I must be getting too darned old.....

Woody said:
That boat was made in Sturgeon Bay, WI.
Click to expand...
Woody, are you bragging or complaining?

"not a bad place to be."
I agree. I'm kinda liking being considered an old classic.

" Instead I saved $500k and bought an awesome 1999 480 sedan bridge"
I'm in that same boat (OK, that was a VERY bad pun!). Our boat cost me about 10% of what a new model would cost. I'll take a 90% discount on stuff any day of the week.

"Having spent some time on two L650Flys, I'll have to disagree. The interiors are beautiful. And GFC - I'm your age."
Sorry Carter, but you're not allowed to disagree!:smt021 Just kidding. IMO, that interior just does not look like it is a boat. It looks like it came from Home Depot. As I look at it, there are two steps in the salon but no handholds anywhere. That is a poor design and just invites someone to fall and injure themselves. There are no rounded corners, nothing soft to lean against in a heavy chop. It just doesn't look like it was designed by a boater who actually goes out on a boat.

"It is difficult for me to call another mans pride & joy "ugly" or any of the other words used in recent threads on this topic. "
Oh, I'm not a bit bashful about calling something like that ugly. You guys know I'm not a bit hesitant to speak my mind about stuff. That boat which, by the way, is a Palmer Johnson, reminds me of a GFBL boat--it screams "Look at me", but is basically a non-functional design IMO. How would you raft up to it, or take it to a dock? Where would you hang the fenders? Where is the anchor? Where do you hook up your dock lines and how would you get to them to hook them up?

Granted, we all have our opinions about what looks good and what doesn't and I do respect your opinions. Even those jerks who disagree with me. Just kidding again. I'm actually enjoying reading the opinions that don't agree with mine. It's nice to see people speak out for or against what they believe.

Thanks, and keep the comments coming. Even the stoopid ones! :huh:
 
P.S. Shawn, congrats on the retirement! You're gonna be busier now than you ever were when you were working, but you'll enjoy it a lot more!
 
I'm not sure age is the deciding or defining factor. If "classic" lines are in demand....that is what manufacturers build. Hinckley makes a gorgeous picnic boat that continues to sell well. Same said for a lot of trawler manufacturers.

Those manufacturers cater to a market that demands classic lines and modern convenience. Sea Ray buyers are harder to sort out because they cover a broader spectrum of buyers. I believe Sea Ray has struggled with their designs, lines and appointments. I think the interiors of the new Sea Rays are functional, beautiful and well made. Gone are the mad interior color schemes of the 1980s and 1990s. Nobody should miss them.

The Sea Ray exterior is a modern design and has been so since the mid-90s when they flipped the arch around and added swooping lines to the look. The down side of chasing modern design is that you are always tweaking it so that it looks "new and different". I like the new look but I wonder where it will be 10-15 years from now. Classic lines stand the test of time and are iconic.

Modern designs seem to suffer more over time. Car manufacturers for example chased modern design for years until every new car looked like a jellybean with tires. Now, the US manufacturers are bringing back the styling lines of the 60s and 70s because that is what sells.
 
Interesting thread...

First, I like the yacht....It has cool lines and I'd bet the tri-hull design helps with speed and efficiency. Expect to see more of these and foils on sailboats....Times are changing and for the better when it comes to efficiency and speed...Now, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I respect your position... FYI - I saw that down in Saint Martin over the winter...pretty cool.

Now for the razor....I don't think I'll be buying one anytime soon...But, if you have FU money and you want one, who cares? I know many billionaires that wouldn't think twice about getting it. So...I'm not their demographic, but I like when billionaires spend...Believe it or not, it keeps the economy going.
 
Gofirstclass said:
Oh, I'm not a bit bashful about calling something like that ugly. You guys know I'm not a bit hesitant to speak my mind about stuff. That boat which, by the way, is a Palmer Johnson, reminds me of a GFBL boat--it screams "Look at me", but is basically a non-functional design IMO. How would you raft up to it, or take it to a dock? Where would you hang the fenders? Where is the anchor? Where do you hook up your dock lines and how would you get to them to hook them up?

Granted, we all have our opinions about what looks good and what doesn't and I do respect your opinions. Even those jerks who disagree with me. Just kidding again. I'm actually enjoying reading the opinions that don't agree with mine. It's nice to see people speak out for or against what they believe.

Thanks, and keep the comments coming. Even the stoopid ones! :huh:
Click to expand...

