210 Select BR thread - Questions and Answers

I'm not familiar with the towing capacity of the Tahoe, I pull mine with a 2000 Toyota Tundra 4wd Access Cab (V8 4.7L) with no issues. I would think the Tahoe can pull it, but I can't say for certain.

-VtSeaRay
 
I will tell you that the Stingrays are fast. They will top out probably 10-15 mph above the SR. I looked at them and if I didn't have young ones, I wouldn't have dismissed them as quickly as I did. (Yes, I realize the throttle doesn't HAVE to be wide open.) Be sure to ride in the Stingray in some chop/waves. That boat is significantly lighter and you will get moved around more. I believe (but do not know) that the Stingray will plane quicker (check the internet for the dealer times), but I don't know that they will be significantly different. Also, while towing your little ones, I doubt you will even get the boat on plane until they get bigger. I don't think I have while pulling mine. I barely got above no wake speed for them last year. Of course, for older kids and adults, it won't be a problem. Also, be sure to check out the depth of both boats (seated and such). Those two things (as stated above) were the deciding factors between our final two choices-the SR or a Four Winns.

We have an `08 Suburban and have no problems towing. I think the Tahoe towing numbers are just a bit lower than the Burb's, but I am positive we are not near maxed out on ours. I am sure you will have no problems.

Let us know what you decide and why!
 
Hopes,

What lower unit is on the Sea Ray that you are looking at?

Our 1999 210 Sea Ray has a Bravo 3 lower unit and I can get out of the hole without any problem pulling practically anything....including 3 tubes with 5 kids. If the boat you are looking at has a single prop, changing the prop size will help with that. But of course you will loose some top end.

This is our first boat and I did a lot of research before buying it. We are going on our third season with it and we haven't had any problems. What sold me on this boat was:

1) it is a deep V, which is much safer when hauling kids
2) It IS a Sea Ray - great reputation - great resale
3) the size of the boat - inside and out. Great handling with lots of storage
4) The boat that we bought was very well maintained and cared for - which I think is just a part of the pride that comes with owning a Sea Ray.


We haul ours with an '05 Suburban (which I think has a slightly lower towing capacity than your Tahoe due to the fact that the Suburban is already a heavier vehicle) without ANY problem. I also have a 14' long 7' tall V-Nose enclosed trailer. I am not terribly happy with how the Suburban pulls that (it is too tall) but I have no complaints on pulling the boat. Just make sure that the brakes are in good working order (on both the Tahoe AND boat trailer)

Hope this helps
 
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Sea Ray, the dealer says that is is an Alpha One.

If the boat you are looking at has a single prop, changing the prop size will help with that. But of course you will loose some top end.
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure what this means. :huh:

Here is another question that I just posted on the Newbie board.

What are the differences between a Sea Ray 210 Select, and a Four Winns 210H?
 
Hopes said:
Sea Ray, the dealer says that is is an Alpha One.



I'm not quite sure what this means. :huh:

Here is another question that I just posted on the Newbie board.

What are the differences between a Sea Ray 210 Select, and a Four Winns 210H?
Click to expand...

re: changing the prop size. You can pick different prop sizes that change the size/pitch of the blades to give your boat different performance characteristics. Differences usually mean faster takeoff out of the hole, and you lose top-end speed, or vice versa.

I don't know enough about 4 Winns to help you there sorry.

-VtSeaRay
 
VT, thank you for the clarification. Our priority would definitely be getting out of the hole faster since we will be towing little ones behind the boat.

We are getting so much information from different boat dealers that it is hard to keep them straight.

Let me ask this, in your opinion, what sets Sea Ray boats apart from the rest?
 
Hopes said:
VT, thank you for the clarification. Our priority would definitely be getting out of the hole faster since we will be towing little ones behind the boat.

We are getting so much information from different boat dealers that it is hard to keep them straight.

Let me ask this, in your opinion, what sets Sea Ray boats apart from the rest?
Click to expand...

Honestly, with kids as young as yours, you won't even know they're behind you getting out of the hole! Even before I got this boat, with my 185, until my sons were about 14-15 yrs old, and started putting on a little more weight, they popped right out of the water on the skis or tubes and I didn't even notice the load.

