out or been intermittent the whole time, replacing the top and seats( just a few rips from use), and at some point i'd like to give her a new paint job.
What i's like to find out is if anyone has any advice on things to look out for or past experience with this or any boat this old. Thanks in advance for any help or warnings.

Dave

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,.... What motor,..?? What drive,..??

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,.... What motor,..?? What drive,..??

Sorry it's got the Mercruiser 5.7 260 hp w/ alpha one drive

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

With any boat of that age the thing to look for is water damage to the wood support structure ( ie ROT in the transom, stringers & deck ). Check for soft spots in the floor - have you seen it out of the water? Check hull for damage.
Did you look at the bilge before/after the run? Should be dry.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Reading this thread will give you a real good idea on what to look for when buying an older Sea Ray:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=510077

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

With any boat of that age the thing to look for is water damage to the wood support structure ( ie ROT in the transom, stringers & deck ). Check for soft spots in the floor - have you seen it out of the water? Check hull for damage.
Did you look at the bilge before/after the run? Should be dry.

Thanks for the info Retired Guy. I didnt really notice the bilge but the next day the guy told me that he noticed a little water and ended up having to spend $320 to replace a seal at the outdrive that same day after we had left the marina. So I won't have to worry about that. To be honest with you rotten wood is my biggest worry. I have looked at several pics of the same boats and it seems to sit the same height in the water. I am fairly mechanically minded so in my mind i'm thinking if its got wet rotten wood it's going to be heavier therefore causing it to sit lower in the water. Today my plan is to step carefully and thouroughly to see if there are any soft spots. If so it will be a deal killer. I just bought a new house a few months ago and dont have space in my garage or driveway to bring it home and tear it down myself.
Dave

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Reading this thread will give you a real good idea on what to look for when buying an older Sea Ray:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=510077

Thanks grub. I have seen some of Frisc's videos on yotube and man I feel for the guy. I worry about the same thing happening. But he is going to have a super solid boat for a lot of years to come.

 

[MarkSee]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

To be honest with you rotten wood is my biggest worry. I have looked at several pics of the same boats and it seems to sit the same height in the water. I am fairly mechanically minded so in my mind i'm thinking if its got wet rotten wood it's going to be heavier therefore causing it to sit lower in the water.

To help alleviate your "biggest worry" which is wood rot, it is best to have a professional hull surveyor do an inspection which should include pounding on it at certain key locations along with using a device for checking for moisture content. That may be a couple hundred dollars well spent and give some satisfaction to you and your wife you've done what you could to insure a structurally solid boat.

Now that's not to say you should automatically eliminate having a full mechanical inspection done of the engine/drive but some folks do try and save some money using the "it seems to run good and no water is getting into the bilge so I'll assume the mechanicals is good" philosophy........depends on what you're paying for the boat, trust in the current owner, maintenance/mechanical history, etc.

Mark

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Thanks for the info Retired Guy. I didnt really notice the bilge but the next day the guy told me that he noticed a little water and ended up having to spend $320 to replace a seal at the outdrive that same day after we had left the marina. So I won't have to worry about that. To be honest with you rotten wood is my biggest worry. I have looked at several pics of the same boats and it seems to sit the same height in the water. I am fairly mechanically minded so in my mind i'm thinking if its got wet rotten wood it's going to be heavier therefore causing it to sit lower in the water. Today my plan is to step carefully and thouroughly to see if there are any soft spots. If so it will be a deal killer. I just bought a new house a few months ago and dont have space in my garage or driveway to bring it home and tear it down myself.
Dave

You may want to go for one more long ride just to make sure that a leaking seal was the only reason for that water in the bilge!

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Sorry it's got the Mercruiser 5.7 260 hp w/ alpha one drive

I had a 86 210 Seville MC with that combo, worked great and was pretty much bulletproof. I did swap props to a 4 blade stainless and it was like I bought a new boat, much better holeshot and no downside in my case. Post some pics if you buy it.

LK

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

OK Here's the update for today's visit to the boat. We got there and man she looked beautiful. I pushed and tapped on everything that could possibly hold moisture and there was no indication of rotten wood or soft spots anywhere. She fired right up. So the apprehension is gone and feel totally confident in this purchase. I should be a boat owner this week.
I'll post pics as soon as I can.
Thanks again for all the great info
Dave

 

[jsimms724]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Good luck with the new boat Dave, your gona love it here.

 

[jestor68]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Just curious. Does this come with a trailer? You mentioned that it's been sitting in the same covered slip for twenty years.

Just wondering how they cleaned the bottom.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

at some point i'd like to give her a new paint job.
...

You realize that the boat is not painted, right? It's gelcoat. If it was stored in a covered slip, it shouldn't need to be shined up much. And if it does, there are a lot of fiberglass restorers out there that can work wonders on faded/dull gelcoat.

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Just curious. Does this come with a trailer? You mentioned that it's been sitting in the same covered slip for twenty years.

Just wondering how they cleaned the bottom.

Yes Jestor it does have a trailer that comes with it. HE's had it out a few times over the years for different things. In Lake Mead there are a lot of small coves and beaches and he would clean it while the family was swimming and playing on the beach.

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

You realize that the boat is not painted, right? It's gelcoat. If it was stored in a covered slip, it shouldn't need to be shined up much. And if it does, there are a lot of fiberglass restorers out there that can work wonders on faded/dull gelcoat.

Yeah I was just thinking worse case I'd take her out and get it redone. Whether that being gel coated or painted. I am in no hurry because the boat looks good to me. It has a little oxidation on the sides but the inside looks brand new.

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

I had a 86 210 Seville MC with that combo, worked great and was pretty much bulletproof. I did swap props to a 4 blade stainless and it was like I bought a new boat, much better holeshot and no downside in my case. Post some pics if you buy it.

LK

Thanks for the info Al. I will definitely be posting some pics.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

A little oxidation on the sides is EASILY removed. After that, regular washing and a wax a year, it'll NEVER need "painted". It might need some more "oxidation remover" treatment if it's exposed to the sun all season long. Again, not hard.

 

[TheTopMinnow]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

A little oxidation on the sides is EASILY removed. After that, regular washing and a wax a year, it'll NEVER need "painted". It might need some more "oxidation remover" treatment if it's exposed to the sun all season long. Again, not hard.

OK Sounds like a pretty easy fix. I think she's about to begin a whole new life. The "Admiral" is really excited and when she's excited, that's a very good thing...

 

[Quit It]

Re: New to the site...buying 1989 Searay 220 CC...

Wow is this going FAST.

I don't know how much your spending, but a survey can be a very good thing.