A treat for an old yacht captain! This past week I was fortunate to be able to help out my friends at the plant in Merritt Island by transporting a brand new 400SLX down to Lauderdale for the show next weekend.
Mother Ocean was a bit rough (4-5’) out of the south this past week, so I made the decision to go down the ICW. A journey I have come to distain after traveling that route over a hundred times in yacht size vessels. So many bridges you could beat me to Miami in a small john boat. Well, how wrong I was with this boat!
I departed the plant at noon knowing I would probably only get to Ft. Pierce for the night, and then complete the journey the next day. I got out to the ICW, which is wide and deep in this part of FLA, turned south, and throttled those twin 600HP Merc’s up…Holy Moly!
With as many times as I have driven that track, I have arrival times and destinations down pat, knowing my speed and fuel. All that knowledge went out the window as I found myself flying instead of cruising, as SOP with me. Slight chop on the ICW but you would never know it with this smooth of a ride. Without even running her strong, I was dancing around 55MPH, hold onto your hat son! 600HP times 2! This one had a SeaKeeper but I never turned it on, the ride was that good without it, and believe me I am a big fan of SeaKeepers when offshore.
Needless to say, we were passing Ft. Pierce in less than half the time I am used to. All the way to West Palm in 4+ hours, mind blowing. The next day we do a slow cruise due to traffic and NO-WAKES into Bahia Mar for FLIBS!
The 400SLX is a BowRider as one may think in old terms, but this boat can sleep 4 adults inside. Connections were easy and accessible. The panels (AC/DC) are behind couch-backs (easy), and the systems were no problem to figure out.
If you are attending FLIBS, please see your friends at the Sea Ray display, for a reason. The brand you drive has a legacy that exceeds all others, in different models made over 50+ years, and owner strength. You are in a premier brand, and I am qualified to make that statement because I have been in more marinas and waterways than I can remember, and no doubt the leader in numbers at the majority is Sea Ray….best part is the other guys know it too!
The real Sea Ray team on the dock, (amongst others) are easy to recognize because they are the women in charge! Please walk up to any of them, or even ask Vanessa at the front counter. Talk to ladies with Ms. Shelby Kirby and the Marketing team, and you will be speaking with real Sea Ray people. Of course, tell them you know the dude who brought that beast of a boat down for the show! Have fun!
Capt. Rusty
Mother Ocean was a bit rough (4-5’) out of the south this past week, so I made the decision to go down the ICW. A journey I have come to distain after traveling that route over a hundred times in yacht size vessels. So many bridges you could beat me to Miami in a small john boat. Well, how wrong I was with this boat!
I departed the plant at noon knowing I would probably only get to Ft. Pierce for the night, and then complete the journey the next day. I got out to the ICW, which is wide and deep in this part of FLA, turned south, and throttled those twin 600HP Merc’s up…Holy Moly!
With as many times as I have driven that track, I have arrival times and destinations down pat, knowing my speed and fuel. All that knowledge went out the window as I found myself flying instead of cruising, as SOP with me. Slight chop on the ICW but you would never know it with this smooth of a ride. Without even running her strong, I was dancing around 55MPH, hold onto your hat son! 600HP times 2! This one had a SeaKeeper but I never turned it on, the ride was that good without it, and believe me I am a big fan of SeaKeepers when offshore.
Needless to say, we were passing Ft. Pierce in less than half the time I am used to. All the way to West Palm in 4+ hours, mind blowing. The next day we do a slow cruise due to traffic and NO-WAKES into Bahia Mar for FLIBS!
The 400SLX is a BowRider as one may think in old terms, but this boat can sleep 4 adults inside. Connections were easy and accessible. The panels (AC/DC) are behind couch-backs (easy), and the systems were no problem to figure out.
If you are attending FLIBS, please see your friends at the Sea Ray display, for a reason. The brand you drive has a legacy that exceeds all others, in different models made over 50+ years, and owner strength. You are in a premier brand, and I am qualified to make that statement because I have been in more marinas and waterways than I can remember, and no doubt the leader in numbers at the majority is Sea Ray….best part is the other guys know it too!
The real Sea Ray team on the dock, (amongst others) are easy to recognize because they are the women in charge! Please walk up to any of them, or even ask Vanessa at the front counter. Talk to ladies with Ms. Shelby Kirby and the Marketing team, and you will be speaking with real Sea Ray people. Of course, tell them you know the dude who brought that beast of a boat down for the show! Have fun!
Capt. Rusty
