About to buy a 2020 Sea Ray 19SPX...am I making a mistake?

Docmaster1

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May 3, 2020
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Hello all,

I would like to tap into your amazing forum and ask for advise and feedback on my current situation. I have read several thread on here and have learned a lot but I do have some more specific questions for my current situation.

We live on lake Minnetonka in Minnesota (by “on” I mean across the street with NO slip). We have been talking about buying a boat for at least 5 years now and this year is the year! Our boat type we plan on buying is an open bow between 20-25 feet wide. We have 6 people total, so 2 adults and 4 kids. We plan on boating primarily on Minnetonka On the weekends.

We started out planning on spending 10k cash sale for a relatively older boat with 400 or so hours. Then we thought we could spend maybe $20-$25k on a “not so used” boat, Then we stopped into Marine Max and the salesmen showed us a brand new 2020 Sea Ray 19SPX that was on their lot. the boat comes with a warranty, 3 years on the motor and 5 on everything else. The MSRP is just under $48,000, it actually comes with quite a bit of upgrades. The dealer offered us about $8,000 off the sales price and told us Sea Ray usually never offers incentives off boats during the spring or the beginning of the season on new models. Included in the price is all the lines, bumpers, life jackets, etc, etc.

I have read on this forum that smaller boats have less margin and usually a larger group of potential buyers, and therefore won’t always come with deep discounts.

As mentioned I have read it’s pretty common to get discounts but is the discount being offered (about 16% off MSRP) sufficient?

Should we expect more? Is the issues going on making it less or more likely that we would get a “good deal”.

Also I have read that you should try to do business with the dealers in your area where you plan on having maintenance and work done on your boat. So we want to (maybe too eagerly!) to do business with our local MM.

Any advise or info would be gladly appreciated. Thank you!

Dave
 
16% off msrp on an entry level priced model is very fair, and it included all necessary safety equipment? That isn’t bad at all.
Check the warranty, it should be 5 years on everything.
Peace of mind with a warranty on a major brand from a local dealer, that makes jumping in to boating much easier.
Marine Max (some locations) have a less than stellar reputation, so make them document everything very clearly in writing, do a complete sea trial and inspection before payment in full, keeps them honest and motivated.
 
Hello Paul

Thank you for the reply! Yes the boat does come with fire extinguishers mounted in the boat and I think one other “thing” related to fire suppression, but I can’t remember what he said. And all the life jackets and other safety things.

I will double check on the warranty and ask for clarification as I thought he said the motor had less coverage than the boat, but I could be totally mistaken. And I totally agree the warranty on a boat is what pushed us towards the new boat idea. We sort of weighed the options of spending $25,000 or more and having a 5-10 year old boat that would be a potential money pit, not to mention buying from a private party and all. How do you even check a boat out!

And great advise on having everything in writing, I will most definitely make sure to do that. Marine Max offers a “orientation” for all new boat purchases but I think they is after the purchase so I will explore the idea of doing a sea trial too.

One thing that surprised me is we originally wanted a larger boat 20-25 foot long, but once we actually got into a boat we felt the 19’ boat was just fine for us! So I think there is something to be said about actually getting out in the water or in the boat itself.

Thank you again for you reply and info!

Dave
 
I have a 2016 19 SPX OB and it will plenty large enough for 6 people. The abundance of seating is what drove us to buy the boat. When I bought mine in 2016 I paid $34k with a Raymarine GPS, sea deck on the swim platform, and stainless hardware package as options. I think MSRP was about $40k at the time so that is right in the same ballpark. It has been a great boat for my family for water sports and checking out new areas. We pull a big mable with 3 kids on it and 5 of us still in the boat no problem.
 
Just looked it up. The Sea Ray Surpa5s warranty is 5 years bow to stern including the motor, that is still the warranty offer. That is the same warranty coverage I received on mine when I built it in 2018.
Mercury provides the first 3 years coverage which is platinum warranty, then Sea Ray adds the last 2 years which is gold coverage for the engine and drive. Make them clarify that to you, but I am certain.
 
