210 Select BR thread - Questions and Answers

VTSeaRay said:
Well, everything is constant when I hear it. I do notice my electrical circuits (radio goes quiet, lights dim (if on)) when I trim the motor. Do yours? But, I'm not trimming when this happens. I'm probably going out on the lake again tonite, I'll have to investigate where exactly it's coming from.

I wonder if there's a stuck float switch, switching the bilge on/off and it's running while dry? There's no water down in there to switch it on/off. Hmmm... like I said, I'll look tonite when I go out on the lake. I was on the lake for 3 hrs last night after work. I try to get out on it as often as I can.

-VtSeaRay
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Update... My navigation and anchor lights do dim slightly while I trim. I noticed this last weekend while we were out at dusk. I don't think it is a problem, though-I think it is just that the trim motor has a large current draw. Did you look in to your lights dimming any more?
 
No, like you said, I think it's normal. I haven't heard my power steering unit recently, but we've had so much rain over the past month or so, I've only been out a few times.:smt089 This weekend (and yesterday (went out last night)) and today are upper 80s might even hit 90, so tomorrow at least, we're planning on heading out for the entire day. Not sure about Sunday yet, they say chance of afternoon showers.

-VtSeaRay
 
Well, I took the 210 into the SR dealership for the port side walk-thru hatch popping up. They did not put on a strap with snap. They removed the magnets and put on a "ball and socket" type setup in stead. I do like it and, so far, it does the job. We'll see how well it holds up in the long run. Just wanted to update.
 
axg1040 said:
Thanks.

When it is rigged on the trailer is it higher than 7'??
I have 23' in depth to work with and a double car garage door.
Thanks again for the information.
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Anybody out there that could measure this for me?? Thanks.
 
I just measured mine, and it's just shy of 8'. It's hard to tell, since it's arched a little higher in the middle, but roughly that's how high it is on the trailer from the ground to the top of the windshield.

-VtSeaRay
 
VTSeaRay said:
I just measured mine, and it's just shy of 8'. It's hard to tell, since it's arched a little higher in the middle, but roughly that's how high it is on the trailer from the ground to the top of the windshield.

-VtSeaRay
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Thank you. I was really hoping it would have fit.
 
It must be shy of 8' by a little, since my doors are just 8' even in height.

-VtSeaRay
 
axg1040 said:
Thank you. I was really hoping it would have fit.
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Me too. Oh well. That jsut means I put a car in the garage instead of the boat. Right now it is outside in the driveway with the travel cover and shrink wrap cover over it for the winter. Go ahead and get it. You can always winterize and put it in the driveway or rent some space at the local storage units or boat dealer for the winter. :thumbsup:
 
Nice 210 mathewmiller, I have the same one as you! I love this boat however, I've been reading this thread and have had similar issues with mine, especially the hatches popping open. It's a design problem, I took it to my dealer and they installed a snap strap on the walkthrough, it helps somewhat. Ironically most of my problems with the hatches were when transporting on the trailer and not while cruising on the water. When I transport, I put the Bimini down and let it rest on the cushions and obviously that keeps them from popping up. Another thing that helps is transporting with the bow block off door closed which keeps the air from getting under the cushions and helping them pop up.
 
Thanks! I too put the bimini frame down for longer trips. I so want to be boating again. Its snowing here today. Anyway, we are making a bunch of plans for the summer and I can't wait! :smt119
 
matthewmiller01 said:
Thanks! I too put the bimini frame down for longer trips. I so want to be boating again. Its snowing here today. Anyway, we are making a bunch of plans for the summer and I can't wait! :smt119
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I put it down, anytime I trailer... and if I'm going near top speed on the water, I've learned to close the front bow gate to keep the wind from getting under the pads.

re: can't wait - I hear you... I was just looking at my pics from earlier in this thread of this past summer..... after just getting down to -23F here last Wednesday thru Friday.

-VtSeaRay
 
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I hear what you're saying matthew, I can't wait myself! Lots of plans for the summer also!
 
Just seen this thread and thought I would join in. I have a 210 Select BR but it is a bit older than most (all?) others on here.

Mine is a 1999 and we enjoy it very much. This is our first boat so I don't have anything to compare it against.

It has the 5.0 EFI engine with the Bravo 3 lower unit. I added a Monster Tower last spring and I am currently in the process of adding tower speakers, new boat speakers and a sub (nice winter project that keeps me close to the boat!!)

I don't really have any complaints about the boat at all. I have had more work to do on my trailer than the boat. I had a wire that was rubbing and would short out the lights and blow fuses. It was inside a tube of the trailer so it took a while to trace it down and get it fixed. Then I converted the tongue of the trailer to a swing away (very nice mod - well worth it). And, I had some issues with the surge brakes that required me to disassemble and clean them, probably because the boat sat so much with the previous owner.

No real issues with the boat. Love the fuel injection, love the Bravo 3 lower unit, tons of storage, plenty of elbow room. The boat has been a real pleasure to own and use.

If I had any gripe I guess it would be that I would like to have a bimini top. I have a convertible top but it is hard to drive with it up. I have been afraid to order anything in fear that it won't fit with the tower. I know there are some especially made for boats with towers but I didn't want to spend that much on one.
 
