Recent move to central Florida (Requires A New Boat)

F

FiremistSLK

Active Member
Sep 10, 2020
106
Central Florida USA
Boat Info
2007 Chaparral Sunesta 214 Mercruiser 5.0L MPI Alpha 1
Engines
5.0L MPI 260hp w/Alpha I
I'm being told that a Sundeck is a very good choice for a Florida lake boat and the occasional trip the Sandbar off Cape Coral. I am a strict Searay owner and found a 2009 210 SD for 30K (a salt water boat), trailer stored, no bottom paint. And a clean 2002 220SD for 17K (a fresh water boat), also trailer stored, no bottom paint. The 220 has much more room but the 210 is a bit nicer (newer). Both have the Mercruiser 5.0 MPI. The 210 has a Bravo 3 and the 220 has an Alpha. Both boats are in the 450 hour range. I am a single guy trying to decide if I really need the bigger 220. Any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. JOHN
 
I’ll be honest, both are pretty good boats but if you ever have females on board, I’d look at a 240 sundeck because of the small head on the port side. It’s not much, but it provides a bit of modesty for them should the need arise.
 
Thanks Nick for the reply. One of the main reasons I like the SR Sundeck 210 OR 220 over some other brands I looked at is just that! BOTH the 210 SD and the 220 SD have the small head on the port side! Other brands of Sundecks do NOT have this little head. Searay is a top quality boat that is very well thought out. IMHO
 
My experience has been that the Gulf can get pretty choppy in a hurry and having a slightly bigger and heavier boat will improve the ride significantly.
 
Thanks for letting me know that. Every time I visited friends in the Ft Meyers area and went to the beach, the gulf was pretty calm, with small boats and jet skis all around. I thought it would be like that all the time. But I should know better. I did most of my boating on Narragansett Bay in NJ and there were days when the chop was over two feet! I was leaning toward the 220 anyway because it has more room for when the grand kids visit. You may have just helped me make up my mind. Thanks.....
 
Firemist, you schooled me on the heads! I could have sworn they didn’t get put in until the 240. I would see how many of the 220s are in the area you plan to boat in. If there are none, then that’s a good indication you might be looking at the wrong boat. I will say, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a bigger boat when dealing with the weather on the coast. I think sundecks are nice boats, I’ve looked at them myself but we seem to really like our Supra for now.
 
Looking at the outdrives. 210 has Bravo. 220 has Alpha. I would get the Bravo. It’s a beast. I’m surprised the larger boat has Alpha. I had an Alpha once. Once! Never again. They fine for little boats. They don’t have the guts to push a medium size with people aboard.
That 220 with a load will struggle to get/stay on plane.
 
Been down there and boated everywhere you can on day trips on rented hurricanes….. I would go for a center console with an outboard
 
Blueone said:
Been down there and boated everywhere you can on day trips on rented hurricanes….. I would go for a center console with an outboard
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This 100% if you can swing it.

We came to Florida 2.5 years ago with an open bow 24 IO. It wasn't ideal. We traded it for a 25' center console with an outboard. Huge difference in handling and maintenance. Many also have a head under the console.
 
WOW! Lots of good feed back from this forum (as expected). I am really torn now... I think I want the bigger 220 but the bravo III on the 210 really has me thinking about it. Well..... I haven't seen either one in person yet. I will visit (inspect) the 220 on Wednesday and visit (inspect) the 210 next week. I'll keep you all informed as to what i see and find out about each boat. BTW... I am not a center console kind of guy. I like sitting down inside the boat. A center console is to "open" for my liking.
 
Blueone said:
Been down there and boated everywhere you can on day trips on rented hurricanes….. I would go for a center console with an outboard
Click to expand...

Meh. Wet ride w no seats and no cabin. Unless you’re a fishing junkie they’re primitive. You can see them all hauling ass in when storm clouds come.
 
El Capitan said:
Meh. Wet ride w no seats and no cabin. Unless you’re a fishing junkie they’re primitive. You can see them all hauling ass in when storm clouds come.
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I'm going to disagree. When we moved down I had an opportunity to get a CC but my wife didn't want a 'damn fishing boat' so we got a 24' Four Winns open bow. It was never perfectly comfortable in the Gulf, especially when travelling longer distances. Now that we've gone down both paths she loves the CC. Keep in mind there's whole product lines of CC's geared for comfort, not just fishing, so definitely not primitive.

