Sea Ray vs....

How much knowledge did u have prior to purchasing the manuals? Do u do your own maint. Now that u have them?
 
This is our 1st boat, we bought it new at the end of last year so it’s still under warranty and will have the marina do the maintenance for now.

I bought the manual because I would like to do some of the maintenance myself eventually and I think it good to try and understand were things are and how they go together, I don’t have a lot of free time right now though.

I picked up a lot of info (and laughs) just reading post on this forum.
 
what octane fuel do you guys run in yours? do you use any addatives or anything in addition to pump fuel?
 
what octane fuel do you guys run in yours? do you use any addatives or anything in addition to pump fuel?

I believe the gas is regular gas station 89 at the fuel dock. I would give anything for them to switch over to valvtec though.

I dont put in any additives except during winterization the marina the boat is serviced at adds some stabilizer and some other stuff.

Best advice I could give you is just change the oil and drive lube more frequently than they say if you are going to be tubing and stuff. Maintain everything at a little earlier than then book says.
 
So how much does one notice ~1 ft difference? I was looking through my 2009 book from the Sea Ray dealership.. are there any major reasons I should spring for a select or sundeck instead of a sport? I would probably end up spending more and getting an older model to upgrade to the select or sundeck. Are there enough differences between these models to justify the sacrifice?
 
YOU NEED TO SEE THE BOATS.

1' of length makes a significant difference in this size range.

1' of beam is priceless. . .but all the boats in this range will tend to have 8' 6" beams to avoid the need for wide-load trailer permits.

YOU NEED TO SEE THE BOATS.

Deck boats (the sundecks) and the Deep V's (the selects) are built very differently. The sundecks are broader up front and therefore the bow seats are far more spacious. The Selects have a sharper bow which improves performance and handling (particularly in rough water), but this compromises bow seating area. The sundecks are so roomy up front, I have seen some with a bow boarding ladder and cockpit table.

The extent of the difference between Deck Boat and Deep V varies by model year and manufacturer.

For fair weather trailer boating. . .the sundecks are probably a better choice.

Not sure what the difference between the selects and the sports are. I suspect trim level.

YOU NEED TO SEE THE BOATS.

I tend to prefer used boats over new boats myself. But I am biased, because the new dealers were far less helpful to me, the *customer* than the used boat sellers. And the price is much better :)
 
Last edited:
So how much does one notice ~1 ft difference? I was looking through my 2009 book from the Sea Ray dealership.. are there any major reasons I should spring for a select or sundeck instead of a sport? I would probably end up spending more and getting an older model to upgrade to the select or sundeck. Are there enough differences between these models to justify the sacrifice?

I would go for a 1-7 year old Sundeck or Select. A few feet makes a big difference.

Sundecks are more comfortable/luxurious. Selects are sportier/sleeker. That's my opinion. We've experienced both the Sundeck and Select. The Sundeck was a perfect place to start. The bow boarding ladder is great. Our Select lacks that option. :huh: Also, Comsnark is contradicting himself by mistake... just to clarify, the Sundeck has a larger bow area. The Select has more seating in the rear. Don't get me wrong, you can lounge and spread yourself out on the bow of both boats, the Sundeck is just roomier up there. However, the Select is a deeper boat, as comsnark mentioned. The bow seats in the Select are deeper down, so you feel more protected when riding up there. In the Sundeck, the seats are significantly higher up. I agree that you need to take a look at both boats.

Look how sharp the bow is on the Select compared to the Sundeck, as well as other comparisons I made above such as the bow seat deepness. Keep in mind, the bow areas look similar in size... but the Select I'm showing you is 4' longer than the Sundeck.

http://www.searay.com/Page.aspx/pageId/10232/pmid/140231/270-Select-EX.aspx

http://www.searay.com/Page.aspx/pageId/10232/pmid/140225/230-Sundeck.aspx

Hope this helps? :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
I'm sure somebody with a scientific explanation will chime in, but I'd guess the issue of wakeboarding (where the wake is everything) the whole propultion of the jet drive vs. a prop may have something to do with it. Not to mention the design and shape of the hull have a lot to do with how the boat creates the wake as well. Anybody?
I owned a 10-ft Yamaha Waverunner and a 20.5-ft Sea Ray Seville for the same 8-year period (1998-2006). Typically the adults partied on the Sea Ray while the responsible kids took turns on the Yamaha. I skiied behind both boats. Both did a fine job, and I am not sure what the problem is with the wake. The Sea Ray held 30 gallons of gas, and that lasted for at least four outings. The Yamaha went to port for another 10 gallons several times each outing. Jet pump drives are far less efficient than screw propellers. For the same performance, you will need a much larger engine and burn much more fuel with a jet drive.

Both boats were a lot of fun for everyone, and gas was practically free back then, so there was no concern over fuel cost. I would think long and hard about future fuel costs if I was buying a boat today.
 
Our Select lacks that option. :huh: Also, Comsnark is contradicting himself by mistake... just to clarify, the Sundeck has a larger bow area. The Select has more seating in the rear.

Ah. . .so I did.
I edited my original post.

The point I am making is that difference between the selects and sundecks is more than merely the seating arrangment and "style". These differences are obvious when you see the boats. There is also a significant difference in the shape of the hull, which affects basic handling.

You really won't go wrong with either style.
 
I did see a select at the dealership, didn't pay too much attention to it due to the substantial price difference. (The only models they had were new for anything I was interested in.) It did look more luxurious for sure. So the select would be a better way to go if planning to use it frequently in the chesapeake? or if I was going to use it AT ALL in the Chesapeake?
YOU NEED TO SEE THE BOATS.

