Had a nice ride on a SeaRay yesterday!

[MikeP]

Helped a guy in the marina who just put the 4th set of props on his 10 year old 55 Searay, trying to get the best speed out of it. He came out of the water just after Brigadoon was splashed after bottom painting. They removed the 3rd and installed the 4th set of props (more on this later). Nick's goal was to get 30MPH and no vibration. His 2nd set of props delivered 33.5 but the boat vibrated so badly that anything loose went flying all over. 3rd set only gave him 25 but no vibration.

It was interesting to me because his SR is about the same length/beam as our 53; He says it has the same engines - 8V71TIs - (I haven't seen 'em) and this set of props was the same size as ours. She ran smoothly but would only hit 27. There was no vibration but the speed was unacceptable to Nick so today he's taking her out again, putting one of the previous sets of props on the boat, and having the 4th set repitched or recupped -whatever (I'm not a prop guy-I don't even know what cupping is).

I thought it was funny when he was complaining about the speed. He asked why I was laughing and I said, "Nick, you're going nearly 3 times as fast as I go, it's hard for me to see the problem!" His 33.5MPH props produced a 2000 RPM cruise at 27 MPH. At 2000 RPM I'm blasting along at maybe 14 (knots) and hardly ever do that anyway but Nick owns several gas stations...

I found it interesting how two identically powered boats of the same size have such a different characteristics. What a difference weight and hull shape make! According to the dock guys, his SR is at least 15,000 lbs lighter than Brigadoon and obviously the hull is a completely different design. In yesterday's flat water, the SR was nice and smooth! We ran at WOT for about 15 minutes and I noticed that both his temp gauges hit a needle's width shy of 200. I asked about it but he was not at all concerned. He runs the boat at WOT quite frequently so it's obviously never been a problem. He changes the oil three (3!) times a season; I don't think he does the tune-up and other engine work himself. But that being said, I have never seen a mechanic on his boat.

I was extremely impressed with his engines. When they lit, there was a a bit of smoke for maybe 10-15 seconds and that was it. Not a bit after that - no odor, no eye burning, nothing. At no time on the boat did I ever smell the slightest bit of diesel exhaust. I've been threatening to install new injectors for two years and the ride yesterday convinced me to do so! Our engines never totally stop smoking at idle, regardless of how warmed up they are. There is no smoke/haze while operating but the exhaust will make your eyes burn if you are directly behind the boat on the dock.

Re the props...when the yard guys removed the old props they didn't use a wrench on the bolts. They used a hammer! THey pounded on the edge of the bolt(s) with a two pound sledge to break them loose. I've been a mechanic for my entire life and I never saw that done before! Same with the actual removal of the props. They screwed a large brass drift onto the prop shaft and wailed away until the prop broke loose. I wasn't impressed and neither was Nick. He said, "What the Hell would you say if you were in one of my gas stations and the mechanic used a hammer to loosen a bolt on your car?" Marina mech responded that this method was a common one at any marina and that it worked fine and fast.

The new props were reinstalled with a LARGE pipe wrench on the bolts tightened to the "as tight as you can" torque setting. It's another case of if you want anything done right, do it yourself. Now I'm wondering if any marina mechanics actually use prop pullers and sockets/wrenches for prop work. I know from experience that people tend to do things the easiest and fastest way, not the best way. I have to admit that it was certainly faster - the bolt was loose in a few seconds and the prop as well. It would have taken longer to fit a prop puller on one prop.shaft than it did to pull both props off with the sledge method! Certainly efficient from a speed point of view but I cringed with every CLANG of the sledge!

So today they'll pull her out and do it again! Nick now has 4 sets of props that all look brand new. I wish I had purchased stock in Michigan (not the state) or in bronze futures!

[Freebird]

[QUOTE=MikeP]There was no vibration but the speed was unacceptable to Nick so today he's taking her out again, putting one of the previous sets of props on the boat, and having the 4th set repitched or recupped -whatever (I'm not a prop guy-I don't even know what cupping is).

