Bought a 1987 226 Seafarer!

[SirGrady226]

I've been following your build and I like the way you prioritized what you did. Most people bite off too much at one time , then get overwhelmed, and lose interest. I love the way you accesorized the bow :goodjob

I have years of mechanical and restoration skills from doing classic car restorations and working in the construction field, so using a common sense approach to my first boat restoration has helped a lot.

A couple more outings in the river are required before going offshore fishing, but I'm really gaining confidence in its reliability after every splash. Quite an accomplishment for me so far, and keeping the cost down by doing all the work myself has been a plus. I pretty much have covered every inch of this boat, only question now is how much life is left in the outboards. You don't see many thirty + year old out boards in use down here anymore, but these 140's are really impressive so far.

Thanks for following the thread!

 

[SirGrady226]

We decided to splash the 226 for the Holiday weekend, thought that since we were trouble free last time out, there were no worries. Right off the trailer the port side outboard started right up, but I could tell battery was not fully charged. The starboard outboard barely cranked over and wouldn't fire, ughhh! Turned the battery switch to all, and didn't get much improvement using both batteries. These batteries are the ones that came with the boat when I purchased it, Delco marine style that checked out great when tested after charging. Well, I assumed they were pretty new, checked the date codes and found out they were 2009 vintage. All it took was a couple outings to finish them off I guess, luckily I was able to get them both running and enjoy the day. Needed a jump box when heading back to the ramp though. New batteries are next on the list, great day on the boat though considering.

 

[SirGrady226]

Had a flawless outing on the 226 this weekend, new batteries really made a difference. What a fantastic all around boat, we had 6 people on board and everyone had a blast. Next up will be a trip offshore for some fishing, what a rewarding experience restoring this classic 30 year old boat has been!

 

[Legend]

Amazing how long these boats can last with the proper care! Congratulation it looks great

 

[SirGrady226]

Heading to the ramp for a Sunday outing, the little truck that could handles pulling the 226 with no trouble.

 

[SirGrady226]

First time actually using my live wells last weekend, looks like both have leaky drains dripping into the bilge. Can only feel around under them since there is very limited space, maybe a mirror is needed to determine how to fix this issue. It was the first time I practically filled the boat with fuel, noticed quite a change in how the boat performed with the extra weight. Props on the twin 140's are 14.5 / 19P, boat ran 44 mph @ 5400 rpm before (1/3 fuel filled) with more throttle to go. With the tank pretty much full I got 41 mph @ 5400 rpm. I'm trying to not push these 30 year old outboards too hard, but propped this way they will shoot up to 5800 rpm. I'm considering going to 21P props instead to lower the rpm's a bit and pick up a little speed, the boat is a rocket out of the hole now and seems like it could handle the extra bite. I'm planning on keeping these old outboards for a few years until I can afford a repower.

 

[suzukidave]

hey steve, nice engine setup. i have a 1986 tournament 190 with the original 1985 johnson 120 v4 looper on the back from the factory. the motor was converted to run pre-mix long ago and it still has 128 psi on all four corners same as when i bought it 12 years ago. i run a 15.5x15" prop on it although a 15x17" works fine. it has the v6 leg that omc used for the first year of the looper before the new v4 leg was ready and it tops out at 36 mph by gps with the 15".

i generally run it at 5000 and run it out to 6000 rpm a couple of times a year to make sure there is no carbon build up. it does not seem to hurt it.

having run the boat side by side with a tournament 19 with a carbed 175 yamaha, the boat performed just as well as a bigger carbed v6 except for top end speed and it burned a lot less fuel.

so hang on to those motors.

 

[SirGrady226]

hey steve, nice engine setup. i have a 1986 tournament 190 with the original 1985 johnson 120 v4 looper on the back from the factory. the motor was converted to run pre-mix long ago and it still has 128 psi on all four corners same as when i bought it 12 years ago. i run a 15.5x15" prop on it although a 15x17" works fine. it has the v6 leg that omc used for the first year of the looper before the new v4 leg was ready and it tops out at 36 mph by gps with the 15".

i generally run it at 5000 and run it out to 6000 rpm a couple of times a year to make sure there is no carbon build up. it does not seem to hurt it.

having run the boat side by side with a tournament 19 with a carbed 175 yamaha, the boat performed just as well as a bigger carbed v6 except for top end speed and it burned a lot less fuel.

so hang on to those motors.

I don't plan on ditching the loopers any time soon, I'm very impressed with how they work with the Seafarer weight. Checking the specs for the 140's, they can safely go to 6000 without issue, so my props will most likely stay as is. Next time out I will run them wide open and fully trimmed to see what top speed I can get. I'm thinking 46 to 49 mph depending on how many people on board.

