Sea Ray with 50 Bravo IIIbs

I have found a 2001 little use

I have found a 2001 little used 290 Sundancer with 5.0l powerplants. They have 79.5 hrs on them and I'll be reviewing all service records on the boat Monday. I plan to have a mechanical survey done on all equipment and have the oil tested. Do I need to be worried about seals and gaskets deteriorating and are there other items I should be concerned about relative to the outdrives. Thanks in advance.

Lee

that's what you're pay

that's what you're paying the surveyer for.

"If the surveyor doesn't c

"If the surveyor doesn't catch it, see if the drives were stored in the down position. If not, the bellows will have taken on a set in the up position. When you drop the drives down they may crack and leak water."

ut oh!
I left my drive in the

ut oh!
I left my drive in the up position. won't lower it today cause it to damn cold. You now what I mean Guy!

Sounds like you might have found a little gem. If the bellows are original wouldn't it be best to go ahead and have them replaced at this point anyway.

"Yeah, it's too damn cold

"Yeah, it's too damn cold here in SW Ohio too. High winds and 20 deg. F. Chill factor down around 0 deg. F. Watching the Daytona time trials where it's 68 deg. F. Lucky stiffs! "

Do any posters have any insigh

Do any posters have any insight into Bravo III corrosion problems I have read about on the internet...seemed to be 2000 back.

lee

"Lee,
I followed another foru

"Lee,
I followed another forum for quite a few months around 3 years ago where there was a huge amount of bitching going on about Bravo 3 legs.
There was some absolute horror stories about the 3's basicaly coroding away before your eyes.
From what I read it has made me very wary of ever buying a unit with Bravo 3's fitted particularly when used in Salt water.

Cheers
Peter C.

Guy G.
Hey Mr Frosty, it is 10-40pm over here in Oz land and my weather station is telling me the current temp in 20.7 degree C with a humidity factor of 67% at 1014 isobars.
In short pretty dam comfortable, when is the ice due to thaw again so you can see if that boat of yours still knows how to work.
By the way, loved the Car.
Peter C"

"Peter,
I know BIII drives ca

"Peter,
I know BIII drives can have corrosion issues but I understand this is mainly due the the large amount of Stainless Steel in the 2 props? This galvanic corrosion is supposed to be inhibited by a proper maintained and inspected Mercathode system and the rest of the drive is maintained with a good coat of paint. Also, you need to be careful that there is not a lot of stray current in your marina due to improperly wired electrical systems. While the BII may be more suceptible to corrosion due to the large surfaces of dissimilar metals the corrosion can be minimized or prevented with proper care and diligence.
I think every case I have heard about has involved either improper maintenance by owner or a marina current problem. You can't just put your boat in the water and leave it!"

"Peter C:

I saw on the news

"Peter C:

I saw on the news that global warming is causing the S. Pole ice shelf to break loose and it will run aground in the land of OZ in 6 months which will cause 0 deg. C. temps down to -30 deg, C. for the next 100 years.

This a.m. it is 5 deg.F.--coooooooollllllllldddd.
I should be on the water by Mar. 15th. Can't wait to float her. Cheers and bottoms up."

"It seems to me from all the s

"It seems to me from all the stuff I read on the other forum there are more than just the standard issues of galvanic corrosion with the
B 3's.

I think you are on the money when you say that the galvanic corrosion process should be kept in check by the mercathode system but it does seem to struggle for some reason with the B3.

Now I do not claim to a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Metalurgy but for some reason, wether it was bad chemistry in the alloy of the legs, or whatever it was, there was a period of time at least, when there were problems and lots of talk of Class action law suits and the people involved did not only have their boats in Marina pens.

Wether or not those problems have been totaly resolved or not I am unsure, but I am most definitly cautious of the B3 and would probably be very reluctant to use one even if fitted with an Alloy prop.

From my point of view I would not own a boat with B3's if I was going to have it on a swing mooring.

Cheers
Peter C"

"Guy
Its pretty good here tod

"Guy
Its pretty good here today except for a little cloud.
I think I may just grab a couple of icy cold beers and go for a run in the boat after work today
Cheers
Peter C"

"Peter:

We can't have a

"Peter:

We can't have alchohol on board a boat here. The law for booze and autos applies to boats which is good to help reduce accidents. BUT, the damn drunks IGNORE the law and rarely get caught. Two years ago a drunken businessman drove his 30' Scarab in an idle zone at dusk at a high rate of speed and ran over the top of a 20' bowrider severely injuring the people and cutting it nearly in half. Then the SOB took off up the Ohio River and disappeared so he wouldn't get caught while under the influence. His boat was found a few days later. The OD he left behind matched the one he was missing. All he got was wreckless operation and leaving the scene citations. Enjoy the brewskies. "

"Guy
Dont worry, we have a .0

"Guy
Dont worry, we have a .05 blood alcohol limit on our roads and our waterways around the Oz and they are very active with their testing.

The Brewskies are always low alcohol when on behind the wheel wether it be on the tar or on the water.
Cheers."