ArizonaSeaRay
New member
Hi all,
First of all I have been reading all the posts. You guys are great for answering all us newbies' questions. Here is mine. I recently bought an '83 SeaRay SRX192. It has the 3.8l OMC with the 800 stringer outdrive. I got receipts with the boat that the lower gearcase was rebuilt to the tune of $1500.00 worth in December. I took the boat out a few times and it ran great but shifted a little hard. Then, 2 weeks ago, it started making a racket from the lower unit. Pulled the drain plug and found a gear tooth among other metallic debris. I took the boat up to Phoenix to the guy that rebuilt the unit and he said he would look at it in a couple of weeks. After looking around at his shop, I decided I would only be throwing good money after bad with him and brought the boat back home. I looked around and have seen the rebuilt lower units for as much as $1600.00. So, I ordered a used lower gearcase out of Ohio for 650.00 and will throw that in next week. I also tore down the upper gearcase, installed a new impeller and seal kit. Everything else up there looked fine. I'm not a bad mechanic but this stuff is all new to me. I have the manuals. My question is this....did I make a mistake buying a boat with the 800 stringer unit? What problems are they known for and are there simple fixes to keep you off the trailer and on the water. I'm already missing Memorial Day and don't want to miss out on too much more this season. Should I just slap in the new(used) lower gearcase and put a For Sale sign on it? Any clear advice you can give me is appreciated.
First of all I have been reading all the posts. You guys are great for answering all us newbies' questions. Here is mine. I recently bought an '83 SeaRay SRX192. It has the 3.8l OMC with the 800 stringer outdrive. I got receipts with the boat that the lower gearcase was rebuilt to the tune of $1500.00 worth in December. I took the boat out a few times and it ran great but shifted a little hard. Then, 2 weeks ago, it started making a racket from the lower unit. Pulled the drain plug and found a gear tooth among other metallic debris. I took the boat up to Phoenix to the guy that rebuilt the unit and he said he would look at it in a couple of weeks. After looking around at his shop, I decided I would only be throwing good money after bad with him and brought the boat back home. I looked around and have seen the rebuilt lower units for as much as $1600.00. So, I ordered a used lower gearcase out of Ohio for 650.00 and will throw that in next week. I also tore down the upper gearcase, installed a new impeller and seal kit. Everything else up there looked fine. I'm not a bad mechanic but this stuff is all new to me. I have the manuals. My question is this....did I make a mistake buying a boat with the 800 stringer unit? What problems are they known for and are there simple fixes to keep you off the trailer and on the water. I'm already missing Memorial Day and don't want to miss out on too much more this season. Should I just slap in the new(used) lower gearcase and put a For Sale sign on it? Any clear advice you can give me is appreciated.