Bought a 1998 Sea Ray Sundancer 270 wide beam with rot...

[tpenfield]

Maybe you will find another person or resource to pull the engines. . . you could build a rolling gantry and a chain hoist to remove them. Much safer and efficient to do the engine mount stringers with the engines out. Cutting the aft berth bulkhead may be a way to get the tank out with the engines still in place, but a much harder approach and more repair. . . there may be a gotcha along the way, in that you end up having to cut a section of the cockpit deck, dragging you deeper into the abyss :facepalm:

The fuel tank itself (empty) is probably not very heavy, being plastic (75 lbs :noidea: ) You will want to drain the tank to the greatest extent possible before you remove it. Remember - safety first when it comes to working with and around fuel. Make sure to remove the batteries and all potential sources of electricity & sparks beforehand.

 

[alldodge]

Don't know exactly how much room you have to pull the tank. Could see how long it is and then guess how far it has to move the rear and up to get it out. I cut the aft bulkhead within 8 inch of the top and had only a couple inches to get it out. There would be no way to remove the tank with my motor in

 

[tpenfield]

No Title

Maybe something like this if you can find it for rental, etc.

 

[boatman37]

how about a big tree with strong branches to attach a block or come-along?

 

[drewm3i]

Maybe something like this if you can find it for rental, etc.

Could that be used on grass?

 

[alldodge]

Could that be used on grass?

IMO, not as-is, I would lay some plywood down so you can roll it around. Another option is to find a wrecker service. Disconnect everything and have them ready to pull and cradles ready to hold motors. Should be able to remove both in less then an hour.

I would recommend getting two one inch wide nylon lifting straps about 6 to 8 feet long. the strap under the exhaust manifolds lengthwise on each manifold. Single hook and pull it out

 

[drewm3i]

Update: next Sunday is going to be a big day for us...that is the day we are having the engines pulled, put on stands, and having the boat blocked in my yard for about 1k all inclusive. I bought about $400 of demolition tools and materials so I'm ready to get to work. What should be my first course of action once everything is disassembled (engines, generator mount platform, etc?

Can't wait to hammer this project out and get back on the water: http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...ezvous-and-destinations/10328697-florida-keys

 

[tpenfield]

You will get a better view of the rot areas with the engines out, so you can explore and verify. I assume that you may need to take a few other things out of the engine bay. Then, there is the fuel tank that will need to come out. Once that is out, you will get a more complete view of the structure and rot areas.

Wrap wiring and hoses in plastic to prevent them from getting dust, resin, etc on them. Take lots of pictures so that you can reference them during re-assembly. Post a few as well as you go.

Keep the saws and pry bars in the tool box for now, until you have a more complete picture of what needs to be done.

 

[drewm3i]

Update: Yesterday we picked up the tri-axle trailer for 3k, picked up the boat, took the boat to my buddy's shop, removed the engines and outdrives, and then parked the boat at the inlaws. I am going to begin work on the boat and demo ASAP. I did find some rot in the transom near the drain plug, but am not sure how extensive it is. Preliminary inspection of the key holes shows that they're solid. Currently, the boat is a mess, so I need to get it cleaned up before I continue...sorry for the lack of pictures, I will try to get some today.

 

[tpenfield]

Thanks for the update. We do like pictures and they don't have to be tidy . . . messy is OK. A partial transom repair can be done and has been done by some folks here on iBoats. The key thing now that the engines are out is to check areas that you could not previously reach and find any remaining issues before you start cutting.

Did you take the fuel tank out yet? If not how much fuel to you have to off-load?

 

[drewm3i]

Update: Got to the boat today and did a lot of cleaning. The bilge was so greasy I could barely stand without slipping. I also cleaned the deck and swim platform as my buddy made a mess.

Anyways, I took 2 of the 3 batteries out. Under one tray I noticed some dark, but dry wood at the screw holes. Nothing to be too concerned about IMO, but something to treat with EG and then move one.

I also did some more prodding around. From what I can tell, the transom minus the drain plug is solid. The key holes faired pretty well to the screwdriver test from what I could see, but I'll know more when I get the y pipes out of the way. The motor mount stringers are all good minus the center port one.

