56 DB - 2002+ -- General Feedback

[jeljr]

A good friend of mine is looking at 56 DB's I told him about this site and hope to see him on soon!

I am looking at 48 DB's and have spent a LOT of time getting to know the boat, owners, feedback... This site and the people on it are VERY helpful in providing feedback so...

How about some feedback for the 56 DB 2002+:


Does anyone have feedback on the 56 Sedan Bridges - they are beautiful boats no question about it...

I know the 56 had the CAT's or MAN's - the MANs 1050 (D2840LE403) how thursty are those beasts?

Any general feedback on the power packages, the boat, handling, that I can pass along or things to watch out for, specific issues related to the 56 DB's??

Thanks in advance!
J

 

[fwebster]

You don't say which Caterpillars, but I suspect they are 3406's @ 800hp.........they are typical Cat quality and bullet proof. The 3406's are not one of the engines that had block, valve or aftercooler problems and are not known to have any particular problems.

I ran a Viking sportfish about 600 miles a few years ago with 1050hp M.A.N.'s. The boat was new to the owner and to me so we ran a comfortable speed but under normal cruise speed. On 2 fill-ups we averaged 98 GPH.......thank goodness is was not my credit card! The biggest "issue" for me with those particular engines were that they were smoky beasts and very loud. The trip was across the Okeechobee Waterway and up parts of the ICW with a good bit of traffic so we stopped and started a lot. At the end of each day, there was so much soot on the transom it was hard to read the boat's name and hailing port. These were mechanical, not electronic engines, and I don't know which Sea Ray used in the larger boats then. Your friend should sea trial a M.A.N. powered boat to see for himself if the smoke is a problem and if is something he can live with.

 

[jeljr]

Frank,

Great points, I will pass them along. Yes the Cats are 3406's.

I can imagine the smoke with the MAN's would get old, very quickly!

Warm Regards,
J

 

[Sea Gull]

I own the new version of this boat, the 58DB. This is identical to the previous 550DB and very similar to the older 56. All these boats are much closer to 58 feet long than 55 or 56. With the swim platform added mine is over 62 feet long.

My boat is powered by 900 HP MANs which are currently the only engine available. Earlier 550 and 580s had 700 then 800 HP MANs and these boats were underpowered.

Although I like CATs (I like MAN too) I think the boat would be underpowered with the smaller engines. The 1050 MANs are a more appropriate pairing of engines to hull. With a waterline length of around 55 feet and a beam of only 16 these boats move through the water nicely. I cruise around 26 knots and burn 62 gph. Of course the 1050s would burn more at the same RPM. My engines are the common rail electronic injection technology and smoke is not an issue, but I can't comment on older MANs.

It's a great boat and I'm sure your friend will be very happy with either engine package.

 

[Four Suns]

So I'll be the guy that will put in my 2 cents on the non-mechanical stuff. I have *no* valid long term experience in the 56 or 58 but have crawled over them in detail. I'll defer to the people with experience on the engines for real input.

I will, however, comment on the boats (56 and 58) from a guy that is considering these boats and looking at the competition as well.

The interiors on these boats are both very nice and the newer 58 interior is great with the mid-master stateroom. I hate having a forward master when anchoring due to the wave splashing on the hull. I'm sure others that actually own these boats can comment on pluses and minuses. Again... I don't have experience there.

This is the ONE area that bothers me on the 58 versus the 56... The bridge... I'm not a big fan of the new helms that Sea Ray is putting in their yacht line and the upper end of there sport yacht line. Without insulting anyone's boat, these newer helms just look like sport cruiser helms in a yacht. Everything is chopped up and molded so it's almost a center console type of look with a pod and then engine guages have to be put overhead. I personally like well designed big flat spaces so you have room to grow on the electronics and can redo things and technology changes. Bigger boats do longer cruises and need more electronic gear... and it will constantly change. My 480 is a great example of this problem with a molded area for a vertical raymarine display and no room to upgrade to the the larger E series that are bigger on the horizontal dimension and shorter on the vertical... Helms should not be designed around the current electronics dimensions. When you get into this size of yacht, they are not "weekend" cruisers and people hang on to them longer and need a well designed bridge that is future proof on the electronics is an asset IMO. The 56 has more "flat space" than the 58. Sea Ray needs to look at Viking Sport Cruisers as well as Bertram enclosed bridges (and Hatteras which is under the same company). If Sea Ray wants to really be serious in the upper yacht class, they need upper yacht class bridge/helm designs. The addition of SSB radios, spare VHF radios, marine pc's, etc should be able to be added and look like they belong.

The thing I did like on the 56 was the plexiglass window frames above the forward seats (like those on the 480). You can see the bow from the helm. From what I saw on the 58, you can't see the bow from the helm and I just don't like being blind on the front of the boat. I'm used to having an eagle-eye view in my 480 and I just want to see around when running and docking.

I really like the 58.... and I really like the 56... It's just the bridge.... Sea Ray needs to spend some time with me to design the bridge better... :wink:

Here...

http://www.vikingsportcruisers.com/models/motorYachts/61MY/61my_helm.asp

Lot's of "flat space"... and it looks good.

 

[jeljr]

Great feedback so far. Do you think Sea Ray would have published fuel GPH numbers for the 56 with the CATs and the 56 with the MAN's?

Did the MAN's become the "standard" power for the 56 in 2003 and 2004?

I agree with Gary, I love the 48 DB helm the layout is fantastic! I like lots of space, like the more "traditional" bridges found on Hatteras or Viking...

Thanks for the feedback so far!

J