To me, what sets the Sea Ray I own from others, is build quality for the cost. There are only a couple other boats built in this class that match the Sea Ray for quality of build/materials and overall boat design. Their cost however I've found to be higher when I was looking for the boat I have now for what I got. I just came from the local boat show, and liked the cobalt in this size grouping, but the cost was quite a bit more than what I paid for about the same size boat

-VtSeaRay
 
Hopes said:
Let me ask this, in your opinion, what sets Sea Ray boats apart from the rest?
Click to expand...



Fit and finish. When I ride in my buddy's Tahoe Q4 (albeit smaller), I can't get over the rattle of everything. The bimini poles rattle, the dash rattles, and it is just loud. On my Sea Ray, I notice NO rattles and can barely hear the motor as the engine compatment is better insulated. Granted, price was another factor as we got our Sea Ray at a boat show and it was a leftover 2007 in May of 2008 (so there were some heavy markdowns), but I could have just waited for another boat show if I picked the another brand. In my opinion, even at this level of boat, the Sea Rays still have the quality and attention to detail over the other brands. We have yet to find something we are disappointed with on our Sea Ray.
 
matthew,
We are looking hard at a NEW 2007 210 Select that has been left over. But not sure if the price is where it should be considering how old it is.

Does anyone have a wakeboard tower on their 210? How do you like it. Personally, I'm not a big fan, but if the boys get into wakeboarding, I could see it being useful down the road. I typically don't like anything over my head in a boat...I'm traditional I guess. But the 2008's our dealer has seem to all have the bench seating that we don't like without a tower. They don't have any with standard seating. The 2007 on the other hand has the seating we like, but with a tower. I understand that the wakeboard racks are removeable, but the tower stays.
 
Hopes said:
matthew,
We are looking hard at a NEW 2007 210 Select that has been left over. But not sure if the price is where it should be considering how old it is.

Does anyone have a wakeboard tower on their 210? How do you like it. Personally, I'm not a big fan, but if the boys get into wakeboarding, I could see it being useful down the road. I typically don't like anything over my head in a boat...I'm traditional I guess. But the 2008's our dealer has seem to all have the bench seating that we don't like without a tower. They don't have any with standard seating. The 2007 on the other hand has the seating we like, but with a tower. I understand that the wakeboard racks are removeable, but the tower stays.
Click to expand...


I have to be honest with you... I never minded not having one, but I don't think I'd mind having one either. I have entertained the idea of adding one (but haven't). I believe the tower can fold down too for storage (depending on the type), if that is your concern. If it is a concern while boating, I guess you're SOL. I think for this type and size of boat, the tower will help on resale in this day and age.

If you don't mind me asking, how much do they want for it and I'll at least give you a feel if it is reasonable in comparison to the one I purchased last May. Also, give the major options, motor and drive, and such.
 
matthew,

Here are the specs for the 2007 210 Select.

Battery Charger 120v/60
Pearl/Black
Cockpit cover w/tonneau covers
Transom Trim Switch
Bow Filler Cushions
WS Tower w/bimini/wakeboard racks
2 buckets/thighrise/motor box
indirect cockpit light
beach boarding ladder-box
350 MAG MPI BR3 mercruiser
Galvanized Trailer

List Price: $52,412
Sea Ray Rebate: $2,500
Savings: $18,417
Sale Price: $33,995

matthew, in your picture is that a tower? or is it just the bimini? I understand that the tower can collapse for storage but I'm assuming that it always has to be up for boating correct?
 
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Hopes said:
matthew,

Here are the specs for the 2007 210 Select.

Battery Charger 120v/60
Pearl/Black
Cockpit cover w/tonneau covers
Transom Trim Switch
Bow Filler Cushions
WS Tower w/bimini/wakeboard racks
2 buckets/thighrise/motor box
indirect cockpit light
beach boarding ladder-box
350 MAG MPI BR3 mercruiser
Galvanized Trailer

List Price: $42,412
Sea Ray Rebate: $2,500
Savings: $18,417
Sale Price: $33,995

matthew, in your picture is that a tower? or is it just the bimini? I understand that the tower can collapse for storage but I'm assuming that it always has to be up for boating correct?
Click to expand...

That's the Bimini.

