Moving up...to what?

Irie308

Well-Known Member
May 28, 2013
2,577
CT
Boat Info
2004 420 DB, GHS Hydraulic Lift
Garmin 8600/Garmin 1222 plus
AB Mares 10 VSX with 30 hp Tohatsu
Engines
Cummins 450C 8.3 L Turbocharged
So we are starting the process of looking to upgrade. We current have a 320 which is up for sale. The reason for the upgrade is that we have 3 kids and we are mostly out of room. The 320 has served us very well for the past 5 seasons as we've had some great long distance trips aboard. We plan on keeping our next vessel for at least the next 5 years and hopefully beyond. We are giving a lot of thought as to how our family dynamic may change over the next 5-10 years and would like to pick our next boat accordingly. Our kids are now 15, 10 and 7. The 10 yo is a girl so sleeping next to her little brother is more and more out of the question. Our 15 yo tends to not want to come with us on much of our trips. According to him he needs his own space. My wife's top requests are a door for the master cabin and a separate shower that doesn't wet the entire head like our existing 320. Besides not breaking the bank my only requirement is that I have to get under a bridge which has a clearance of 19' at high tide and 25' at low tide. I can call for the bridge to be opened but rather not be tied to the bridge operator.

I've zeroed in on the below models and have read up on most of the official forums. We are located in the Northeast and spend 99% of our time on the hook or on a mooring as we rarely take a slip. We currently own our slip which allows for up to a 50'-55' vessel. Each of the below models have their appeal but like I said we would like to hold on to this one for a while and i can foresee our youngest being the only one making trips with us at some point. But from what i'm told they go away but they eventually come back and with friends. Would love to hear some opinions on going big or going too big.

  1. 04-06 420 DA
  2. 04-06 42 SD
  3. 00-02 48 SD
 
I moved from an 06 340 to an 06 44DA (420). Has the door to Master room and separate shower. The separate shower makes a big difference. Hardtop makes a big difference. Diesel power makes a big difference. Extra two feet wide is very nice. Cockpit air - big difference. If you have any specific questions PM me. I still like the Sundancer model but some day may move to Sedan Bridge... Good luck.
IMG_4360 (2).jpg
 
I'd vote for the 420DA. With the hard top I think the 420/440DA is one of the best looking boats around in that size/style.

Though I did watch a late 90's 560DA pull away from a marina this weekend. That was a beauty as well...

I went from a 340 to a 400 this year with three younger kids. The cabin doors and the shower situation are life changing. Life...changing...
 
Do it once Dean - get the 48 - third stateroom a huge plus - I cant imagine the maintenance costs are much different on the three you listed....
 
Do it once Dean, and become very friendly with the bridge operator (heehee) a 420 DA will become tight as well soon with 3 kids.
Go as big as you can. Good luck pal.
 
The only boat on your list that will solve the sleeping issue is the 480DB. The only boat on your list that will have an issue with the bridge is the 480DB. Choose your poison.
 
I bought my 410 in December of 2016 and we were moving up for a lot of the same reasons you are.
My wife insisted on a separate shower, I wanted the privacy door for the master, and with a 16 year old boy and a 19 year old girl we needed the privacy that the sliding door and second head in the aft berth provided for her.
My kids turned 21 & 18 this season and neither one has slept a single night on the boat.
We absolutely love the space and amenities our 410 offers, and still like the idea of the privacy the aft berth and head provide in case another couple travels with us, but factoring kids in to the equation was a waste. We overnight (and love it) more now that they’re both away at College. We’ve spent every weekend since they left late last month on the boat.
When they’re home they want to spend the day on the hook with us and a bunch of their friends, but want to be back at the dock at night so they don’t miss any get together. I’m more like a chauffeur and my wife is a cook, they float around with their friends in blow up toys tied to the back of the boat.
Your kids are younger than mine were when we were boat shopping, but time goes by quickly.
Your 15 year old already probably won’t sleep over too much and in three or four years your daughter won’t either.
If I were you, and had the bridge clearance issue, I would go for the 420/440 Sundancer and let your daughter sleep in the salon when the 15 year old is along for the night sleeping with his little brother. When he is not around give her the aft cabin and the little guy the salon.
Or you can go with the 480 Sundancer and let her and her little brother sleep in separate twin beds in the aft cabin and let the 15 year old sleep in the salon on the very rare occasions he actually goes with you on overnights.
 
