1986 Sea Ray Seville Cuddy Project

[BlueBeard70]

Well, I guess I've caught whatever it is that you all seem to have around here and bought a "less than stellar" boat to learn some skills on. It's a 1986 Sea Ray Seville II Cuddy Cabin and I just got it home this week in the decent weather before tucking it under a tarp for last gasps of winter. Some parts seem fairly straightforward but some will be challenging and I hope I can get some help from you on advise and so on so my learning is more "targeted", lol. I think I have bought the usual problems--soft untreated wood panel over the gas tank, stringers and transom seem solid (famous last words, I'm aware), carpet and seating 'tired', random electrical questions, etc. But I've noticed a couple things that I'd like to restore back to original if I can and I can't seem to find any documentation of how it's supposed to work. So, here's my questions for planning and pondering while I wait for spring:

1. I have a stainless bowrail that has become disconnected from the port side 45 degree deck fitting. It looks like there is an internal ferrule piece on the starboard side but I can't find any sort of information anywhere about how this is supposed to connect and where to get the part. If I don't hear, I'll take apart the SB side to see but that still won't tell me where to find parts. I think it's just tubing?
2. The Seville II is supposed to have "dash visors". What are these and are they replaceable?
3. The seats are supposed to be adjustable and lay flat. Previous owner just screwed in new seats but how were these supposed to work?
4. Was there ever back cushions for the two rear seats? If not, there may be soon
5. The cuddy looks like it was supposed to have an area for a portapotty and a cushion over top. Mine has three cushions (in fashionable nearly "garbage bag" upholstery), one "D" shaped at the front and one on each side. There are two short wood runners under the front cushion but I don't understand what they're for and don't see how I'd put a cushion over the spot that I assume is for the head.
6. There are several places where rocks have worn through the gel coat like the bow where I can see fibers. Can I just roughen with 40 grit and build up/fair with gel coat or do I need resin first or resin with fiber like peanut butter/bondo hair/something else? Yes, I'm a noob at fiberglass. I've read the articles but am not quite clear which approach to use for this or for the open drill holes from fittings (just resin or off the shelf filler or something else).

It'd be great if the parts manuals were available for a lot of this but I totally understand why they don't keep a 32 year old parts catalog around.

My first iboats posting and my first boat so please be gentle

 

[cup of Joe]

Quote: "several places where rocks have worn through the gel coat like the bow where I can see fibers"
I used Marine tex on one of my boat bottom.
I'm no pro but it worked for me and you can mix in any color to match your boat color.

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, welcome aboard

boats dont have parts manuals. you may want to call SeaRay's customer service line, however dont expect any help. other than the motor and drive, there is little documentation of components in a boat. as in assume none.

as far as the bow rail, its just stainless tubing and the cheapest fittings that SeaRay could get at the time (literally the cheapest ones that week. boat builders buy from a parts consortium, the cheapest one that week gets the PO).

not sure what dash visors are. and anything man-made is replaceable.

depends on the seat

not sure, check sea-rays website for old brochures.

may have an area for the porta-potty, check the old brochures

post pics of the damage so we can see best how to suggest you repair. you may have to wait to post #4. read the guides for posting pics

 

[kcassells]

Welcome aboard!

 

[BlueBeard70]

Thanks!

I suspected the tubing response and can easily work on it from there, that helps.

The "dash visor" was from the brochure and is a term I hadn't seen before so was curious what it even meant.

The cuddy does show a portapotty in the brochure's floor plan and says it has a "v-bunk with filler cushion" and mine doesn't seem to have this cushion and I don't see any rails that could have supported it but does have two teak (?) runners under the bow cushion which doesn't immediately make sense to me so I was looking for experience/wisdom on how this is supposed to work.

I didn't post photos because, well, I didn't know how and lot of the photos on here seem broken. Here is the area I'm concerned about how to fix. It seems like it may be an area that takes some force underway so I wasn't sure if gel was enough. PO says it doesn't leak but, as he was a weekend fisherman, that may or may not mean more than "it makes it back to the dock".

I've looked through the owners manual (got it from Sea Ray, which is nice), they do list a parts manual but don't provide those for older boats through the web site. I was hoping someone else on here owns one and could fill me in on /show me pics of items 2-5 since the "in the fiberglass" is likely the only way to figure out how it was meant to be. I can make up my own, of course, but I'd like to at least know what the designer intended.