 

[SirGrady226]

One of the last issues I have to address on the 87 Seafarer is the twin livewell drains that are on the bottom. They have leaks somewhere around the drains and because of limited access I can't really see how they fasten through the bottom. I had planned on removing them and installing new better material drains, but feeling around under there, I can't find a nut to unscrew for removal. I'm not sure if maybe it was foamed over, or they are installed in some other fashion. I'm hoping someone with a similar situation can direct me to the proper way to replace them. These pictures are ones I found online, but the original drains are grey with black 90 degree barbed ends. The top flange is very thin so there is no lip that sticks up to inhibit draining. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Fishtales]

Sounds like you are making solid progress. Keep at it and let us know how it progresses.

 

[SirGrady226]

Sounds like you are making solid progress. Keep at it and let us know how it progresses.

Not much left to do to the ole girl, really enjoying some problem free trips lately but noticed some dripping from at least one of the live wells. I plan on replacing every fitting and hose on all the drains to make sure there is no more issues down the road.

 

[gw204]

One of the last issues I have to address on the 87 Seafarer is the twin livewell drains that are on the bottom. They have leaks somewhere around the drains and because of limited access I can't really see how they fasten through the bottom. I had planned on removing them and installing new better material drains, but feeling around under there, I can't find a nut to unscrew for removal. I'm not sure if maybe it was foamed over, or they are installed in some other fashion. I'm hoping someone with a similar situation can direct me to the proper way to replace them. These pictures are ones I found online, but the original drains are grey with black 90 degree barbed ends. The top flange is very thin so there is no lip that sticks up to inhibit draining. Any help would be much appreciated.

There was a thread on here about those drains a while back. I don't remember who posted it but the OEM part was identified. I bought a few based on that info. I'll dig them out and see what I can gather for you.

In my old 227, the nuts were so corroded that they didn't resemble nuts anymore.

 

[gw204]

https://www.chicagofaucetshoppe.com/CHG-Encore-E16-3010-LW-p/enc-e16-3010-lw.htm

I bought three for my old 227....but then never put them in. I have the original plugs as well. If you are interested, $25 + the ride for all 3 sets.

 

[SirGrady226]

https://www.chicagofaucetshoppe.com/CHG-Encore-E16-3010-LW-p/enc-e16-3010-lw.htm

I bought three for my old 227....but then never put them in. I have the original plugs as well. If you are interested, $25 + the ride for all 3 sets.

Perfect, PM sent!

 

[SirGrady226]

Took the 226 off shore yesterday in pretty sloppy conditions, Jupiter inlet is known to be hazardous and it was yesterday morning. Probably 4-6 feet in the inlet with an outgoing tide that stacks them up. I actually had the boat totally out of the water twice to avoid taking waves over the bow, took some seriously hard landings in the process. Once I was outside the inlet, seas were 2-4 and 2 seconds apart, the boat took quite a beating as well as my 58 year old body. The 30 year old Grady took it all in stride without a problem, and we didn't get a drop of water on us. Now this is a very dry riding boat! I will avoid those size seas in the future. The hull rode decently on 2-3 footers, but the occasional 4 footers beat the hell out of us. It was a good test, a few things stood out though, I need to install cushioned floor panels that get me up at least 3" higher. First to get my line of site above the top of the window frame while standing, next to make it more comfortable to reach to the throttle controls. The old 140 loopers continue to amaze me with their torque, and how easily they power this pretty heavy boat. My lovely wife braved these conditions with me for over an hour, but eventually started feel queezy so we headed back in. Boat rode much better with a following sea, but the occasional 4 footers still were a bit harsh.

 

[TonyD]

We decided to splash the 226 for the Holiday weekend, thought that since we were trouble free last time out, there were no worries. Right off the trailer the port side outboard started right up, but I could tell battery was not fully charged. The starboard outboard barely cranked over and wouldn't fire, ughhh! Turned the battery switch to all, and didn't get much improvement using both batteries. These batteries are the ones that came with the boat when I purchased it, Delco marine style that checked out great when tested after charging. Well, I assumed they were pretty new, checked the date codes and found out they were 2009 vintage. All it took was a couple outings to finish them off I guess, luckily I was able to get them both running and enjoy the day. Needed a jump box when heading back to the ramp though. New batteries are next on the list, great day on the boat though considering.

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Great stuff - the boat really looks great for an '87.

I am also amazed at what that guy way in the background is doing - upside down.

 

[SirGrady226]

I know, lucky shot to catch him mid flip.

 

[SirGrady226]

Great birthday fishing trip! (2) Mahi, a king fish, and a sail fish catch and release.

 

[SirGrady226]

I lucked out a found some ladder back Grady White seats posted for sale, they sure add comfort and class to the old 226.

 

[CJ7Rob]

Laddrbacks look great. Is your Chevy 4x4 that you tow it with? Having 4x4 at the ramp is like a must.