Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

[Kohrah]

Hey guys looking for input and what to stay away from here for my parents.

As title says they are looking at a 1975 24' sea ray. Has a 351 ford engine. Engine needs to be "overhauled" as stated by previous owner. Outdrive was recently rebuilt. Interior is going to need to be replaced. Comes with tandem axle trailer.

Is there anything I should look for on this boat? Anything that would cause me to shy away from it? I know to check transom, check for soft spots in floor, and ask how it was winterized. Past that I don't know much about boats that size.

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[DBreskin]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

It'd be useful to know what brand of drive is on it. If it's OMC you may want to avoid it due to difficulty of getting it serviced or buying parts.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

Not a good idea based on age and that motor. big THUMBS DOWN !!!

 

[Kohrah]

Sorry guys don't know about outdrive brand relaying what I was asked about. They know I frequent these forums and asked that I ask you guys.

We go Monday to see the boat in person. The PO is only asking 800 which has me leery... but we'll see when I get eyes on it

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[mr 88]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

There is a 1977 25' Sea Ray for 2750 on Buffalo's Cl/ page two/ that sounds a lot nicer than what you are looking at.It may be worth your while to check that out before you pull the trigger on a motor that will cost at least 1500 to rebuild/replace.The Mercruiser out drive was just gone through and at this time of year you could probably offer 2400 and he would take it.Not sure if it has a trailer.If not offer the other guy 500 for his setup/trailer and strip it out or sell hull for 250 and you would still be ahead It might be a tad underpowered but if the parents are just going to cruise it will be fine. Put a post in the Mercruiser forum about the reliability of the 188 power plant etc.
There is also a 1981 26' Sea Ray listed for 3600 and still in water. Probably does not have trailer.Most Marina's will charge 10-15 a foot for winter storage,including one time in and out.Do your parents plan on keeping it in the water or spending any weekends on it? If so go with the 26'.

 

[Kohrah]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

ok I've passed the info onto my parents and the ultimate choice is up to them which way they want to do it.

I'm still going to go on monday and get eyes on the one for $800 and probable end up offering him $500 and give him the reasoning for my offer as well as pull up some other comparable boats of the same size that have less work. Plus if it turns out to be a total loss for the hull I can atleast part it out and have a trailer for a larger boat in case they find one that doesn't have a trailer.

I'll see if I can find out more from the PO about the actual state of the engine and outdrive.

 

[mr 88]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

There is also a 1982 26' Larson with trailer listed for 3800 and appears to be in great shape.Has a larger engine which is better in the long run as there is less stress put on it vs a smaller engine which has to be run closer to full throttle most of the time.With something like that you will not have to mess around with finding and retrofitting a trailer.Do your parents have a budget and do they plan on towing or docking?

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

Just to let you know, We owned two 24ft weekenders from the 70's, we bought them both used in late 70 or early 80's. They are built like tanks. We used them on Lake Saint clair and lake Erie, the hull is around 1/2" thick.
When the waves got around 4ft and other boats wouldn't go out, we would go out and never had a problem.
I would recommend buying the boat if it's not beat up to bad. Just for your info, the boat never slams in the water, we would hit a large wave and the frone end would go up in the air and then come down and go swoosh, never slamed.

 

[Kohrah]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

Sorry for the delay,

They are planning on getting a dock but not keeping it there all the time, guess whose been volunteered to launch and retrieve it. Storing it won't be an issue as they live on a farm (currently where my boat is being housed so I can work on it). The barn is plenty big enough to fit a 24 footer in and still move around to work on it.

I don't see them spending the total weekend on it as my dad's current work schedule is crazy, maybe spend a day on it.

As to their budget, I don't get into their finances, they asked me to relay the question here so I did. I've also been passing all the info you'll have given me back to them as well. Also once again guess who got volunteered to do the restore job too which ever boat they get.:facepalm:

next question would be what's the weight of the 24' sea ray, they have a trail blazer LT EXT v8, i'd have to snag the owners manual to see the towing capacity but from what ive found searching showing 6500 lbs with the v6 engine. course can't find the info for the optional v8 *grumble grumble*

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

You can go to the SeaRay web site and contact them for the exact weight, or type in Searay forum and join them to get all the answers you could ever want.

 

[Kohrah]

Ok went and got eyes on the '75 sea ray for 800$. Surprising hull appears in good condition no cracks in the gelcoat.

Outdrive is a merc cruiser alpha one which was restored just before dry docking. Hasn't been registered since '95. Owner stated engine needed overhaul in ad get there and its a blown head gasket.

Interior is shot. Total lose but can use it for templates, flooring feels solid. (Im 6'4 215lbs and was jumping up and down and floor wasn't moving) there was only one spot by the step down to cabin that even felt a little give.

Engine is ripped apart and PO had dumped oil down the cylinders and your about to turn it over by hand by moving fly wheel. Engine has 275 original hours. PO bought it and cruised erie canal only.

Wiring is an unknown at this point PO stated squirrels had gotten in which is what trashed the interior.

Transom didn't move a bit which surprised me with the engine issue.

Trailer has been jacked up so tires haven't been on ground and surge brakes still work. Bearings will need some grease before I try and move it.

Boat comes with new gaskets for the engine and factory service manual along with titles for boat and trailer.

My outlook on it is if the boat is a lose parting it out will recoup a good bit of the cost.

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[mr 88]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

So are you buying it? You will have to do the interior yourself or plan on spending 1,000 + to have it done by a pro.Any canvass or safety ,anchor lines etc.The wiring may be salvageable.Hopefully the engine will run with good compression after you put it back together.I still would of looked at the ones I suggested,before pulling trigger if that is indeed what you did.If nothing else you could compare them and take one for a actual sea trial.

 

[Kohrah]

I pulled trigger for myself. Rents are on their own. I went with them today and inspected boat mom peaked in and went nope too much work. I passed info along to them. They looking into them and will probable drag me along.

I plan on doing as much of the restore as I can including interior work. Figure at 800 its a decent price for a first major restore. If I screw it up im not out that much and can part it out to recoup part of my financial loss. Atleast ill have the learned knowledge for future projects.

Note PO is being kind enough to hold the boat until end of oct. For me since I wasn't expecting this.

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[haulnazz15]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

Nothing wrong with what is likely a Merc 233. There's not much of anything that is NLA, and parts for it don't cost any more than they do for the GM counterparts. Have fun with the resto.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

Unless it has been changed, that would be a pre-alpha Mercruiser drive, not an Alpha 1. I can't help you out on the pros and cons, as although I did own a pair of both, I never got to use them, or do anything to them short of sell them.

 

[nlain]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

There is a great restoration section here on iboats so you have a place for resto info, in fact, there is info here for most anything about that boat.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Parents are looking at a 1975 24' searay

Unless it has been changed, that would be a pre-alpha Mercruiser drive, not an Alpha 1. I can't help you out on the pros and cons, as although I did own a pair of both, I never got to use them, or do anything to them short of sell them.

Correct the Merc 233 is a Merc I drive, but is pretty much the same as the alpha I in most respects and is just as reliable. The 351w is/was a solid engine platform, but Ford just didn't stay in the marine market for very long. The only parts that are difficult to find are items that aren't generally wearable items (rear engine mounts, y-pipes, etc). Everything else is readily available and not any more costly than SBC parts. The main difference between the 233 drive and it's GM counterpart is that it used a 1.32 gearset as opposed to the 1.50 that the 350 used. Still don't know why they went that route, but the 1.32 gears are NLA as far as I know.