2000 Stingray 190 RX Restoration

[vodola]

Hello All,

I recently took possession of a 2000 Stingray from a friend who didn't want it anymore. He had it running last season, but it stopped working and he left it uncovered (but on a boat lift with a roof) for a year and it doesn't look pretty lol.

He was going to junk it but I convinced him to give it to me instead. I want a boat and I think it looks like a fun project. Goal is to have it up and running by end of May.

I have seen a few other projects threads for this boat but they never seem to be completed so I am doing this in case anyone else finds themselves with the same boat I do.

I'll post before pictures here, but I've already put a weekend of work into it so I'll post those in a separate post

 

[alldodge]

Welcome
Free boats are never free, but the other guy now doesn't have to pay to get rid of it

Looks like 3 to $4,000 would redo the interior

 

[vodola]

Update 1

Spend the weekend ripping out the carpet, taking the furniture out, cleaning the boat.

The vinyl trim inside came pretty clean with a light pressure washing, I am pretty sure I can. Save them using some starbrite mold remover.

Carpet was disgusting, had to go. Think I'll redo the interior with foam sea deck. The carpet ran up the sides as well though, so need to figure out what to replace that with. Carpet on the sides and the. Sea deck on the floor? Suggestions welcome. Not really sure what my options are there.

The captains chairs are mostly salvageable, but the center seat of the chair need to be redone. Hoping I can fix that myself, if not I'll send it out to get upholstered.

Bench seats, bow seat cushions, and sundeck/engine cover all need to be redone. Got a quote for 3300, think I'll just do it myself all I. White. The bench and bow cushions were white anyway, I'll just be loosing the blue trim on the sundeck.

Pressure washed the inside/ outside of the boat. Carpet glue came up nice and easy which was great. All the mold/algae came up, and a lot of old dirt. Still a lot of little stains though. Any suggestions on how to get them up? Specifically the ones on the interior, looks like dirty finger prints, spills etc.

(See pictures for some close up examples of stains)

Now that I have it stripped and cleaned, My buddy who surveys boats for a living is going to give it the once over. If he says she's in good shape, next stop is the mechanic to check the engine and then I'll get to work on the interior.

 

[vodola]

Welcome
Free boats are never free, but the other guy now doesn't have to pay to get rid of it

Looks like 3 to $4,000 would redo the interior

Fortunately, my mother does upholstery for a living, so I can save a lot of money there.

I'm completely expecting to put $3-$5k into the boat. But I'm hoping if I do, I'll have a boat that I customized a little bit and had fun doing.

 

[vodola]

Update 2

Friend came and surveyed the boat. Overall the hull is in good condition, he was really surprised, the plywood on the seats, the wood in the side console that holds the cup holders etc all in good condition. Floor was solid, hull was solid.

Unfortunately the person working on it before me took off the spark plugs and left them off... for months. so now there is water in the engine and rust.

Need to decide if I want to scrap the project, rebuild the engine, or buy a new used engine and pay to have it swapped out. Either way, when it comes to engine work I am not good at it, so I would have to pay a professional. He suggested just cleaning the hell out of everything and selling it. Said it a project boat for a mechanic.

 

[briangcc]

I see its a 4.3L Merc which should be a chevy block. Plenty of those in SUV's and trucks from multiple eras. For me I'd have the block out and checked as a starter. Then if needed, get a junkyard special and rebuild it with marine parts. Bolt it back in and away we go. I don't think that'd be a deal breaker if everything truly is in as good as shape as the surveyor believes it to be.

Could build an A-Frame out of 4x/6x posts and a chainfall if needed. Lift engine up to clear the sunpad, pull boat out, roll your truck back and you're in business.

But that's just me...I've done way crazier stuff than this.

 

[todhunter]

It cleaned up well. To get those deep stains out, you'll need to wet sand and buff. The gelcoat has already started to oxidize, so cutting through all that should get the staining out.

As stated above, you should be able to use a similar vintage automotive V6 as a starting point - you'll just need to change all freeze plugs to brass or stainless steel, swap to marine head gaskets, and swap over all accessories, intake manifold, etc. of the engine that's in the boat to your new block. It'll be much cheaper than sourcing a marine-specific engine.

Another thing to consider mechanically is the outdrive. It looks pretty beat, but that may just be corrosion on the housing, with the inside being OK. Good news is that if it's trash, you can get a brand new unit from SEI for ~$1,600. Regardless of the drive's condition, it's advisable to go ahead and do all the maintenance on the transom assembly - bellows, hoses, o-rings, gaskets, etc. If you keep the old drive, go ahead and do all the maintenance on it as well - oil, gaskets, seals, impeller, etc. Check your shift cable, as while you're in there, you may want to put a fresh unit in.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Did your friend transfer the title to you also, so you legally own it? If not, I‘d hold off spending any money on the boat.

 

[tpenfield]

If you are not up to rebuilding/replacing the engine, then you may be best to sell it as a fixer.

I recently re-upholstered a Stingray of similar vintage and was surprised to note that the boat was using Perma Panel (KDAT) plywood, which is rot resistant. Not sure if a 2000 model would have it, but probably why your surveyor friend gave the boat a passing grade.

Too bad about the engine though . . .

 

[Scott06]

Out of all the work needed, the engine work is the easiest . As others have said tear it down get a long block or wrecking yard 4.3 for marinizing