I have a 2016 19 SPX OB and it will plenty large enough for 6 people. The abundance of seating is what drove us to buy the boat. When I bought mine in 2016 I paid $34k with a Raymarine GPS, sea deck on the swim platform, and stainless hardware package as options. I think MSRP was about $40k at the time so that is right in the same ballpark. It has been a great boat for my family for water sports and checking out new areas. We pull a big mable with 3 kids on it and 5 of us still in the boat no problem.


Hello Jeremy

Thank you for the reply. Yes the seating is really well thought out! It was really surprising when we actually sat down in the boat how much room we had. Good to hear about the the discount. I am glad to hear that the pricing about right. Hopefully by the end of the week we will have it in hand, I know the wife is really looking forward to it. She’s waited quite some time for it!
 
Just looked it up. The Sea Ray Surpa5s warranty is 5 years bow to stern including the motor, that is still the warranty offer. That is the same warranty coverage I received on mine when I built it in 2018.
Mercury provides the first 3 years coverage which is platinum warranty, then Sea Ray adds the last 2 years which is gold coverage for the engine and drive. Make them clarify that to you, but I am certain.

thank you for that. I will make sure to check with them tomorrow. I also asked my wife what she remembered and she also said the sales rep mentioned the warranty being split up 3-5. So I will for sure make sure they clarify that.

Thank you for the follow up.

Dave
 
What engine set up? I/O or OB and what HP? I’ve purchased several new SR’s from 2 different Marine Max’s and had very positive experiences each time. Price sounds good if the boat has many of the popular options. I love my 19SPX. Lots of fun. Good luck!
 
What engine set up? I/O or OB and what HP? I’ve purchased several new SR’s from 2 different Marine Max’s and had very positive experiences each time. Price sounds good if the boat has many of the popular options. I love my 19SPX. Lots of fun. Good luck!

hello sir,

the boat comes with the 4.5 200hp inboard engine. I believe that is “standard” inboard engine, with NO charge.

For add ons The boat does have several of the popular upgrades. It comes with all the canvas tops and travel covers as well as the Bimini top. It has the “appearance packages” which I believe is led lights and little visual touches and add on. The hull is fully painted (top and bottom) with graphics, It has the infinity flooring throughout and also the seadeck Matt on the swim platform along with the stainless steel upgrades for the handles and what not. Then there is the radio upgrade with extra speakers, along with the depth finder and battery off switch.

I added up the “optional equipment” on the sea ray site and it came out to like 9,000 dollars total. So basically the dealer is giving me all the upgrades for free with the discounts. I will say we walked into this not thinking we were going to buy new, so if I could do this over I would order the boat from sea ray exactly how I wanted. For example my wife and I really wanted two captains chairs in the front. Also I would have went with the larger trailer, Dual axles. I don’t know the single just looks cheesy compared to the dual axle 5,000 pound trailer. But the dealer said we would be lucky to even get it this year with the sea ray closure. They did have a 21 foot that had two captains and a little more room. But I told my wife we can’t go crazy as we already are spending more than we wanted. Although the way the loans work we can get a longer term and lower rate with the higher amount loan (21 footer). So in the end the payment wouldn’t be much more than we are already looking at. But I think for the first one we will just stick with the 19spx.

thanks for the reply!

Dave C
 
That sounds really nice. Also welcome to CSR! If you haven't already done so, check out this thread as well.
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/official-19spx-21spx-spx190-spx210-thread.81557/
Again, good luck with your purchase and be sure to post lots of pics. Brian


Hello Brian

thanks for the kind words! And thanks for the link. I spent some time this morning ready through that thread and will most definitely continue reading it later! It has a ton of good info about the quirks and features of the 19SPX. for example many people mentioned upgrading the prop from 3 blade to 4 blade. Also some other stuff too. I will post pictures once I get it!

