Advice on buying a Sea Ray 230 Overnighter

[pepe]

Hello

I'm thinking abut buying a Sea Ray 230 Overnighter from 97-99 or something like that. Does anyone have any advice on what to look for with this boats?

Also what does the "Signature" boats have that the standard ones doesent?

would love to hear from someone that have or have had a boat like this. pros and cons?

Thank you


// Patrik

 

[SloBurn]

A boat that old, you'll want to know when the manifolds were replaced last. Most important, you'll want a boat that fits what you will be using it for. Dual batteries are a must, also. My 250 has a big cabin, and I go camping in it, so I made sure I could fit as I'm 6' 3" and needed a long cabin. It also has a large cockpit for bringing guests on board. But it's very thirsty with a 454 engine in it. You may want to look for the Merc 260hp engine. Less gas, also a bit slower, but you'll probably not notice the speed difference.

 

[Nehalennia]

I agree with the advice on the manifolds, risers and otherwise general condition of the outdrive, gimbal bearing, coupler, etc. I love the 230OV. I had a '99 with 5.7EFI for 7 seasons and a '95 220OV (same boat) before that from '95 until '99. A great riding, handling and economical to run boat.





running

 

[Chris Nowell]

Make sure you can sleep comfortably in the v-birth if you plan on overnighting and that there is room to store the stuff you will take with you. Also make sure the boat will handle whatever weather you may happen to get caught in. If you boat in an area where sudden squalls can subject you to high wind and waves you will want a vessel that will be able to handle it safely without terrifying everyone on board. Oh, and welcome to the site. Be sure to check out the "archives" site for answers to your other question regarding the different models. I'll try to link it to you,,,, here; http://www.searay.com/Page.aspx/pageId/10532/Model-Archives.aspx
Pick a year and then a model. If you have trouble downloading send me a PM and I'll explain how I do it. My computer won't download these files when I just click on "download". Good luck.

 

[Nehalennia]

Make sure you can sleep comfortably in the v-birth if you plan on overnighting and that there is room to store the stuff you will take with you. Also make sure the boat will handle whatever weather you may happen to get caught in. If you boat in an area where sudden squalls can subject you to high wind and waves you will want a vessel that will be able to handle it safely without terrifying everyone on board. Oh, and welcome to the site. Be sure to check out the "archives" site for answers to your other question regarding the different models. I'll try to link it to you,,,, here; http://www.searay.com/Page.aspx/pageId/10532/Model-Archives.aspx
Pick a year and then a model. If you have trouble downloading send me a PM and I'll explain how I do it. My computer won't download these files when I just click on "download". Good luck.

There is a hold under the cushion where the porta-potty is out. Yes the porta-potty is not the most convenient, but it's there. I had the pump-out feature on it which actually made it nice. Anyway the hold under the cockpit floor allowed us to store quite a bit of stuff in there in bins. Also depending on configuration, we had the sleeper seats, the jump seats in the back allowed us to stick a cooler under the starboard side jump seat again making more space and keeping the cockpit floor uncluttered.

I would also take this boat anywhere. I don't want to be in big water, but this boat was in 12' seas once and regularly in 3'-5'ers and it does just fine, not fun, but fine. It is more stable than the 260DA I have now or Chris' 240DA.
Downsides are it doesn't have a head, fridge, microwave or water tank, but it's an overnighter, not a cruiser. I loved that boat. I like our small cruiser now and wouldn't go back, but if that's your budget and the sized boat you've been looking for, it's a great boat.
I've taken it from Seattle to Desolation sound one summer and it handled the open water just fine. This is on the way to Princess Louisa in Canada and as you can see, it handles the terribly rough water


I mounted a grill off the side that when not in use stowed alongside the sleeper seats. The deck mount was inconspicuous when not in use as well.

 

[Chris Nowell]

Pepe,
Looking at the spec sheet for Todd's old boat, ('99 230OV) I would say that it would be an excellent choice for an overnighter. With it's 8'6" beam and a 4000 lb displacement I can see how it would be able to keep you safe in the rough stuff. The 21 degree deadrise would make her very capable in the open water chop too. We have owned a '93 220OV and only kept it for a few weeks because of it's inability to handle the rough stuff. Todd's 230 is 10 times the boat that our 220 was. If you can get onto the "archives" site you can compare all the specs from the various models. The download function works great from my computer at work so I guess the problems I'm having with the site at home are just an issue with my laptop. IMHO; heavy is good, lots of beam is good, lots of deadrise is good, lots of draft is good, and Sea Ray is GREAT. Hope ya find a good one. Take your time and expect to have to walk away from a few before you find the right one. Post any questions that come up on the site and someone with related experience will eventually respond. Now,, back to work.

 

[pepe]

Than you everyone for your advices. It sounds like the 230OV would be a good boat for me. I will have the boat in a small lake were I live and the water doesn't get to rough here. Mostly I will use it for day tours but I also want the opportunity to sleep in it with my girlfriend avery now and then. Only for a night or so. Only bad thing seams to be it's missing a refrigerator but I can probably install that on my own some how.

Thanks for the pictures Tod, looks like a beautiful lake with the snow up on the mountains!! And hey, Skål to you to!