Searay 36 sedan bridge vs Meridian 341

First of all thanks for all of the reponses to my inquiry. I think it is important to let everyone know something about the area where we live. We live in the Portland, Oregon area and we have not seen one Searay sedan bridge, ever, in the Portland area..We see a ton of Meridian, Carver, Navigator,etc sedan bridges;We also see alot of high end trawlers;We do see a ton of Searay express cruisers, not alot of the larger " sport yacht " cruisers.. We have been told by some that , since Meridians were made in the Pacific Northwest, they are more durable and have not been subjected to harsh long shipment from Florida.. Also, you can go on the internet and find new 2007 36 sedan bridges for 100-125k less than what were are quoted in the Portland area for 2008 models.. We have heard that Meridian will be having a fire sale to liquidate their existing yachts. All in all, we are very confused.. Help!
 
I know we have some 36DB owners here so you guys just cover your ears/eyes on this one......

Sea Ray has never been successful with smaller sedan bridges and there is a reason. There just isn't enough length to give a proper center of gravity the result of which is stern heavy boat. It takes a ton of power to get a stern heavy boat up on the water and to keep it there. Gas or diesel, the shorter sedans are not going to be as efficient as a boat with a more proper center of gravity. Every under 40' gas sedan I 've run has been a real gas hog; diesels have more torque, swing bigger props with more pitch so they are better and more efficient performers.

disclaimers.....1. I can't address Meridian performance because I've never run one, but I don't see why they would be different than similar Sea Rays unless the boats are so much lighter that their COG is further forward. but that brings on another line of questions, doesn't it?

2. If you want a dock queen to use for a floating condo, ignore the above since you need interior space more than you need a boat that performs well.

Finally, given your last statement, I wouldn't do anything until you get "unconfused". Go do more homework, look at boats, talk a dealer into a sea trial, find real live owners and trry to spend time with them......won't be hard; most owners locve to talk about their boats. But one thing you really need to do is to consider a 40-44 ft. DB before writing any checks.
 
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Hello, if you have the chance...run both models (36 DB and 341 Mer.)...you will find the Sea Ray to have a very solid feel from the bridge. The Meridian felt soft and had a tendency to porpoise a bit. I think if you also included the 391 Meridian in the loop..this seems to more comparable to the 36 Ray. Please keep in mind, I'm partial to Sea Rays and besides that electronic main distribution panel is COOL!
 
I will weigh in on the Sea Ray 36 Gas vs. diesel, and just mention that the deisel is a world of difference compared to the gas version. After driving both the gas and diesel for one season each, the diesel was MUCH quieter, much smoother ride, easier to dock, had lots more torque and was MUCH more fuel efficient. With respect to resale value, I anticipate getting a lot more in trade and resale with the diesel than the gas version.
It's not my money you are spending......but if the diesel option is an option in the Sea ray 36....GO FOR IT...you will not be dissapointed.
 
I will weigh in on the Sea Ray 36 Gas vs. diesel, and just mention that the deisel is a world of difference compared to the gas version. After driving both the gas and diesel for one season each, the diesel was MUCH quieter, much smoother ride, easier to dock, had lots more torque and was MUCH more fuel efficient. With respect to resale value, I anticipate getting a lot more in trade and resale with the diesel than the gas version.
It's not my money you are spending......but if the diesel option is an option in the Sea ray 36....GO FOR IT...you will not be dissapointed.

True, you may get more on resale, but your initial purchase price is quite a bit more as well.

Doug
 
I think Frank has hit the nail on the head, in all areas. If you are bent on buying a SR Bridge, look at the 42-44 SB. Silverton makes some nice SB's as well.

Mark
 
The 36 is a great boat and powered right. It is a a big consumer on gas just like the 39/40DA with the 8.1 Mercs....also just like any heavy boat (regardless of sedan or sundancer...e.g., my buddy's 2002 38 Dancer with 8.1s).

