Which are good options instead of a larger Sea Ray yacht?

I really liked the Riviera 5400 on paper but was slipped next to a brand new 6000 this weekend. I was shocked to see the fiberglass print-thru on the hull, it looked terrible for a $2M yacht...
 
I was considering the Riviera 600 as well for the next boat, love the looks on paper. Haven't seen one in person yet but noted Quality Times comments above. For $2M, you should see no imperfections.
Another contender is the Viking V58.
 
quality time said:
I really liked the Riviera 5400 on paper but was slipped next to a brand new 6000 this weekend. I was shocked to see the fiberglass print-thru on the hull, it looked terrible for a $2M yacht...
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What does fiberglass print thru on the hull mean?
 
JVM225 said:
I get the convenience of the camper backs but just can’t get past the look.
IMHO:My current boat would look terrible with one.
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On long runs in the ocean I roll mine up & put the boot over it. Otherwise for short trips across the bay I just take down the 3 side curtains. But again, take it down, put it up, rinse, repeat.
 
tdschafer said:
On long runs in the ocean I roll mine up & put the boot over it. Otherwise for short trips across the bay I just take down the 3 side curtains. But again, take it down, put it up, rinse, repeat.
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We were anchored in Zach’s Bay all Saturday afternoon and evening during one of the rare times that the wind was out of the east and causing the cockpit to get steady direct hot sunlight all afternoon. Not a good thing for my wife’s very fair skin.
I’ve got to figure something out for those rare times.
 
bmac said:
I'm curious why the change in view on the Marlow's? My wife and I love the new 66ECB.
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We got very close to buying a Marlow, but after reading about multiple lawsuits and owners’ experiences, we decided to pass. I can’t speak to the new 66, but we looked at a lot of used 70s and some 72s. Each one was slightly different as Marlow changed and tweaked almost every new hull. Some run fine, I’m sure, but before you buy, read up on problems with vibration and wet ride, and be sure to Sea trial the exact hull you are buying.
 
JVM225 said:
We were anchored in Zach’s Bay all Saturday afternoon and evening during one of the rare times that the wind was out of the east and causing the cockpit to get steady direct hot sunlight all afternoon. Not a good thing for my wife’s very fair skin.
I’ve got to figure something out for those rare times.
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We use an Anchor Shade (by TaylorMade). I really like the ability to move the shade at any angle since it has 4 tie-down points. Works well to keep me out of the sun when I need to instead of having to stay under the hard top.

https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Made-...8&qid=1536112144&sr=8-3&keywords=anchor+shade
 
We considered that but the center pole would really be in the way in our cockpit. We also spoke to a boater at a transient marina last year who had one setup in his cockpit and he wasn’t happy with the quality of the hardware it came with.
I’ve got rod holders in the back corners of the gunwales.
I’m thinking of getting together with my canvas guy and coming up with something that will attach to the back of my current Bimini with the zippers the slant back cover normally uses in the front, and getting something that would slip in to the rod holders that I can attach the back corners to with some kind of clips.
If I could work it out that way it would be a piece of matching canvas with two poles that would go up or down in under two minutes, be easy to roll up and stow when not in use, and have no poles to step around in the cockpit.
 
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TTop covers makes something like this. 2 stainless steel poles (collapsible?) in the rod holders, canvas attaches to the hard top or arch.
But I think the custom canvas option is a better idea, you would just need to find the poles.
https://www.ttopcovers.com/products/ultimate-boat-shade

DD9C713A-302B-436A-B412-60A750F0363D.jpeg
 
That’s exactly what I want the finished project to look like with using the rod holders.
The only difference is that I want to use the existing zippers on the back of the Bimini (where the drop cover normally attaches) to attach the front of it.
We’ve got a really good local canvas guy and I’m going to talk to him about it over the winter.
The poles will be the biggest challenge. Would be nice to get something ready made, but not worth spending a fortune on them.
Might be able to make something up using something as simple as the right diameter closet rod with eye hooks in the top ends and having adjustable pull straps sewn in to the back corners of the canvas to attach it with.
 
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We have a local canvas shop that makes those tops. A closet rod is no where near strong enough. The unrights have cam cleats at the top where you pull the top tight when you set it up. The rod must be strong enough to stretch the Sunbrella tight enough to shed water and that means very thick wall tubing. Be sitting down when you ask the price of the uprights..........
 
fwebster said:
We have a local canvas shop that makes those tops. A closet rod is no where near strong enough. The unrights have cam cleats at the top where you pull the top tight when you set it up. The rod must be strong enough to stretch the Sunbrella tight enough to shed water and that means very thick wall tubing. Be sitting down when you ask the price of the uprights..........
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Just 1$


(Okay a boat dollar...)
 
I had a custom aft shade made for my 550. The poles were also custom made to get the angle I wanted. Both poles needed to made differently because Sea Ray did not mount the rod holders in exactly the same position/angle on each side. My poles are 1.5” stainless custom welded and they were about $700 from the canvas guy.

Now back to the topic of Sea Ray replacements?


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JVM225 said:
We considered that but the center pole would really be in the way in our cockpit. We also spoke to a boater at a transient marina last year who had one setup in his cockpit and he wasn’t happy with the quality of the hardware it came with.
I’ve got rod holders in the back corners of the gunwales.
I’m thinking of getting together with my canvas guy and coming up with something that will attach to the back of my current Bimini with the zippers the slant back cover normally uses in the front, and getting something that would slip in to the rod holders that I can attach the back corners to with some kind of clips.
If I could work it out that way it would be a piece of matching canvas with two poles that would go up or down in under two minutes, be easy to roll up and stow when not in use, and have no poles to step around in the cockpit.
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It really depends on how you set up the umbrella. Ours is never in the way because we usually balance it to one side of the cockpit or the other. One of our friends uses his rod holders to balance his. Since the sun is rarely coming from directly overhead, the Anchor Shade is nice to be able to move it around at any angle you choose. We have not had issues with the quality of our hardware and we've been using it every summer for at least 4 years now.
 
A friend has suggested that we consider other brands that might not be as fast as a Sundancer but would have longer range capabilities. Our biggest problem is that those boats generally have older, more traditional designs and we prefer something more contemporary/modern. We are also not quite ready to be cruising around at 8 knots (though 18-20 knots would not be the end of the world). At this point we're very open to considering all reasonable options and brands. The Seattle Boats Afloat show takes place next week so we'll be checking out what else might be of interest when we're there. Shopping for boats is exhausting but so much fun! Once we find our new boat I think I'll miss the search!
 
dcwjd said:
Maritimo X60 looks like a nice boat
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Oh wow!! I've never seen that boat! I'm guessing the price tag will be comparable to a Princess or Tiara, right? Has anyone heard any numbers on that yet?
 
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