Friscoboater's 1995 Sea Ray 220 BR Rotten Deck and Stringer Restoration

A neglected Cobalt

2012-04-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

I was out shopping for a bot for a friend of mine and i stumbled across a 1998 Cobalt 252. I have always loved the cobalts and I stopped to take a look. Wow... this boat was neglected in a bad way. The bilge had standing water in it over 4 inches deep, and the rear stringers had lots of hollow spots. On top of that the right window glass was broken out. I inquired about how much it was, and they said if they fix the windshield it will be around 30K. WHAT????!!!! The sad thing is that some sucker will buy it.

Swim Platform from Swimplatforms.com

2012-04-17T22:52:00.001-05:00

As you guys remember, I odered the sim platform about a month and a half ago from swimplatforms.com. They told me that it would be about three weeks until it was finished... However... They switched manufacturing facilities in the middle and that put them almost a week behind. No big deal, as they kept me in the loop the whole time. They shipped on a Friday, and it was at the shipping yard in Dallas by that Monday... HOLY FAST!!!! I could have had let them deliver it, but I was too exited. I drove down and picked it up the day all the Tornados ripped through Dallas, and caused a lot of Damage. My Dad and I installed it the next day, and it was actually pretty easy. You need two people at least to do it, as it is VERY heavy. I am very happy with how it looks, and it really completes this boat. I ordered some hydroturf to cover up the back of the original swim deck area, as I had bolt holes there from the original ladder. Dad and I took it out the other day just for the fun of it, and the platform stays just above the water at all times. Now this add on is very expensive at around $1500.00 shipped, but it is well worth the money if you need the extra space.

Here is how it looked right out of the Crate

Nice recessed 3 rung swim ladder

The from of the platform goes clear into the outdrive well for stability

Here is a look at the holes that we drilled for the bolts.

Just make sure you follow the instructions about where to drill the holes for your boat.

Here we used the outdrive to hold the platform in place.

Here is the final product

Here is a shot of the Hydroturf

On the lake

Here are the Videos of the full installation

Replacing the gauges

2012-03-04T13:04:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally had some time on Friday to replace the gauges on the Sea Ray. I purchased a set on Ebay for 200 bucks, and I really like the look. The original oil gauge and tach were defective, so I decided to replace them all. It took me about 3 hours to complete laying on my back, but it is finished. I am very happy with the outcome.

Here is the before shot

Here is a little issue I iran init. The mounting studs on the new gauges are shorter, so I had to trim the mounting bracket.

This is my view laying on my back.

And the after shot.

This was the other problem. The Speedo was missing its bulb (thanks ebay) and I went to Autozone and picked up a blue bulb, but it is the wrong color. The seller is shipping me a new bulb, but I think i like the royal blue better. What do you think?

Recovering the sun pad.

2012-03-03T09:18:00.001-06:00

Well... I broke down and paid someone to do something on the boat for me. Last year the Sunpad was getting pretty gross, and needs to be recovered. After doing a lot of research, playing with the sewing machine, and getting really frustrated, I decided to take it to a well known upholstery shop in town. The cost was reasonable, and I know it will be done perfect.

Third and final Video for the Trailer Brakes

2012-02-27T11:52:00.001-06:00

Part II of rebuilding the brakes on the trailer

2012-02-27T07:50:00.004-06:00

This video goes over replacing the wheel cylinders and installing drum

How to repair and bleed Surge style trailer brakes

2012-02-25T22:37:00.002-06:00

Well I finally took the boat out of storage to get some work done before spring. This time it is the trailer brakes. I have had a sneaky suspicion that they have never worked right, and after I tore into it, I we correct. The master cylinder, wheel cylinders, and bearings were all toast. So I replaced it all. That has to be one of the messiest jobs on the face of the earth, but that trailer will almost stop my truck now. It is amazing the amount of control I have towing this thing now. If your trailer brakes are not working, take the time to do this.