The way the stringers are set up its going to make repair difficult though as the point where the motors will mount are twice as wide as the rest of the center stringers. I was going to skin them and epoxy fill, but this presents a challenge if the blocks at the top are solid, but the bases aren't.

Here are some pics:

Chipped away some gel coat to get a look at the transom:

Engines out, bilge cleaner than before:


Center port stringer is deteriorated some:





New trailer:
http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/zz23/drewm3i/IMG_20170213_195156226_zpsnf1gcgns.jpg

 

[shaw520]

Been tagging along with interest (I have a 1990 280 Dancer) and structurally very similar. I was fortunate that the PO of my boat stored it indoors and was very anal about keeping a clean and dry bilge.
With the experts guiding you on the project I have nothing to offer except my praises, but I may note that I found that a small electric chain saw (like the ones you find on the end of a pole saw) work great for hollowing out skinned stringers. Decap and save caps for reinstall, then plunge cut with small electric chain saw. Sounds a bit invasive but I surprised how well it worked.

 

[Slip Away]

Wow is about all I can say. It's repairable, but not worth it for me. I would not tackle something like that myself. Good for you that you have the time, knowledge and money to tackle this. If it was me, I would unload the boat now. Good luck Drew.

 

[drewm3i]

Wow is about all I can say. It's repairable, but not worth it for me. I would not tackle something like that myself. Good for you that you have the time, knowledge and money to tackle this. If it was me, I would unload the boat now. Good luck Drew.

We'll see. Most of the boat is okay. The rot is very isolated. This is not going to be a full gut most likely. I was fully on board until I found a killer deal on a Chaparral cruiser on Craigslist with PT wood for $10k...Still think I'm going to fix her tho. Transom is fine from what I can tell.

 

[shaw520]

The question you have to ask yourself is can you consciously sell this boat knowing what you know now... or take a $4k or $5k loss and indulge the information. OR,.. Put $2-3k and some work into it, and then sell it at a slight gain and sleep better knowing you did the right thing.

 

[drewm3i]

The question you have to ask yourself is can you consciously sell this boat knowing what you know now... or take a $4k or $5k loss and indulge the information. OR,.. Put $2-3k and some work into it, and then sell it at a slight gain and sleep better knowing you did the right thing.

For sure, my conscience won't let me do that to an unsuspecting buyer. I think I'm going to press on and fix it. I am young, I have the time, the admiral is fully on board and supportive, and I have the money to fix anything that may rear its head. We do like this boat for a cruiser!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Right on man!! Looking forward to more pics!!

 

[drewm3i]

Right on man!! Looking forward to more pics!!

Thanks buddy, I've been keeping tabs on your restore. You look to be making some serious progress! You should splash this summer. Luckily my boat is newer and built differently so my restore should be less intensive. I'll get more pics as I keep up with the demo.

 

[Slip Away]

The question you have to ask yourself is can you consciously sell this boat knowing what you know now... or take a $4k or $5k loss and indulge the information. OR,.. Put $2-3k and some work into it, and then sell it at a slight gain and sleep better knowing you did the right thing.

Well, he consciously bought the boat, no moisture readings taken, purely price and "want a cruiser" driven. There might be someone out there that thinks the same way. Maybe the boat can be unloaded now before the financial and mental damage get's to be too much to take. Or just a parts boat for someone with another 270DA of that vintage.
As far as the 2-3K yet to go, he has already blown that away by purchasing a trailer, so his investment in repairs would be on top of that. I just can't see how putting all that time and another 3K+ into this particular 19 year old boat is a sound decision. But, we all know what B.O.A.T. stands for. Hope things work out, one way or another.
At least, a lesson has been learned. Best of luck going forward.

 

[tpenfield]

It is one of those things, 'once your feet leave the diving board, you are headed to the water'. The OP got the boat at a pretty good price, so perhaps the PO knew something. Now that the boat is featured on the Internet, it may be an even tougher sell in its current state.

Each person faced with this sort of situation has to make their own decision after weighing a variety of factors in terms of the economics, their desires, and their skills. What one person decides is not necessarily what all people would or should decide. Drew has decided to fix his boat. . . It is perhaps not what others would do, but it is not a wrong decision either . . . it is his own.