Searay bashing?

[hack4alivin]

No more than any other SeaRay owner that acts that way. I didn't say all, I said "like a Snobby BMW owner thinking they're better". I'm not saying all BMW owners say or act as if they're better. The problem is if you own a brand that is considered top of the heap or close to it, any comments or attitude from that position comparing to other brands reflects poorly on the rest of the owners with a "Hey I'm better than you" stigma.

Making a comment such as comparing a Sea Ray to a BMW had absolutely nothing to do with an “I’m better than you” attitude. When we purchased an “X5” for my wife last spring I was absolute amazed at the total drive feel of the car. The design and engineering of the vehicle can be easily felt, much in the same way as a Sea Ray boat. The comparison for me is one of a true design and quality aspect.

If a brand is considered top of the heap, it may be for good reason. Reasons that you may want to pay for. Let’s face, a Sea Ray is not the cheapest boat on the market. No stigma attached.

 

[douglee25]

Eww. My wife had a nissan before we were married. It was a piece of sh** that we got rid of ASAP. Thing was so crappy that the rear view mirror was useless at any speed over 50 MPH. The engine's buzz would vibrate the mirror so much that reflected image was very blurry. The dealer said, "They're all like that." I've no experience with Hondas, but I know someone with an Acura TL and it's an econobox with leather. The engine buzzes and vibrates the car like a truck. Actually, the engine in my truck, a Navigator with nearly 300,000 miles, is smoother.

On the other hand, they're inexpensive, unlike a Sea Ray.

Bad analogy.

Best regards,
Frank

Hmmm... I owned a Nissan Altima with the 3.5 liter, 5 speed, and I absolutely loved the car. I can also say that every Acura/Honda that I've ridden in and driven has also been great. The fit on the door panels, hood, etc is much much better than any American car I've been in. The same can be said about the interior. I've also never experienced any vibration with either platform.

Doug

 

[sbw1]

Hmmm... I owned a Nissan Altima with the 3.5 liter, 5 speed, and I absolutely loved the car. I can also say that every Acura/Honda that I've ridden in and driven has also been great. The fit on the door panels, hood, etc is much much better than any American car I've been in. The same can be said about the interior. I've also never experienced any vibration with either platform. Doug

My experience is the same. Read the 5th sentence of post number 7 to understand his thought process.

 

[Nehalennia]

Making a comment such as comparing a Sea Ray to a BMW had absolutely nothing to do with an “I’m better than you” attitude. When we purchased an “X5” for my wife last spring I was absolute amazed at the total drive feel of the car. The design and engineering of the vehicle can be easily felt, much in the same way as a Sea Ray boat. The comparison for me is one of a true design and quality aspect.

If a brand is considered top of the heap, it may be for good reason. Reasons that you may want to pay for. Let’s face, a Sea Ray is not the cheapest boat on the market. No stigma attached.

Bill
I think you're missing my point. Both SeaRays and BMW are considered a "Leading Brand". When either owner acts like "I'm better than you" because of that brand they own, it ripples to those not owning those brands as arogant and creates the "Stigma". Yes you may have purchased a BMW and a SeaRay because you, like I desire high quality reliable products, not because of the badge. The badge simply tells us it has those characteristics. I'm not saying all BMW or SeaRay owners act that way, but some do. As they look down their noses to Bayliner, Ford, Crownline, Chevy, Larson, Four Winns or whatever owners it creates the "stigma" for the rest of us to overcome.

For instance. I belong on Bayliner Owners Club(BOC) forum. I do so because I have friends there. Most of them are local to me and we also belong to iboatNw.com our local boating forum. Many topics on Iboat are referenced back to BOC so I joined to see what they were talking about and defend myself. Many of the people I know there give me a hard time for owning a Searay and we jest back and forth. Many though are offended and get edgy because I'm a SeaRay owner on their site. Hey, I don't give a crap what you're floating on as long as you're out boating and doing it safely. I've invited a Bayliner owner here(GoAweigh2452) for the same reason. He's a good guy and can contribute at times. Yes It's a SeaRay forum, but there's some "personal" crossover.

