Searay 240 Sundancer or Chaparral Signature 240 - Pros/Cons

Hi all!

I am new to boating and starting to do some research on a good family cruising boat. I have a pier with access to 4 ft of water and will probably be installing a boat lift. Lots of intercoastal waterways where I live. Later on, I might want to tow it to a lake for tubing/wakeboarding/swimming.

I am thinking possibly a pre-owned Searay 240/260 SD or Chaparral Sig 240/260. Willing to spend 20-30k. Any pros/cons to each?

I have read that some think the SR 240 can be a bit tippy (or unstable) in choppy waters but I have also heard that Searays have very good re-sale value. Any thoughts?

Thanks and Happy Boating!

a320

a320driver said:

Hi all!

I am new to boating and starting to do some research on a good family cruising boat. I have a pier with access to 4 ft of water and will probably be installing a boat lift. Lots of intercoastal waterways where I live. Later on, I might want to tow it to a lake for tubing/wakeboarding/swimming.

I am thinking possibly a pre-owned Searay 240/260 SD or Chaparral Sig 240/260. Willing to spend 20-30k. Any pros/cons to each?

I have read that some think the SR 240 can be a bit tippy (or unstable) in choppy waters but I have also heard that Searays have very good re-sale value. Any thoughts?

Thanks and Happy Boating!

a320

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a320driver said:

Hi all!

I am new to boating and starting to do some research on a good family cruising boat. I have a pier with access to 4 ft of water and will probably be installing a boat lift. Lots of intercoastal waterways where I live. Later on, I might want to tow it to a lake for tubing/wakeboarding/swimming.

I am thinking possibly a pre-owned Searay 240/260 SD or Chaparral Sig 240/260. Willing to spend 20-30k. Any pros/cons to each?

I have read that some think the SR 240 can be a bit tippy (or unstable) in choppy waters but I have also heard that Searays have very good re-sale value. Any thoughts?

Thanks and Happy Boating!

a320

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uh, you are on a Sea Ray forum.....we all chose Sea Ray over other boats in the same general size and cost....so I am betting you won't get a lot (if any) replies stating another brand of boat is superior to Sea Ray in the same general size and price range....

cliff

I looked closely at both Chap and Sea Ray before I made my final decision. My original intention was to purchase new, but I ended up with used. One of the big attractions that led me to the used boat was I found a dealer that offered a "certified used boat" program, which essentially gave me a new boat warranty for the first year. I've only had a couple of very, very minor issues, but the dealer took care of them quickly and at no cost to me.

I always say, pick the dealer first, than pick the boat. Chap and Sea Ray are comparable and you'll probably be fine with either one, so figure out which dealer you want to establish a relationship with because you will most likely use that dealer for service, etc.

Go with the Sea Ray. Nicer fit & finish overall, resale value is higher, and in my opinion they just have nicer lines and hold up better over time.

As stated above, this is a Sea Ray forum. You're going to get advice from people who at one time owned a Chaparral and traded it for a Sea Ray or those that would have never purchased a Chap in the first place. Probably not going to get an unbiased opinion.

When looking 4 years ago, we looked at Montery, Crownline, Chaparral, and SR. I looked, learned, and asked questions for a full year before making up my mind. There is no question that the finish, materials, and workmanship on a SR are heads above the rest we looked at. The other major difference was the resale. I would hands down buy the same boat all over again.

Bennett

a320driver said:

Hi all!

I am new to boating and starting to do some research on a good family cruising boat. I have a pier with access to 4 ft of water and will probably be installing a boat lift. Lots of intercoastal waterways where I live. Later on, I might want to tow it to a lake for tubing/wakeboarding/swimming.

I am thinking possibly a pre-owned Searay 240/260 SD or Chaparral Sig 240/260. Willing to spend 20-30k. Any pros/cons to each?

I have read that some think the SR 240 can be a bit tippy (or unstable) in choppy waters but I have also heard that Searays have very good re-sale value. Any thoughts?