Altogether I am out about 200 bucks, and about 4 hours time.

Here is the first video... I will have the other one up tomorrow.

Dallas Boat Show and some new Arrivals

2012-02-14T07:59:00.000-06:00

I got my Gauges in the other day. I am much happier with this set, as compared to the other ones. My Brake actuator also came in. Now we can fix the brakes right as soon as the weather warms up.

This past Saturday my family and I went to the Dallas boat show, and just had a blast. I have to say, if you were in the market for a new boat, this is hate place to buy one. The prices were use phenomenal. We saw a 22' Four Winns that was loaded to the hilt, and sticked for almost 70K on Sale for 43K. I almost bought it right there on principle. We spent about 5 hours there going in and out of boats, and wishing it was summer. I did not take many pictures, and I was having too much fun with my kids to do so.

I did get some ideas for my boat :)

Here is the new brake actuator I scored on Ebay for 65 bucks.

An here is a shot of the new Gauges

New Gauges, and a rant!

2012-02-07T15:11:00.002-06:00

If you watch my videos you will know that I purchased a set of Gauges for the Sea ray. They were from Great Lakes Skipper and had the Sea Ray logo on them and everything. After I got them I realized I jumped the gun. The Temp Gauge only said low and hi, and I was missing the volt gauge. So I called Great lakes skipper to see about an exchange to another Teleflex set that they carry (they offer a 30 day exchange). This one had everything I needed. So they sent me an RA, and down at the bottom was listed a "restocking fee" on open items. Ummm... all of their items are opened, they sell overstock without boxes. I said WTH, I need the gauges anyway, so I sent them back. About a week later I got an email with my in store credit from them, and low and behold, there was the restocking fee. Here is my beef with that. In the ebay auction there is NO MENTION of a restocking fee, and with ebay you must mention any "hidden" terms. So I called to talk to someone about it. The lady I spoke with said that is their policy, and there not be anything done about it. UUUUUUUGH!! I asked her how can you not state there is a restocking fee in the auction, and then slap it on a customer when they need to exchange an time. She did not have an answer for that, and said that I would need to speak with the shipping manager, but he would need to call me back. Ok.. Fine. So about an hour later I got any email... not a phone call. but and email asking what he could do for me. I just responded back that is he does not have the courtesy to call me back, I will let eBay handle this. That is the last I have heard form them. I did however order the set of gauges that I need, and they are on their way, but I am still out the hefty restocking fee. I will wait until they get here and then open a case with ebay. I am sure that they will be glad to take a look at this hidden fee case.

So beware when dealing with online people, and make sure they do not charge hidden fees.

Here are the gauges I purchased.

The big outdrive score

2012-01-29T17:19:00.003-06:00

Hey guys, I have a little update for you all. I have been looking for a replacement outdrive for the Sea Ray for a while for two reasons. One is the fact that the lower shaft of my Bravo is twisted due to a impact at some point in its life, and second I wanted to see if I could rebuild one. I soon found out that even a decent used drive was bringing close to 1500 bucks. So when I saw a rebuilt bravo one on CL list for $500, I was intrigued. I called the guy expecting him to say it was 1500, not 500, but that was not the case. This guy owns a marine shop on Possum Kingdom Lake, which if anyone heard, most of the lake acreage burned last year. He lost his shop to the fire, and is now working from a trailer on his land trying to make ends meet. When I asked him why he is selling it so cheap, he just told me he needed to make it though the winter, and he found selling in volume works better for him right now. Who am I to argue. He gave me a receipt with the serial number on it, and a six month warranty. I know that probably means nothing, but I asked around that area, and he seams to be very well known, and liked.

Anyway, I bought it from him and we headed home. On the way back we drove around the nice part of the lake where all the vacation homes were, and the devastation from the fires last year is stunning. There are entire neighborhoods of luxury homes gone, where only the foundation is left. There is a place called "Hells Gate" where some really nice homes were, and there is almost nothing there. My tender hearted daughter started checking back tears as we drove through the devastation. Guys, it looks like a bomb went off.

