1995 Sea Ray 200BR

[goldens984]

Considering buying this Sea Ray 200 BR .Seller seems to asking top dollars for a 15 year old boat . What should I be looking for when view the boat ? Your thoughts would be appreciated .
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/1756809992.html

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

I have basically the same boat(1995 Monterey 210 5.7 Merc) My seating arrangement is different..I have the 2 jumpseats in the back rather than the bench, which I like because it opens up more room in the cockpit.

But overall I really like the boat, the power is great for anything you want to do, and its a nice size to take some friends out on. But again, the bench will tend to crowd the interior a bit, IMO.

I see its a california boat, but make sure to check the deck real good for soft spots (I got burned) look over the transom real good. Sit in those captains chairs and make sure the bases they are on, are good and solid, that is a potential entry point for water into the screw holes(since they probably were not protected well) to start rot. Since the outdrive is new, the bellows and everything else should be too..but check it out.
If I were you and you got serious about it, I would take it and have a pre-purchase inspection done, if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself. Its a buyers market so have a look and if you like it, throw an offer out there..I would print out the Nada.com value and go from there.

Good luck.

 

[goldens984]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Thanks for the advice . Question about the rot in the transom and floor is this something that would be obvious would we see this ? Or be looking under the floor for ?

Have some decisions to make soon . We currently own a 1978 21 ft Chris Craft Bowrider . And also are considering re powering that boat with a new engine and drive . But the price we have received for the work seem to outweigh the cost of buying a newer boat .

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Thanks for the advice . Question about the rot in the transom and floor is this something that would be obvious would we see this ? Or be looking under the floor for ?

I'm guessing by the looks of that boat and the way it appears it was taken care of, that the rot will not be obvious if there is any. Bring a mallet of some some sort when you go and look at the boat. Tap all around the transom and listen for a "thud" sound rather than and nice solid "wrap" sound. With the drive in the down position, you should be able to put all of your weight on the drive and have zero flex in the transom. I doubt the owner is going to like you standing on his sterndrive however You'll get a pretty good idea from tapping around.

When you get inside the boat, stand and walk all over the deck, and "feel" for soft spongy spots. Open up the ski locker and tap around all of that wood and check for wet or soft wood. You can tap around the deck as well with the mallet, again listening for a nice solid "wrap"..no dull sounds. Make sure to check out under the rear bench seat, water will tend to collect back there, and the glued in carpet will soak up water and sit.

It appears like a very well taken care of boat..but you just never know.
Here was my boat when I bought it..pretty much in excellent shape, but I didn't do a good enough job looking over the deck..

After this:

I now have this: Don't get me wrong..I'm really happy with what I have now, but I'm sure you don't want to do it.

Have some decisions to make soon . We currently own a 1978 21 ft Chris Craft Bowrider . And also are considering re powering that boat with a new engine and drive . But the price we have received for the work seem to outweigh the cost of buying a newer boat .

Well, what would you rather have? Your boat fixed up, or something a bit newer? You need a new engine and drive? What happened? How much have you been quoted?

 

[goldens984]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Since we have owned her she has had a history of over heating and hard starting . Last time she over heated and cooled off the engine started making a low noise rumble . A friend who knows about building motors thought it sounded like a engine bearing getting ready to go . As for the drive it works but when ever we put her in drive or reverse we hear what sounds like a gear grinding noise . A mechanic that once worked on her mentioned something about the clutch dogs in old boats sounding like that .

We got an estimate close to $7000.00 new engine and drive ... Dose that Sound about right ?
She's powered by a Mercruiser 233 and have no idea about the drive .

