Starting new project 1973 Sea Ray 240 SRV

CrazyFinn

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Dec 12, 2016
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Just read through this whole thread... Looking good so far! I just bought almost the identical boat (other than mine is red and has a single 233 for power). I'm expecting at least as much rot as you found. Hauling the boat home next weekend, then I will have to evaluate what I actually got!

Need to finish up my current project before I start on the new boat though, but it's getting close.

With all of your pics, it helps me see what I'm up against! Also need to build a set-up like you did for pulling the engine. My portable engine hoist works fine on my SRV 185, but the 240 is way too tall for that.
 

sheboyganjohn

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Aug 2, 2005
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753
Well let's get caught up a bit here. As usual, running into more issues. Have a froze up steering system now. I have a separate post to address the steering issue in the steering and controls forum.
I was gong ot put the drives back in but decided I needed to finish up some grinding and cutting first. Removed the two shelves that ran up the inside of the hull. Will put new ones back in. Forgot how much I hated grinding. Also cut the last of the floor out of the cabin so I could get the new one installed. Also de-furred the inside of the cabin. Wife was not too fond of the fake fur that covered the entire inside of the cabin. I have left the fur on the ceiling for now. Gives me some cushion when I bang my head. Pictures of all this below.

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sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Cut and installed to sections of new floor. I just have them PL'ed down right now. The one under the front V-birth is sitting about 1 1/2" higher then the rest of the floor. I still have to drill the center drain hole. I will be glassing the floor into place, along with finishing tabbing some of the remaining stringer in the cabin.
The Floor stops right before the cabin exists. This is where the cabin sump is located and will have a bilge pump in it.

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sheboyganjohn

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Since I have to wait for the PL to dry for a few days before I start glass work, I decided to get the gimbal housings and the inner transom plates installed.

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sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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No new pictures today. Just filled in the gap between the floor boards and the hull of the boat to make a smooth transition. Also filled in a few spots on the side of the original stringer where it was never tabbed to the hull. Wood was still fine. Once this all cures I will work on running the tabbing in place. I was going to do it tonight but I had an old block of wood to hold the bulkhead in place between the gas tank area and the cabin. It was only in there for temporary support. Well it had got wet from the weather which made the wood behind it wet when I removed it. Nothing wrong, but I need to let it dry out before I glass over it. We will have to see what tomorrow brings. If that is not ready I will see if the left over two part foam from last year has enough umph left in it to fill the small space under the floor. Don't need it for flotation, but it will make the floor quiet.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Last night was able to finish the tabbing on the last of the stringers in the cabin. All that is left in the cabin, for now, is layer of CSM on the floor. Hopefully I can get that done tonight.

I have, for the first time, experienced B.O.A.T. (Break Out Another Thousand). Ordered all the parts to replace the obsolete frozen steering system (I have a separate thread in the steering and controls forum with the details). I am starting to get to the point I am wondering if I will hit my target of having the boat in the water this month. It is all dependent on how fast parts show up and if I don't run into anything else to slow me down. I will work on pulling out the old steering system next so I can get right into the install when the new system shows up.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Have the coolers back in the rear deck. Put all the wires back into the boat instead of hanging out the back.
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sheboyganjohn

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Gimbal housings installed. Finished sanding the last of the blue bottom coat off the transom.

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sheboyganjohn

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Pulled the old steering out of the boat in anticipation of the hydraulic system showing up the next few days. While I was at it decided to look over the wiring and see if there was anything that needed to be removed. Talk about opening up a rats nest. Found wires that were cut, others that were just twisted together and taped for a splice. Multiple wires of different colors all connected together. Even had a 2 foot section with four barrel crimp connectors in it. I think I pulled 50' of wire out. I am stripping out what is not absolutely needed for now. Still have some wires off the ignition switches that I need to figure out where they go since they lead nowhere right now, I am hoping someone just used it as a switched power connection that is not needed.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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The steering parts are in. The cylinder has three holes in one end of the ram. Looks like if I put the ram on the starboard side it will allow both motors to hook up to the center. The only issue is the cylinder is too long to install while the transom plate is mounted in the boat so it looks like I am pulling the starboard plate again. I will get pictures when I get it in, hopefully tomorrow night.