So on we go. We got home and I had no time to mess with the drive, but yesterday I build a little pressure tester thanks to the post in the adult only section. She held 9.5 PSI for 20 plus hours. I turned the shaft a few times, and it did not drop a bit. So that checks out fine, and the great oil was not muddy, so I may have just lucked out.

I do have a big question for you Merc guys. I have read differing opinions on pressure testing a dive. Some say you should vacuum test it also, and others say you only to that on Volvo drives, and Mercruiser will not hold a Vacuum. What is best practice?

Her are some pictures from the trip, and the outdrive

This is my artsy side. I thought this picture tells the story of the dependent relationship a car has with oil.

Almost every tree out there was burned

This once was a high end neighborhood

Add caption

The lakes level is way down

More of the devastation

However, they are rebuilding, and things are starting to get back to normal

I could not resist taking a picture of the boat.

So now some pictures of why I went out there. The new Outdrive

And here is my little pressure tester. I found it in the adult only section. I used a gear oil refill tube from sierra with the metal fitting that attaches to the drive, not the plastic one. I then cut the line in half, added a T fitting and then added the gauge. Once that was done I used a air fill nozzle for a car tire with the fat bulb end cut off. I then added clamps, and viola!

And some video. I have upgraded to a MAC and Final Cut pro, so let me know what you think about the new videos quality.

Also help me out by clicking a few adds to help out me and my sponsors. It helps finance all these ventures.

Planning on a Swim Platfrom

2012-01-29T17:12:00.003-06:00

Hey guys! Thanks for all the Christmas wishes. It has been a really tough Holiday season for me, as it is the first since Mom passed away. Luckily my business has been over the top busy since late October, and I have just jumped in head first. The bad thing is that I have not had much time for you guys, spending time making videos, and answering questions. Now that the Holidays are over, I hope to get back to things I love doing.

However, I do not think it will be a boat at this time. The wife and I talked and we are most likely going to add a room to the house to give our family more space. Now I will doing most of the work myself and video taping it, but it will not be as much fun as the boat. She has been asking for this a long time, and I think it is time.

Now that does not mean I will not doing boat stuff. I have started purchasing lots of stuff for the Sea Ray, and I have quite a bit more to aquire, and i will film all of that being installed.

Here is what I have purchased

Purchased
1. A full new set of Sea Ray Guages
2. New Stereo head unit
3. 10" Sub and amp

Going to purchase soon

1. Swim platform
2. speakers for the Wake tower
3. Get the prop "cupped" to help with bow lift
4. New Hitch coupler
5. New Winch

So as you can see I have a very expensive purchase on that list... the swimplatform. I am very nervous about this, because I have to drill two holes below the water line to support the platform. I guess I need to get over it, and just do it so the wife will get off my back about installing one.

I have shopped around, and I am not settled on a vendor just yet. Here are some pictures on a boat just like mine that has the swimplatforms.com model. The only difference is that the boat is a 1996 230 VS a 1995 220. They are the exact same boat, but since the boat is closer to 23' Sea ray renamed it in 1996 to make people think it was bigger. I am not sure that I like it not being flush. There is another company that really wants to build me a custom model for my boat, but they do not have pictures. What do you guys think?

Up to Date

2012-01-29T17:09:00.002-06:00

As of this post this blog is up to date. Anything you read after this post will be real time. It will continue to grow with new projects and updates from time to time as I do new things on the boat.

Viewer Mail

2012-01-29T17:07:00.003-06:00

This is a segment for mw to answer your emails on video.

Before and after

2012-01-29T17:04:00.007-06:00

Before

After

Adding Snap in Carpet

2012-01-29T14:54:00.000-06:00

Ok, guys, I am running out of things to do on this boat. I am sad that it is really coming to and end, but is ain't over yet!!!!!

