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Author Topic:   What is a Seadrive?

Royce posted 02-25-2004 01:34 AM ET (US)
I just bought a 1985 Revenge 22'w/t that was originally configured for a SeaDrive. It has the full transom and the tag near the helm says that it was a SeaDrive model. The boat was repowered in 1997 and a Stainless Marine(Fla.) bracket was installed (as well as a Yamaha 225 EFI and a Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke. I can see the shadow lines of a rectangular repair ( 6"X4" just above the bracket. What did the SeaDrive look like? What was its purpose ? How was it tied into the transom? Would having the SeaDrive option limit the boat to the standard 77 gal. fuel tank? I was told by the seller that the owner previous to him removed the deck and installed the larger tank(120 gal.?) I am trying to figure out what this boat has been through. Thank you for your responses.
Royce
jimh posted 02-25-2004 09:21 AM ET (US)
A SeaDrive was an outboard motor sold by OMC c.1980. Instead of the usual notched transom mounting that you are familiar with on practically all outboard motors, the SeaDrive was intended to be mounted on a full transom. The motor contained its own set back bracket. It was a novel design, and Boston Whaler made a number of their boats in new transom configurations designed to be mated with a SeaDrive.
You can read more about them and see one in the Reference Section in the article:
Engine Brackets
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/engineBrackets.html
[Deleted article pointing to off-site image in for-sale advertisement; these pointer have little value in a few days after the advertisement is removed.]
There are many Boston Whaler boats with these engines, but unfortunately, given the situation with OMC, parts to repair the SeaDrive portion of the engine are not readily available.
To anticipate perhaps another question, a Boston Whaler boat with a SeaDrive engine is a good candidate for re-powering with a more conventional outboard and a 24-inch or longer set back bracket.
Royce posted 02-25-2004 11:58 AM ET (US)
Jim- one of my questions is what the transom looks like after one removes the Sea Drive. I would like to know what repair had to be done. Thank you for the article reference.
Royce
Tom W Clark posted 02-25-2004 12:01 PM ET (US)
Royce,
The OMC SeaDrive was essentially an OMC outboard motor with an integral bracket that simply bolted to the back of a boat's transom. It had self contained hydraulics and was sealed against against sea water intrusion.
The rectangular repair you see is probably where the penetration for the control cables, hydraulic and fuel lines as well as the air intake that fed through the transom.
Unlike the Whaler Drive model Whalers, the SeaDrive equipped 22 and 25 foot Whalers had a raised stern housing at the transom that rises up to meet the height of the SeaDrive. This is somewhat odd looking when the SeaDrive is replaced with a bracket and conventional outboard.
I have often thought a very satisfactory modification to a SeaDrive Whaler would be to remove this protrusion and cut the transom down to a 30" height. This would not be difficult to do and would allow the use of twin 25" outboard motors on a conventional notched transom much like those Guardian models built and sold with that expensive 30" transom option.
No notched transom recreational Whaler was ever built with a 30" transom. This would be especially desirable on the 22 which has a reputation for a low and wet transom.
lhg posted 02-25-2004 02:46 PM ET (US)
Tom - My 25 was a Sea Drive Blank, but I have no idea what you mean about that "raised transom". I have never seen that configuration.
Incidentally, in the late 80's, 25 & 27 recreational Whalers could be ordered with 30" transoms for dual counter rotating 25" V-6 installations, as I looked into this. Have never seen one, however, as I don't think the general Dealerships were on to this. Like the full transoms, it was an "after the mold" custom modification.
Tom W Clark posted 02-25-2004 03:00 PM ET (US)
Larry,
Your boat was built in 1989 without a SeaDrive.
All the SeaDrive equipped 22s and 25 I have ever seen have the raised stern. Just look at the 1982 Outrage Cuddy Flyer on the Boston Whaler Catalog Collection to see what this looks like. In fact, there is no photo that I can find of a SeaDrive equipped 22 or 25 that does NOT have this raised stern.
Perhaps the design changed in the late 1980s? Most all of the SeaDrive powered Whalers were built in the early 1980s. I think by the late 1980s Whaler assumed people were going to put aftermarket brackets on the boats, as you did.
I have never heard of a recreational 25 ever being offered with the option of the 30" transom. I can find no reference to it in any of the price lists or options catalogs, though it was an option on the CGP (CPD) boats as far back as 1987.
Tom W Clark posted 02-25-2004 03:08 PM ET (US)
I have to take some of that back. I found a photo of an Outrage 22 Cuddy equipped with dual SeaDrives without the raised stern on page 19 of the 1986 catalog (this catalog was classified as the 1985 catalog on the first 100 or so sets of Catalog CDs).
