Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

[jkust]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

I third the Chaparral for small bowriders. No comparison to me. The Chap quality and ammenities were the same from the smallest to the largest boat. Sea Ray was by far the most overpriced of them all when I shopped. Looking at a Sea Ray Sport bowrider at the dealership was like having an elephant in the room. The price simply didn't match the product. Their larger boats are a different story however. I also have an ancient Bayliner that has held up great.

 

[highN'dry]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

Sea Ray is a fine name brand sporty cruiser/express cruiser boat. If you are looking for a fish boat or saltwater then the top brands are Grady White and Boston Whaler and Parker and moving up somewhat from them boats like Contender and Regulator (maybe, maybe not). I always look at boats from the bow first, if the bow is all pointy and streamlined it is probably not an offshore boat but for running around on lakes, a nice Sea Ray sport cruiser would be a dandy ride.

 

[highN'dry]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

There are two large players in the boating industry, one is Genmar and the other is Brunswick which happens to own Bayliner, Trophy, Boston Whaler, Mercury motors, Sea Ray etc and a number of other well known brands. This thing of comparing every brand Genmar or Brunswick makes to a Bayliner etc is ridiculous, bring your Bayliner down to the Destin Pass or the Jupiter Pass or similar, some place with nice 6 foot standing waves and let's take a ride out and then you tell me if you really thing your pointy nose Bayliner bow rider really is the same as a Boston Whaler, it damn well is not and to say such things is ignorant. Sea Ray is a fine Brunswick owned brand and has nothing in common with the budget, starter boat Bayliner brand also owned by Brunswick.

I am sitting here is Destin right now and today the pass was plenty rough, I did not see any Bayliners out, I did see the USCG go rescue a large sailboat that grounded and rolled over with four people in the water, I did see them pull a large 40 something footer in from the rocks after losing power, you would have also seen my Boston Whaler go out the pass and we caught some nice fish. In the berth next to us is a near 60 foot Sea Ray, don't look like no dang Bayliner to me I ever saw.

 

[69Gulfstream]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

So Glastron isn't named once here.. Did I miss something or did way back when didn't they used to be the Cadillac? So they aren't even close now? Oh and I love Caddys.. I got 10.

 

[dontask]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

So Glastron isn't named once here.. Did I miss something or did way back when didn't they used to be the Cadillac? So they aren't even close now? Oh and I love Caddys.. I got 10.

I owned a Glastron GT150. See my first response on this post, I didn't say they were top quality cause there not (even though I owned one). Average quality boat with limited usage, no better.

 

[werthert]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

Wow! Nice post fixb52s!

Wish we could add to it and sticky it. Very informative for us newbies.

I am looking at a 1998 310 Sea Ray Sundancer and 1998 330 Express Vee Rinker, both ~ $50K. They are well kept but as you mentioned depreciated a whole bunch since new. Also I cannot afford uber quality... GM level quality for my first boat will be good 'nuff. I'm just looking for a weekend hangout and something I can be proud of while I learn.

Thanks again!

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

One thing though....you can't compare "loose" ride, "took time to plane", etc. unless you provide the engine and drive info. Obviously, a 24-26 foot cabin boat with a 260hp engine and alpha one rides worse and planes much slower than the same boat with a 370 hp and bravo 3 drive (or the VP equivalents).

That is very true. I am sorry I failed to mention it.​

All boats were tested with the 350 MAG/Bravo 3 except for the Chap (496 MAG/Bravo 3). I did try to keep them kind of equal in that department. Having a fuel injected engine was a must, and I was not even going to consider a 5.0 for that size class.

And yes, Glastron was not tested. Their dealer was a little farther than I would like. I tried to keep them within a 50 mile area.​

I would have not even considered the Chap with that big block in it, but I could not go wrong with the price. It worked out great in the long run. Still waiting for it though. When a boat sits up as long as it did, things need replacing (seals, etc) and the dealer is going through it with a fine tooth comb before I close. He said I was buying a new boat, and that is what I will get.​

 

[mike343]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

Gulfstream,

Apparently people buy Glastrons but don't say any thing about them on the forums. When I bought ours 7 years ago, I was also looking at a Chap--roughly 4000lb deck boats. Comparably equipped 31K vs 40K. But if you price out all the common and equivalent items--I/O drive(270VP or Merc), trailer, canvas and bimini, gauges. and carpets the rough total was around 20k. So the actual Chap supplied stuff--fiberglass, upholstery, etc. was twice as much as the Glastron. I passed on the Chap. If you worry about depreciation, buy the less expensive boat and put the difference in a muni. Then check the value in three? years.