Anyway, I keep my nose clean on BOC because it's like smoking while working your carburetor, but there is some opinions of SeaRay owners as snooty snobby, A- holes. Yes, like there are A-holes owning every brand, it is multilplied if you're an A-hole because of our brand(s)

 

[midway]

OK we have worked on the SeaRay bashing part of the original post now someone with knowledge of the size range of SeaRay he is wanting to look at give some information about that. I can not give that info since I have no experience there. :grin:

 

[bblack]

Back to SeaRay. Back in 1982 I decided to buy a boat. I had not a clue about boats other than girls liked them(I was single then.) I asked a friend who's opinion I valued greatly about such things told me "If you're going to buy a boat don't look at anything but a SeaRay." Well that was 11 SeaRay's ago and I concider that to be some of the best advise I've ever received. If only all manufactors realized how important customer satisfaction is, and how much " word of mouth reccomendation means."

 

[boatrboy]

OK, I'm new here but not new to boating. ....... I thought the best place to get a response would be from Searay owners so...what say you?

Here is my take- I am now sold on Sea Ray based on my experiences over the last 4-5 years. When I was looking at cruisers I had considered several brands, which I felt were "bigger bangs for the buck". However, when the cash became available, I decided on a Sea Ray because of re-sale value. I was concerned that if I needed to sell the boat in hard times, I did not want a boat that there was only a small market for. Sea Rays are well know for their higher craftsmanship than the run of the mill brands. Formula was on the short list too, but they are extrely expensive (but very nice).

I have not for one minute been disappointed in my choice. I like my layout, use of space, and quality of the boat in general. I bought used (4 years old at the time) but the local Sea Ray service center has treated me like I bought new Yacht!. I do all my own work except when the exteded warrenty coverd some minor items.

My dock neighbors have been on my boat for cruises and all feel that my ride is far superior to thiers. They are Maxum, Bayliner, Mariah and Chris Craft owners, but to be fair, we have not compared apples to apples on boat size. Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing other brands, my point is that they all feel the Sea Ray is a step up.

I would buy another Sea Ray agian. Hope this helps.

Mark

 

[CARGUY]

Thanks for all the great input. The SRs I've looked at (late '80s-'90s boats) seem to be very stout, well built boats. To me, even the styling of these boats seemed to be ahead of their time. Unfortunately, all boats of this era and size were very heavy, underpowered, and not very fuel efficient but for now my boating budget can't support a later model. I'll let you all know what I settle on....thanks again for the comments.

 

[Fishnut]

I'm from the Lexus crowd. But not to abort my redneck upbringing I have a Ford supercab to haul my stuff around and keep the car builders in the family at bay. I bought a searay because of their repuation as a boat builder and I haven't been disappointed. And I don't care what anyone else thinks. :grin:

 

[Stray Cat]

I can't seem to get any specific issues but there seems to be a lot of people that look down on SR for some reason. I thought the best place to get a response would be from Searay owners so...what say you?

If they have owned a S/R and have experienced specific issues, their gripe may be ligit. Otherwise it is hot air. I have had specific issues with my 300...In a tactful manner, all of them were resolved either by S/R or the dealer.

As for why some look down on on S/R owners....they have a bruised ego.

 

[fc3]

One other point. What the potential boat buyer is use to having? A guy whose house needs a coat of paint, the baseboards are beat-up, the tile in the baths is chipped and cracked and the kitchen hasn't seen an update since 1967 probably is not going to appreciate that the lockers in the boat are all finished, that the gelcoat will still shine ten years later with just normal maintenance, and the gelcoat used in the engine room makes it easy to keep the space clean.

If someone has always owned Caddys, BMWs, and Benzes, and considers that level of finish and appointment to be baseline, he's not going to be thrilled with less, no matter how good everyone else says it is nor how often he's told that his choice is "overpriced."

My Sea Ray is nearly ten years old. I looks half the age my previous, non-Sea Ray boat did at 10 years. I owned both boats since new and maintained them both the same way. Good quality costs good money. Only so much cost can be squeezed out of a manufactured item before quality has to give way to attain that lower price.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[Stray Cat]

There ya go....baseline! My boat baseline differs from my living room couch base line.
A tear in my living room couch cushion....turn it over. But never ever on my boat!

 

[sbw1]

Thanks for all the great input. The SRs I've looked at (late '80s-'90s boats) seem to be very stout, well built boats. To me, even the styling of these boats seemed to be ahead of their time. Unfortunately, all boats of this era and size were very heavy, underpowered, and not very fuel efficient but for now my boating budget can't support a later model. I'll let you all know what I settle on....thanks again for the comments.

As a former owner of an 1986 30 Express and a 1993 37 Express, I can tell you they are not very heavy for their sizes. Both had ample power and were pretty fast. Fuel use on the 37 was pretty high and .5 to .7 mpg was the norm. I don't recall the 300 with straight inboards being expensive to run. It was a better built boat than the 93 which leaked from day one and was not as well put together as the 86.

