what do you think of sea drive outboards

D

deshet

Junior Member
I have never heard of one. i know people sometimes call evinrude OMC. but I have never seen a outboard with OMC on the cowling. the outboard in question is a 1988 OMC Sea Drive 225

thanks
 
my goodness skools. i just replaced a 1.6L '86 Sea Drive with the original VRO still pumping well. it was running reliably when i put my Johnson 150 on this summer after 19-yrs. that ain't no "junk". and they sea drives are most certainly outboards (check my gallery)

deshet - the sea drive motors were the first bracket set up out there and one of the first with oil injection. they definately don't get any respect from service shops so be prepared to service it yourself for the small stuff. I had a friend who ran the service department at a marina i worked in during high school who would still take mine when I had a big job (i.e. i had to replace a head gasket in '04) for me. i bought my service manual on ebay. the lift mechanism parts can be tough to get, so keep that in mind. there is a shop somewhere in the the SE that specializes in the sea drives and keeps parts, but i don't know much about it, only that it exists.
 
yeah they are outboards kind of just the power head and the lower unit are the same but the tilt part is the junk part. had 2 OMC 140's i got to part out for the power heads and lower units but to me go bracket.
 
From what I understand, the fact that no one will work on em and nobody has parts is the reason they are junk - other than that I've heard they are strong running reliable motors. I wouldn't buy one.
 
Thats the facts Jack , got one guy down in the highlands been running an original sea drive since new. Loves it. But he is a mechanic Skools kind of guy and bought spare parts years ago for it so not a problem. For me the parts availability and the fact that most mechanics are to swamped around here to be bothered with it closes the deal. But I believe they would make a good bracket and repower candidate. Then you get the full transom and new power ;)
 
If the boat is in good shape offer for the boat only Then run the boat with the idea the seadrive is going to die soon!! Put very little in the motor and run to the ground!!

After that get a bracket and a good used new motor and repower, You will never want anything better then a full transom boat!!
 
I WILL be keeping my eyes open for a former omc-drive, to get that full transom. I know a former I/O conversion is not that difficult, although it is beyond my capabilities
 
the sea drive models in all boats are the nicest to bracket cause not holes to fill. and usually not a spec of rot due to they are sealed up top to bottom never had any water in them.
 
I think Old School was a sea drive originaly. It has the area filled and glassed professionaly but it appears smaller than the I/O holes I have seen in other boats and the boat has the orignial in floor round bait well where a engine would have sat. It's a 1985 and that is my guess anyhow, don't know for sure if they were making sea drives that year or not. But you guys are right the sea drive boats make a excellent bracket candidate. I looked at over 20 V20's in person for a year and a half before I bought this one. Strongest transom I found and very dry.
 
not 100% positive but CapeCodV20 can help us here I don't think they made a Sea Drive till late 1986 or 1987. The boat wouldn't have had any thing other than a small 3 inch hole in the transom up high for a sea drive.
 
I thought they made them earlier than that Skools but not sure. Now you got me wondering, I definetly have the factory in floor bait well, the one that is round inside like I have seen on other boats on this site. And it definetly is a original transom. The hole appears smaller than some of the standard I/O holes I have seen but it is not a three inch diamater hole. ???
 
Skools did some research, earliest reference I found was to repairing 1983 OMC Sea Drives on boats, definetly a bunch of 84 - 89 apparently
 
Hey Skools got the boat tarped up good so could not look but went into Fillet1's gallery and looked at the before pics, blew them up you know what don't see any hole there, I think it was a small hole up high come to think about it but now I'm going to have to crawl under the tarp and see tommorow cause it is driving me crazy I can't remember. But you'll see the in floor live well I'm talking about
 
here's CT's Sea Drive shy the motor.

041005_boat_pics_023.sized.jpg
 
Yea thats it Skools, went into CT's gallery, his is a 1985 also. So thats what mine looked like huh. Like it better now ;D
 
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