I guess at this point we just want a reliable boat more boating less fixing.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t286/becxlt/Chris Craft/082.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t286/becxlt/Chris Craft/081.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t286/becxlt/Chris Craft/083.jpg

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Cool looking boat!
That 233 is an old Ford engine..Merc, doesn't use them anymore and I don't recall hearing they were all that reliable..not sure. The 5.7 Chevy in that Sea Ray has been bullet proof for many years and is a very popular power package with the Alpha 1 Gen II thats on that boat. I know you will be very happy with it if everything checks out. Would be a great family boat. I was looking a long time for that exact boat, with the back to back seating, and couldn't find one in a decent price range.

The Sea Ray BR of that vintage were a well built boat..in about 2003 or around there, they were bought by Brunswick, which makes Bayliner. So now, when I look at a Sea Ray, I just see a slightly upgraded Bayliner. Nothing wrong with Bayliner, it is what it is..an entry level boat. So, if I were to buy a Sea Ray, I would be looking around the year of the one you are looking at.

$7,000 seems like a lot of $$$ to me for a new engine and drive.
If you click on this link..its a website www.rapidomarine.com that has a great reputation for re-manufactured boat engines. You'll see a Ford 233 engine(5.8 351) is $1,250 for a short block(no heads) and $1,400 for a long block(with heads) $150 shipping to your house. You could then add all your current accessories and be good to go.
Here is the link, scroll down to find your engine. http://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/engines/default.aspx

As far as the drive, many folks go here for new drives http://www.sterndrive.cc/

Maybe Bond-O, Don S or one of the vets around here can tell you what you have and if the noise is normal or can be fixed.

Are you mechanically inclined? Would you be able to pull the engine and drive and replace? Or do you need to hire somebody to do it? If you can do it yourself, you'll save a bunch of money.

In the end its up to you...Since your boat is a bit older, I'm not sure I would personally put a bunch of money into it..but thats a personal decision. I really like the style of my Monterey and that Sea Ray, I've been really happy with mine, so I'm partial to it. If its been taken care of the way the guy makes it seem, should be a nice family rig.

Good luck!

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Not sure if that Sea Ray is the Signature Select model or just the basic model. Here is the Nada Value for the signature boat. With the upgraded 5.7 engine and the covers, it values to about 7k. So I would work off that.
http://www.nadaguides.com/default.a...m=11559&d=1600156285&y=1995&ml=S&gc=MR&gtc=MR

 

[goldens984]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

We made a offer on the Sea Ray owner accept . Need some advice going for a demo test cruise tomorrow . What should we looking for and maybe listening to ? Any info would be appreciated.

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

We made a offer on the Sea Ray owner accept . Need some advice going for a demo test cruise tomorrow . What should we looking for and maybe listening to ? Any info would be appreciated.

Wow..nice! If you don't mind me asking, how low did you get him?

Make sure you look over the trailer good and check that the brakes are in working condition.

As for the demo run. The things I would be looking at are:

1)Watch all the gauges real close while the boat is under way. Make sure the temp is steady in all driving conditions(idle and high speed), the oil pressure is good, volts ect.

2)Make sure the bilge pump, horn and blower are working good.

3)Make sure the trim motor and hydraulics are all in working order.

4) Turn on the running/gauge lights, make sure they all work.

5)After running the boat on the water for a few minutes, check the bilge and make sure its not taking on water.

6) With the engine running in the water, open up the engine compartment and check for any signs of oil/fuel leaks. (I had a buddy that was buying a boat, discovered a faulty fuel pump that was spewing gas all over the engine compartment..not good.) Check the lower unit oil reservoir, make sure its full and not losing oil.

7)Take a good look at the engine oil before and after running..just to make sure its not taking on water.

8)Even though the owner says the drive is new, I would see if he'll let you check the condition of the lower unit oil and check for signs of water..should not be milky. There will be a fill screw located at the bottom of the drive behind the propeller. Its not going to gush out, unless you unscrew the vent screw at the top as well. Don't do that.


If all that checks out, you should be on your way to a pretty good boat..hopefully some other experienced boaters will chime in as well. Again be sure to go over the deck real good.

Good luck!

