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

Being regrettably anchored to the real world as a day boater with a cottage, our 2000 260 Overnighter is nearly perfect for us.

That said, at 65 I'm probably more of a fossil than you, GFC; if I had the bucks for the yacht you started us off with, I'd be looking for a classic Huckins, if not a Trumpy. My ultimate idea of a yacht has teak, mahogany, varnish, elegance--and an annual maintenance budget that adds the ultimate tweak to the J. P. Morgan line: if you actually write your own checks, you can't afford it!
 
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

Just for the record, I as replying to an earlier complaint. I looked at the pj website & loved almost everything I saw.
 
See, I told you I was just too darned old. I respect the opinions of those of you who like that PJ that's pictured in post #1. It's not for me, nor are most of the Euiro lines that you see today.

But, as was mentioned above somewhere, SR must be building boats that people want because they're selling them. They're just not my cup o' tea.

I haven't been on here for a couple of days. I had to run to Seattle to hold my new crew member and start working with her to handle dock lines and fenders. Tina was over there for the "formal introduction". I was left at home to take care of the ol' homestead in her absence.

Here's Tina with our newest crew member, our grand daughter Isla, born 5/25/16....
IMG955274%201_zpseirc5xmf.jpg
 
Congrats, indeed! How many crew members of this generation are on board?
 
We have 3 boys and 2 girls down in the lower level manning the oars! We keep them in chains most of the time. Here's our oldest grand daughter 2 years ago getting her helm training....

IMG_20140201_152428_262.jpg

and our oldest grandson last summer piloting the Whaler. He's going to be a good boat driver because he "gets it". Before he makes a turn either direction he looks to that side to make sure there's no boat coming alongside and he has a feel for the helm.
IMG_20140605_145916_748.jpg
 
GFC, congratulations on the new granddaughter. That is a great reason to step away from the dock for a short time. You aren't old at all, you just have a good patina like bronze fittings in the engine room! You have to remember a 48 meter boat is going to have a little different use than a 48 foot boat. People that buy those don't raft up, they back into a slip at Cannes or Monte Carlo. Though I'd sure spoil the stereotypical image if I used it. I'd fill the tender room with the extra pillows my wife would insist on buying. 48 meter boat, that works out to 376 throw pillows scattered on the couches and out on the decks.
 
Nick, I can relate to the pillows overtaking every open space on the boat. The main berth has 9 or 10, the second one has 6 or 8 and the third one with bunks which we only use for storage still has several. Then there are the pillows on the salon couch and the cockpit pillows and..... You get my point.
 
Sounds like our bed, my wife hates cushions, but she builds a wall in the middle of the bed with pillows, I cant even see her let alone kiss her goodnight...............hmmmm, maybe she's trying to tell me something!


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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.

I agree, would take any of those boats, even the 240 Sundeck dragging that line off the stern cleat! My only beef with some of the new boats is the large windows on a white hull. And look how well that 19yr old Cobalt looks against all those brand new boats!
 
Okay….now just where do I stand in this conversation. Being at Sea Ray Boats for over 31 years now, I have seen, built and driven just about every model over 34 feet. I will agree with half of the fleet whom suggest our classic boats will, and do, stand the test of time. None of you mentioned the 680SS which to me is still the most beautiful boat we have ever built. I see a couple of them yearly and they still make me say wow, what a boat. We haven’t built the 680SS in over ten years. I can go on and on about each model, and the pros and cons of each, but that conversation is akin to no end. We make many models and have retired even more with the intention of creating a boating model mix portfolio to piqué the interest of everyone considering buying a boat. Yes it would be cool if GM still made the Corvette resembling what it looked like in 1961 but would they sell as many as they do by changing the design a little every 5-6 years. Would your car be a classic if the 2016 looked exactly like the ’61? And by being the only boat building company in the US, if not the world who builds boats from 18 bow riders all the way to a 650FLY, our cornucopia of products has something for everyone regardless of ones taste in a certain model. Like my Grand Dad said, “if all men were the same, they would all want your Grandma”.... there is truth to that and the reason we make many.

As a captain, my approach has more to do with form and function than interior design features but I can tell you that after being on every 650 we have delivered, I find the inside layout pretty darn functional. Being able to drive from an open-air bridge with an early morning cool breeze and a cup of joe is way nice. And of course, once I past the demarcation line heading out to the big pond, I simply go downstairs to a full helm and drive in quiet and mega comfort. I can be on auto pilot and only a foot away, can make myself a sandwich and cold drink without ever taking my eye off the bow….functionality!