 

[NorCal Boater]

I've owned several different brands of boats over the past 30 years. As someone else said, "....everyone has an opinion."

Quality is a subjective thing. What one considers high quality another would not. I feel there are other boat manufacturers that build a product that equals or exceeds Sea Ray. But at a cost and possibly some trade-offs.

I just spent this past summer looking at a number of brands in the 50+' range from Bayliner to Sea Ray, Symbol, Tollycraft, Carver and West Bay. Some of these boats, in my opinion were better in some ways than the Sea Rays I looked at but they were either more expensive or lacked something I get with a Sea Ray.

My boat will be 20 years old in 2009 and I have spent a lot of money trying to make it the best 1989 340 Sundancer on the West Coast. That's money I doubt I would spend if it were any other brand. They hold value. And look at the number of members here that have what they call "vintage" Sea Rays that they want to fix up or restore. I doubt many would spend this kind of dinero to restore a 20-25 year old Bayliner, 4Winns, Wellcraft, etc. A 20 year old Cobalt....definately.

Of course, this is just my a$$h**e....errr, I mean my opinion.

 

[boatrboy]

Thanks for all the great input. The SRs I've looked at (late '80s-'90s boats) seem to be very stout, well built boats. To me, even the styling of these boats seemed to be ahead of their time. Unfortunately, all boats of this era and size were very heavy, underpowered, and not very fuel efficient but for now my boating budget can't support a later model. I'll let you all know what I settle on....thanks again for the comments.

Since mine is a 90's vintage, I can tell you that I have 310 hp with a single big block and a bravo 3, and do not lack for any power. My top speed on my 30 foot long cruiser is about 38 mph. I cruise about 28 mph on average and my mpg is about 1.8 and on calm seas have hit 2 mpg. Really not bad for this size cruiser. Under-powing is not really brand specific, but in my opinion, it is more common with lower price boats. They tend to put the minimum hp in the base models to keep the price down. I noticed that most Sea Rays base models are adequatly powered. There are great posts here on the site for things to keep in mind, whatever brand you choose, when buying a boat. Do yourself a favor and give them a good read.

Happy hunting!

 

[mooney]

Inmho,its resale ! When I was into fishing I bought a grady walk around,wanted to fish but also wanted a place to get out 0f the weather .You mention grady to anybody and they say "oh, nice boat !" good resale
Same w /SeaRay ! My wife wanted more comfort,first boat I looked at was SeaRay great boat ,great resale

 

[douglee25]

Inmho,its resale ! When I was into fishing I bought a grady walk around,wanted to fish but also wanted a place to get out 0f the weather .You mention grady to anybody and they say "oh, nice boat !" good resale
Same w /SeaRay ! My wife wanted more comfort,first boat I looked at was SeaRay great boat ,great resale

Again, just my opinion, but I think resale is truly overrated. Your initial buy and sell for a Sea Ray may be higher than a Four Winns, but your net gain or loss will probably be about the same. It's a wash in the end.

Doug

 

[mooney]

What I think I was trying to say is GRADY and SEARAY are quality boats and quality sells . Of course its all about how well you maintain them

 

[STIHLBOLTS]

My 220 Sundeck will reach 5 years old this February and I can not count how many times at gas stations fueling up I have had folks walk up, look the boat over and give me a compliment on how nice it looks. It is not a flashy boat, no bright red paint job but it looks good. I still enjoy going to boat shows and dropping in at a boat dealers everyone's in a while and kicking the tires of other brands and I have yet to find another brand that I would jump ship for.

Best of luck in your search. :thumbsup:

 

[skolbe]

There are other nice boats out there. But often times you hear a Rinker is just as good as a Sea-Ray and then I looked at two 2006 repo Rinkers on yachtauctions and the blue gelcoat looks like a 20 year old boat. Overall S-R has a good package. The others have not had the consistent track record of quality over multiple decades. Look at Frank's 1995 - 450 and compare that to a 95 of another model/make. That pretty much tells you why S-R has been successful. S-R overall has delivered a good product. Many manufacturers have improved and many have good products. Forumula, Regal, Doral, Cobalt, Cruisers are all good boats. Some better than S-R others not. In general I am speaking about production mainstream cruisers.

In the case of full disclosure - I own 2 BMW's. On a side note - If Ford made something today of the caliber of my old Taurus SHO - I would probably still be a Ford Customer. But - once they stopped the SHO - I felt like they really no longer made a product I was interested in.