There's tons of comfortable seating everywhere on the boat. She also likes that we can sit next to each other while underway with a windshield and talk normally. Moving around the boat with people aboard is way easier as you have 2 ways to go forward. The ride is night and day different than a shallow V hull. With reference to the wet ride. If it's raining, yes, only 4 people can stay dry underway. If it's just bumpy and windy then the CC is far drier than the open bow. Most have a pronounced flared bow and it throws the water away from the boat, not up like the open bows where the wind blows it right into the boat. To a degree.

And I guarantee that the open bow IO boats will be bolting for the dock quicker than the CC's when the storm clouds come in. If for nothing else, many CC's have sell bailing cockpits.

To me the single biggest downside of the CC's is losing the nice big swim platform. We really miss that. But mostly that's due to almost are all outboards so there's just a compromise for that choice of power, regardless of boat type.

Anyhoo.... just another new-to-Florida person's perspective of their boating experience so far. Ask me again tomorrow and it may change.
 
Had 2 CC's a 20 and a 22' previous to this BR. 242 Baja 8.1 24* deadrise no comparison with ride comfort speed and the stay dry factor with this bad boy.
20220502_143143.jpg
 
OK people, I went and looked at the 2002 Searay 220 SD. A very dirty and not cared for boat (the pictures made it look a lot cleaner). The florida sun really did a number on the vinyl in this uncovered boat. The entire boat was filthy. So no sale. But I did learn that the 220 is a little bit more boat than I need. As I said, this boat is just for me to explore the lakes here in central Florida and the 210 will fill the bill for me nicely. So I looked at the 2009 210 SD. It was very nice, clean, well cared for and just the right size to meet my needs. And the porta-potti is a nice feature on this boat, but...... The seller wants WAY too much for it at over $32,000! So I found another 210 that I like better. It is a 2008 210 SD SELECT! Priced right, too. My question for all is this. The broker says this boat was used 50/50 in fresh and brackish water. It has the Merc 5.0 MPI with a Bravo III. I will go look at this boat next week. Comments and advice are welcomed. Thanks in advance. JOHN.
 
Usually you can expect that a boat used in 'brackish' water is a nice way of saying it's a saltwater boat. Not a bad thing in of itself, just is what it is.

Easy to check the exterior stuff like the drive leg, fittings, electrical connections, etc. Regarding the engine, I'm going to assume it's fresh(raw)water cooled being that age. For that reason you'll need to know when/if the risers and manifolds have been changed in the last 5 years or not. You'll want a receipt to confirm it, not a verbal from the broker. If no way of verifying then you'll need to add that cost to your purchase price and get it done immediately.
 
I so agree with you copb8.... The boat is priced at a good price point and will allow me to have the engine and outdrive inspected before purchase. I will have the manifolds and risers done immediately (if there is no documentation as to when it was last done).
 
FiremistSLK said:
OK people, I went and looked at the 2002 Searay 220 SD. A very dirty and not cared for boat (the pictures made it look a lot cleaner). The florida sun really did a number on the vinyl in this uncovered boat. The entire boat was filthy. So no sale. But I did learn that the 220 is a little bit more boat than I need. As I said, this boat is just for me to explore the lakes here in central Florida and the 210 will fill the bill for me nicely. So I looked at the 2009 210 SD. It was very nice, clean, well cared for and just the right size to meet my needs. And the porta-potti is a nice feature on this boat, but...... The seller wants WAY too much for it at over $32,000! So I found another 210 that I like better. It is a 2008 210 SD SELECT! Priced right, too. My question for all is this. The broker says this boat was used 50/50 in fresh and brackish water. It has the Merc 5.0 MPI with a Bravo III. I will go look at this boat next week. Comments and advice are welcomed. Thanks in advance. JOHN.
Click to expand...

Do not look or buy a boat from Florida. Just tellin ya. It'll save you tons of time wasted. Go look at listings in the Great Lakes region. Thank me later.
 
If my 2007 20 SunDeck had a portapotty it would be perfect for you. Fresh water boat now, wakeboard tower, 5.0 MAG engine. It's a blast but we don't use it as much as we anticipated so it's for sale.
 
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