New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

Hi Every one. great forum here and I hope i can get enough help here to get my project boat in the water. I just pulled a 1984 Sea Ray Seville open bow home. has 140 mercruiser engine, but no out drive.

My first w=question is what kid of out drive shoud I be looking for? Seen some talk of alpha and pre alpha drives and it has me a little concerned on what I can and cannot use on this Sea Ray. I know I have an Iron Duke engine as I have rebuilt many old Vega engines, and it is practallky the same design. any help would be apreciated.

Tim
Aberdeen, MD

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

Ayuh-.-Are you sure you want to dump a ton of Cash into a old boat that might not run??

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

You do not have an iron duke engine, unless someone has figured out how marinize one. You have a GM industrial engine that was marinized for Mercruiser/OMC/Volvo. Looks kinda like one though. When replacing the drive you will need to get one with the right gear ratio.

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

Dakota47 said:

Ayuh-.-Are you sure you want to dump a ton of Cash into a old boat that might not run??

Click to expand...

Well......... he's already done dragged it home!!

If you do not have a cracked block or otherwise "no-good" engine, your best bet might be to spend a little more money on a new (with a 3 year warranty) SEI drive.

The engine you have in your "new" boat is one of the best little engines ever put in a boat!!

It won't win you any races but they perform well and are very fuel efficient.

regards,


Rick

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

Thanks for the input everyone. I know a project boat is usually considered "a hole in the water that one tosses money into", but I don't have the cash to go out and buy a new one, and I sure don't want to spend money on one that needs a lot of work too. So, I found a free boat, gonna put a little money into her, and learn about boating and have fun. I hope to learn more here on the forum and attend a Coast Guard boat course some time in the future before inaugural run. My son and I are looking forward to doing this together so we get a boat, and some father son time too! So be patient with me as I continue to ask dumb questions cause there may be a lot of them. I have always done my own wrench turing so doing the paint, engine, fiberglass work is nothing new, just new on a boat. take care and have a good one until the next post.

Tim

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

Tim: The first thing you need to do is get a service manual for your engine and for the drive. You can download free factory manuals from various websites. (Try Chaparral Owners Forum). A Mercruiser is a Mercruiser. The engine and drive are manufactured by Mercruiser, not a particular boat manufacturer. Alpha drives are available new, rebuilt, or used from many sources. You might even try your local marina. At this time of the year some people are scrappig or abandoning their boats (unfortunately) so a good used setup might be available. To check your engine, you could start it for a few seconds without the outdrive or water connected. Don't run it for long or you'll burn up the flappers in the outdrive. That will enable you to do a compression check, among other things. You need to check your bellows and gimbal bearing before you put a drive on the back. All this would be in a manual. If you want, you could connect a hose to the water input at the transom, with the water at half pressure, to run your engine, once you check it out. Good luck and try to have fun bringing your boat back to life. Hy

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

HY, thanks for the info, you are now talking the stuff I need to know. I have been searching for some manuals to see exactly what I have and what I need to do. I'll keep looking, in the mean time if anyone has a 140 out drive or know where I can find a repairable/rebuild able let me know. I'm on the east coast and the Chesapeake bay is asking me to be ready for fun next spring.

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

"Old boat"?? Heck you don't have an "old boat". I routinely run an original, never restored, perfect condition (including the original upholstery and canvas top), 1964 Glassmaster 17 foot run-about with the 120HP "iron duke" GM 4 cylinder engine. I bought it 10 years ago from the original owner. We use it regularly at the lake house to water ski and when we feel like cruising in a classic.

My guess is the boat / engine has around 2300 hours (46 years X 50 hours a year). It still runs perfectly and the only maintenance has been regular oil and filter changes, sterndrive oil changes, greasing, and an ocassional "tune up" and raw water impeller change. As far as I know, the valve cover has never been off.

This Mercruiser engine / sterndrive is so old it was originally painted white, not black. Ever see a WHITE Mercruiser??

I guess the first question you need to try to answer is what brand of sterndrive was originally on your boat. Then try to find one that will "match up". Good luck. This can be a great learning experience. Just don't think you will ever get your money back out of it, if you decide to sell it.

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

I just pulled a 1984 Sea Ray
My first w=question is what kid of out drive shoud I be looking for? Seen some talk of alpha and pre alpha drives
I have always done my own wrench turing so

Click to expand...

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,....
1st off,... feed the motor fuel, fire, 'n water to see if it Runs...

Then look for an Alpha 1 drive in 1.98:1...
Pre-Alpha drives will also bolt on, 'n work just fine...
Gen.IIs will Not...

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

You folks on this forum helped me identify my outdrive on a 1983 26ft. Tiara. The way i understand your info i have an R drive which ran to 1983. Then the MR started in 1984. Would his most likely be a MR drive? I think the SEI would be the way to go too. I think the moderator showed me a chart of the chronology of the mercruiser drives. Maybe you can find it in a search?

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

Bond-o said:

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,....
1st off,... feed the motor fuel, fire, 'n water to see if it Runs...

Then look for an Alpha 1 drive in 1.98:1...
Pre-Alpha drives will also bolt on, 'n work just fine...
Gen.IIs will Not...

Click to expand...

Glad Bond-o mentioned the water..Always always WITH water, never ever without. Not even for a few seconds.

there are links on my signature that can help you..

Re: New OLD boat, new to forum-need assist

CheapboatKev said:

Glad Bond-o mentioned the water..Always always WITH water, never ever without. Not even for a few seconds.

there are links on my signature that can help you..

Click to expand...

course, at the moment he's in no danger of frying his impeller
OP, check your PMs...