WHALER27CC posted 02-25-2004 03:08 PM ET (US)
ROYCE-
Think of a Sea drive as anchor bolted to a ransom , that had the ability to GUZZLE lots of gas and smoked alot . If Sea drives were a human, think of him as a grossly obese person , that has a severe drinking and smoking problem.....
Needless to say , I personally have had a bad experience with one....Be GLAD that you have a "regular" motor now!!The only thing that I would be concetned about is how well the old transom holes were sealed.Check it out and good luck.
Peter
lhg posted 02-25-2004 03:19 PM ET (US)
Back in the late 80's, it was not widely known or advertized that some of the supposedly CPD options could be done on a recreational model. Whaler was quite customer oriented back then, and would build almost anything that a customer wanted. Remember, back then a 25 Outrage was about 30% more expensive than an equivalent Grady or any other brand.
Besides giving me a quote on a 30" transom, they also said I could have the boat in any color I wanted for $800/mold. I had them quote me black exterior color, but chickened out with the order for fear of UV color degradation. Neither of the these options were in the price books. Nor was an RPS for a 25, but I was able to get one for a $150 upcharge over the standard Whaler leaning post.
Abalonehunter posted 02-25-2004 03:32 PM ET (US)
Royce,
That sounds like the boat we sold. Contact me for details, I live in Windsor and would love to see the boat again. The guy we sold to might have yet sold it again before you, the fuel tank when we had it was the 120 gallon tank and was original to the boat.
George
Abalonehunter posted 02-25-2004 03:36 PM ET (US)
ps: we were the ones who had the bracket installed. The repair was done by a local outboard dealer, you likely know who. The repair was as Tom has described.
Royce posted 02-25-2004 09:15 PM ET (US)
Abalonehunter--I got your email. What a fun surprise. I was trying to Google Rich Lincoln last nite as that was the name on the warranty card. Is he your Dad? I live about 10 miles from you and would love to show it to you. Your email explains why it is in such good condition. I also have a 1988 22' Outrage WD and my 1985 Outrage Cuddy 25 sitting with it to keep it company. I am thinking of bringing my 1986 Montauk and 1988 18 Outrage down to the barn to get a group shot. I think I need a 20' Outrage so I don"t have a hole in the line-up--anybody have one for sale?
Royce
Tom W Clark posted 02-26-2004 11:11 AM ET (US)
Larry,
The late 1980s really were to golden years for Whaler. CML seemed to run the company a bit differently. As you say, they could do just about anything a customer wanted. Whaler had always emphasized the customizing possibilities of their boats.
Royce, George,
It was said the 77 gallon tank was replaced with a 120 gallon tank. Is this true? If so, the divider between the fuel tank cavity and what is the rear bait well on 22s with the 77 gallon tank, must have been cut out and re-glassed.
Only those boats built at the factory with the optional 120 gallon tank are molded without this divider. It is part of the interior hull. Here is one view of how the 22's hull is molded if it is equipped with the 77 gallon tank:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage70.html#70-12
How was this retrofit accomplished?
Abalonehunter posted 02-26-2004 03:09 PM ET (US)
Previous owner to Royce was mistaken, the boat came original with the 120 gallon tank, actually I think it was 129 gallons but can't verify that from the cd, yet. We did have the cover off to do an inspection and cleaning we recaulked with the Boston Whaler recommended color matched caulk which was silly expensive.
Royce posted 02-26-2004 04:02 PM ET (US)
Abalone- I appreciate the good job of replacing the deck and recaulking it properly--it looks "factory". I look forward to your visit.
Royce
Tom W Clark posted 02-26-2004 11:03 PM ET (US)
George,
You're right, it's the 129 gallon tank. In 1985 it was a $578 option or about $1,000 in today's dollars.
Abalonehunter posted 02-27-2004 10:19 AM ET (US)
I always thought the boat was an 86 model so I looked at the prices and specs for both the 85 and 86 models and can only find reference to the Super Pilot Seat/Workstation options in the 7/86 prices and specs. This boat has what I believe to be the Storage Aft w/4 tackle drawers, on the Pilot side, 86 model?
Royce there is a picture of the ladder in the 85 catalog on the cd. Hopefully someone will be able to trace a pattern for you, I imagine the hardest part will be to get the hooks.
Royce posted 02-27-2004 01:58 PM ET (US)
I saw the ladder in the cd--a larger photo or dimensioned drawing would be great. The last four digits of the boats BW id. # are A585--A=Jan.-- 5=year model and 85=year built. 1985 model built jan. of 1985. Thanks again for the thoughtful replies.
