who makes a better boat cobalt or sea ray ?

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sea ray sundancer boy

New Member
Jun 29, 2010
30
waukegan harbor illinois
Boat Info
1989 sea ray 250 sundancer
Engines
5.7 mercruiser alpha 1
i have a 1989 sea ray 250 sundancer and was just offered a deal that is almost too good to be true. i know the owner of a marina in fox lake illinois who sells cobalt boats and he offered to trade me my sundancer for a 2009 cobalt 222 bowrider. the deal is my sundancer and $ 12,000 for the cobalt. wondering what is a better boat my sundancer or the cobalt 222. granted the cobalt doesnt have a cabin but it is new with full warranties. i love my sea ray and in the 2 weeks i owned it it has no problems. but a full warranty might be nice.
 
NADA said your boat is worth $5,140 So thats $17.140 for a bowrider :wow:. NO THANKS !!. :grin:
If you like your Sea Ray why would you want a payment ??
Take that payment money and put it in the bank for future repairs. :smt001
 
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Cobalt is a nicer bowrider than the S-R bowriders.
 
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I looked up that boat on NADA, and low retail is 29K. Granted, this site is not reliable these days, but it does seem too good to be true....What's the catch? Do you see a lot of similar boats (222 sized) around your area?
 
Cobalt builds some of the highest (if not the highest) quality boats ever made... This deal sounds to good to be true, I would jump on it ASAP if it's real!
 
I've owned both, but not in the same size category. I think each has it strengths. Cobalt is much lower volume so I think the fit and finish may be more consistent. Sea Ray is more forward looking in styling and design. The Cobalt would be a good choice for a small water environment; the Sea Ray may handle better due to superior engineering. Sea Ray will be a higher demand boat and have better dealer service. The difference between the 2 is so small, this is going to boil down to your preference and the $.
 
I agree, Cobalt is a nice boat.

Before you jump on this, you need to figure out why. What engine does the Cobalt have? Perhaps it is way too small, and therefore, is stale inventory. Maybe it's orange with green stripes? Is a 22 big enough for where you boat? Is a bow rider what you want? Is it new or used? If used, what is the history? Does he want your boat, or want to be rid of his boat?

If all pans out, I agree, this may be a good deal.
 
I cannot make a recommendation for you in terms of taking the deal or not, but I own both a cobalt and a sea ray. I like them both.

I do think the fit and finish for my 15 year old cobalt is holding up much better than my 10 year old sea ray. I would take a cobalt bow rider over a sea ray. The cobalt cabin cruisers are not as spacious as the sea rays. The cobalt cruisers tend to be shorter from the water line to the top of the bridge than a similar length sea ray. Although cobalt is now making bigger boats, the largest I have any experience with is the 293.

John
 
fwebster said:
I've owned both, but not in the same size category. I think each has it strengths. Cobalt is much lower volume so I think the fit and finish may be more consistent. Sea Ray is more forward looking in styling and design. The Cobalt would be a good choice for a small water environment; the Sea Ray may handle better due to superior engineering. Sea Ray will be a higher demand boat and have better dealer service. The difference between the 2 is so small, this is going to boil down to your preference and the $.
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I would have to disagree on one point Frank makes. I think the cobalt dealer service is better than the sea ray dealer service. At least in my experience with the two respective dealers in Knoxville. I have dealt with one other Cobalt dealer in Alabama and had no issues either.

John
 
personally i like the idea of having a cabin thats why i bought the sundancer it is a nice clean boat with really low hours only has 350 hours on it. i could sleep on the cobalt with the camper canvas if i got it but it wouldnt be a cabin . kinda like the idea of having the newest boat in the marina and warranty but something tells me there has to be some kind of catch... this deal just seems too strange.
 
sea ray sundancer boy said:
personally i like the idea of having a cabin thats why i bought the sundancer it is a nice clean boat with really low hours only has 350 hours on it. i could sleep on the cobalt with the camper canvas if i got it but it wouldnt be a cabin . kinda like the idea of having the newest boat in the marina and warranty but something tells me there has to be some kind of catch... this deal just seems too strange.
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Try asking the dealer to explain why he is making the deal. I would not give up the cabin.
 
They both make good boats. I wouldn't call one "much better" than the other. Dealer service is somewhat dependant on what the company policies are, but it's also largely dependant on the dealer themselves. You are sure to get better service from a dealer you buy a new boat from (any brand) than you are a dealer (any brand) you take a 20 year old boat to that you purchased elsewhere.

Sounds like if you want a cabin, then you have the right boat already. And if you would prefer a bow rider, then the Cobalt deal is worth looking into.

I wouldn't trade the type of boat you want for one you aren't crazy about just to have a newer boat. And if it's warranty you want, that $12K in difference will pay for a lot of repairs...
 
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I looked at cobalts at boat shows and did not see that much difference in the fit and finish but the prices certainly suggested that cobalt thought pretty highly of their boats.

If the deal is in your favor and you want a bowrider go for it. But I have to agree with Wayne and ask, why would you want a boat payment now? I love the fact that mine is paid for. I don't sweat the load about if something breaks and needs fixiing. I get it done and go boating.....

Maybe thats what you need....go boating and forget about it. :thumbsup:
 
A couple of questions first.

1- What do you really want/need, a bowrider or a cruiser ? Sleeping in a bowrider is far from being comfortable compare to a cabin cruiser.

2- What is the story behind the Cobalt and what is its currrent condition ? Is is new or used (I assumed it is a used boat for that price)
 
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