Newbie Say Hello

dcw

New Member
Apr 26, 2009
11
Perth, Australia
Boat Info
185 Sport 2007
Engines
220 hp Mercruiser 4.3 MPI
Newbie Says Hello

Hi Guys

Just introducing myself. I'm Dave from Perth, Western Australia. I'm hoping to buy my first boat shortly, but obviously know very little (I have only been looking for a couple of weeks).

My wife is keen on a Bowrider, and we've been homing in on a Sea Ray 185 Sport with 4.3l 190hp, probably 2007. We'd use it for skiing (new to this as well), inshore & river/estuary fishing, and general pleasure boating.

I'm a little worried that the late model 185s don't have much room for fishing, and that there is no anchor stowage. Also, not much room on the dash for sounder/GPS & VHF radio. Whilst I don't think we're likely to be angling fanatics, I'd like to keep the option open.

Perth gets quite a strong sea breeze most afternoons, with typical swells around 1-2m + similar sized waves on top of that. The coast itself is pretty exposed, but with plenty of facilities to launch a trailed boat. The (nearby) Swan River looks perfect for water-skiing with wide open spaces near the city.

I'd be welcome any advice.

Dave.
 
Last edited:
Welcome aboard, Dave!

The 185 with a v-6 is a very fast boat - planes off extremely quick - you'll have now problems is the watersports department!

Anchor storage is hit and miss in the small boat category. However, an anchor and a good amount of rope will fit under one of the bow seats.

To help keep the anchor line a little neater (since you'll be moving it around more than if it was in a dedicated locker) think about using one of those round, orange, electrical cord wind-ups. There about $5 at Home Depot.

You're right - not much space for a fishfinder. But, again, this is typical in small boats. However, here's something that I have used countless times to mount things in tight spaces: http://ram-mount.com/CatalogResults...d/082065077045066045049048049085/Default.aspx

This is just one example, there are literally thousands of different Ram Mounts available. But the one above is what I typically use.
 
Thanks for the advice Dave. I'll check out the bow seat storage a bit more carefully than I have up to now. As I said, we haven't been looking long, and many of these practical points are only just occuring to me.

I can't actually follow your link to the Ram mount at present (might be a problem at my end), but I have looked up Ram mounts generally (I wondered what they were!), and as you say there are dozens to choose from.

The 185 is a really good looking boat, but I'm starting to realise that I have to match whatever we get to what we are likely to want to do. It's gradually becoming clearer.
 
One tip for the first timer: buy a boat that is 2 feet bigger than what you're first looking at. Trust me. Besides, did you know that boats shrink when you put them in the water? :grin:
 
Thanks for the tip Lazy Daze & sorry for getting your name wrong!

I'd like to go larger, but can't really afford the outlay or the room. Still, I intend to seek a bit more advice over in the powerboat section, and if needs must I'll just have stump up somehow.
 

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