Considering Sea Ray... buying help appreciated!

My wife and I started looking for a boat that would comfortably hold 6 people in the cockpit and sleeps 4, with all (most) of the features or large yachts.
The only boat we found that fits the bill and then some was the 280.

We ended up buying a 2002 with twin 4.4s, genset, A/C windlass etc. LOVE IT!!!!

Regarding where you'll keep it, do you have access to a lift or dry-storage?
I would not leave an i/o in saltwater regardless of which drives I have.


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Outboard power seems to be showing up in the marketplace. It looks like about a 28' boat. Has a cabin and this one is equipped with air conditioning. This is a Yamaha with a 350hp outboard.
Misc3059_zps72e2d87f.jpg
 
One thought is maintenance total cost versus purchase price increase to reduce total maintenance cost. For example, we are moving to salt water life in about 6-9 months. We have no need for a larger boat - we love what we have. But, we only plan to boat with a cruiser for 10-15 more years. We have two options we are considering. One is to keep the paid for 2004 300DA with bravoIII and put $20K in a "powertrain refurb" fund. This would pay for new drives if needed down the road (the current ones are 10 years old but have been meticulously maintained every 6 months). The other is to drop another $50K on an exchange to a larger v-drive boat.
 
The new Sea Ray 370 Venture has outboards concealed under the transom.
I wonder if this is a concept that will eventually kill the i/o


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Jerry - that is a sick looking boat - what kind of boat is it - yamaha?

That's what he said (Yamaha)... but I don't see anything like it on their website.
 
One thought is maintenance total cost versus purchase price increase to reduce total maintenance cost. For example, we are moving to salt water life in about 6-9 months. We have no need for a larger boat - we love what we have. But, we only plan to boat with a cruiser for 10-15 more years. We have two options we are considering. One is to keep the paid for 2004 300DA with bravoIII and put $20K in a "powertrain refurb" fund. This would pay for new drives if needed down the road (the current ones are 10 years old but have been meticulously maintained every 6 months). The other is to drop another $50K on an exchange to a larger v-drive boat.
I'd go with the inboards as a general rule but then again you don't know what other issues you may find with another used boat. At least the one you have you know has been meticulously maintained and it seems your boat has been in fresh water all it's life so the first 10 years shouldn't have been as bad compared to it being in salt water.
 
The new Sea Ray 370 Venture has outboards concealed under the transom.
I wonder if this is a concept that will eventually kill the i/o


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Yup...If I had the cash that is the one I would go for. I also heard that GM is going to stop manufacturing marine engines...not sure if that is true or not but if it is I can see boat manufacturers looking towards outboards.
 
Jerry - that is a sick looking boat - what kind of boat is it - yamaha?
You are right about that! It does not have a name plate on it anywhere. I have found that it is indeed a Yamaha. The workmanship is terrible and the carpet and the upholstery look really cheap. It does not even have a dealer sticker on it anywhere. I have yet to see the owner.
 
Its my own personal strategy but I will never keep an I/O boat in the water nor will I ever buy one thats been kept in the water for a significant period of time.

I have nothing against I/O boats as a design though...I do enjoy the I/O maneuverability.

Still, if my boat was available with twin outboards for a reasonable price I would probably be all over it.
 
That's what he said (Yamaha)... but I don't see anything like it on their website.
It is a Yamaha SR310, you can find it thru google:
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YAMAHA_SR310_1.jpg
 
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You will be fine with the 280 and twin BIII, but in order to prevent corrosion, you will need to follow a regimen of detailed and expensive maintenance. If you like the 280 and ypu dont have the budget to maintain BIIIs, look at the 300 Sundancer with inboards and fresh water cooling.
 
I agree with JV II. I would also go 300DA with inboards, Mike.
 
Yup...If I had the cash that is the one I would go for. I also heard that GM is going to stop manufacturing marine engines...not sure if that is true or not but if it is I can see boat manufacturers looking towards outboards.

GM does not make 'marine' engines. They make blocks which Mercury/Volvo/Crusader then take and marinize them.
 
You will be fine with the 280 and twin BIII, but in order to prevent corrosion, you will need to follow a regimen of detailed and expensive maintenance. If you like the 280 and ypu dont have the budget to maintain BIIIs, look at the 300 Sundancer with inboards and fresh water cooling.
Just for clarification, the 2002-2007 300DA was only available in stern drives. 1998-2002 310DA was available in v-drives.
 

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