I was also able to get the shelves beaded back to the sides of the hull and install a lip board on them. Hoping to get them glassed in on Saturday morning before the heat kicks in for the weekend. 90's and humid is not my type of weather to work in a boat.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Have the steering ram installed and hooked up to both drives. Had to pull out the transom plate then I had to remove the steering tube to clean all the gunk out of it so the new ram would fit.

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Picture of the new ram.

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sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Got the ram on and hooked up to the starboard engine. Looked good but there was no way it was going to hook up to the port engine.

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Here is the gap with both drives centered.

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After thinking about all the different options, leaning towards cutting and welding an extension in the arm for the port engine, it hit me, just make a plate. So I made one out of some left over bar stock I had laying around. Turned out to work perfectly.

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Done for the day. May run the rest of the steering tomorrow.
 
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Tnstratofam

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Aug 18, 2013
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2,679
Nice!

Sometimes I'm guilty of overthinking problems when a simple fix is right at my fingertips.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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I know. I usually pride myself for finding the easy solution. At least I came up with it before I started cutting stuff.

Good news, I have functional steering again minus the steering wheel which is on order. Of course I had to spill a 1/4 bottle of the liquid gold while changing bottles during the fill and bleed process. At least I did not run out. Had a partial bottle from the steering on the dory. I may have just a bit of air left in the system since I was trying to do this by myself. I will drag my son over one day and finish it correctly. I don't think I can get the wife to climb the 6' step ladder to get in the boat.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Also foamed under the floor in the cabin. Had left over foam from last year and it worked just fine.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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No pictures today. Put the cove between the shelf and the hull. Was going to glass it, but just did not feel like messing with CSM tonight. Since I had some resin mixed up I also put the plugs back in from foaming the cabin floor. Since I still had some time left I ended up putting the new exhaust flappers in the down pipes. Being it is the old style I had to grind out a couple of rivets to get the mounting bracket out. Not that hard to do off the boat, but would have sucked trying to do it on the boat.
Steering wheel should be here in the next couple of days along with the new winch for the trailer. I am hoping to get at least the rebuilt motor in this weekend so I can fire it up and run the break in for the new lifters.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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Making progress. Should be able to put the rebuilt motor in tomorrow and hopefully get it started and run for the lifter break in. I'll worry about the other motor once I get this one going.

The last day and a half put the hydraulic lines back in for the tilt and trim. Put the steering wheel on. Put the exhaust pipes on, after putting new flappers in them. Drilled out the holes for the tow hooks and the rear deck cooler drains. Learned a whole new vocabulary of swore words installing the lower shift cable. I felt like I was tying to insert a cucumber in a straw putting the cable sheath into the shift cable boot. The great thing about twin motors is I get to do it all over again for the other side.

Went on the great hunt for some 3m 4200 or 5200. I was in Home Depot a few weeks back and noticed they no longer stocked it. Today checked, Fleet Farm and Menards, nothing. We have a old school True Value in town that may carry it, but of course they are not open weekends. Need it before I install the trim tabs and swim platform. I would like to get both of those done before I splash it the first time.
 

Tnstratofam

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Aug 18, 2013
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Aren't shift cables so much fun. I think they're one of the main reasons marinas charge so much for outdrive repairs.

Our local Home Depot and Lowes can sometimes be hit or miss on the 3m marine sealants too, but at least they are still stocking them. I can pick 4200 and 5200 up from a couple of marinas too but they are close to double in price what Lowes sells it for.
 

sheboyganjohn

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Aug 2, 2005
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753
Thanks for the info. The town 1/2hr north of me has a Lowes. I will have to check and see if they have it in stock.

The shift cable was fine, once I got it into the boot. Some grease on the sheath and it slid right through the boot just fine.
 
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