Moving on up

G

Georgia SeaDawg

New Member
Apr 30, 2009
613
Savannah, GA.
Boat Info
270 Dauntless
Engines
Twin 225 verado's
I am no longer an active SeaRay owner. We sold the SeaDawg in December and am actively looking for the next SeaRay. Since I'm 6'3" there are some priorities for the next boat. We loved our 240DA and had a blast with her. But there were some shortcomings when it came to a guy my size. We have stepped on a 310, 330, and a 360. Of course they all have there positives and negatives. Now the fun begins...
 
Good luck with the new purchase! Boat shopping is always an exciting time. We spent a solid 4 months traveling the country looking for our last boat--thank goodness we love it. I won't ever be doing that again! Next move for me is a lakeside condo and a center console!
 
I am your size and you want at least a 380DA!
 
I do have some concern of moving up that big. That is a huge difference from a 24 foot boat to something that big. The 360 seemed massive at the helm.
 
Double your pleasure and do away with twofootitis for several years to come...480DB aka Sea Rays best boat ever.
 
Look at what boat you really need and do it once . I'm still not where I really need to be and have done this three times. Prob end up saving you money in the long run.
 
searay40dad said:
Double your pleasure and do away with twofootitis
Click to expand...

In Canada we call it meteritis, last boat I had was a 89 280DA 4.3 I/O's sold it in 93, last summer it was time to get back into a boat, started out looking at the 310, then the 330, then 360 don't know how but I ended up with a 380DA, I grew up with boats and put many hours on the 280 but I was nervous as $hit when it was time to sea trial the 380, all for not the 380 handles like a dream around the docks the bow thruster helps
 
Georgia SeaDawg said:
I do have some concern of moving up that big. That is a huge difference from a 24 foot boat to something that big. The 360 seemed massive at the helm.
Click to expand...

We moved up from a Sea Ray 185 sport to a 380 DA. I have many of the concerns that you do. We purchased last fall and have not had a chance to really use the boat.

We knew we wanted to move up in size so we could over night on the river. We looked at 310's, 330's, 340's and 360's. For us nothing beat the space of the 380. I am 6'3 and have no issues with head room. We love the open floor plan.

Another big plus for us has been the price. We were able to get the boat at a good enough price that we are able to do a complete refit this winter. New floors, hardware,electronics, canvas, etc. To us this will almost feel like a new boat.

After attending a local boat show and seeing the 2013 410 we are even more thrilled with what we have. The new 410 is the same 'foot print as our 01 380. LOA = 42 ft Beam = 13 ft. The new 410 felt small to us. The use a lot of built-ins in the cockpit area and the stair location made the cabin feel small. I know the 410's have always had two heads but we just don't see the need for 2 heads in a 42 ft boat. Boat show price on that boat was 622k. We could buy and redo our boat more than 4x for that price.

To ease my nerves on learning how to drive something of this size. I reached out to a local captain before the purchase and have already arranged for his assistance in the spring. I felt proper training will be good for both my wife and I.

It is a big jump but we have watched other friends buy a 260, then two years later buy a 30, then a 330, etc. I don't see the advantage of buying and selling every 2 years.

In summary (Sorry for the long ramble) Go as big as you can afford. There is plenty of help out there to learn everything you need to know.
 
I agree with all everyone said. As for the perfect boat for us, there is no one perfect boat, especially in coastal Georgia. I do like the extra beam of the 360/380 vs the 340. Especially in the ER. My 240 required some very tricky movements when working on anything in the engine room. One time in particular, I wasn't sure if I could reverse out of there. We are very excited about the next boat, we just need to find the right boat for us.
 
I love the size and space of my old 30' Sundancer with the 11" beam. It is an almost perfect family boat in that we can overnight on it easily, but it is also small enough for day trips or short rides out for a meal on the water.
I'd love to have a much bigger boat, but I'm afraid that if I did I wouldn't take it away from the dock as much as I do now, and I really do like riding around.
The one and only thing I don't like about my current boat is that it lacks a seperate shower stall.
If I were looking for a newer boat in the mid 30 foot range, the seperate shower stall would be a priority for me. Unfortunately, Sea Ray doesn't accomplish this until you get in the upper 30 foot range.
 
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