But I am also a guy who will reach 60 this year so older things looking good, does still give me goose bumps….that’s what the word classic means. You guys have mentioned a couple of my favs in this thread and what a thrill is was to drive the 610DA, 500DA, 44DA, 390EC, 380DA, back to the 300 Weekenders in the early 80’s…all classics to me. The dif to me now is what technology has brought to the table and I can assure you the operating systems are far more advanced from days gone by. The way we resin infuse parts, to efficiency of engines and the detailed data on my screens, does certainly make me appreciate where we have come. I am not a Audio Visual kind of guy and would probably be just as happy with a packet of matches wedged under the eight track in my Craig Power Play, just so it will track on the right song, but to now see a little iPhone being able to control all sounds, movies and even electronics on a 55” screen is Star Trek stuff to me….and pretty cool to boot. Between Sirius radio, Netflix and satellite tracking TV, one would actually look like Fred Flintstone if you brought a CD or DVD on a boat today.

Sum up….I love the classics as they remind me of days of lore and good times had. I truly enjoy seeing the condition of your pride and joy and whole heartedly hope to support you and your boat for as long as you possess her….that is called Brand Loyalty. But I also work for a company that has to stay in business, and you want us to just as much as I do… The way we accomplish that feat is by selling something different for everybody. If our new 650 looked just like the 1999 440 Aft Cabin (another fav of mine), we would struggle bringing in buyers. Say what you wish but I can promise you that when I pull into any marina on a 650FLY, folks come over to see her, many from other brands and of course, a bunch of loyal Sea Ray owners….how loyal you ask?....you are reading this thread on Club Sea Ray, not a thread on Maytag site..and you own two of those.

We are all literally in the same boat and that is the cool thing….the only difference in us all could be cured in one word….lottery! I owe and operate a 1995 18 Sea Ray Laguna, but I am still dreaming!

Come see me !...and remember, building boats is only one thing we do at Sea Ray.

Capt. Rusty
Sea Ray Boats

Mike- you are a rich man with a crew who look… FirstClass!!!

Tonka….you my new hero brother!
 
I think the razor and the yacht are both things of beauty that I will never be able to afford, nor would I if I could. BUT.... If I could, I'd get the razor. Why.......20 Years of Complimentary Blades & Servicing!

I can't get a mechanic to give me same week service! That scarcity will kill boating for the average joe.

OH. For the record, the Late 1970's 360 "T" Top was the sexiest boat SR ever built.
 
Well said Capt. Rusty. You are the "Ambassador" of all things Sea Ray.

For the record, I love my 400EC but admit that I drool while looking at pictures of 680SS's on Yachtworld. That is one beautiful boat!
 
Cap'n Rusty, well said, and thanks for chiming in.

I must admit that I had to go to Google to find a photo of a 680SS. I'd never seen one and didn't even know SR built a boat that large. I think I've just found my second favorite boat in that 680 (my 550 being my first choice). Here's a salon shot from one of the boats for sale on YachtWorld. Now THIS is what I'm talking about when I say what a boat interior should look like. But then, that's just me, the old guy wanting things to be like they were back in the day.

5641785_20160517135043103_1_XLARGE.jpg


IMHO this interior just screams "Comfortable". Rounded corners, beautiful wood, great seating layout, tons of counter space (OK, that's easy to do in a boat that large!!). That interior just calls out to me!

Now compare it to this interior. This one looks too busy, too cluttered, too dark, harsh, square corners to bump hips against in a choppy sea, etc. I don't know what it is about that interior, but to me it just is not an interior I would ever have in a boat.

2015-650-Fly-Salon-XL.jpg


As I look at the pics that Tonka Boater posted, I think what doesn't excite me are the windows put into the sides of the hull. I understand that's done to reduce the feeling of being in the cave that you get with express cruisers, but the function part of those windows that I don't like is that hulls flex and windows don't. Over time is that going to cause leaks? SR (and some others) ran into that in the 80's and early 90's Sundancers when they put windows on the sides of the top decks. The decks flexed when people walked on them and the windows didn't and that caused leakage problems.

I guess I'm just a dinosaur who is headed to the tar pits, but along the way I still admire boats that have a classic look to them.

Rusty, thanks again for chiming in here. Your opinions are always welcome and always valued.
 
GFC, I like both. But I do agree with you about the 650 being "dark" inside. The windows with the black trim remind me of being in the Hancock Building in Chicago due to the way the structure was supported, it's rare to have a full view unobstructed. Change the window trim to white like the couch and the ceiling to lighter cream and you would have a dramatically different boat.
 

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