*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Random Quote: Give me some,gatorade,coke,oj,pineapple,RUM,VODKA,ice,cup,and you will see the chemist at work!!!
Anyone had any experiance with the SeaRay 290 Amberjack? Have the problems Merc was having with the Bravo 3 drives been remidied? Any info would be appreciated. My thanks in advance.
Because the BR 3 drive problems were (or are) corrosion, it will be a while before anyone can say with any certainty that the problem is fixed. After owning one myself from 94 to 97, I personally would never touch another mercruiser outdrive.
My Turn: Was your Mercruiser a Bravo3? Or the 2? and what boat was it on? Thanks for your reply.
I'm looking at buying new, so my hope would be tht the problems may have been fixed, or that the unit would fail while on warrentee and consequently have all repairs done.
Anyone have feedback on Mercruiser warrentee repairs?
I am a Sea Ray owner and my experience is that Sea Ray is very good on warranty repairs. They take good care of their customers and I have seen them go out of their way (like fixing things for free out of warranty) to be fair and to keep customers happy.
That said, from what I have read (no first hand knowledge) Mercruiser has been very squirrelly on the whole BIII issue - never admitting that there was a problem but then claiming that it was fixed for new units in 2001. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif[/img]
As you probably know, the boatUS forum has a long discussion on this and at least some BIII owners claim that the problem is not yet fixed. It is hard to know what to believe because Mercruiser has sold over 75,000 BIIIs (according to Mercruiser) and corrosion is always a potential problem with I/Os (unless Volvo gets us all to buy its new plastic outdrive) so a dozen of so complaints doesn't necessarily point to problem - or at least to a problem you wouldn't face with any other I/O.
If you want to stay away from the BIII, but still want the 290AJ, I think it is also available with twin inboards (gas or diesel). But its all a trade-off. You will get better range and speed with the stern drive.
Thanks Rick.
Yes, I did hear that problem first from Boat US and have been asking questions ever since. The SeaRay dealership up here was a bit uninformed (it seemed) on this, but at least one salesman took the time to try to run it down.
There is an AJ at my marina (owned by 2 former nuns), a 2000 model I believe, and I'm keeping an eye on their outdrive.
I wish I could afford that boat with the diesels! Most of them out there are the stern drives and it seems the best deals can be made on them.
Thanks for your time and info. If you happen to hear any more, please shoot me the particulars.
I had an "updated to fix the problems" BIII drive for about a year on a boat kept in saltwater. It didn't corrode in that time, but the fix includes new zincs that are more sacrificial -- i.e., I had to replace them every six or eight weeks at $60 per set for parts alone. My mercathode, etc was checked and the whole system was working perfectly in spec. No stray current issues as this was at a mooring with no shore power for miles.
I sold the boat because the maintenance was driving me crazy and I got a great offer for it. These drives also make a particularly loud and annoying gear noise. I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.
Are there any with Volvo Duoprops out there? They have a much better reputation in this regard.
quote:Originally posted by RickR:
Two former nuns bought a $120K fishing/cruising boat? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]
Were they with our lady of the holy mackerel? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
Is the boat rigged with rocket launchers, livewell, etc.? What is the story here?
Rick
[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
Rick: Nice story on this one....The nuns boat is not all set with the fishing package. They have it set up for cruising and entertaining at the marina. They are affectionately refered to as "The Flying Nuns" due to an incident and a subsequent mention in the magazine "Northeast Offshore". Seems they were in a group of boats that were travelling from the CT shoreline to Montauk, NY (sharkfishing capital of the world) [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img] to attend a SeaRay Rendevous at Star Island Marina. On the way there there managed to jump the wake, going airborn, of a 44' SeaRay that is owned and operated by the largest SeaRay dealer in New England! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img] Thus, their new name!
Recently I pulled over to them in a no wake zone on the CT River heading back up to my marina and asked them if my girlfriend could come aboard and ride back to the marina with them. They accepted, and after leaving the no wake zone, my girlfriend asks them, "Where's K.C. in our boat?" "Oh, we left him waaaaaay back," they replied. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif[/img] By the time I get back to the marina, they are all slipped and of the boat!
Nice women. Got outta the Nunnery, so to speak,...got jobs that were related to what they did as nuns and used the money to buy boats. This is there 3rd boat, I think, in 4-5 years. They love it. The fish box in the transom is used for ice cold beer, and still being good Catholics, wine. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
Rick, not sure if you ever go up the coast, but if you do, that magazine, NorthEast Offshore is a good read. They cover New Jersey to Maine and have articles relating to marinas, boat tests, destinations, some fishing and just good, general reading.
[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
SaltDog: Thanks for your input.
Perhaps I should start a new thread just for the Bravo 3? I bet a lot of people might just skip this posting due to the subject header being SeaRay Amberjack.
I think I'll so that later. Right now, time to go hop on Kubota and mow some fields, puch some dirt and lift some logs....
Thanks again.
I have been told by insurance agents that not just nuns but ALL CLERGY seem to drive like god is sitting in the passenger seat. They, and pilots, have the highest percentage of speeding
tickets than any other group.
SeaRay 290 Amberjack 