1' of length makes a significant difference in this size range.

1' of beam is priceless. . .but all the boats in this range will tend to have 8' 6" beams to avoid the need for wide-load trailer permits.

YOU NEED TO SEE THE BOATS.

Deck boats (the sundecks) and the Deep V's (the selects) are built very differently. The sundecks are broader up front and therefore the bow seats are far more spacious. The Selects have a sharper bow which improves performance and handling (particularly in rough water), but this compromises bow seating area. The sundecks are so roomy up front, I have seen some with a bow boarding ladder and cockpit table.

The extent of the difference between Deck Boat and Deep V varies by model year and manufacturer.

For fair weather trailer boating. . .the sundecks are probably a better choice.

Not sure what the difference between the selects and the sports are. I suspect trim level.

YOU NEED TO SEE THE BOATS.

I tend to prefer used boats over new boats myself. But I am biased, because the new dealers were far less helpful to me, the *customer* than the used boat sellers. And the price is much better :)
 
Last edited:
The Chesepeake is a big place. You need to be more specific.

A boat that is good for "The Cheseapeke" probably won't be very good (i.e. too big) for lakes.
 
I have never been to the waters of the Chesepeake, but like I have said, the bow shape and deep hull of the Select will cut through the waves more purposefully/effortlessly.
 
""The removal and reinstalling of the outdrives.. is that something that occurs with all boats or just larger ones? Something that must be done? If not, what is the benefit?""

Pulling and refitting the drive on a Mercruiser is marginally more dificult than changing a wheel. Off in ten minutes and back on in twenty. If your thinking in terms of DIY, don't get hung up on this. I pull mine two or three times a year just to check everything's ok.

As far as fuel costs go, I pay $8 a gallon for gas so the inefficiency of Jets, particularlly a speeds bellow 30mph where 90% of your boating is done, makes them a none starter.
Check the speeds for the water sports you''re thinking of. Except for serious slalom skiing they'll all be under 30mph (tubing is under twenty).

I have a twenty foot Searay 200 OV, no-one sleeps in the cuddy but it's handy for getting changed in, gives you somewhere out of sight to leave your gear when you go for lunch and when the weather turns foul it's somewhere to hide. Also, I've had a couple of waves come over the foredeck in very rough conditions that I really wouldn't like to have had to try and pump out (remember water = one ton per cubic metre) so for those reasons I wouldn't entertain a bow rider. Having said that I probably expect more of my boats than most. :grin:
 

Attachments

  • Splash Down.jpg
    Splash Down.jpg
    75.9 KB · Views: 168
Last edited:
Still looking daily. Trying to find opportunities to test my options. Might wait until next spring. Hate to buy at prime time, but if I buy used I think I'd be uncomfortable not seeing the boat in action first. Pretty much set on a sea ray though, mfg owes u guys for that one. I have narrowed it down.. I will probably do a 185-205 sport or 210 select, whatever I can find the best deal on. I look every day at listings to see what's new!
 
Both the above choices will erase any hopes of wakeboarding, this I can help with. None of the jetboats give any kind of decent wake at all, and in fact there is a thread or two on wakeboarder.com regarding people's disappointment that these companies are even trying to sell these now with towers!

The i/o engine and design of the sport model boats offer great wakes for wakeboarding and as well for the other watersports, but can be trimmed to go out into larger bodies of water for cruising. For example, on Winnipesaukee, you wont see any towboats out during the week as they get beat up pretty good, so an i/o is a good all around boat for sports and cruising.

Thus why we ended up as well with the SR as it gave us more versatility.

I don't want to start a war with my first post but I have to dispute the idea that a Yamaha jetboat and wakeboarding don't go together. I'm not going to argue that the Yamaha can throw the same beautiful wake you'll see from a Nautique or a Mastercraft but with a decent ballast system you can have a very nice wakeboarding boat.

Here is a video of a Yamaha AR230 jetboat with 1700 lbs of ballast weight and 5 passangers with the perfect pass set at 22mph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoaNP5ksAJI
 
I don't want to start a war with my first post but I have to dispute the idea that a Yamaha jetboat and wakeboarding don't go together. I'm not going to argue that the Yamaha can throw the same beautiful wake you'll see from a Nautique or a Mastercraft but with a decent ballast system you can have a very nice wakeboarding boat.

Here is a video of a Yamaha AR230 boat with 1700 lbs of ballast weight and 5 passangers with the perfect pass set at 22mph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoaNP5ksAJI

Hey, if you know what you're talking about, nobody's going to shoot you down whether it's your 1st post or your 5,000th.
 
I don't want to start a war with my first post but I have to dispute the idea that a Yamaha jetboat and wakeboarding don't go together. I'm not going to argue that the Yamaha can throw the same beautiful wake you'll see from a Nautique or a Mastercraft but with a decent ballast system you can have a very nice wakeboarding boat.

Here is a video of a Yamaha AR230 jetboat with 1700 lbs of ballast weight and 5 passangers with the perfect pass set at 22mph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoaNP5ksAJI
No point in arguing...go over to wakeboarder.com, a site full of wakeboarders, and see what they have to say about jet boat wakeboarding. Go ahead..make a post there. :smt001 Most say it sucks, but of course the ones who OWN the jet boats disagree.

I can only go by what others have said that I know, and watching jet boat wash. My neighbor Al hit on for me saying the prop wash in the middle is like going over cement. The wake can be changed for sure, but it's shape cant really be dialed in.

Is it good for general wakeboarding, yea. BUT in a limited way.
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
112,945
Messages
1,422,746
Members
60,928
Latest member
rkaleda
Back
Top