SeaRay said:
Just seen this thread and thought I would join in. I have a 210 Select BR but it is a bit older than most (all?) others on here.

Mine is a 1999 and we enjoy it very much. This is our first boat so I don't have anything to compare it against.

It has the 5.0 EFI engine with the Bravo 3 lower unit. I added a Monster Tower last spring and I am currently in the process of adding tower speakers, new boat speakers and a sub (nice winter project that keeps me close to the boat!!)

I don't really have any complaints about the boat at all. I have had more work to do on my trailer than the boat. I had a wire that was rubbing and would short out the lights and blow fuses. It was inside a tube of the trailer so it took a while to trace it down and get it fixed. Then I converted the tongue of the trailer to a swing away (very nice mod - well worth it). And, I had some issues with the surge brakes that required me to disassemble and clean them, probably because the boat sat so much with the previous owner.

No real issues with the boat. Love the fuel injection, love the Bravo 3 lower unit, tons of storage, plenty of elbow room. The boat has been a real pleasure to own and use.

If I had any gripe I guess it would be that I would like to have a bimini top. I have a convertible top but it is hard to drive with it up. I have been afraid to order anything in fear that it won't fit with the tower. I know there are some especially made for boats with towers but I didn't want to spend that much on one.
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Post some pics! I'd also like to see the swing-away tongue mod and how you did that. I'd love to do that to mine to get back 3' of my garage!

-VtSeaRay
 
The swing away trailer hinge mod was a lot easier than I expected. The hinge kit is very well built and they put a lot of thought into making it easy to get on.

Below is a link to the one I bought - If you are thinking of doing this, I would highly recommend this one. I don't think this is the same place I got it but I found it online somewhere. Dennis Kirk also has them.

There are both 3x3 and 3x4 hinges, depending on what your trailer tube size is.

http://www.iboats.com/Fulton_34_Bol...8477355--session_id.957805019--view_id.341674

All the hardware is included. They even include a special center punch and allen key (maybe even the drill bit??)

The worst part about doing this, and the reason I almost didn't do it, is the fact that you have to modify the brake line. I have surge brakes with a solid steel brake line running almost the whole length of the trailer. I had to disconnect the entire line (about 20+ feet of line) and take it a local auto brake shop for them to cut and re-flare the end that will be behind the hinge. There is a special double flare that MUST be used on brake lines. I bought a new short piece to go from the coupler to the front of the hinge. With a line bending tool I copied the pattern on what was there. Then I purchased a short piece (about 16") of flexible brake line to put between those ends. This is centered on the hinge and flexes when you swing the tongue away.

The hard part about this is that it is tough to find flexible brake lines and people still willing to work on brake lines. Pre-fabricated pieces of steel brake lines can be bought at any almost any auto parts store but finding someone to cut and re-flare ends was tough. Must be due to all the liability....

Anyway, You first need to decide where you want to cut your trailer tongue at. I just dropped a plum bob down from the front of the boat and marked the trailer tube. Then I figured out how much more the hinge will add after its installed and went that much further back and marked it again.

Then after you double - triple check everything (and build up the courage to cut through your trailer tube) go ahead and cut on your mark - being careful not to cut the wires or brake line (they are in the tube) with the Sawz-All, it would not be a nice cut.

I cut the trailer wires with wires cutters and brake line with a tubing cutter by pulling the tubes apart to allow access to them.

Slide the hinge on and carefully mark all the holes with the supplied center punch. Then drill out the holes. You will need to do both tubes ends. I would check the alignment by sliding the hinge on the tube every so often between holes. There are a total of 16 holes to drill and you will gradually go from a smaller bit to a bigger bit. I had to ream some of my holes out to fit - but that was in part that I did not see the center punch tool until I was done drilling!! You can slide the hinge on and use the center punch to mark the holes. The center punch they provide is the same diameter as the holes in the hinge so it centers it perfectly. I used a regular center punched and just eyeballed the holes...:smt021

You will need to add about a foot section of wires between the ends you cut so the tongue can swing away. Use waterproof splices and cover the exposed wires with corrugated plastic wire loom to protect them from getting pinched. I would do this (and the brake line) on the BOAT side BEFORE mounting the hinge. You will have a little bit more room to reach in to the tube to make the connections. You have to slide the hinges on before doing the other side because the wires and hoses go inside the hinges. ALSO, check the lights before you bolt anything together.

Disconnect the brake line so it can be removed completely. Plan on taking another 6" or so off further back from your cut (so your flex line doesn't start right and the cut end of the tube). After it is flared you add your flex line (you must add it before putting it back in or you can't tighten the fitting) and slide everything back into the tube.

Then you need to remove the brake line from the front piece and buy something that is about 6" shorter (you could have the original one cut 6" shorter and flared as well but I felt safer with just buying a new line. The short line wasn't very expensive). Copy all the bends and figure out the best way to attach the other end of the flex line and still be able to fish the line back through the tube so you can reattach the line to the master cylinder. You might need to do the final bends after it is fished through.

