Spied: 400 Fly

From the official pics, the safety rails are really the backrest of the seating arrangement. It's not an issue in an enclosed bridge vessels, but a safety concern on the FLY models. I thought the boat had a real hardtop, but apparently it has the sliding soft top roof. Thus, looking at the official pics, my opinion remains the same.
 
Looking at an enlarged and cropped version of the fly bridge area of that boat I see a couple of things I do not, like about it. Look at the area about the part of the bridge that is aft of the ladder and has a railing around it. Look at the level of the floor. Then look at the height of the bench seat above that floor. Is it my imagination or is the seat very low to the floor?

Also, imagine having kids on the bridge. They are going to want to sit on the bench seat, but look at how low the back of the seat is. It barely comes to the mid point of that lady's back. Now imagine kids kneeling on the bench seat and turning around to look at the wake. Ooops, another kid in the drink. The seat back on the helm seat appears to be several inches taller and it hits that lady around her arm pits.

400 fly bridge.jpg

Someone asked who we thought the SR designers were trying to attract with this design. I think what they were trying to do was make a boat that appeals to everyone. IMHO this has been happening across the various boat lines. Interior colors are becoming darker, corners no longer are rounded and appealing to the eye. The interiors are not soft anymore. They're harsh, cold and unappealing.

Even the hulls are changing. They have a more rounded bow entry which gives more room inside but makes the boat less suitable for rough water. That rounded entry is more likely to pound when the waves pick up, and its going to provide a wet ride.

Now before Randy and some of the other SR corporate people think that I'm SR bashing, let me say that I love my SR. It's my third and I don't see myself buying anything else.
 
mistercomputerman said:
That might keep a fella from falling head over heels onto the dock and busting up his elbow, thereby eliminating multiple trips to the Mayo Clinic.
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Good thing that's never happened to anyone here...
 
SkiPharmer said:
Am I the only one that thinks this hardtop makes the boat look ugly as hell?!?! and I like my lay out (cabin and cockpit) better on my 1995 330 DA then the new 400 Sundancer....its a Shadedancer, not a SUNdancer....there is no outdoor space. Just my thought...
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I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks they look bad. I was at the show last week and was very unhappy at the new sea rays. I think it was the 40 had a grill off the back. Just waiting for the salt spray to eat it alive.
 
Just keep it in fresh water!
 
Grandma used to say: "If you don't have anything nice to say, come and sit here right next to me"...

Coming Grandma!
 
Has anyone ever noticed that 99% of fly bridge owners have a complete enclosure built for the bridge, but every boat manufacturer ignores this fact when they design their promotional materials? I'm not saying that 400 is inherently unattractive, but close your eyes and imagine that thing with a full bridge enclosure. It's going to take one fantastically gifted craftsman to enclose that bridge without making the entire boat look like a floating Lego.
 
IMO most sedan owners have an enclosure built but it's not a solid enclosure. It's made up of windows that are removable. My front windows and the forward windows on both sides stay in all year. The rest of them come out and are only installed in the winter months.

Sorry SR, but there's not much I like about that 400 Fly.
 
Some of the features described were done to maximize the interior space. This is what the other manufacturers are doing as well on this Dancer/Coupe style line. That is why the interior cabin appears spacious, even though the beam is only 13-6.

The boat is more about the interior and less about the exterior, but as SR has posted before they have their traditional Dancer boats for sun worshipers.

I have a bandage across the back of my neck, from my latest skin cancer surgery on Tues due to having too much fun in the sun. Being a pale Scottish white guy doesn’t help matters. I still say many people in their 50-60’s do want more coverage, especially for people who are boating in the sun belt, year round.

Personally, I think it is a sharp looking boat.
 
Can't really compare it to the older 400 DB's, It's a different kind of boat. Its just a 400DA that they added an upstairs addition to. They put a ladder on the back to get up there. If it wasn't for leaving the Sundancers helm in place, I'd say it's more of a day boat than the old 400. The wide open (although not very warm) spaces will entertain better than the older boat.
 
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Alex F said:
Maybe it's just me, but I think the netting (especially extra hight supporting tubes) just "killed" the boat's look. My friend had the netting on his sail boat and it looked ok. But this just doesn't look right.
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boltman said:
The bow railing looks like jail rails , don't like it at all .


Boltman
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You guys are joking, right? As mentioned several times...this is an in-production boat and the netting is an OSHA requirement. The retail version won't have the the netting on the rail.
 
Nope nope I ain't buying it , Obamas gunna make us keep the netting up there on the bow rails to keep the cost of Obama care down !!! I juss knows it, y'all have no idea !!


Boltman
 
I'm pretty sure that this boat is not finished. The bridge in particular is not finished. It is too early to judge the safety features. I agree that the hard top is unappealing (looks very after market) but maybe it will look better when the railings and seating are installed
 
Skunkman, go back and take a look at the photo I posted in #23. It is from the SR website and shows the completed boat.
 
For what it's worth, I just spent some time crawling around the 400 Fly (soft top) at the NY Boat Show and I must say Sea Ray did a very good job with this boat in that it absolutely belies its size with a very effective layout and use of space. It's a BIG 40 and, quite frankly, bridge aside, felt larger than the new, larger DA I spent a few days on last summer. My one standout issue was with the slope of the steps to the bridge - it's almost a ladder and it felt more natural to descend backwards - an understandable compromise for what is gained. It would seem that there is most certainly a market for this boat.

Whether or not the particulars of the design work for you, it's nice a nice trend to see Sea Ray focusing on. I spent a good deal of time with Tim Sheik who spoke passionately about the high level of attention maximizing space is getting in the design process these days. It really shows in the 400 Fly.

Derailing my own thread but on the topic of design innovation, I recently read the P&MY write-up on the new Tiara Q44 and was pleased to be able to hop on board the one at the show. Yes, it's an $800K day boat and most certainly not for everyone, but for its purpose in its class, it's super-cool. If you appreciate smart design and are going to the show try to take a look. It's also on Boattest.
 
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