Pics of New 43DA from Norwalk Boat Show

S

Skippy

New Member
Aug 13, 2008
66
Connecticut
Boat Info
280 DA
Engines
T - 4.3 Alphas
Sea Ray just nailed this one IMO...

If this is the future of exterior styling, attention to detail and all around layout for the Sundancer line I'm really excited about where the brand is headed.

Folks here have been great offering up suggestions as I consider trading up to a 38DA, and I went to the show today pretty downbeat expecting that if I do trade up this year I would have to compromise on too much to get really excited about my new boat...not so anymore...I'm just going to wait 12-24 months until I get a slightly smaller version of this baby when / if they get around to it.

I love the repositioned helm instrumentation, love the salon layout and uptiered quality in everything...hard top and power moonroofs too...

Kudos Sea Ray...
 

Attachments

  • CIMG2630.jpg
    CIMG2630.jpg
    49.6 KB · Views: 326
  • CIMG2629.jpg
    CIMG2629.jpg
    61.1 KB · Views: 333
  • CIMG2634.jpg
    CIMG2634.jpg
    49.4 KB · Views: 327
  • CIMG2638.jpg
    CIMG2638.jpg
    44.7 KB · Views: 324
  • CIMG2632.jpg
    CIMG2632.jpg
    43.6 KB · Views: 330
Last edited:
SWEET pics man! We were going to that show but the weather killed the idea. It was a monsoon here in MI and didn't wanna risk a 3hr ride in the rain to walk around a boat show that is well, outside. Makes me wish we went now! That hardtop woulda done a FINE job of keepin the water off our heads. I LOVE the lines of that boat. The price makes it impossible for many years though...
 
She really is a beauty...

here's a few more...
 

Attachments

  • CIMG2628.jpg
    CIMG2628.jpg
    61.4 KB · Views: 185
  • CIMG2633.jpg
    CIMG2633.jpg
    45.8 KB · Views: 213
  • CIMG2635.jpg
    CIMG2635.jpg
    53.8 KB · Views: 198
  • CIMG2636.jpg
    CIMG2636.jpg
    51 KB · Views: 170
I was talking to Marine Max and apparently a couple of the major players who were responsible for the styling of the new 43DA left Sea Ray and went to work for Chaparral. The guys really wanted to take the new 43 above and beyond what was out on the market today but Sea Ray put the kibosh half way through their design. They got fed up and left and later designed the Chaparral 400. Check it out on youtube. Very similar in design.

Doug

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVgbSZ-oV9E[/YOUTUBE]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cam8qPU5PE&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4OYkSHeSK4&feature=related[/youtube]
 
There didn't seem to be a price sticker on the boat and the kids were getting unruly at that point so I scarpered...I'll check w my MM sales guy and post the answer here...

On the Chaparral boat, based solely on the videos posted, if I'm honest I think Sea Ray did the right thing not to over engineer the boat...in a marine environment I can see buying a power moonroof as a technological advance, but what is that idiotic detachable keyboard the fellow is playing with in the last video??

Also, is it me or does the Chaparral boat seem to have a narrower beam for it's LOA than I might expect? If they sacrificed a better ride to save costs but added in all those silly technology frills I think Sea Ray will eat their lunch with their new design direction...

just my $.02
 
The 43 is a very nice boat, but price starts at $849K.......

http://www.searay.com/configurator.asp?ycid=26705&I


It means fully configured it would go well over $900K....at that price I would go for the 44 SD at $721K...

and suddenly, a used 450 DA becomes a steal, at $200-275 K
 
Just curious how the cockpit, interior, etc . feels compared to a 48. The thing we love about the 48 is the massive cockpit area. I'm kind of lukewarm to the rear facing bench seating set up. It seems it could take away from the cockpit space.
 
Probably right but it's all relative...it felt pretty big yesterday after I left the show and sparked up Ladybugs for a tour around Greenwich Harbor with the Admiral and the kids..

I sort of like the rear facing bench actually, maybe because we spend a lot of time watching the kids swimming of the back of our boat, but I could absolutely see how another family might want a bigger cockpit area & as I said in another thread recently, the 350DA with the swiveling captain's chair and built in grill is perfect for those folks who like to sit around in the cockpit and chill or shoot the breeze while putting up the burgs...
 