We had an 88 390 EC many years go and it was a great boat! many fond memories . Such a great layout. Spend a few bucks and find a quality one and you won't be sorry.
 
So we are starting the process of looking to upgrade. We current have a 320 which is up for sale. The reason for the upgrade is that we have 3 kids and we are mostly out of room. The 320 has served us very well for the past 5 seasons as we've had some great long distance trips aboard. We plan on keeping our next vessel for at least the next 5 years and hopefully beyond. We are giving a lot of thought as to how our family dynamic may change over the next 5-10 years and would like to pick our next boat accordingly. Our kids are now 15, 10 and 7. The 10 yo is a girl so sleeping next to her little brother is more and more out of the question. Our 15 yo tends to not want to come with us on much of our trips. According to him he needs his own space. My wife's top requests are a door for the master cabin and a separate shower that doesn't wet the entire head like our existing 320. Besides not breaking the bank my only requirement is that I have to get under a bridge which has a clearance of 19' at high tide and 25' at low tide. I can call for the bridge to be opened but rather not be tied to the bridge operator.

I've zeroed in on the below models and have read up on most of the official forums. We are located in the Northeast and spend 99% of our time on the hook or on a mooring as we rarely take a slip. We currently own our slip which allows for up to a 50'-55' vessel. Each of the below models have their appeal but like I said we would like to hold on to this one for a while and i can foresee our youngest being the only one making trips with us at some point. But from what i'm told they go away but they eventually come back and with friends. Would love to hear some opinions on going big or going too big.

  1. 04-06 420 DA
  2. 04-06 42 SD
  3. 00-02 48 SD

As of one hour ago we closed on a new to us 2008 470 Sedan Bridge so, our 420 Sedan Bridge is up for sale. Maintained with an open checkbook and truly a "Turn Key" boat. Looking for any reasonable offers. Come look at the boat and if it's not accurately described I will pay for your plane ticket. http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2004-sea-ray-420-sedan-bridge-103330820
 
Our first Sea Ray was a 340 Dancer. Then we went to a 47DB, now on our current boat.

Some people prefer the Dancers, some a flybridge.

If you are looking for space - a Flybridge boat will give you much more usable inside space in my opinion. Having the level with the salon and galley up where you have large windows really opens things up. You can be inside, yet feel like your not down inside.

The only Dancer that truly allows you to be inside and still have the above water view is the 60 Dancer.

I would say look at what your time on the boat looks like. If you do mainly day cruising with a few trips wiht acouple of nights - you may prefer the Dancer style. For us we were spending 9-11 days at a time on the boat, we wanted the space.

Have you climbed around on a 44DB or larger? If not you owe it to yourself to get on a couple and evaluate.

Regarding bridges - if you have fixed height, non opening bridges then that is definitely a strike against a flybridge.

Opening and going through bridges is not that big a deal where we boat.
 
As of one hour ago we closed on a new to us 2008 470 Sedan Bridge so, our 420 Sedan Bridge is up for sale. Maintained with an open checkbook and truly a "Turn Key" boat. Looking for any reasonable offers. Come look at the boat and if it's not accurately described I will pay for your plane ticket. http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2004-sea-ray-420-sedan-bridge-103330820
Hey Keith,
Congratulations!
Were getting close on a 450 DA. Look to get set up in Ft Myers around November. If your in the area sometime give us a call.
Best of luck with your new 470!
Bob
 
As of one hour ago we closed on a new to us 2008 470 Sedan Bridge so, our 420 Sedan Bridge is up for sale. Maintained with an open checkbook and truly a "Turn Key" boat. Looking for any reasonable offers. Come look at the boat and if it's not accurately described I will pay for your plane ticket. http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2004-sea-ray-420-sedan-bridge-103330820
Those are probably the most impressive pics I have seen... and I have only view several million "for sale" pics. did you take those or were they professionally done? either way, very nice BT ad, and very nice looking 420
 
Dean,
As Joe said, go as big as you can. I think a sedan would suit you guys very well. You like to travel and have no problem spending time on the boat. If you have a rainy day you can still enjoy your time aboard a Sedan Bridge without dealing with wet canvas. If you make the experience better with more space you may be surprised that the kids will want to be there with you regardless of the age. At least that is how I am justifying it to myself as we are looking Sedans bridges.
 
