180 bowrider

F

funfamilyfun

New Member
Apr 9, 2007
5
We are thinking about this boat. It will be our first. Does anyone know how shallow of water you can go in? We realize you can lift the motor up, but we've heard some boats can't go in water under 5 feet. We figure we will want to anchor on beaches. Thanks for your help.
 
The 2005 Sea Ray 180 Sport has an 18" draft. That's how deep into the water the bottom of the boat goes. That's with the stern drive up. With it down, the boat is 35" deep.

You can find specs on Sea Rays at the mfgr. site: www.searay.com

The specs for a 2005 180 Sport is at http://www.searay.com/online_brochure.asp?display=brochure&tab=1&modelid=43694&reqtype=1,5,9,19

You're looking at a good entry-level boat. That's about the size we started out in. If you don't "know" boats, get someone who does to help with your search/purchase.

Good luck.
 
On mine which is similar to yours the draft is 18" with the drive up and 36" with it all the way down. I start getting cautious when my depth sounder starts to read 3'.

Beaching is not a problem we do it all the time. when we leave we have someone shove of and jump in. You can also anchor just of the bank and rear load and unload.
 
If you beach a lot a "Keel Guard" is a good idea.

I also started off in a 176BR. Great starter boat, easy to learn on and lots of fun. :thumbsup:
 
I always back in to the beach, when I get out of the boat I am in water about half way up the thigh, When I set the anchors I pull the boat in a little further, to about knee deep if the tide is rising, if the tide is falling then I let the boat float out just a little and watch to be sure I don't get stuck, we have a 6 to 9 foot tide range here. The creek into my house gets less that knee deep which I do not enter, at slightly higher I ease in at idle with the drive trimmed up sometimes bumping bottom. So if you are careful you can get it pretty thin water, now if you have rocks you may want to be a little more cautious. I do not have rocks where I am but there is something in the bottom of the creek that is hard enough that it took a plug out of my skeg at idle so you never know what is going to happen. If you are in all charted water get charts and study, gps and maps are also very good, go take a boating course, it will teach you a lot, and most of all enjoy the boat. :grin:
 
You can easily run in 3' of water at higher speeds (30+). If you go below 3', you will need to trim the outdrive. This will cause the bow to rise and the stern to dive deeper into the water causing you to trim more. Pretty soon you are off plain and need to slow down to 7-9 mph. I have taken my boat in as little as 2' of water without any issues (trim full up).

You also need to watch turning with the trim full up. Much less control than when down.

The 180 is a nice boat for a family of 4 or less. I prefer the jump seats in the stern vs. the sun pad. Much more room to move around. I added a swim platform to mine and got another 20". Now I have room for a cooler, chairs, grill and tube :)

Don't listen to people who tell you that the 3.0 Alpha 1 tops out at 30 MPH. Mine does 40+ (45 on a good day). Not bad for 135 hp....
 
I have my 176 (same boat as the 180) in skinny water all the time. The 180 has about as shallow a draft as you can find in a runabout. You’ll have no problem beaching that boat. (Just don’t try it at WOT!)
 
Let me correct my original statement. When I said it was OK to run at 30 mph in 3 ft. of water, I was referring to the reading on my depth finder. The transponder is at the bottom of the keel. The actual depth of the water is probably closer to 4-4 1/2 ft.

Thanks for making me explain myself better :thumbsup:
 
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