230 SLX Thread!

[ygbsm]

Anybody else enjoying their 230 SLX this season? I've had mine for almost a year, and it seems to be a quality boat. I did have a problem with the power steering line leaking, which was fixed under warranty.
What I like about the boat:
- massive amounts of storage space
- great cockpit layout with the L-shaped bench
- love the swim platform and bench above the engine
- plenty of power, it tops out around 50 mph in calm water
- gelcoat and vinyl seem to be very good quality
- styling- looks better in the water than in pictures!

No real cons, also I wish it handled big boat wakes better. The bimini tops on the new 230SPX is a better design.

 

[ygbsm]

Hit a new top speed- 51 mph by GPS.

Best cruise seems to be at 3000 rpm about 26-27 mph.

I ended up getting a Carver fitted mooring/ trailer cover from Coverquest. So far I'm impressed with the price ($590 shipped) and the turnaround time (5 business days).

 

[ygbsm]

Anyone else still have a 230 SLX?

Really enjoying the 230 SLX this season, getting to use it a lot more than in the past two years.

Still seems very well built, very solid. Nice quality details abound. Zero mechanical problems. A little choppy in the waves; putting adults in the bow smooths out the ride. The problem is that kids like to be up there . . . and I can't blame them.

Kids are getting the hang of tubing . . .

 

[Maria Sarli]

Anyone else still have a 230 SLX?

Really enjoying the 230 SLX this season, getting to use it a lot more than in the past two years.

Still seems very well built, very solid. Nice quality details abound. Zero mechanical problems. A little choppy in the waves; putting adults in the bow smooths out the ride. The problem is that kids like to be up there . . . and I can't blame them.

Kids are getting the hang of tubing . . .

View attachment 57484

Anyone else still have a 230 SLX?

Really enjoying the 230 SLX this season, getting to use it a lot more than in the past two years.

Still seems very well built, very solid. Nice quality details abound. Zero mechanical problems. A little choppy in the waves; putting adults in the bow smooths out the ride. The problem is that kids like to be up there . . . and I can't blame them.

Kids are getting the hang of tubing . . .

View attachment 57484

i just bought a new 230 SPX but as soon as I bought it it went right into winter storage so I have not had it out yet. How do people like the standard cooler that comes with the boat? Have you replaced it? If so, with what? I want to buy a better cooler but I am unsure of the dimensions of the storage area and have no current access to the boat. Was looking at Yeti but they have mixed reviews (given the price I would expect them to have uniformly good reviews) and I think they may be taller (over 15 inches) than I believe the standard igloo is (I think it is about 13 inches tall but unsure)

Any other tips you have after your 2 years of experience would be appreciated. I know the SPX is not as well appointed as the SLX but I have an upgraded engine (6.2L bravo 3 DTS Stern Drive) so I think mechanically it should be similar.

 

[LawyerMan]

i just bought a new 230 SPX but as soon as I bought it it went right into winter storage so I have not had it out yet. How do people like the standard cooler that comes with the boat? Have you replaced it? If so, with what? I want to buy a better cooler but I am unsure of the dimensions of the storage area and have no current access to the boat. Was looking at Yeti but they have mixed reviews (given the price I would expect them to have uniformly good reviews) and I think they may be taller (over 15 inches) than I believe the standard igloo is (I think it is about 13 inches tall but unsure)

Any other tips you have after your 2 years of experience would be appreciated. I know the SPX is not as well appointed as the SLX but I have an upgraded engine (6.2L bravo 3 DTS Stern Drive) so I think mechanically it should be similar.

Wrong forum. This is the 230 SLX thread.

 

[ygbsm]

Got the boat out yesterday for the first time this year. Tied up with a bunch of buddies and a coworker who has a 250 SLX. Enjoyed the sunshine and water. And beer!

Boat continues to run fine. Gelcoat seems to be holding up well. Except I found two small (less than half a penny in diameter) air voids on the strakes at the stern. They have been filled.

The depth gauge stopped working this season, I will have to investigate why it doesn't work.

 

[ygbsm]

Another year with the 230SLX and it's still a great boat. Depth gauge transducer had to be replaced at the beginning of the season. Yesterday, the toggle switch for the bilge blower broke. Gotta get that fixed ASAP. It's still under warranty for about 9 days LOL.

Other than that, it's been a trouble free boat. I'm still on the original pair of batteries, the 350 Mag runs flawlessly, the interior is still in great condition, and the gelcoat is holding up well. I have snap-in carpet and, contrary to public opinion, it holds up well and doesn't get that hot. When it does we're usually in the water anyway.

There are a few things I wish it had, such as easier access to the battery switches, two speakers on the swim deck, fender clips, and a cooler built into the swim platform (like on the new SLXs) but overall it makes efficient use of the available space.

I could probably sell it for what I paid for it new.

 

[ygbsm]

Maybe I'm just talking to myself in this thread, but in the off chance people are doing research on this model, here's my 5 year review.

Bought new on September 14, 2016. Navy blue/ tan stripe with ivory interior.

Boating exclusively on Fort Loudon Lake, dry stack storage at the marina.

Only a few problems:
-power steering leaked (fixed under warranty 2016)
- two small voids (way less than a penny in diameter) in the gelcoat (had them fixed myself-2019)
- transducer broke (fixed under warranty 2021)
- blower motor switch broke (fixed under warranty 2021)(Shout-out to my local dealer, American Boat Center, who fixed the blower motor switch only 4 days after I called it in)

None of these problems were serious, or left me boatless. Reliability has been very good- as I expect from Sea Ray.

Gelcoat has held up well, and so has the vinyl. The SeaDek on the swim platform is a little faded, but holding up reasonably well. Build quality is very good.

350 Mag/ Bravo 3/ DTS has plenty of power. Never a problem getting up on plane even with 9 kids and adults on board. Max speed of 51 mph by GPS. Best cruise around 3000 rpm.

Handles well, and ride is good- but I think a heavier/ longer boat would do better in the chop.

Love the swim platform, aft-facing seat, and L-shaped beach seat. Overall a good design.

A few things I would want on my next day boat- a cooler on the swim platform, a detachable cooler in the cockpit (mine is built into the seat, and usually someone has to move if you want to open it), transom speakers, a battery switch near the helm, and fender clips- pretty minor things.

It's been a great family boat, as well as for those rare times when the wife and I are able to get away. This weekend we had six boys on the boat for tubing and swimming. These smiles make it all worthwhile.