I got the carpet in .... Whooooohooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a very long process. I had to order the template, cut out the template, and send it away and wait for a price. It was WAAAAAAAAYYYYY more expensive than I ever thought it would be (little over 800 shipped), but it was well worth it. It looks and fits perfectly, and I do not even have to use anything to hold it down. It is so heavy It just lays perfect.

Here is the story.

My Dad and I cutting the template. Just take your time with this, and it will lay out.

We left about an inch on the perimeter for water shedding. That will allow the water to find the bilge.

You need to cut relief slits so that they can bind the carpet, and allow you to lay it around the seat.

This is what I chose. It is Silver and Grey berber. We looked at some blue colors, but they just did not fit. And of course this choice was the most expensive.

I chose the Sunbrella Edging

This is the Auquamat backing that adds all the weight.

The carpet looks so nice in the boat.

The Video

Adding a Wake tower

2012-01-29T14:34:00.001-06:00

decided the boat need more bling, so I purchased a wake tower, and Dad and I installed it. I got it from bulletlines out of San Antonio and it went on ok, but I would change a few things if I had to do over again. These towers are made in china, and they have some fit and finish issues that you must work through. Not a huge deal, but over all a good tower. I like how the tower frames this wind shield.

2012-01-29T14:33:00.000-06:00

Today we took the boat to the local recycler place and had her weighed. We weighed the boat and trailer together, and then dropped her at the lake and drove back and weighted just the trailer. I have to get a title for the trailer, and here is Texas the require a weigh in. So drum roll please... The boat weighed 4440 lbs and the trailer is 1080 lbs for a grand total of 5520 lbs. All of our gear was out of the boat, and I have about half a tank of fuel sloshing around in there. That is less that I thought to be honest.

This is where I had to take the boat for the weigh in. They have large scales just for this purpose.

Water Pump Failure

2012-01-29T14:30:00.000-06:00

Our first Oops

2012-01-29T14:27:00.000-06:00

I had a little bit of time so I wanted to post some updates. We have been out on the boat every weekend, and we are having a blast. Dad and I have cut the template for the carpet and sent it off to get cut, and I hope to have it back in a couple of weeks. I have to say, cutting out that template was WAAAAAAAAY harder than I thought it would be. It was like wrestling a pig covered in salad oil. After about 4 hours, we finally had it done. Once that was done we had to come up with a color. That took hours and hours with the first mate out in the sun light comparing. We finally chose a grey/silver berber that will pick up the greys in the boat. We plan to eventually replace all the ugly blue carpet with grey soon anyway. So now we wait.

Last weekend we had a little indecent on the lake. As alot of you know, Texas is in a sever drought and our lake is about 4 feet low. I was going through a cut that I use every weekend, and there was a park ranger behind me, and a bunch of other boats in the same cut. Well I went too far to the starboard side and struck a rock at idle. It went from 10 feet to 3 feet in a flash. Once I was through the cut I jumped in to find out what I did, and All I found was two little nicks in the prop that can be fixed. I took off again and felt nothing out of the ordinary and we had fun the rest of the day. About 5 hours of skiing and tubing later the alarm went off... low gear oil. I panicked! I looked around the drive and I could not see any gear oil at all, and I was puzzled. I added more gear oil and we ran around to see if it would eat any more, and it seamed to be fine. Now the expansion tank was a little low already due to an air bubble from the rebuild, (Air gets trapped in the drive when you fill it and will burp for a while) and I had not refilled yet. It had been like that for weeks so all it dropped was about an ounce. I am just hoping that another air bubble popped up and dropped the tank down just enough to throw the alarm. Otherwise I am going to be out a lower unit.

