1998 Crownline 202br engine compartment access

[kw012]

looking to buy this boat but I am stopped in my tracks at what I probably don't know about accessing the engine. This has a wide bench with padded sundeck over the engine. The immediate access allows for minimal view of a 5.7 stuffed in there. It really is tight. I do my own regular maintenance and oil changes look impossible let alone alternator belt, spark plug change and the like. How much effort is needed to get access? Does the surround come apart and if yes, how complicated is that? Thank you. I am new here but not new to boats. It seems this issue is similar across other brands, too. Battery access included. I passed on it initially but like it enough to check into it. Keith

 

[tpenfield]

Welcome to iBoats . . .

Just looking at a few pictures of those boats on the Internet . . . it is really tight. It looks like you would be taking the rear seat apart to do anything major in terms of maintenance. So, you certainly would not be buying it for its engine access.

What other brands/models are you looking at?

 

[Lou C]

My boat was like that and after a couple of years I modified the seat & wood supports to make it easier to get at. Does the engine have a remote oil filter mount? If not I’d add one. The worst points are getting at the block drains, starter & (God forbid you have to reach it) steering actuator.
Or buy a boat with an outboard instead.

 

[flashback]

I've decided most I/Os are like that if it has a sundeck and bench seat. A dog house and jump seats are much better for engine access but are rarely seen after 1980.

 

[Lou C]

True the dog house & jump seats make it easy as long as they don’t have molded in fiberglass to mount the seats next to the engine box.
I’ve posted a couple times how I modified mine. It has 2 36” pontoon benches that can be removed individually or both for bigger jobs. The wood bulkhead I cut in half & put it on hinges so it can open like a door after removing one of the seats. The rest of it comes apart with machine bolts & wing nuts very easy.

 

[flashback]

My 1980 CC scorpion 210 was old enough it had no fiberglass interior, just vinyl covered plywood panels and the jump seats just sat on a couple of rails. I had a rude awakening when I got the 1995 searay 220.

 

[Lou C]

Later I’ll post up pix of how I did mine. Two must halves for long term I/O ownership:
Closed cooling (longer engine life better resale & MUCH easier winterizing)
Remote oil filter mount.
When I repower this boat for sure it WILL have both!

 

[kw012]

Welcome to iBoats . . .

Just looking at a few pictures of those boats on the Internet . . . it is really tight. It looks like you would be taking the rear seat apart to do anything major in terms of maintenance. So, you certainly would not be buying it for its engine access.

What other brands/models are you looking at?

Ideally I want a 19-21 ft SeaRay, Cobalt, Chaparral, Four Winns or other better quality bowriders. No 3.0 power. MerCruiser or Volvo/Penta sterndrives priced under 10K with zero salt history

 

[kw012]

True the dog house & jump seats make it easy as long as they don’t have molded in fiberglass to mount the seats next to the engine box.
I’ve posted a couple times how I modified mine. It has 2 36” pontoon benches that can be removed individually or both for bigger jobs. The wood bulkhead I cut in half & put it on hinges so it can open like a door after removing one of the seats. The rest of it comes apart with machine bolts & wing nuts very easy.

I can see doing that for access. I have to shake my head and wonder how such a design was made with no concern for maintenance.

 

[Lou C]

 

[Lou C]

Here’s how I did it….the 2 pontoon benches drop in in front of the bulkhead. Usually when I winterize I only have to pull one seat out. When I replace the engine and add closed cooling & remote oil filter I won’t even have to do that either. Only if I have to change a starter or similar repair.

 

[kw012]

View attachment 393630
Here’s how I did it….the 2 pontoon benches drop in in front of the bulkhead. Usually when I winterize I only have to pull one seat out. When I replace the engine and add closed cooling & remote oil filter I won’t even have to do that either. Only if I have to change a starter or similar repair.