Dave C
 
hello sir,

the boat comes with the 4.5 200hp inboard engine. I believe that is “standard” inboard engine, with NO charge.

For add ons The boat does have several of the popular upgrades. It comes with all the canvas tops and travel covers as well as the Bimini top. It has the “appearance packages” which I believe is led lights and little visual touches and add on. The hull is fully painted (top and bottom) with graphics, It has the infinity flooring throughout and also the seadeck Matt on the swim platform along with the stainless steel upgrades for the handles and what not. Then there is the radio upgrade with extra speakers, along with the depth finder and battery off switch.

I added up the “optional equipment” on the sea ray site and it came out to like 9,000 dollars total. So basically the dealer is giving me all the upgrades for free with the discounts. I will say we walked into this not thinking we were going to buy new, so if I could do this over I would order the boat from sea ray exactly how I wanted. For example my wife and I really wanted two captains chairs in the front. Also I would have went with the larger trailer, Dual axles. I don’t know the single just looks cheesy compared to the dual axle 5,000 pound trailer. But the dealer said we would be lucky to even get it this year with the sea ray closure. They did have a 21 foot that had two captains and a little more room. But I told my wife we can’t go crazy as we already are spending more than we wanted. Although the way the loans work we can get a longer term and lower rate with the higher amount loan (21 footer). So in the end the payment wouldn’t be much more than we are already looking at. But I think for the first one we will just stick with the 19spx.

thanks for the reply!

Dave C

This sounds like in some part of your mind you are considering the bigger boat.

If the interest rates are better and the actual payment isn’t much more, and it has the Captain seats that you want, maybe even the tandem axle trailer.......maybe you should consider the bigger boat.

Did you sea trial the 19 with 6 passengers? Does it perform up to your expectations?

2 final thoughts:

1. People regret buying a boat because it’s too small, not because it’s too big.

2. Buy your second boat first.
 
Hello

thank you for the great insight! We haven’t done the sea trial yet. But I will most definitely be doing it. We stopped by and put a deposit on the boat Sunday afternoon and are waiting for all the final numbers from our credit union before we go back and finalize the sale. But given some of the advise I received last night and today we will be going back and doing a sea trial and asking some follow up questions.

Originally we wanted a larger boat (20-24 footer) but once we got in the 19’ it seemed to work for us. Funny enough the sales rep actually steered us towards the smaller boat and advised if it works and you get everything you need, stick with it. I think I am hesitate to go larger because originally we wanted to buy a used boat with no payments, then it went up to small payment (financing maybe 10,000). And now we are financing just under 30,000! So I feel a little nervous about it. I mean not really the financing part of it, but just that we went from buying cheap used to buying new! I don’t even buy new cars! Although your advise on the buying too big of a boat is well taken! I think what I will do is take the 19’ for a sea trial and see what I think. Then take the 21’ out and see what we think.

thanks again! More info to come.

Dave C
 
I think you're nuts buying a brand new I/O powered boat - In 1yr you're lucky if its worth 30k let alone what you put down - your original plan was the right one - slow down and think about this, that boat is not going anywhere - in your own words you are spending more than you wanted to. It won't be fun making boat payments during your long winters....
 
I think you're nuts buying a brand new I/O powered boat - In 1yr you're lucky if its worth 30k let alone what you put down - your original plan was the right one - slow down and think about this, that boat is not going anywhere - in your own words you are spending more than you wanted to. It won't be fun making boat payments during your long winters....

I tend to agree. Especially where you are at. These boats sit up all winter and even in the summer months many people do not use them much. I would think you can find a great deal on a very similar sea ray 3-5 years old with very little use on it. Have you looked and compared the used market?
 