Thanks and Happy Boating!

a320

Click to expand...

I'd say that SeaRay and Chaparral are fairly comparable, both good, and a step above most of the others... Bayliner, Maxim, Four Winns, Montery, Crownline and a few others.

The best is a Formula, but you'll pay for it.

Engines are basically all the same, but I could argue that the Mercruiser is MUCH easier to own and operate, and a lot cheaper. I've had three Volvos, and won't buy another. Merc tech support is great, Volvo is non existent. Good Merc mechanics are all over the place but Volvo are scarce. (My area in west Florida, yours could be different).

As for the Boat, both SeaRay and Chap are very user friendly and helpful companies. Chap is MUCH smaller, but really has quality support, and perhaps a tad better. I did some serious looking at a 310 Chap and the factory support was outstanding just in the shopping time frame. The only reason I didn't buy it was the damn Volvo engines. That boat is still on my list of a real nice boat and in "that" size, beats the 310 SeaRay all to pieces.

As for the smaller boats, I'd argue to consider a bit bigger if you can handle it. The 260 is probably find for two, economical cruising and overnites. I had a 270 Sundancer which was great for two, economical, but didn't have a genny. With a genny, that would have been a keeper. I like my 280 a bit better, and really not much more costly to operate, even with two engines.

The finish and attention to detail is quite good on both boats, sometime Chap has a better idea and sometimes SeaRay does. I really like the individual switches and electrical on the Chap boats, as opposed to some of the SeaRays that came with switch pads.

As for handling, the SeaRay handles just great, and I've got a lot of time on them from the 24 to the 45 Dancers. As for parts on the used market and overall support, there's probably a lot more SeaRay stuff out there. The Sundancer is probably the most produced boat in the world. Heck, on my block we has 3 270s and a 280, before I got mine. And across the way there was a 310, 290 and a few more. They are VERY popular.

Now, one more thought... what is your mission? Think of what you will be doing and aim for the boat the fills the need. If you never stay overnight, you don't need a cabin. If you get out in the ocean, you need a bigger ocean going boat, if you boat in a lot of shallow water, IOs or Outboards make sense. If you haul a LOT of people, you need space for them.

Food for thought.

Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I understand that this is a sea ray website - better place to find out why I should want a SR more than a Chap!

I have just started researching and will be for awhile.

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm in the exact same camp! Looking at both a Sea Ray and Chaparral 240 for family and friend use. I'm new to boating as well, and have done a lot of reading and have narrowed it down to these two in the same price range. The selection here on the West Coast isn't as good as the east, so being patient will be key. I really like the cabin layout of the pre 2006 SR 240's and am hoping to find one of those in good condition.

Welcome to CSR, don't forget about having an East coast boat shipped West. I would also think about lake boats from up north as well.

Boater420 said:

Welcome to CSR, don't forget about having an East coast boat shipped West. I would also think about lake boats from up north as well.

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Thanks for the suggeston. There are a lot of boats on the east, but shipping seems to be over $3K. I have been using boat trader and expand my search to Nevada, Oregon, etc. I know it could be purchased using pictures, video and a good survey, but buying something like this sight unseen seems weird. What has been the experience of other's doing this? Like I said in my first post, I have been doing a lot of research and still have a lot of questions. The whole process makes buying a new car seem easy.

Jgara962 said:

Thanks for the suggeston. There are a lot of boats on the east, but shipping seems to be over $3K. I have been using boat trader and expand my search to Nevada, Oregon, etc. I know it could be purchased using pictures, video and a good survey, but buying something like this sight unseen seems weird. What has been the experience of other's doing this? Like I said in my first post, I have been doing a lot of research and still have a lot of questions. The whole process makes buying a new car seem easy.

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Do not do site unseen -- ever! Survey and sea trial are a must. Narrow them down to same geographic area to minimize your trips/travel.....