Royce

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Author	Topic: What is a Seadrive?
Royce	posted 02-25-2004 01:34 AM ET (US) I just bought a 1985 Revenge 22'w/t that was originally configured for a SeaDrive. It has the full transom and the tag near the helm says that it was a SeaDrive model. The boat was repowered in 1997 and a Stainless Marine(Fla.) bracket was installed (as well as a Yamaha 225 EFI and a Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke. I can see the shadow lines of a rectangular repair ( 6"X4" just above the bracket. What did the SeaDrive look like? What was its purpose ? How was it tied into the transom? Would having the SeaDrive option limit the boat to the standard 77 gal. fuel tank? I was told by the seller that the owner previous to him removed the deck and installed the larger tank(120 gal.?) I am trying to figure out what this boat has been through. Thank you for your responses. Royce
jimh	posted 02-25-2004 09:21 AM ET (US) A SeaDrive was an outboard motor sold by OMC c.1980. Instead of the usual notched transom mounting that you are familiar with on practically all outboard motors, the SeaDrive was intended to be mounted on a full transom. The motor contained its own set back bracket. It was a novel design, and Boston Whaler made a number of their boats in new transom configurations designed to be mated with a SeaDrive. You can read more about them and see one in the Reference Section in the article: Engine Brackets http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/engineBrackets.html [Deleted article pointing to off-site image in for-sale advertisement; these pointer have little value in a few days after the advertisement is removed.] There are many Boston Whaler boats with these engines, but unfortunately, given the situation with OMC, parts to repair the SeaDrive portion of the engine are not readily available. To anticipate perhaps another question, a Boston Whaler boat with a SeaDrive engine is a good candidate for re-powering with a more conventional outboard and a 24-inch or longer set back bracket.
Royce	posted 02-25-2004 11:58 AM ET (US) Jim- one of my questions is what the transom looks like after one removes the Sea Drive. I would like to know what repair had to be done. Thank you for the article reference. Royce
Tom W Clark	posted 02-25-2004 12:01 PM ET (US) Royce, The OMC SeaDrive was essentially an OMC outboard motor with an integral bracket that simply bolted to the back of a boat's transom. It had self contained hydraulics and was sealed against against sea water intrusion. The rectangular repair you see is probably where the penetration for the control cables, hydraulic and fuel lines as well as the air intake that fed through the transom. Unlike the Whaler Drive model Whalers, the SeaDrive equipped 22 and 25 foot Whalers had a raised stern housing at the transom that rises up to meet the height of the SeaDrive. This is somewhat odd looking when the SeaDrive is replaced with a bracket and conventional outboard. I have often thought a very satisfactory modification to a SeaDrive Whaler would be to remove this protrusion and cut the transom down to a 30" height. This would not be difficult to do and would allow the use of twin 25" outboard motors on a conventional notched transom much like those Guardian models built and sold with that expensive 30" transom option. No notched transom recreational Whaler was ever built with a 30" transom. This would be especially desirable on the 22 which has a reputation for a low and wet transom.
lhg	posted 02-25-2004 02:46 PM ET (US) Tom - My 25 was a Sea Drive Blank, but I have no idea what you mean about that "raised transom". I have never seen that configuration. Incidentally, in the late 80's, 25 & 27 recreational Whalers could be ordered with 30" transoms for dual counter rotating 25" V-6 installations, as I looked into this. Have never seen one, however, as I don't think the general Dealerships were on to this. Like the full transoms, it was an "after the mold" custom modification.
Tom W Clark	posted 02-25-2004 03:00 PM ET (US) Larry, Your boat was built in 1989 without a SeaDrive. All the SeaDrive equipped 22s and 25 I have ever seen have the raised stern. Just look at the 1982 Outrage Cuddy Flyer on the Boston Whaler Catalog Collection to see what this looks like. In fact, there is no photo that I can find of a SeaDrive equipped 22 or 25 that does NOT have this raised stern. Perhaps the design changed in the late 1980s? Most all of the SeaDrive powered Whalers were built in the early 1980s. I think by the late 1980s Whaler assumed people were going to put aftermarket brackets on the boats, as you did. I have never heard of a recreational 25 ever being offered with the option of the 30" transom. I can find no reference to it in any of the price lists or options catalogs, though it was an option on the CGP (CPD) boats as far back as 1987.
Tom W Clark	posted 02-25-2004 03:08 PM ET (US) I have to take some of that back. I found a photo of an Outrage 22 Cuddy equipped with dual SeaDrives without the raised stern on page 19 of the 1986 catalog (this catalog was classified as the 1985 catalog on the first 100 or so sets of Catalog CDs).