Fuel econ was anywhere from .55 to .60 st MPGal. We ran/run the boat a lot, we have always wanted a diesel powered boat, things went our way on an ordered boat and we made the plunge. The 36 is our ideal boat for right now...we are looking forward to crusing 33% faster and getting 1.1 to 1.2 MPG and really doing some serious hours next year as our ordered boat is a new 36 with Cummins Power. :)

Side note: we are limited by draft of our boat at our house...eeking it out sometimes getting back to our house at 40" of draft....a 42 or a 44 DB with an extra 4" in draft would really limit when we could come and go.
 
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Both Sea Ray and Meridan brands are owned by Brunswick Corp. The gentleman who converted Bayliner into Meridan was the president of Sea Ray before Brunswich tapped him to head the new brand. A Sea Ray is more expensive because of the different quality of the materials used to build the boat. This is not to say that Meridan is not a fine boat, because it is, but it is a step down from Sea Ray like a Chevy is from a Buick. Both built by the same company but different. Thus a comparable sized Meriden should be cheaper than a Sea Ray. A Sea Ray will likely hold its value longer, because of its quality.

Mr Salt
2001 540 CPMY
Caterpillar C-12s
Cape May, NJ
 
I'm curious how the hull constructions differ (if at all)? Thickness of glass? Number of layers? Etc?

Does anyone have any info regarding that?

Doug
 
There's almost 4,000 lbs diff between the two hulls. Of course you've got an extra 2' of LOA and 6" of beam with the SR, but I'd wager a lot of that difference is in the hull layup.
 
Has anyone gone to the website www.yachtworld.com and searched for 2007 Searay 36 sedan bridges; there are a couple boats priced in the 229-239k range fully loaded for a 2007 model; Has anyone purchased a boat like this and had it shipped? I think some of the boats are repos; Has any one purchased a repo?
 
It's interesting to note how the Meridians are being marketed. Brunswick is spending some serious $ on both Sea Ray and Meridian with two page spreads for each beginning on the second and fourth pages of the October Power & Motoryacht. The Meridian ad highlighting the 441 follows the spread for the 55DA (which is a page after a Fairline ad). They tout their 441 as "the best-built, best-backed yacht in its class." On the next page is an ad for the Marlow 57. Regardless of quality and comparisons they are certainly working to position the brand with the big boys. I doubt you would see Bayliner shown in this context.
 
surely you are not comparing a Sea Ray or a Meridian to a Marlow....

...or a Fairline (one of my favorites). It was just interesting to see these ads, one after the other in a yachting magazine - something significantly more upscale than 'Boating' where I expect to see Meridian and SR ads. I actually give kudos to their marketing teams for trying to have their brands blend in. Posturing goes a long way in getting some people's attention. Of course, experienced yachtsmen/women looking through P&M for ideas on their next purchase know where the brands stand.

...and stop calling me Shirley.
 
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Has anyone gone to the website www.yachtworld.com and searched for 2007 Searay 36 sedan bridges; there are a couple boats priced in the 229-239k range fully loaded for a 2007 model; Has anyone purchased a boat like this and had it shipped? I think some of the boats are repos; Has any one purchased a repo?

RF, FYI,
I know of a Meridian 2006 341 $188,930 Diesel
in Seattle if you're interested
 
For those of you that haven't been on a newer (2007 plus) Meridian, you should make a point of doing so at the next boat show in your area. They have made noticeable improvements in fit and finish, hardware, etc over the last couple of years. The pricing of their new boats reflect those improvements.

With production moving to a Sea Ray plant in FL, the addition of the 441 (now with a Zeus option) and the new 501 Sedan with Zeus standard, they are going to start bumping heads with Sea Ray a bit more in the coming year or 2. IMO, Sea Ray will always be a step ahead of Meridian though.

The bottom line in this discussion is, what boat do YOU like the best?
 
I've been on some 2007 and 2008 Meridian's and a Meridian could be my next BIG boat.
 
I went and looked at two new '08 meridian yachts yesterday, a 341 and a 391- No question that Searay makes a much better built boat; Plus the dealer support form the local Searay dealer makes it a no brainer to buy a Searay 36 Sedan bridge..
 
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