 

[goldens984]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

The boat turned out to be very good condition ! The upholstery near perfect only a small tear in the rear padded engine cover.

Lower unit appears new shift cable boot and bellows also new . Took your advice stood on the out drive very solid no flex at all .

Floor also appears to be in good shape no soft spots that i could find . Seat base's secured well to the floor leaned way back could not get them to rock back and forth at all .



Couple of items that need repair fuel gauge apparently dose not always read accurate . Bad sending unit or maybe a bad ground ? Brake fluid reservoir on the trailer seems to have a small leak . And the exhaust bellows was torn . Why they didn't replace this when the drive replaced seems to be a mystery .



In the end I got the boat for $7800.00 Think I paid a bit of premium but that seems to be the norm for this time of year and living so close to the Delta waters .

 

[mjgates]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

We made a offer on the Sea Ray owner accept . Need some advice going for a demo test cruise tomorrow . What should we looking for and maybe listening to ? Any info would be appreciated.

Hire a marine surveyor. I have seen some very experienced boaters get burnt in purchases. If your spending that kind of money, what is another $450 to make sure it is in tip top shape. And a surveyor will take it for a sea trial. Even if you decide not to hire one, which is crazy in my book, never buy a boat without a sea trial.

I have a 99 Sea Ray 210. Different seating, but I love it. It's new to me this year. To give you pricing idea for what your looking at, I paid $9500 with wake tower, tower speakers, sub, amp, upgraded stereo with 4 speakers, bimini, cockpit and bow covers.

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

The boat turned out to be very good condition ! The upholstery near perfect only a small tear in the rear padded engine cover.

Lower unit appears new shift cable boot and bellows also new . Took your advice stood on the out drive very solid no flex at all .

Floor also appears to be in good shape no soft spots that i could find . Seat base's secured well to the floor leaned way back could not get them to rock back and forth at all .



Couple of items that need repair fuel gauge apparently dose not always read accurate . Bad sending unit or maybe a bad ground ? Brake fluid reservoir on the trailer seems to have a small leak . And the exhaust bellows was torn . Why they didn't replace this when the drive replaced seems to be a mystery .



In the end I got the boat for $7800.00 Think I paid a bit of premium but that seems to be the norm for this time of year and living so close to the Delta waters .

Very cool..the exhaust Bellows, is not a big deal, water cannot get into your boat through them, many people replace the bellows with an "exhaust tube" The u-joint and shift cable bellows are, make SURE those bellows are new. If you don't know..the U-joint bellows is above the exhaust bellows..its the biggest one of the 3.

$7,800 might be a bit high..but its a nice boat, and a sought after boat..so be happy with it and enjoy!
Would love to see some good pictures of the boat..on the water would be sweet!

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Soooooo? have you taken her out yet with the family?

 

[goldens984]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Planing on hitting the water Sunday .....Just have to decide were to go.. one of the local lakes or hit the Sacramento Delta. Worked on Sea Ray today tried to install that dam exhausts bellows. The end that goes on the transom side was easy enough but drive side forget get ! I did this to our old Chris Craft some years ago and don't remember it being this difficult .

 

[MTribe08]

Re: 1995 Sea Ray 200BR

Planing on hitting the water Sunday .....Just have to decide were to go.. one of the local lakes or hit the Sacramento Delta. Worked on Sea Ray today tried to install that dam exhausts bellows. The end that goes on the transom side was easy enough but drive side forget get ! I did this to our old Chris Craft some years ago and don't remember it being this difficult .

I would suggest putting an Exhaust "Tube" rather than a bellows. Not near as hard to install..gives a nice "V8" sound and works just the same.

Click on this link http://www.mercstuff.com/exhaustbellows.htm and scroll down a bit..you'll see the tube I'm talking about. There is another button you push to see the pricing..30$ it looks like. Its waaaay easier to install. They say there is some exhaust carbon build up that you might notice, but if your carb is adjusted right and you aren't running rich, you shouldn't have a problem.