Enjoying the fruits of my labor

2012-01-29T14:24:00.001-06:00

I guess it is time for some updates. We had a great weekend on the boat, and have sunburn to prove it. I cleaned out the spark arestor and she ran even better, and used less fuel. It was pretty dirty. I have put a solid 6 hours on her since the splash, and things have been perfect. I still need to fix the gauges, and that has really got me perplexed. The Tach I think is just shot. I have messed with the dial on the back and it is set correctly, but still shows the RPMs to be way off. I will take a picture of the back of the gauge and see if the guys in the engine forum can help. I replaced the Lights last night, and added to guide on pipes to help when loading and backing up the trailer. I also got a new depth gauge, but have net installed that yet. So here are some pictures from the weekend

Me trying to cool off in 106 degree heat.

I think they are ready to go

Mrs Friscoboater

Re-Naming the Boat!

2012-01-29T14:20:00.000-06:00

We had another great day on the lake today, until my daughter hurt herself tubing. She is ok now, but you will see in the video that she hit pretty hard. We decided to come back a little early and then hit it again tomorrow. We did the naming ceremony today, and actualy had to do the de-naming all over again. When we put the paperwork in the glove box last week we did not take out the original interned add that had a picture of the boat with its old name. According to legend, you must do the ceremony again. So we did. Then we proceeded to re-name her, and that went perfect. She now has the new name on her stern. Also yesterday when I took the cover off I discovered that the sun pad had turned a awful shade of pinkish brown. I have no idea what would have caused this. It was pure white last weekend and now looked terrible. I went autozone and got some vinyl paint, and now everything is all good. That stuff is awesome.

Getting ready to re-name the boat

Dad and I

Zachary helping me pour the Champagne

The new Name

Its official

Even the Ducks came over for the party

It looks like I need a tan and to lose about 15 pounds

Splash Day!!!!

2012-01-29T13:50:00.000-06:00

Well... She is splashed! I am still in shock that I actually able to drive her! We had the whole family come out and we went through the de-naming ceremony. We will do the naming ceremony next week when I have the letters. After the ceremony we spent about six hours and about a half tank of fuel running around the lake putting her through the paces. We even went out into the big water and hit some big chop. All I can say is WOW, that boat is meant for bigger water. She handles so smooth, and refined, I am still in awe. She is a bit of a dog out of the hole, but I think some trim tabs will fix that. I just really do not want to drill into the transom.

The Corsa system cannot be described. It is the coolest thing I have ever heard. When you hit the throttle it is like a pride of lions all roared at the same time. I just says " I AM IN CONTROL HERE"!!!!!!! I constantly had people throwing the thumbs up and telling me to hit the throttle. it is for sure an attention getter, and at our lake it is all about getting the attention I am afraid. It is not harsh like I thought it would be, but a sweet sweet smooth Big Block Chevy roar. The Side exhaust makes a difference on how the exhaust note sounds. For some reason it softens the raspiness that a transom exhaust has. Don't get me wrong, it is loud, but not enough hurt. To my astonishment, my wife even liked it. The video we took just does not do it justice, and the wind noise is awful. I am actually going to try to borrow a professional HD cam soon with the special mic that cuts the wind noise. You just have to hear what this thing sounds like when you throttle up. The cool thing is that you flip a switch, and it is all gone. It is WELL worth the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are a few little gremlins that I need to fix this week. The gas gauge is not working, and the only thing that I can think of is the fuel sender is on backwards, and the float is hitting the side of the tank. I replaced the fuel sender gasket, and I might have put it on wrong. Also the Tack is reading wrong. It is about 1000 rpms too high at speed, and I am not sure how to fix that. The last thing is the oil gauge. When you turn on the ignition (not turning on the engine) the oil gauge pegs all the way to 80 psi. So I replaced the oil sender, and it still did it. I ran a new wire, and still had the same issue. So I went to autozone and got a cheap mechanical gauge and hooked the tube onto the engine, and I have really good oil pressure. So I am not sure what to do next besides get a new gauge. I am sure I will get it figured out somehow.

