Yeah disregard what I said earlier I meant to say that being a member of TCG qualifies you to increase any factory tow rating by 2x!
Sea Ray Boat Build
- Thread starter rowekmr
- Start date
Thinking back to this. You might want to fix it for piece of mind and not starting an electrical fire. Looks a Rule pump and float switch, which are common. Open that tank up and just replace both. Again, another DIY type project.
I need a contortionist to work on my boat too lol Twin 5.7's is the best powertrain option in my opinion.@rowekmr is balls deep into repairs already. Break out another thousand.
Remember. Boats are fun.
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I'm just knee deep now but knew this one would need some work. I'm somewhat addicted to projects unfortunately.
Yeah I plan to do both shift cables, the other alternator, both exhaust manifolds and maybe both starters eventually. Seller said he did the impellors last year but I will get the outdrives serviced and verify those. The tilt indicator is inop so want to look into the sending units on the drives plus the seals and bellows. Thanks for reminding me of the thermostats. The skeg I was going to ignore for now but want the props reconditioned and keep them as spares and get some new ones but have to verify the right size. Any recommendation for shops?
Hope you get everything sorted out in short order. I shudder at thinking about working on the last boat I owned.
Definitely miss the time on the water, don’t miss the headaches and massive amount of money I was spending
Definitely miss the time on the water, don’t miss the headaches and massive amount of money I was spending
Funny I was practicing that yesterday. My last boat was a single I/O so it’s been awhile using differential thrust.
Wife offered to lasso the pier I told her just be patient I’ll get it in lol
The bad shift cable is worse than the manual steering. Not always sure which gear the port engine is in that causes most the problems. One time had boat perfect and jumped out to tie it down and boat starting fighting me then I realized port engine was still in reverse. This had to be the time wife/kid went downstairs to clean up in cabin and so had to bang on hull to get her back up to shut off engines while I was straining to hold boat against the pier. If there’s cameras out there you’ll soon see some of my fiascos on YouTube prolly.
Yeah I get it I took a break myself since last one but I figured the massive amount of money spent on boating is how we stimulate the economy lol
Well if you ever want to go out let me know.
Still haven’t made much progress besides finally getting a mild degreaser to remove all my hand prints on seats from doing the alternator work. Oh and figured out what has to be the most challenging yet secure camper top installation. Instead of just snaps and zippers it also has full length rubber tabs that lock unto the windshield. Took me awhile to figure out the installation procedure. The original camper top is in excellent shape looks like it had minimal useage.
I get to scratch this off my boating bucket list. I mainly bring food on my boat when boating but always said I wanted to dock downtown and eat at a restaurant on the river. I was lucky to grab a spot and paid the $40/hr docking fee but after waiting 40 minutes in line found out restaurant/bar wasn’t serving food yet since they were swamped with liquor orders. The other river restaurant spots were too high end for my taste so we went south and stopped at the Lawrence’s where I’ve been plenty times before but not scenic or crowded like downtown dives.
Might not be much to document on the build of this since I haven’t gotten a shop or mobile mechanic to look at it yet. My regular mechanic is busy and I reached out to one on Yelp who said he was busy and recommends Sunset Bay Marina on the river. If anyone here has any suggestions let me know.
Only thing I kinda fixed is dash lights which I thought were inop because they wired dimmer witch opposite so when you turn it clock wise it dims lights. I thought they were turned all the way up when actually they were turned off. Oh and the new anchor light pole I bought works after I turn it on for a few minutes. I cleaned out the receptacle with electronics cleaner but believe the contacts are worn down.
But I did make it out to see the Navy Pier fireworks last Saturday water was calm, no rain and temps were mild. It seems they have a new boating playpen right off Buckingham fountain in Monroe (can only) harbor where you can anchor offshore and watch shore or lake activities.
Only thing I kinda fixed is dash lights which I thought were inop because they wired dimmer witch opposite so when you turn it clock wise it dims lights. I thought they were turned all the way up when actually they were turned off. Oh and the new anchor light pole I bought works after I turn it on for a few minutes. I cleaned out the receptacle with electronics cleaner but believe the contacts are worn down.
But I did make it out to see the Navy Pier fireworks last Saturday water was calm, no rain and temps were mild. It seems they have a new boating playpen right off Buckingham fountain in Monroe (can only) harbor where you can anchor offshore and watch shore or lake activities.