Pontoon benches? Did you fabricate them? Looks like you disassembled what was there are made the two boxes and retained the padded sun deck. You disconnect the hinge and latch assy in order to raise that platform 90 degrees? I am very capable and yet I cannot fully grasp your work around. I can buy the boat for $5K w/o trailer. It's got great history and known by the marina that has co-signed it for sale. I can get a trailer used under 1500. I need confidence to do what you did. TY for what you have already shared.

 

[Stinnett21]

Yes it's a sad state of affairs. You'll need to take a good hard look at what's involved in disassembling the area surrounding the engine. Mine isn't too bad but bad enough I never want another one, especially at 64 years old.

1. Remove the engine cowling to expose the threaded stud it mounts to
2. Pop the gas springs loose that support the sun pad
3. Use a dowel rod to sit on top of the cowling stud and mount against the underside of the sun pad to raise it to almost a vertical position.
4. Panels next to engine are screwed in so I remove those. They are big and cumbersome and only come in/out one way.
5. Remove mounting brackets for the gas springs because they attach to the sofa back.
6. Now the sofa back can be lifted straight up and out gaining lots of clearance. This leaves the sofa bottoms still intact but I've been able to do everything needed without removing those.

 

[harringtondav]

Our '96 Larson 176 SEI BR had great engine access under the sun deck. No side partitions, only removable nets. I could sit on either side of the engine.
My wife's family bought a '98 Crownline 18' BR. Side partitions so close you couldn't squeeze you arm in to touch the plug wires.
Fast forward to our 2022 Regal 1900. Some access on the port side, near zero on starboard since the stern walk through runs up against it. Much disassembly required to access the front of the engine for pump impeller and fuel filter access. ....I hope the spark plugs outlast me.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I can see doing that for access. I have to shake my head and wonder how such a design was made with no concern for maintenance.

because consumer reports, pretty lines, electronic screens and soft surfaces sell boats. Common sense is no longer part of the equation. Most people no longer own the boat past the warranty period if they buy new.

any maintenance point is a ding on consumer reports. which is why grease fitting went away and single-point block-busting drain systems were developed. Common sense no longer exists because marketing bling trumps it.

 

[kw012]

because consumer reports, pretty lines, electronic screens and soft surfaces sell boats. Common sense is no longer part of the equation. Most people no longer own the boat past the warranty period if they buy new.

any maintenance point is a ding on consumer reports. which is why grease fitting went away and single-point block-busting drain systems were developed. Common sense no longer exists because marketing bling trumps it.

Ty. I have my eye on a 2000 SeaRay 190BR that might be similar to yours. Is the design any better?

 

[kw012]

 

[kw012]

Yes it's a sad state of affairs. You'll need to take a good hard look at what's involved in disassembling the area surrounding the engine. Mine isn't too bad but bad enough I never want another one, especially at 64 years old.

1. Remove the engine cowling to expose the threaded stud it mounts to
2. Pop the gas springs loose that support the sun pad
3. Use a dowel rod to sit on top of the cowling stud and mount against the underside of the sun pad to raise it to almost a vertical position.
4. Panels next to engine are screwed in so I remove those. They are big and cumbersome and only come in/out one way.
5. Remove mounting brackets for the gas springs because they attach to the sofa back.
6. Now the sofa back can be lifted straight up and out gaining lots of clearance. This leaves the sofa bottoms still intact but I've been able to do everything needed without removing those.

What boat year and model is that? Your setup actually sounds somewhat workable. I'm 67 somehow.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Ty. I have my eye on a 2000 SeaRay 190BR that might be similar to yours. Is the design any better?

The 1998-2002 190BRs had 3 seating layouts.

It's an OK boat. However I owned that boat from 2008-2011

 

[JimS123]

I suffered with an I/O for 35 years. In 2018 I traded in my 2-stroke outboard fishing boat for a deluxe model with a 4-stroke outboard. A year later I traded in my very last I/O for an outboard powered family boat.

I was really PO'd after the last sale. I kick myself for not doing it sooner.