Now I need to measure for carpet. I guess I will order the template kit this week, and get started on it. For the most part, this gel coat is not slippery at all when it is wet. I was really kinda shocked.

So anyway, I am kinda sad that it is over.

Thank you everyone for all your support and advise through these past seven months. It has been a rough ride.

On to the really fun stuff.

Interior installed and cleaned for launch

My Inlaws and my first mate

Doing the De-naming ceremony. You have to drop a piece of metal with the old name on it from the bow.

Me pouring the Champagne into the water for the gods.

Just Dad and I pulling away from the dock on the Maiden Voyage.

Happy Family!!!

Installing the Corsa Captains Cal system and the FIRST IGNITION!

2012-01-11T20:11:00.000-06:00

Now it is time to cut holes in the side of a perfectly good boat.

Here is the pictures of the Corsa system installation.

Making a template for the cutout. I just used a razor to cut up to the opening and then went around it.

I used masking tape all over the area where I cut. It keeps the gel coat from chipping and scratching.

PUCKER TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Wheeew! It fits

I sealed up the Opening with 5200. The kit came with self tapping screws, but I went to HD and got SS through bolts and nuts. I found that mineral spirits cleaned up 3M 5200 easy.

You can see the original marking where I wanted it. After measuring again, it had to come forward

My wonderful family helping out with the cleanup. It took us over 2 hours to clean the inside.

Major progress!

2012-01-11T19:57:00.002-06:00

We made lots of headway yesterday. I got done with work at about two and Dad came over to see what we could get done. We wrestled the outdrive up to the boat and by some miracle got it seated and filled with oil. One that was done I ran the wires for the Corsa Exhaust and tested the functions (will make a video of that later). When I cam time to cut the holes for the Corsa we ran into some issues. Where I wanted them to come out originally would not have any "fall" to the pipes. That might allow water to run back into the engine. So we relocated them and then started thinking that they might be below the water line. We packed up and took her to the lake to do out "float test". The tips are going to be perfect in the new location, and the boat looked good in the water. Hopefully we will get a test fire today.

Installing the outdrive

Test fitting the Corsa System

Dad and Zachary looking at where the water sits.

The work starts again.

2012-01-11T19:36:00.000-06:00

After taking two weeks off to be with family, and lay my mom to rest, it is time to get back to life, and the boat.

This was one heck of a weekend, and Dad and I got MAJOR progress done, and had one major setback.

1. Deck is gel Coated
2. Gimbal housing is painted, rebuilt and installed
3. Most of the interior is done
4. The engine is about 90% installed. (here is where the setback occurred)

We had to set the engine in place to get the markings for the front mount holes. When we raised it back up one of the little spring washers on the rear engine mount fell off and disappeared. I mean we searched everywhere for this thing. My neighbors, wife, kids and inlaws helped. It was just gone. So I had to buy a rear bolt kit this morning and we will try again tomorrow. The problem is that I have to pay for two more days of cherry picker rental. The only thing about not being able to find the spring is that I hope it is not somewhere that will hurt the engine. The flame arrester is installed, and the only place it could go is the exhaust manifold. It is unlikely though. I think I picked it up and put it somewhere is the mess of a garage I have right now.

Here is my box of goodies.

This is the new steering pin made of Stainless steel.

Here is where I mocked up the rear seating area to make sure it all fit.

My new battery trays. I made them out of one sheet of 5/8" ply and then glassed them to the deck. That way if they rot, I just replace them.

Dad and I painting the deck

Here is the gimbal ring assembled and ready for installation

I put a new seal on with bellows adhesive, and them put a thin bead of 4200 on the seal and installed it.

Routing the wires

Yours truly installing the engine.

This is how the seat posts came out.

I installed the ski locker with 5200. I want to see if it will hold up. I really do not want to screw into the wood.

Bellhousing installed!!!!

The new Corsa Exhaust Elbow

Installing the trim pump

Dual batteries installed.