No matter what the brand, you have to take care of the boat--hull and upholstery, plus engine drive maintenance.

 

[mrcool]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

Glastrons were the Corvette of boats in the late 1950's thru about the 1980's but the newer ones are really only averge, maybe a bit better. For some reason they became more family type boats and stopped making the hotrods of the water like Carlsons and GT-150's

 

[smclear]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

If you want to get a well constructed top of the line boat look at a Tiara. Top of the line interior, excellent fit and finish, and a great hull.

+1 Without a doubt, Tiara's and Pursuits (both are made by same family, formerly slickcraft) are in the top 2 or 3 in terms of quality (and cost). They're number 1 IMO.

 

[Begester]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

Both of the SeaRays I've owned (a 1994 180 Signature and currently a 1989 220DA Sundancer) have run like Cadillacs...and I use the heck out of mine. I put well over 100 hours on my 220 last year. And I'm a Caddy fan too, I've owned 6.

100% agree that especially with older boats, build quality and previous owner are of equal importance. I've always seen used boat buying as interviewing the owner as well as the boat. But I sure do see a lot of old SeaRays on the lakes out here, especially old Sundancers.

 

[mrcool]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

CHRIS CRAFT, is still the Cadillac.

I love Chris Craft, Trouble is so many of them came with OMC and Cobra outdrives

 

[Viking...]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

bring your Bayliner down to the Destin Pass or the Jupiter Pass or similar, some place with nice 6 foot standing waves and let's take a ride out and then you tell me if you really thing your pointy nose Bayliner bow rider really is the same as a Boston Whaler

If the only option around here was Boston Whaler, then I wouldn't be boating.
Quite frankly, they are horribly overpriced for what I need in a boat.
Six foot waves?
Not on any of the lakes and rivers around here.
We go out tubing and fishing, when it's nice...not when it's storming or blowing too hard to enjoy ourselves.

The point is, you buy what you need and can afford. For some of us, it's a Bayliner.

Cheers

 

[rbh]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

we bought our 1985 270 sundancer due to the good comments we heard on their boats, pre 90s
small problems, but what do you expect for a 24 year old boat.
rob

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Sea Ray--the Cadillac of Boats!

Well it seems the thread is going all different places. I know the question was about Sea Rays and it has grown to the different makes, but it has brought out a lot of good things to consider. Bottom line is this: Get the boat that you are comfortable with. If you are fishing, get a fishing vessel. A lot of good makes and models out there, and of course some are better than others. A Boston Whaler is indeed an excellent vessel, but not every one can afford one. Same goes with bowriders, cruisers and wake/ski boats.​

The one thing that I failed to point out earlier is warranty. Most vessels will have a powertrain warranty from their respective manufacturers, and quite frankly, there are really only a few choices here on the inboard side. Volvo or Mercruiser, it comes down to really what a boat you are looking at is equipped with. Either will do the job, and parts/maintenance costs are similar. Outboards are a different story. A lot of different makes, sizes, etc. gives one more to look at.​

Hull warranties are another thing. Most have one year on components, but most have a lifetime on the hull itself. If the boat manufacturer is a strong one (ie: doesn't look like it will go under soon), then it can be a good bet that they will be around in 10 years if you have a stringer or transom problem. One must look at this carefully, since it is only in place for the original owner, but some will allow the warranty to be transfered. A lot of older boats from the 80s (including my Chris Craft) have the major problems with the hulls, and this could be something of the past if the manufacturers are standing behind their products today.​

Overall, boats today are being made far better than they were 20 years ago, and should have no major hull problems for at least 20 or more years. Lack of maintenance will still kill off some (interiors, powertrains, etc). Bottom line is buy what you like and can afford. It should not fall apart anytime soon, but if it does (like that Tahoe story on here a year ago), the company should step up and fix it. Of course, taking proper care of it helps!​