Cheers!

 

[mickyryan]

"I didn't post photos because, well, I didn't know how and lot of the photos on here seem broken. Here is the area I'm concerned about how to fix. It seems like it may be an area that takes some force underway so I wasn't sure if gel was enough. PO says it doesn't leak but, as he was a weekend fisherman, that may or may not mean more than "it makes it back to the dock".
I would fix it asap it could allow water to get into the fiberglass if it isn't resin rich there plus it isn't that hard of a fix
the filler cushion probably is in some previous owners attic but wouldn't be hard to make

 

[Bayou Dave]

I think those black plastic cushions are what they call V-bunk filler cushions. My old Rinker Cuddy had similar cushions.

 

[cup of Joe]

Hello, I posted on #2 about using Marine tex on one of my boat bottom.
It worked great on my boat and I matched the color with a color additive.
Can someone tell me if there is a better way to patch up a scraped up bow??
Thank you,

 

[chevymaher]

Is it just gel coat? I used a gel coat repair kit. For scrapes and scratches. I just used a bondo spreader. It is the consistency of toothpaste. Fills them right in perfectly. Then sand and buff. Cant even see them now.

 

[cup of Joe]

Thanks , Your project is looking great.
I have never used Gel coat repair kit.
I have only used marine tex, I can get it here local,
here is the info "



Description
Marine-Tex is the legendary high-strength repair compound designed for filling, bonding and rebuilding wood, fiberglass, ceramic, glass, metal, masonry and many plastics. Marine-Tex is manufactured to the highest standards to meet the harsh demands of the marine and industrial environments, and solve many problems for home, auto and hobby applications.

Marine-Tex is a creamy paste consistency that can be applied on vertical or horizontal surfaces, easily fills gaps, and can be shaped to rebuild damaged components. Marine-Tex paste provides waterproof repairs that can be used with fiberglass tape or cloth to bridge holes and reinforce structural repairs as needed. Emergency and permanent repairs to machinery and equipment, hulls, decks, stripped fasteners, piping and tanks are all easily accomplished with the mighty repair kit. Marine-Tex can be sanded or ground to shape, tapped and drilled, and finished with most common paints and coatings.

Technical Info
Marine-Tex is a heavy-duty structural epoxy, used to repair aluminum, fiberglass and wooden boats, reinstall loose or stripped fasteners, permanently bond dissimilar metals without galvanic corrosion, and fill gouges in wood, metal and fiberglass, making repaired areas stronger than before.

Marine-Tex is an excellent choice for repairing problem areas located below the waterline. Marine-Tex is resistant to water and many chemicals.

COLORS: White and Gray. Marine-Tex Gray is recommended for machinery repairs. Marine-Tex White can be tinted with ITW Fibre-Glass Evercoat's coloring agents for fiberglass and wood applications. Be sure to use only a small amount of coloring agent (no more than 5% of the total volume of epoxy.)

 

[mickyryan]

i would use gelcote its sandable and can get a color match as well the folks who support this forum make it

 

[BlueBeard70]

Thanks. Marine tex looks like a putty, which may be just what I need for the "extra" holes around fittings and so on and then I can touch up with gelcoat repair, right?. I was hoping gel coat on it's own could be used to build up and finish the area without needing an extra substrate but wasn't sure if it was strong enough for the edge of the bow like that. I was looking at filler formulations like the 3M/Bondo and the Evercoat and Spectrum offerings but have heard people bash the Bondo that I can buy locally so have been scared.

I'd love to order from here but shipping into Canada is expressed in terms of children signed into indenture so I'm searching for options in country. I may need to order it to a friend's place and drive to the US but surely there's somewhere in country...ugh

I found out the ID of the 7/8 railing is very close (few hundredths) to 3/4 in OD and a local metal shop gave me a free bit of stainless 3/4 OD tube so maybe that helps someone else too.

Now, the seats aren't specific to this boat. It has regular back-to-back folding seats that are currently screwed to the pedestals. Is there a way to find the hardware to mount them to fold out as lounge chairs? I've seen that the seats are available with the hardware but can't find the hardware on it's own. Looking for boat seat hardware turns up thousands of hits for pedestals and slides and swivels. Maybe there's another term to search for or something?