I placed a circular loop in my flex line so it can push/pull the hose when I swing the trailer away - it just changes the diameter of the loop as it swings.

Bolt the hinges on, put the hinge bolt on (the bolt takes a lot of the slop out of the hinges once it is tightened) and check it for operation. Move the hoses and wires if need be.

Last step - add brake fluid and bleed the brakes.

The only thing I don't really like about this setup is you really should add a new safety chain from the somewhere behind the hinge (on the main tube of the trailer) up to the tow vehicle. This would be a safety precaution if the hinge would ever fail. If the hinge broke you would get your trailer coupler home safely but everything behind the hinge would be rolling down the highway.

If the hinge would fail (and that is a BIG if) but you had something connecting the 2 sections of the trailer tube together you will still have the boat behind you BUT your surge brakes will not work because there would be no way for the boat to push the surge brakes on. (if you had electric brakes you should still be OK)

Well enough of me ranting - hope this helps. I am really glad I did it. I didn't even have to for it to fit in my garage but it is SO much nicer being able to walk AROUND it instead of OVER it.

If you have any more questions or want to see some pics just let me know and I can add them.

Good Luck!!
 
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Hi there!

My family and I aren't Sea Ray owners yet, but we plan on taking a 2008 210 Select out for a sea trial in the next few weeks.

We would love any information, both good and bad, about the style of boat and what it can do. Does it plane up easily? We are looking for a boat that planes up easily at slower speeds so that we can pull our young children on a tube.

Thanks so much for your help!
 
Here's a video from last summer of my gf's son tubing behind the 210 - he's 17, so I was working hard to spill him, unfortunately, I wasn't creating the waves I'd have liked (I've had larger waves for him in the past, but unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me at the time)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpQCxFHkIRA

-VtSeaRay
 
Hopes said:
Hi there!

My family and I aren't Sea Ray owners yet, but we plan on taking a 2008 210 Select out for a sea trial in the next few weeks.

We would love any information, both good and bad, about the style of boat and what it can do. Does it plane up easily? We are looking for a boat that planes up easily at slower speeds so that we can pull our young children on a tube.

Thanks so much for your help!
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How old are the kids? My wife and I have a 3 and 7 year old (we have had the boat almost a year now). Our 210 Select is the first boat we have owned, but we are not new to boats. Is this your first boat... first Sea Ray? I'll give you a few of the major reasons my wife and I chose the Sea Ray 210 Select. The first reason was that it was deeper than other boats. While driving, as long as each child had a hand on the bow handle and were seated, I was not worried that they would be bounced out of the boat. Another reason was that the 210 Select is heavier than most other boats its size. That means the boat will be more stable in non-calm waters. Again, it goes to the safety of the children. Also, I am not worried about top end speed (even though it is a 45+ mph boat) so the heavier boat was not a concern. I have the 260HP 5.0l/MPI with the Alpha 1 and it has plenty of power to get the boat going and on plane within a few seconds. I have pulled skiers, tubes, and wakeboards and have had no troubles with the boat in doing so.

I obviuosly think the 210 Select is a great boat and would be a good choice. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask us and we'll give you our best answers.

Welcome to the community and the boat! Be sure to post pics when you get it!
 
One of the things that MatthewMiller mentions about the weight being more and making it more stable. This is very noticeable to me, since like him, I'm not new to boating(since I was 8 or so), and owned my previous boat a 185 Sea Ray for almost 10 yrs. In that boat, you felt any wave that was on the lake I boat on (which is a very large lake, sixth largest in the US), and even though it could take most any wave, the waves larger than about 18" it would start to pound and it would make for a rough (or very slow) ride. The 210 Select rides like a Cadillac through the same type of waves! It is an incredibly smooth ride. And, it's very responsive with the 260HP 5L MPI Alpha 1 Motor /drive combo. I have(as I think most that have this boat have) a stainless prop which probably helps with it getting out of the hole fast.

I have topped the 210 Select out, around 50 MPH with just me and a full tank of gas in it, and 18" waves. But, we usually cruise around 35-38mph or so, as it seems to get the best gas mileage around this speed, and takes most normal waves on our lake with ease. The 185 did around 53-55 top end, with a 4.3L V6 Alpha1. But, at that speed, the boat was so light, that it actually would chine a bit across the lake, and gave it a squirrelly feeling, which I was ok with, but I noticed it. I think this is because most of the boat was out of the water while going WOT.

I have pulled 2 17 yr old boys (probably 120 and 150 lbs) on two tubes with the 210, with no issues!

-VtSeaRay
 
MattewMiller, our boys are 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 so obviously safety is an extreme priority. This will be our first boat, but both of us have been around boats our whole lives. If we decide to go with a Sea Ray it will be our first Sea Ray as well. We are compairing the 210 Select with a *Shhhh* Stingray 205 LS.

Our biggest issues are how well the boat rides, and how easy it gets up on plane while towing our little ones. Obviously we won't be towing them fast AT ALL with how young they are right now, and they will most likely be with an adult. So it is extremely important that it planes out quickly in that situation.
 
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