QUOTE]

Hey Bubba,

Having owned a bunch of Sea Rays myself (still have a 33 Sundancer, it's for sale!), I think maybe I can add something helpful to this conversation. I've run a 550 Sedan Bridge with this power package. "Cupping" on a prop is where the outside edges of the prop are "rolled" to a higher pitch to prevent cavitation. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that this is your buddy's problem. Sea Rays have prop pockets and correct cupping is critical for best speed and no cavitation as their props are basically running almost half out of the water as on a high performance boat. That's one of the reasons why, when properly propped, these things are so fast. If their props aren't cupped correctly, they may turn the recommended rpm, but they will cavitate ( which causes them to vibrate) and the top speed will suffer. I learned this first hand when I banged up the props on a 34 Sedan Bridge I had, and I've seen this problem on more Sea Rays than you can shake a stick at. A buddy of mine who was also running a 34 Sedan with the same power couldn't figure out why I could run off and leave him (our engines were turning the same rpm). I shared my experience with him, and he had his props tuned to specs. Probably shouldn't have done that. He was a pain in the butt sometimes, and runnin' off and leavin' him came in handy on occasion. Tell your buddy to call 800-SRBOATS and ask for somebody smart. They will be able to tell you what cup to specify for this boat.

[doc g]

I do not think that 8v71's were ever put in any 55' SR's. 692DDEC,3196 CAT,3176 CATand maybe an occasional Manngrenade but no 871's . I would not run out and buy those injectors just yet Mike. I'll bet you'll find some of them yellow things under the hatches of that SR....................Pat

[Freebird]

[QUOTE=doc g]I do not think that 8v71's were ever put in any 55' SR's.


Hey doc,

You may be right about the 871's in the 550. After thinking about it, the one I used to run around in did have 671's. I ran a 500 Sundancer a lot that I know for sure had 8's (that sucker would fly!), so I got them confused. The prop info is good though!

[Liquid Asset]

There is a 500 sea ray in the marina 2 boats over from me and it has 6v92's in it. That boat has no problem with a mid 20's cruise. Fast for me since he has less hp, almost as much boat and lots more speed.

[Avenger]

We ran at WOT for about 15 minutes and I noticed that both his temp gauges hit a needle's width shy of 200. I asked about it but he was not at all concerned. He runs the boat at WOT quite frequently so it's obviously never been a problem.

I was extremely impressed with his engines. When they lit, there was a bit of smoke for maybe 10-15 seconds and that was it. Not a bit after that - no odor, no eye burning, nothing. At no time on the boat did I ever smell the slightest bit of diesel exhaust. Our engines never totally stop smoking at idle, regardless of how warmed up they are. There is no smoke/haze while operating but the exhaust will make your eyes burn if you are directly behind the boat on the dock.

Remember the thread we did a while ago (one which I really began to regret getting involved in) about generator loading? The discussion centered around the idea that operating temp was more important to engine longevity than load factor. Hmmm...maybe more to it than we thought.

Re the props...when the yard guys removed the old props they didn't use a wrench on the bolts. They used a hammer! Marina mech responded that this method was a common one at any marina and that it worked fine and fast.

He's right. It's incredibly common. But like mom used to say, "If everybody jumped off a bridge..."

[SKYCHENEY]

If the boat is only 10yrs old that would make it about a 1996. I, too, do not believe that those engines would be 8v71's in that year. If they are Detroits, they are probably 92's.

[Freebird]

There is a 500 sea ray in the marina 2 boats over from me and it has 6v92's in it. That boat has no problem with a mid 20's cruise. Fast for me since he has less hp, almost as much boat and lots more speed.

Hey Pat,

The 500 Dancer I used to run with 892's (735HP) would cruise in the 30's! It shore was fun to run (especially when Sea Ray was payin' for the fuel!). Always thought I'd like to have one for myself, but Hattin' is a whole different experience than Ray'n, and I like it even better.

[eze2bme]

Just a thought ... but that SR must certainly have different transmissions that your Hatt and would thus make a big difference in cruise speeds!

[Freestyle]

As an avid boating magazine reader, I have never seen so much written about a Sea Ray without answering the single most important question:

How many cup holders does it have?


That's the question every boat reviewer has to know.