Thank you all, reading and discussing this stuff is really helping

 

[BlueBeard70]

OK, bought Marinetex, gel coat, and some coloring today so I will try them out and report back with findings when the weather is clear. I've contacted someone about getting a proper survey done of the structure to know if I have b-i-g problems or just the more limited areas inside,outside, all electrical and mechanical systems . My general work plan is to seal up the areas where it's worn through the gel coat (necessary regardless of structure), seal the other penetrations like the railing and swim platforms, check the basic electricals (blower, bilge, trim, horn, maybe lights), change all the fluids (motor, outdrive, steering, trim), cap, rotor, plugs and see if she starts. It's all really about seeing if she floats and goes and getting a sense of what needs to be done. Sewing is for rainy/snowy days so that might get started sooner as well (reusable regardless as well), which is why the odd questions up front.

I'll set up the survey along the way to know if I'll need to rip out the stringers and transom soon or if I get to enjoy it for a few seasons first. Note, I don't expect to go very many years before it needs the full work-up so my eyes are fairly open.

For posterity, I've done more research and yes, there was supposed to be sliding bit in the middle of the V-berth and I've seen it in some photos so I'm trying to get better details on how it worked and dimensions but at least I know how many cushions I'll need to sew.

The 6.0M did have seat backs in the back so the 5.6M may have as well so I'll plan to make those.

Cheers.

 

[chevymaher]

Sounds like you got the plan now. Good luck hope for the best and plan for the worst. You will get it no matter what.

 

[BlueBeard70]

i would use gelcote its sandable and can get a color match as well the folks who support this forum make it

So, I found out Gelcote is, in fact, a Canadian company so of course its available locally. D'oh!!!

Been reading up more, if I go with gel coat, I would use gel coat paste and build from there. I assume the repair kits are waxed so I'd only get one coat to fix it, right? If I wanted to go with a thicker build, I'd use fairing compound (pre-mixed or unwaxed resin with fumed silica and chopped/milled filber or microballoons) to build up and finish with waxed (gel coat or otherwise). Did I get that right? I think I'm understanding that I need to use gel coat over whatever (fairing compound, resin/peanut butter) unless I'm using Marine-tex or gel coat cream. Am I on the right track? Is gel coat paste something that can be made or only bought in the little repair kits, which get pretty pricey by volume.

Weather is starting to warm up and I should be able to start working in earnest in the next 4-6 weeks so looking to source materials so I can hit the ground running. So much to learn and do, but that's the fun part!

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[BlueBeard70]

Reading some other threads while I wait for temps to rise for resin work and running water through the engine and I'm questioning the bow repair. I can see fiber and can see light coming through the area from the inside of the cuddy on a sunny day. Is gel paste still a good idea or PB or am I looking at CSM and resin? The shaping shouldn't be too horrible with some spreaders and I can see using the gel coat for the nicks on either side. Yes, I have marinetex as well but it feels like a "bondo" solution to me rather than necessarily the "right" solution.

This is the one that's making me re-think:

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...pair/10549860-when-to-fair-when-to-fiberglass

Thoughts, oh gurus?

 

[kcassells]

I'd sand it out alot more to get rid of loose fibers. Make up a pb with alot of chopped glass in it and fill. Smoothe out/fair.
Seeing light thru it isn't unusual once the gelcoat is gone.
You may want to probe also from the inside since you can see light. Maybe apply some glass in there as well. If it seems to fall apart while probing with a pointed object or screwdriver than you may nned to work both sides with pb and glass.

 

[Panoguy]

Welcome aboard, BlueBeard. I look forward to watching your progress! I live in "the frozen north", so I can tell you that waiting for warm weather for F/G & paint is a prudent idea. I'd think that using PB on that beaching rash would work... I wonder if just "backfilling" on the inside, then re-spraying/polishing gel on the outside would be the easiest way to do this properly?

I've been working on-&-off with restoring my '84 Sea Ray Seville 19 for upwards of 5 years now, it's been slow work because of a bum back & knee, but progress is always being made.

Best of luck with your restoration!!

 

[BlueBeard70]

OK, so new issue: The vinyl from the windshield center section is all missing. Not the screw covers but the glazing vinyl. Now, it's a Taylor windshield and they told me they can get me new vinyl if I can get them part numbers. I found a reference to part number 154653 but Taylor says Sea Ray is all 703xxxxx Does anyone know either:
a) a part number for the windshield or
b) the size and style of vinyl needed to reglaze the windows