Sea Ray is one of the most common I/O boats on any lake, and the vast majority run MerCruiser drives, Alpha One on the smaller boats and Bravo on the bigger ones. That plays right to Brad's strength, since MerCruiser is what he works on most. He repairs and rebuilds the sterndrives under Sea Ray boats: seals, bearings, gimbal, bellows, shifting, cooling and full rebuilds. Mail the drive in from anywhere or drop it off in Central New York.
Sea Ray sterndrive problems
- Milky gear oil from a MerCruiser seal leak
- Gimbal bearing growl at the transom in gear
- Overheating on an Alpha from a worn in-drive water pump
- Hard shifting or lost reverse from cable and clutch dog wear
- Cracked bellows letting water into the bilge
- Whine or clunk from worn gears on a high-hour drive
What Brad checks on a Sea Ray drive
- Identify the drive, Alpha One Gen I or II or a Bravo
- Pressure and vacuum test for the leak path
- Check the in-drive water pump on Alpha drives
- Inspect the gimbal bearing, u-joints and bellows
- Verify shift cable adjustment and the interrupt switch
- Read the gear oil for water and metal before quoting
The fix and what to expect
Brad fixes the specific MerCruiser fault under the Sea Ray, or rebuilds the drive when the wear runs deep, and pressure tests it before it goes back. Since Sea Ray boats span the Alpha and Bravo range, he confirms the exact drive first so the right parts and setup go in. A single repair turns around fast, a rebuild in one to two weeks from arrival. You know what was worn and what it cost before the work is done.
Match the fix to the Sea Ray's exact drive
The trick with Sea Ray is that the same model line changed drives over the years and across sizes, so a Sea Ray badge alone does not tell you what is on the transom. A smaller bowrider likely wears an Alpha One with its water pump in the drive, while a larger cruiser runs a Bravo with the pump on the engine and heavier gearing. Diagnosing a cooling or noise complaint correctly depends on knowing which one you have. Brad confirms the drive model and generation before quoting, which keeps a Sea Ray owner from paying for the wrong parts.