We went from a 260DA to our 44DB and love it. As Football Fan says above, there is a ton of room. The salon, galley, and bridge are very bright and we love the ability to see out. Even in the winter, the bridge enclosure in the sun heats up nicely on the coldest of days. We love ours!

Bennett
 
Come look at the boat and if it's not accurately described I will pay for your plane ticket. http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2004-sea-ray-420-sedan-bridge-103330820

Great boat and I really like your offer of paying airfare if not as described. Gives buyers huge confidence in the accuracy of your description. I flew from Dallas to Montreal to do a final inspection of a car I had contracted to buy just to find out that the sellers description of 'pristine' and mine must of come from 2 different dictionaries. I was out a grand for the trip but it was worth it to not get something I didn't love.

Good luck.
 
I bought my 410 in December of 2016 and we were moving up for a lot of the same reasons you are.
My wife insisted on a separate shower, I wanted the privacy door for the master, and with a 16 year old boy and a 19 year old girl we needed the privacy that the sliding door and second head in the aft berth provided for her.
My kids turned 21 & 18 this season and neither one has slept a single night on the boat.
We absolutely love the space and amenities our 410 offers, and still like the idea of the privacy the aft berth and head provide in case another couple travels with us, but factoring kids in to the equation was a waste. We overnight (and love it) more now that they’re both away at College. We’ve spent every weekend since they left late last month on the boat.
When they’re home they want to spend the day on the hook with us and a bunch of their friends, but want to be back at the dock at night so they don’t miss any get together. I’m more like a chauffeur and my wife is a cook, they float around with their friends in blow up toys tied to the back of the boat.
Your kids are younger than mine were when we were boat shopping, but time goes by quickly.
Your 15 year old already probably won’t sleep over too much and in three or four years your daughter won’t either.
If I were you, and had the bridge clearance issue, I would go for the 420/440 Sundancer and let your daughter sleep in the salon when the 15 year old is along for the night sleeping with his little brother. When he is not around give her the aft cabin and the little guy the salon.
Or you can go with the 480 Sundancer and let her and her little brother sleep in separate twin beds in the aft cabin and let the 15 year old sleep in the salon on the very rare occasions he actually goes with you on overnights.
I have the three kids as well. With the 48DA we have 2 kids in the aft cabin and oldest sleeps in the salon which is actually the best berth on the boat! We came from an 04 420 DA and could not do this with the 3 kids. But as you suggest as they get older they run their own agenda!! You can probably find a nice 06 48da close to $ 340k if you can swing it.
 
If you're into some light DIY work the aft-cabin on the DA's are pretty well suited for fabbing up your own bunk for that third kid. I did it on my 340, worked like a charm. I'll be doing it again this winter on my 400. It's a great option to keep all three kids in the same room...
 
How do you think your use of the boat will change with more room/comfort and having more size/range that the larger diesel boats will give you? If your going to go on longer trips the bridge clearance becomes less important since you will cross it fewer times but the added storage and room of the sedan bridge is VERY nice to have.

The other question is if you had three staterooms in the 480DB, would your kids be more likely to bring friends and therefore be more likely to join you?

We LOVE or 44DA, but after spending as much time on her as we did this summer, and wanting to do at least as much or more next year, then add the extra of bringing it south for the winter we really want the storage, comfort and view (both from the main salon and the bridge) we are very actively searching for our next boat. We also want a third stateroom to have the option of friends and my parents along for overnight trips. Were not sure what direction we are headed in yet but the 03 and up 48/50/52/520 DB is most definitely on our list, as is offerings from a few other brands.
 

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