I hate to say it, but we were disappointed in the 43DA. The article in the magazine made it look really neat. The reality was not the same.

The Sea Ray rep was almost apologetic for the boat. According to him, it was hull #2. And changes have to be made according to feedback they've already received.

The admiral was the most critical. She point out that the finish on the maple floor was already worn. The connect for the central vac was in an inaccessible place far behind the stairs. The galley countertop was beyond the reach of an average woman and behind that was a drop off about 6 " by 6" deep the full length of the countertop where stuff could get lost. The TV drops down out of the ceiling at an angle and if it goes too far it hits the cabinets. It is located right above the range and when down it prevents any upper galley cabinet from being opened. Although the TV was a flat panel, it was SD and not a wide screen. When entering the mid-cabin area I hit my head as I passed the door frame. (I'm only 6' tall.) The forward stateroom had less room in it to maneuver than our 370. The transom seat back is split on a pintle so it swivels open to create a large sunpad. But the hinge felt weak and I'm sure that's one thing that will break.

On the plus side, visibility forward was pretty good and the guages are just above eve level and easily watched while underway. The Zeus drives have to be cool and the interface with what was called "automatic anchor" was pretty neat. It connects the Zeus to the GPS and when you hit the button, it takes over and keeps you in place without having the monkey the throttles and wheel hold your position.

Overall, I did not care for the execution or the quailty control Cobalt had a similarly configured 46 on display that blew the Sea Ray away in terms of execution and quality. And there was that 52' Midnight Lace.....

Gene
 
What blows me away is that the 5th noted "key feature" is a Sirius radio. Is it just me, or does it seem crazy how much marketing play a $50 satellite radio gets in the sale of a million dollar boat? Same goes for every car being advertised these days - how can the most important aspect of a $50K car be an iPod dock or a satellite radio?

It is just amazing how starved the marketers are for something good to write about - especially in the 43DA.
 
The Norwalk boat was in Atlantic City a few weeks ago. Sea Ray finished the 43DA a bit early and managed to get it north in time for A.C. Price was nearly $900K, which is insane. The 44DA right next to it was a more than $100,000 less money.

The helm on the 43DA is awful. Much wasted space because of the angles and multiple surfaces. There's so little space that the engine instruments are up above well outside the helmsman's view. Good luck monitoring those expensive diesels.

A huge amount of space aft is wasted by the enormous and useless sun pad. Skin cancer anyone? Likewise the port seating isn't a seat, but an aft facing lounge, just like those small lake boats. Compared tot he 44DA there is much less seating and what seating is there, is not as useful.

The interior is ultra modern in design, and not at all inviting. The layout of the interior isn't as well done as the 44DA. The air conditioning wasn't working on the 43 in Atlantic City, so we did not spend much time inside. What little we saw, we disliked.

The 43DA is only available with the zeus drive coupled to the little B series engines. I think this is a mistake. I would not want to take delivery of a zeus boat for at least another five to seven years. Even once Merc gets the bugs out of it, it is still second class to the IPS, IMO.

The exterior view of the boat from the dock is the one aspect of the 43 that is superior to the 44DA. On the whole, the 44DA is a far better boat. Too bad Sea Ray has discontinued it. Oh well. Their loss.

In short, they screwed the pooch. A new Regal 4460 with IPS is looking better all the time or a used V drive 44DA or 48DA.

Best regards,
Frank
 
Last edited:
Frank, I agree 100%. I just cant believe that anyone would pay nearly a million dollar for a 43'er. What a joke! I can think of a ton of boats (just in the lightly used SR lineup) which give you a way better bang for your buck.

I suggest it come with a disco ball. LOL.
 
Yeah. They had a window sticker with all of the options listed. Bottom line was around $870 or 880. I forget the exact number. Didn't matter, it wasn't coming home with us.

Best regards,
Frank
 
In my opinion since they did away with the 44 Sundancer they need to build a 45/46 to bridge the gap between the 43 and the 48 now. I was aboard the 43 and it felt more like a 380 to me than a 43' boat.

On the other hand the 48 feels like 3 times the boat and at least at the last boat show I was at the 48 Sundancer was priced lower than the 43!

Also, don't get me started on that redheaded stepchild called the 47 Sedan Bridge..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,163
Messages
1,427,599
Members
61,072
Latest member
BoatUtah12
Back
Top