I have had a dozen used boats and 4 new ones. Nothing wrong with buying a new one if you are sensible and responsible financially. Warranty and peace of mind are fair trades for the increased price. Does it depreciate, sure, so does your car, tv, computer, lawn mower, patio furniture... Money spent on dinners, beer, wine, vacations, all goes away and never returns. Boats are not investments, the are a tool for creating memories, for relaxation, for adventure. If you are fine making payments in exchange for what you get, and are not boat poor as a result, proceed.
 
I think you're nuts buying a brand new I/O powered boat - In 1yr you're lucky if its worth 30k let alone what you put down - your original plan was the right one - slow down and think about this, that boat is not going anywhere - in your own words you are spending more than you wanted to. It won't be fun making boat payments during your long winters....

hello

thank you for the input. The whole crazy to buy new argument...I mean I get it. I had several friends tell me the same thing, believe me! Then I had a few friends who own new boats ask what took me so long?! And rest assured I have read the “new vs used” threads until my eyes bled! I totally get that it will depreciate, now will it depreciate down to less than what my down payment was? I don’t know, I see used ones for quite a bit less, but not 90% off MSRP.

I think for me the real deal breaker was the warranty and piece if mind. We did the math on a used boat, for say 20 grand. We added in the “typical repair costs” over the course of 5 years or even less and it pretty quickly gets up there. Now I know there are some that will say, “I never had any repairs and I owned my (fill in the blank) for 5 years!” But I am by far the least lucky guy in the world! So I am making that cost out in the estimates!

Also all these estimates are just that, guesses on my part, as I have never actually owned a boat. But even if the “estimated” repair costs don’t fully come to fruition it’s still a lot of money and not all that far off what I would end up spending. One other thing I also took into consideration is Minnesota only has 20 or so weekends a year to play. So the last thing I want to do is get a broken down boat and be out of commission for 4 weeks. Yes I am NOT making payments but still I paid a lot for a boat that I am NOT using. Now the financial thing is a big deal too, but honestly this is money that I would be spending anyways if I wasn’t spending on the boat! So I am not too hung up on the “monthly payment”, now don’t get me wrong I am not some multi millionaire or anything but I am lucky....and I am able to buy a new boat if I want to. So it just is what it is. I have other hobby’s that would make owning boats look like nothing in the realm of “non recuperating costs to me”. Plus no one is mentioning the most important part!! The wife is happy! But in all seriousness the family is really looking forward to this. So it’s worth the cost to me.

again I do appreciate everyone’s posts!

Dave C
 
If you plan on doing a lot of tubing/waterskiing you might want to take a look at the 21. I have found that the rear seats are not very popular because people want to look backwards to watch the skier. That extra seat along the side comes in handy.
 
Buy the bigger 21' boat, you won't be sorry. I love that saying on here...Buy your 2nd boat 1st!"

I got a great deal on a small SD first and thought, ok this is good it can hold 8-10 people comfortably. Which it could sitting at the dock or hanging with other friends rafting up. I could only go out on the days when the water was as smooth as my toilet. Any little 2-3' chop with more than 5 people took me forever to get there and meet with everyone on the leeward side on the island.

I then found a another great deal on a bigger SD and it's a world of difference. I've had 12 people on board and it rarely notices their onboard even in 4-5' chop. The size and extra weight of the bigger boats make a lot of difference and you always seem to start carrying more gear than you thought you would after the first couple trips.
 
Great advise on the 21’ footer guys. I am going to do a sea trial either today or tomorrow on both the 19spx and the 21spx and see what we like. When I stood in the 21 footer the only real difference I noticed was the back sun pad was bigger (and reclined up) and the front bow seemed a little roomier. Also the 21 had two captains. But I wasn’t like “wow this boat is twice the size!” However I also know there is performance difference between the 19 (200 HP) engine and the 21 (250 HP). So we will see. But either way I will be picking up either the 19spx or the 21spx this Sunday morning after it’s been gone through (buffed out and cleaned for us). Pictures will follow!

Dave C
 

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