I did make it out for the Chicago Air and Water show Sat and water was rough and sky grey. I waited to make sure no rain then when it started to clear up somewhat we headed out from Hammond and got to watch the planes flying enroute and parked outside Navy Pier beyond break wall where there was plenty of boats. It was nice for a little while but once anchored weather started to turn for the worst. We got to see the F-35 or F-22 (sorry couldn’t tell) then rain started. I was determined to wait it out since we had camper top on and we were dry but boats started to leave and when it got to only a few left I decided to go back. Once pulling into Hammond sky cleared and the Blue Angels flew over us after departing Gary enroute to Airshow. I heard Sun the weather and Airshow was perfect but I was good. Sorry there’s no close up pics of planes cause a few times they literally flew right above us at around 100-200 ft and the sound of afterburners hypnotized me lol
Mobile mechanic (Matt) came out and diagnosed the water leak was hot water tank so he bypassed and leak is gone so now I can leave system pressurized.
He also checked the shift cable and removed shifter console to get part #’s. Cable was bad and he removed a factory spring loaded piece on linkage that makes it a little easier to shift.
Steering was definitely stiff (he couldn’t believe I’ve been boating like that) but he found a leak where the hose attaches to power steering cooler and tightened the clamp. After I filled it and purged air it was a noticeable difference I could turn it with one hand (vs 2). He said it’s decent although not 100% and he wouldn’t recommend changing cable until it got worst or during winter or off time.
I took my time docking after repairs using shifters only and took more time/tries but got it right in where it needed to be in slip without rushing out to pull lines. I finally got things sea worthy then my Vehicle Attention Disorder (VAD) kicked in and listed it for sale on Facebook boating groups and Marketplace and immediately started answering questions from plenty of people. Coworker saw my OfferUp listing and told another coworker who came out and agreed to buy it before even the Sea Ray 270 Owners group moderator approved my listing because there was a picture in it. Boat was sold to a happy new owner who happens to be a really nice guy. Thanks to everyone on this forum for reading and commenting. A member awhile ago suggested I post a project so this was my first post but definitely not last [emoji106]
He also checked the shift cable and removed shifter console to get part #’s. Cable was bad and he removed a factory spring loaded piece on linkage that makes it a little easier to shift.
Steering was definitely stiff (he couldn’t believe I’ve been boating like that) but he found a leak where the hose attaches to power steering cooler and tightened the clamp. After I filled it and purged air it was a noticeable difference I could turn it with one hand (vs 2). He said it’s decent although not 100% and he wouldn’t recommend changing cable until it got worst or during winter or off time.
I took my time docking after repairs using shifters only and took more time/tries but got it right in where it needed to be in slip without rushing out to pull lines. I finally got things sea worthy then my Vehicle Attention Disorder (VAD) kicked in and listed it for sale on Facebook boating groups and Marketplace and immediately started answering questions from plenty of people. Coworker saw my OfferUp listing and told another coworker who came out and agreed to buy it before even the Sea Ray 270 Owners group moderator approved my listing because there was a picture in it. Boat was sold to a happy new owner who happens to be a really nice guy. Thanks to everyone on this forum for reading and commenting. A member awhile ago suggested I post a project so this was my first post but definitely not last [emoji106]
Yes I do/did. I prefer Hammond because it's cheaper than any of Chicago Harbors, Hammond police patrol and sit in lot, and next to riverboat for restaurants, shows or gambling. Also 4-5 years ago they built a mall across from harbor so there's plenty of stores (Super Walmart) and restaurants to stop at. They also have the biggest ramps that make launching/retrieving easier and the best attribute is if the lake is really rough you can putt putt over to the river and take the river tour or go downtown because river is almost always smooth giving you an option when guest are sensitive to waves.
Just a follow up. The buyer who works at same company was so happy with boat/deal he offered me use of it whenever I want. I didn’t take him on that this year but I offered to pull it out the water if he needed and he took me up on that but since Yaj Yak publicly shamed me for exceeding my tow limits on my Expedition I brought out the dually.
Side note is good business goal is for both people to walk away happy. I was happy with the boat but ready to move on and glad it went to a great family. I didn’t negotiate down when I bought it and still made a profit on it when I sold it.
Side note is good business goal is for both people to walk away happy. I was happy with the boat but ready to move on and glad it went to a great family. I didn’t negotiate down when I bought it and still made a profit on it when I sold it.
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