WHALER27CC	posted 02-25-2004 03:08 PM ET (US) ROYCE- Think of a Sea drive as anchor bolted to a ransom , that had the ability to GUZZLE lots of gas and smoked alot . If Sea drives were a human, think of him as a grossly obese person , that has a severe drinking and smoking problem..... Needless to say , I personally have had a bad experience with one....Be GLAD that you have a "regular" motor now!!The only thing that I would be concetned about is how well the old transom holes were sealed.Check it out and good luck. Peter
lhg	posted 02-25-2004 03:19 PM ET (US) Back in the late 80's, it was not widely known or advertized that some of the supposedly CPD options could be done on a recreational model. Whaler was quite customer oriented back then, and would build almost anything that a customer wanted. Remember, back then a 25 Outrage was about 30% more expensive than an equivalent Grady or any other brand. Besides giving me a quote on a 30" transom, they also said I could have the boat in any color I wanted for $800/mold. I had them quote me black exterior color, but chickened out with the order for fear of UV color degradation. Neither of the these options were in the price books. Nor was an RPS for a 25, but I was able to get one for a $150 upcharge over the standard Whaler leaning post.
Abalonehunter	posted 02-25-2004 03:32 PM ET (US) Royce, That sounds like the boat we sold. Contact me for details, I live in Windsor and would love to see the boat again. The guy we sold to might have yet sold it again before you, the fuel tank when we had it was the 120 gallon tank and was original to the boat. George
Abalonehunter	posted 02-25-2004 03:36 PM ET (US) ps: we were the ones who had the bracket installed. The repair was done by a local outboard dealer, you likely know who. The repair was as Tom has described.
Royce	posted 02-25-2004 09:15 PM ET (US) Abalonehunter--I got your email. What a fun surprise. I was trying to Google Rich Lincoln last nite as that was the name on the warranty card. Is he your Dad? I live about 10 miles from you and would love to show it to you. Your email explains why it is in such good condition. I also have a 1988 22' Outrage WD and my 1985 Outrage Cuddy 25 sitting with it to keep it company. I am thinking of bringing my 1986 Montauk and 1988 18 Outrage down to the barn to get a group shot. I think I need a 20' Outrage so I don"t have a hole in the line-up--anybody have one for sale? Royce
Tom W Clark	posted 02-26-2004 11:11 AM ET (US) Larry, The late 1980s really were to golden years for Whaler. CML seemed to run the company a bit differently. As you say, they could do just about anything a customer wanted. Whaler had always emphasized the customizing possibilities of their boats. Royce, George, It was said the 77 gallon tank was replaced with a 120 gallon tank. Is this true? If so, the divider between the fuel tank cavity and what is the rear bait well on 22s with the 77 gallon tank, must have been cut out and re-glassed. Only those boats built at the factory with the optional 120 gallon tank are molded without this divider. It is part of the interior hull. Here is one view of how the 22's hull is molded if it is equipped with the 77 gallon tank: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage70.html#70-12 How was this retrofit accomplished?
Abalonehunter	posted 02-26-2004 03:09 PM ET (US) Previous owner to Royce was mistaken, the boat came original with the 120 gallon tank, actually I think it was 129 gallons but can't verify that from the cd, yet. We did have the cover off to do an inspection and cleaning we recaulked with the Boston Whaler recommended color matched caulk which was silly expensive.
Royce	posted 02-26-2004 04:02 PM ET (US) Abalone- I appreciate the good job of replacing the deck and recaulking it properly--it looks "factory". I look forward to your visit. Royce
Tom W Clark	posted 02-26-2004 11:03 PM ET (US) George, You're right, it's the 129 gallon tank. In 1985 it was a $578 option or about $1,000 in today's dollars.
Abalonehunter	posted 02-27-2004 10:19 AM ET (US) I always thought the boat was an 86 model so I looked at the prices and specs for both the 85 and 86 models and can only find reference to the Super Pilot Seat/Workstation options in the 7/86 prices and specs. This boat has what I believe to be the Storage Aft w/4 tackle drawers, on the Pilot side, 86 model? Royce there is a picture of the ladder in the 85 catalog on the cd. Hopefully someone will be able to trace a pattern for you, I imagine the hardest part will be to get the hooks.
Royce	posted 02-27-2004 01:58 PM ET (US) I saw the ladder in the cd--a larger photo or dimensioned drawing would be great. The last four digits of the boats BW id. # are A585--A=Jan.-- 5=year model and 85=year built. 1985 model built jan. of 1985. Thanks again for the thoughtful replies. Royce