This is a sample of what the tower would look like

tower.jpg
 
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VT,
thank you for posting a picture of it. I'm assuming the racks that are holding the wakeboards on is what the dealer is saying can come off completely.

Should I be worried about storage? We will most likely be using a public storage facility to store the boat in.
 
Hopes said:
VT,
thank you for posting a picture of it. I'm assuming the racks that are holding the wakeboards on is what the dealer is saying can come off completely.

Should I be worried about storage? We will most likely be using a public storage facility to store the boat in.
Click to expand...


I believe that's what the dealer is saying. I think if you wanted, you could probably unbolt the entire tower for now if you don't want it on till your boys get older. I am also from the older school, where I don't even like riding with my bimini up. I've often thought I'd like to get the tower, but the $5,500 price(I'm pretty sure that was the price) that was on the OEM model quickly changed my mind. Some of the tower models collapse, with a few pins, so you will have fewer issues when you put your boat in storage. You might want to ask the dealer if this one does. If I had the $$$, I'd probably get one, I think the right tower adds a nice touch to the boat. I've seen some towers however that I really don't like, since they don't flow with the rest of the lines of the boat. Sea Ray uses Monster Towers I think for their towers. (google search for their web site).

-VtSeaRay
sending you a PM
 
Hopes,

A few questions / comments...

You posted this about the new Sea Ray you are looking at:
350 MAG MPI BR3 mercruiser
Does the BR 3 mean this boat has a BRAVO 3 lower unit? The Bravo 3 has a dual prop. If the boat you are looking at has this, you will not have any problem getting on plane and these lower unit are better built and more reliable than the single prop lower units. The props are VERY expensive but you shouldn't have to change it. They must be replaced as a set and are close to $1000.

As the kids get older the tower is a good (great) idea. Most kids today do not care to ski (at all), they would rather wakeboard. We added a Monster Tower to our boat and love it. We use it all the time. My kids are 8, 12 & 14. This will be their second year with the tower.

To get a bigger wake, we add weight to our boat and we still have no problem pulling any one up.

The Sea Ray boats do not come with Monster Towers, they usually come with XTP's which is a sister company of Monster (different style tower - better looking than the actual Monster Tower in my opinion).

The towers do fold down for storage but are up when transporting or boating.

Why Sea Ray.......When we were looking for a boat I learned that the only boat with a better reputation is Cobalt (but they are expensive). I would say Four Winns is comparable to Sea Ray.

BUT.....Of the three, the only one to manufacture BIG boats is Sea Ray. What they learn there goes into their sport boats - and has for years.
 
SeaRay,
Thank you for responding. I needed clarification on the 350 MAG MPI BR3 Mercruiser as well. He said it was a Dual Counter rotating Bravo 3 Outdrive. I think that it is what you are talking about.

We have just now started to look at Four Winns boats as well. I guess we need to take it one step at a time.

Of course we are feeling a little rushed, because all of the boat dealers are saying that they are only going to run the "boat show prices" through today. :smt009
 
Hopes said:
SeaRay,
Thank you for responding. I needed clarification on the 350 MAG MPI BR3 Mercruiser as well. He said it was a Dual Counter rotating Bravo 3 Outdrive. I think that it is what you are talking about.

We have just now started to look at Four Winns boats as well. I guess we need to take it one step at a time.

Of course we are feeling a little rushed, because all of the boat dealers are saying that they are only going to run the "boat show prices" through today. :smt009
Click to expand...

re: Bravo 3 , yes, it's 2 props on the same shaft, driven in counter rotation to each other! Very good performance out of the hole, and I've heard it's easier to navigate when moving slow than the single prop. But, it does come with it's cost issues as SeaRay said.

-VtSeaRay
 
:thumbsup: Bravo Three :thumbsup:

GREAT Outdrive

Don't let the cost of the prop sway you, but the value of that boat just went way up!
 
I'm REALLY curious as to why a 2007 is leftover in the showroom. Actually, he had to drive to another location to get it for us. But still.

Any suggestions on how to handle the fact that we won't be purchasing today (because we are going to sea trial another boat next weekend) but still be able to keep the boat show pricing until we decide? I'm sure a small refundable deposit might be required.
 
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