Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

[cornercanyon]

Here is our 'new' boat the day she came home. My wife actually bought her for $800 and asked me to go with her to pick her up. She mentioned there was a bit of work on her as the previous owner removed the seats getting ready to redo and how much fun our family would have if we had a boat. I love a good project so here I go...

It appears there is a bit more than new seats, but fortunately I have found you all. This looks like a great site and hope you all will offer your thoughts and suggestions.

I have already started reading a few hours so far, too much to absorb at once. I wish I was like the foam under floor.

My roto-zip appears to be too small for this job, I feel an angle grinder in my future. You can see where I used the roto-zip to open up the floor and cross member.

I hope to rebuild her with a sun deck and u-shaped bench rather than the loungers and jump seats. And am learning about West vs RotDoctor.

Looking forward to sharing my progress.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Nice looking boat. Good motor too. I love the dual swim platforms. Definitely a worthwhile project.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Thank you. Yours is beautiful. I like the colors you chose.

Hunting for an angle grinder and dust mask.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Good luck with her, and your wife. A project like that takes time lots of time and alot a cabbage. Does your wife actually really know what it's going to take? My wife would be like, is it done yet you been working on it for a week already why is taking you so long, only because she just hasn't a clue when it comes to stuff like that.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Thanks for the good wishes. My wife is awesome and will be helping quite a bit-not the sanding part ;/ . Though she really thought we could just redo the seats to get her through the summer, she now sees all the rotten wood I am taking out and how wet all the foam is. It's a bit disappointing but she is cool. She wouldn't want the kids in anything unsafe.

Do you think it is likely to tear her down and put back together by the end of May? I should have all the deck and foam out today ready to begin sanding.

Happy Easter to everyone.

 

[danond]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

If you commit every weekend and evening to it, yep, May is a possibility. The likelihood of having that kind of free time is another story

 

[superpop]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

All depends on the transom, if the transom is rotted then the motor and drive have to come out and a new transom needs to be fabricated. Since you are already pretty far into it, I would do the transom now since the transom and floor are somewhat tied together in this boat. You do not want to have to rip up your new floor and stringers or even cut into them to fix the transom later. Hopefully it just sat out in the weather and the rain caused the rotted floors and your bilge area stayed somewhat dry. If the previous owner just left it outside with no cover and the plug in so the boat was filled with water than the chances of transom damage go way up. Looks like it just sat out with no cover though. What a waste.

 

[superpop]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Have you ran the motor yet, if the motor and drive are good then this is a very worthwhile project. If there are problems with either of these though, you will be far ahead to part it out and sell the good parts and get something in a little better shape.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

This boat sat out uncovered for years. The engine had been cared for well and started with a new battery on the second try. Sounds surprisingly smooth, shifts well and idles without fussing.

On of the front motor mounts is bad though so I will have to pull the engine this week. Started clearing a spot in the garage this afternoon.

Time to head out for some family Easter time.

Thanks for all the comments keep'em coming, I need all the help I can get.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Sounds like you're definitely in for a complete rebuild as far as all the wood in that thing goes. Glad the motor is good. That will be a nice boat when you're through.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Hey y'all can you help me with a dumb thing?

I ordered the Selco repair and service manual with the internet subscription. Went to logon and register, but had too many choices for my power plant. Looking over everything I have I see a GM V6 block, Thunderbolt IV ignition, an Alpha One power trim XD outdrive; on the valve cover tag Model: MCM 4.3 litre, Rating: 175hp. On Selco's site my choices are: 4.3L (262) V6 or 175 4.3L V6. These both seem right and maybe it doesn't matter, any suggestions?

Also, I keep seeing folks who have a Mercruiser 4.3 XL? What does that mean? ( must need help searching-I'll bet there is an FAQ or tutorial I should read?)

Thanks for any help or pointing toward the right direction

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Getting ready to pull the engine this weekend:

Borrowed a hoist from a friend.

Garage has too much stuff and wife's truck parked in it to make room. So, we reconfigured the old mare barn behind the garage to make a workshop. Boat fits great with plenty of room to work, a roof over our heads and almost four walls. Better yet now we've got storage out of the elements to keep her in good shape once we get her all spiffed up.

