New-to-me 1999 1800 SR

[Seth6984]

I just purchased my families first boat after many hours of research and hunting. I finally decided on a clean 1999 1800 SR for my family of three. I have been in charge of driving and maintaining my parents boat for two seasons, and it was time we got our own. I'm from PA and was required to pass the boating license exam, which proved to be very interesting and useful.

Our 1800 SR has the 3.0L 4cyl. Merc 135hp I/O engine. We do a lot of knee-boarding and tubing, not so much skiing or wake-boarding. The reason I decided on this boat was the length was perfect for us, we wanted an open bow, and the smaller 3.0L engine should be good on gas with the rising cost of fuel.

I was initially looking for a sport boat with a fiberglass floor to dodge any issues with weak flooring. I found that was not a reality in our class of boat and price range. The boat we purchased has been garage kept and has a solid wooden floor, and we plan to store it in a warehouse for winters. What are some tips to keeping the floor solid, besides the obvious "don't let it stay wet"? The only issues with the boat are some interior tears, nothing major, but an eyesore. What is the best way to prevent these tears from becoming larger, short of reupholstering?

I am fairly new to the boating community and I'm looking for any tips you all can offer pertaining to this model?

Thank you for any information you can offer.

[seapuppy]

welcome to the zoo...looks like a nice starter boat for sure...as for not getting rot...you named it..keep it fairly dry...make sure you winterize it in the fall when it goes to bed...have it done by a good mechanic......and keep it clean...cover it when not in use....

as for upholstry...nothing short of getting it replaced by a good competent canvas guy will make it look ok other than duct tape...the redneck tool for everything......

and remember....never approach the dock faster than your willing to crash into it.....make sure you have everyone wear pfd's.....and have fun...

SP

[Seth6984]

I found some "color matched" duct tape on amazon...good enough for me. There is really only one bad spot on the sundeck (about the size of a golf ball), might look into getting that redone. I can live with some tape on the small spots, it is a 13yr old boat after all.

[Seth6984]

We took our boat out for it's maiden voyage today; just a quick run around the lake.

I was speaking with the mechanic at the dealer. They suggested if I plan to use the boat for skiing/boarding I should look into a different prop. I see that Mercury has a prop finder tool on their website. Does anyone here know what the stock diameter and pitch would be on this 3.0L MerCruiser? I'm looking for a prop to get a better hole-shot, top speed isn't really a concern as long as it's above 30mph. I forgot to look at the prop hub before I left the marina.

I found this spec sheet that I'm going off of for my prop upgrade:

http://www.perfprotech.com/store/art...fications.aspx

Thanks

[Seth6984]

I believe this is what I'm looking for: http://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Alpha-...6267644&sr=8-1

I read that using the wrong prop will cause the engine to over rev or lug, potentially causing unnecessary wear on the engine.

Any help on this topic would be great.

[mcoffey]

You really need to know what is currently on the boat and what WOT RPM is with it. There is an RPM range for that engine (should be in the service manual and maybe on the flame arrestor on a sticker) and you should pick a prop that keeps you in that range. Going to a lower pitch like 19 or 17 will give you better hole shot (17 being best) but will increase RPM as well. A 21 will give higher top end speed but lower RPM and less hole shot. I would have to say the most common pitch is 19 which normally gives good hole shot and good top end speed. I don't have any experience with 4 or 5 blade but they say they give better hole shot so you can increase pitch a bit. So if a 3 blade 19 were good, a 4 blade 20 should also be good.

But all of this is just guessing without knowing what you have and what she runs at now. Of course you can run lower (like 17), you just may need to watch the RPM and pull back a bit when you near WOT so you don't over-rev.

Check out iboats.com as well, they have pretty good prices and carry most brands of props out there. I use Solas Rubex and have had no issues at all with them. Started with 21 3 blade but just decided to switch out to 19 3 blade as my RPM was a bit low at WOT (only 4000) and she was a bit slow out of the hole with 4-5 people on board. And just for comparison, I have a 96 2100SR with the 5.7 2bbl Alpha 1.

[Seth6984]

According to Mercury's prop calculator the 14" 20p 4 blade is the recommended, with the information I gave it off the spec sheet I linked above. I will get the real numbers off the boat. When I have it in the water again I'll get a real world WOT RPM number.

Thank you for the information.

[Seth6984]

Anyone know where I could find a replacement new/used OEM sun pad for this boat?

I found that the sunpad wood is cracked and falling apart on the bottom edge in the stern. I didn't notice this when I did my inspection before purchasing it.

[Seth6984]

I contacted the dealer I bought the boat from. He is having the sun pad wood replaced and reupholstered for us for free.

He is also getting us a discount on our bimini top for our trouble.

Very nice guy, and I'm impressed with his business sense. I've dealt with a lot of motorcycle dealers in the past that if you buy a used bike that has trouble "sorry, that's a used bike, good luck".

[seapuppy]

well...that's cool..congrats...it's always nice to see a boat dealer step up.......


take pic's or it didn't happen!!


SP