I don't know what a GFBL boat is, but I like looking at it. As far as it being non functional, I'll bet it functions just fine. I'm guessing the questions about rafting up, fenders & the like were humorous.?.?
 
mwph, a GFBL is a "Go Fast, Be Loud" boat that IMO is most suitable for running up and down the water at high speed and high volume. They scream "WOW, look at me!" Most people I know don't think much of them, but there is one in our club. It'll run 70 mph, you can hear him coming a mile away and the owner/skipper is usually HBD* when he's at the helm. He's offered me a ride a couple of times but I've conveniently always had something else I had to take care of.

No, those comments about functionality were not humorous. I don't see any cleats, or places to hang fenders, no anchor, no places to attach dock lines, etc. I guess if you didn't want to do those things (raft up, anchor out, tie to docks) then the boat would be fine. I guess it boils down to what you intend to do with the boat once you own it.

I know we all have our preferences in what a boat should look like and how functional it should be. If I had the money to plunk down to buy that Palmer Johnson boat (I don't, just in case you were wondering), I'd plunk it down on something that looked more like this.....
OA72-271.jpg

Now THAT is my idea of what a boat should look like. Lots of room, a nice interior that makes you feel like you're aboard a boat, comfortable in any sea, take you anywhere you want to go and look classy doing it.

*HBD=that's cop lingo for Has Been Drinking.
 
Id bet the anchors stow under the lip of the fore deck... as for fenders .. they'd have to be the size of a pinto station wagon to function
I coundn't raft to that.my 340 is probably smaller than it's tender
 
I guess after they spent a gazillion dollars building a non functional boat they forgot dock lines and an anchor. Raft up? Really?

I am not a life long boater You have probably driven more boats than I have stood on. Obviously I'm in over my head on this subject, so I'll bow out of the conversation.
 
sfergson727 said:
I agree on all points. Sea Ray lost me in 2008 when they started making some pretty ugly designs. Bring back the boats that look like boats.
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The market for older (2002-2008) sea rays is Gerri g strong where I am.
 
http://i.imgur.com/udI7SNZ.png

Everyone can have a personal opinion. I don't understand why one person's opinion should dictate what is available for someone else.

There is a reason Sea Ray doesn't make boats that look like they did in the early 90's. It is a response to the current market demands. The people who are buying the new boats are the market. If you aren't buying the new boats then you aren't the Sea Ray target market.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Big Island Lifer said:
http://i.imgur.com/udI7SNZ.png

Everyone can have a personal opinion. I don't understand why one person's opinion should dictate what is available for someone else.

There is a reason Sea Ray doesn't make boats that look like they did in the early 90's. It is a response to the current market demands. The people who are buying the new boats are the market. If you aren't buying the new boats then you aren't the Sea Ray target market.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Agree 100%. And for the record I like that interior. (not so much the razor)
 
Late to this thread..........the razor I bought through that link went blunt in a week!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
sfergson727 said:
I agree on all points. Sea Ray lost me in 2008 when they started making some pretty ugly designs. Bring back the boats that look like boats.
Click to expand...

Mike Blake said:
I agree with that!!!!! They have me turned off.
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Docjason said:
The market for older (2002-2008) sea rays is Gerri g strong where I am.
Click to expand...

So, I'm curious about what is so hideous about the current Sea Ray models???

Here are the current model 350, 370, 410 & 540 along with the 240SD and the 280SLX.... comparable in size to many who post here and who are the most opinionated. How do these boats look so vastly different than the 2008-ish models? These are all GREAT looking boats and I don't see much of difference. I think a lot of the criticism is more about the L Class design going Euro but that look isn't really translated to the standard models.

IMHO, I think you're all nuts... Sea Ray has a great line up.

350.jpg


370.jpg


410.jpg


540.jpg


240SD.jpg


280SLX.jpg
 
mwph said:
I guess after they spent a gazillion dollars building a non functional boat they forgot dock lines and an anchor. Raft up? Really?

I am not a life long boater You have probably driven more boats than I have stood on. Obviously I'm in over my head on this subject, so I'll bow out of the conversation.
Click to expand...

If you guys are referring to the Palmer Johnson that GFC showed in the first post, they actually have a hidden room in the front for mooring operations and have anchors that drop from the bottom of the keel.
http://www.palmerjohnson.com/supersport

I'm a big fan of composites and that boat is really an engineering marvel, even if it doesn't appeal esthetic ally to everyone.
 
the new rays are a beautiful craft but have to admit not to my tastes. I love my old "apartment like" battle wagon for living below rather than entertaining above
 
I agree with Tonka Boater - I'd have any of those boats shown in a heart beat. I'm also a fan of the open plan interiors with a seamless transition to the outside cockpit area - similar to the pic GFC posted and similar to the current Riveria sports yacht layouts. However I cant say I'm a fan of the smaller "fly" range boats.
 
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