Received my Selco manual and have been doing some more reading. Pulling the engine looks like a bit of work though doable. The rub appears to be lining everything back up when it's time to remate the out drive to the engine. Can I rent, make or borrow the alignment tool? How critical is the alignment? Would I be ahead to drag everything a couple of hours to the nearest marine shop to reinstall?

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Removed the stern drive tonight; once I got over my fear of doing something wrong she came all apart. She has been sitting for almost 7 years I suppose it could look a lot worse.

Never having had an I/O before I assume all the water, mud and sand inside the bellows means it needs to be replaced?

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

You will for sure need some new parts, new ujoints, gimble bearing, coupler, seals, bellows, probably a shift cable, waterpump, while its off I would have the lower unit at least pressure tested to check the seals in there. The alignment tool is CRITTICAL when it comes time to re-install everything. You could have the engine back in and the drive ready to go then just pay someone to do the final install of the drive etc. As others have said that is a nice boat, take your time do it right and it will provide many years of pleasure to you and your family. Just know you probably won't get out of it $$ wise what you will have into it. If you decide to sell it plan on a loss, even if you advertise it as a completly rebuilt boat, its just the nature of the beast in the boat world. Remember too that if the outdrive is too far gone and is going to be a fortune to rebuild(not saying it is) look around for a good used one or a remanufactured one sometimes it can save you money and lost time in the long run. Good luck you have come to the right place for anything you need to know about boats and how to rebuild/repair them.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

You will for sure need some new parts, new ujoints, gimble bearing, coupler, seals, bellows, probably a shift cable, waterpump, while its off I would have the lower unit at least pressure tested to check the seals in there. .

Would you learn me some? Why do you think I need to replace the majority of the drive line? Everything feels tight, no wiggle in the u-joints or play into the drive unit. It looks all muddy, but feels good and wasn't leaking into the boat. I will definitely rebuild the water pump. The gear lube looked go coming out when I drained her, no water or metal. I was assuming I needed a new bellows, but otherwise clean her up, grease her well and watch her close. No? Help me out this is my first I/O, but I do have a bit of experience with outboards.

The alignment tool is CRITTICAL when it comes time to re-install everything. You could have the engine back in and the drive ready to go then just pay someone to do the final install of the drive etc. .

I have found several tools to purchase for less than $100 I doubt I could get a marine shop to do it for less. Is there any reason I shouldn't go ahead and put her back together? The selco manual has very clear direction, I can do everything they say to well, IF I have the tool.

Thank you for your comments, I am not being argumentative, I am trying to become learned.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Didn't take it wrong no worries, I only suggested some of those things from looking at the photos. They look to be rusted in the pics. if its just muddy you may be fine. The u-joints look to be pretty rough but hard to tell from one pic. The shift cable is a wear item I would replace while the drive is off when they get worn too much it makes for hard shifting or half shifting which is tough on clutch dogs, they also take a special socket to install. I have heard they can be made but I havent done it myself. If you plan on owning the boat for a while I would go ahead and get the alignment tool you will use it more than once, if you do sell the boat that tool wouldn't be hard to unload. The gimble may be fine again, it looks pretty rough in the pics. The coupler I have heard once they get a bit older and you are removing the engine it's wise to replace but thats more up to you and your budget. If the coupler, gimble bearing, u-joints fail while under load or cruising they can and will cause major damage. Again up to you and your budget you may be able to reuse all of it and be fine. I would wait and see what others more qualified than me chime in and have to say and go from there. If you feel comfortable with the work then yes do it you will save yourself a lot of money. Hang in there its a lot of work but well worth it in the end. Also there are some good merc. manuals you can download here on this site that are great tools to have in addition to your manual. I have always found there to be some variances in factory and aftermarket manuals.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Thanks! Utah, that's just what I needed. I understand and will be checking everything closely once I clean it all up before it goes back together.

By the way, we used to live in Draper. We miss the snow and mountains. While in high school and college we used to go to Echo frequently.

Thanks again, I need all the help I can get.

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

I would at least change bellows and gimbal. Ujoints can be checked by side to side movement.No slop no worries.Align with a tool is a must.

 

[cornercanyon]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Thanks proshadetree! This is a great community to be a part of, I appreciate everyone here and all the help you all offer.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Sea Ray Seville Bowrider: a project boat

Make sure you post your specific engine/drive questions in the I/O forum. There are some serious I/O whizzes in there. (Not to take anything away from those posting in your thread here already)