Why do you guys bother with these old tugboats?

I do like having an integrated platform and bow pulpit that's not in the numbers....my 1990 270 is 30+ feet long and has a huge interior for a 9ft beam. Plenty of bang for the buck, Mke.
 
Not that I can aford one, but I'm not a fan of the new trend to put solid glass windshields on boats. I want the wind in my face on a hot day. I get enough air conditioned environments at work, etc.

Also, I have been on a boat at night with a glass winshield and visibility was next to impossible. On my next boat , give me a hard top, half windshield.
 
I think I'm just a wood boat lover with commitment issues....that and two kids, a mortgage, and a chosen career path that will never make me rich. One thing I always tell the admiral - If we bought something I couldn't fix, we'd have a much smaller boat.
 
ya mine is cake to work on
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Bandit, nice parallel with taste and women....that said I bet I could fit more hotties on my 270 then anything newer! althought I guess then you can make the arguement it's about quality not quantity........what were we talking about.:smt017:lol:

I can sure relate to that condition, you need to be a contortionist to work on our boat. I am bias but for myself I find the overall quality of the basic materials are far superior than any production boat today. For example Stainless railing wall thickness,gel-coat thickness, shear glass thickness , soild teak but of course pretty sad choice of fabrics and lighting. With the solid basics updating the peripheral's can really make a top tier boat imo.
 
I can sure relate to that condition, you need to be a contortionist to work on our boat. I am bias but for myself I find the overall quality of the basic materials are far superior than any production boat today. For example Stainless railing wall thickness,gel-coat thickness, shear glass thickness , soild teak but of course pretty sad choice of fabrics and lighting. With the solid basics updating the peripheral's can really make a top tier boat imo.

I could not agree more - very nice 30 weekender by the way.
Time on the water, something the kids will always remember.
 
As Big Island Lifer stated the loss of rear deck space sucks. My friend has a '04 300 Sundancer and he even comments on the smaller beam along with the lack deck space, it's a sharp looking boat with a lot of modern amenities, though it's hard to beat the extra 12" of beam and the flat open rear deck.
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Just read through this thread and have to agree with everything said. I love the lines, love the teak, the ride and the fact that I have no payments. These are the boats that were new when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's and I had every Sea Ray brochure from that era memorized! We had them in that time frame when they were nearly new and I remember every inch of them. It's like taking a trip back in time every time I go aboard.

I also like it when people walk by new boats at the dock or if we are tied up somewhere and want to talk about my 25 year old 300!
 
It was the room based on the hull design that was my dream. To get what I had from the 80's design and size I would have to buy in the mid 400 area. Pre 1990, the length was determined from transom to bow, after that, they incorporated the swim platform into the hull. And yes, they are work to get them back to their glory, but worth every bit of the elbow grease. Just check my link in my signature.
 
Just read through this thread and have to agree with everything said. I love the lines, love the teak, the ride and the fact that I have no payments. These are the boats that were new when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's and I had every Sea Ray brochure from that era memorized! We had them in that time frame when they were nearly new and I remember every inch of them. It's like taking a trip back in time every time I go aboard.

I also like it when people walk by new boats at the dock or if we are tied up somewhere and want to talk about my 25 year old 300!


Right there with you on the 70's - 80's growing up with Sea Ray, it's in my blood. Funny hearing about the brochures. My father ( http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/25935-quot-In-Memory-Of-quot-dedicated-Sea-Ray-owners ) was a dedicated Sea Ray owner and I have every brochure he collected at the boat show each year. It's nice thumbing back through them once in awhile. That and having the original, like new brochure for our 85 270DA is kinda cool.
 
man I'm jealous you guys have the original brochures! the ones for the 80's in the Sea Ray Archive suck. I remember as a kid my mom would clean and toss them out and I'd go ballistic....my dad would tease me that they were probably soaked in drool.
 
man I'm jealous you guys have the original brochures! the ones for the 80's in the Sea Ray Archive suck. I remember as a kid my mom would clean and toss them out and I'd go ballistic....my dad would tease me that they were probably soaked in drool.

Drool from both of you I'm sure.:grin:
I'm surprised they would not have posted clearer copies of archived documents. I guess something is better than nothing :huh:
 
As Big Island Lifer stated the loss of rear deck space sucks. My friend has a '04 300 Sundancer and he even comments on the smaller beam along with the lack deck space, it's a sharp looking boat with a lot of modern amenities, though it's hard to beat the extra 12" of beam and the flat open rear deck.
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Great looking vessel, The express always remind me of the boats in the 007 Bond movies.
 
Really depends on when the boat was made when the manufactures were still new to the fiberglass hull and if its a cored hull or not i have heard that Sea Ray has always had thivker hulls then other manufactures but unless i cut mine i dont care to find out lol


We just love our 1984 270 SD w twin 5.7s. Its been lots of work. But, when we redid the interior it basically became a new boat. I am new to this cruiser boating but I can say after looking at many newer boats and going to the boat show we just have lots more room than these smaller beamed new boats of the same class. Do I have some issues to resolve yes. However solving problems and figuring things out has been half the fun.
 
One of the really cool things I got with my boat was all the original paperwork and documents. I can't believe the details in the manuals that they provide. It's like they expect the owner is actually going to work on their boat themselves! lol

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The other reason I like my classic is...

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TEAK!

Nik
 
It's simple.....The 80's models were and still is the best boat ever built. Thick hull and stable design and very clean lines. The larger express models are some of my favorites. I think the best looking and for the size was the 87-89 270 Sundancer. That was my dream boat forever but luck so has it (or dumb luck) I had my current boat fall in my lap. You just can't beat the look of a good condition 80's era Sea Ray. Even to this day they are still a boat that IMO still looks good to this day.
Noticed you went from a 350 to a 270. Mind sharing why? Thanks
 
Do you realize this thread is 7 years old?
 
Not sure what you are saying here. Do you realise your boat is over 18 years old?

I think he’s just being courteous letting you know this is an old thread and the member you quoted hasn’t been seen here in 4 years. So you likely won’t get an answer to your question.
 
Stumplifter

CSR is a great group of folks all willing to help one another in any way possible.

I was simply saying what M Prod was saying above and if you want to discuss the topic again most likely you should rephrase the question and post it as new.

I won’t partake in your name calling and I don’t appreciate it. I like to think I am a respected contributor to this site and you can easily see I am not a troll simply by looking at my responses. While political views on almost any forum can be implied, I don’t share mine in this format but once again you could probably see by my location and affiliations and figure it out on your own.

I welcome any questions and comments appropriately related to the forum so post away, although I do suggest you re-post your thoughts as a new thread and it would be a great if you introduced yourself in the intro pages and update your profile.

Welcome to the group!

Josh
 
Thanks for the response. it's not the first time I've been on this and other forums under "older boat" topics and been notified "this is an old thread" Makes me wonder why people bother. To a searcher it's brand new information. There is a lot of interest in older boats especially in the midwest. I am a lifelong boater and have found the newer boats wanting. Cramped, unstable, prohibitively overpriced - yes I've purchased boats new before. In the mean time the industry is collapsing - I know because I've been manufacturing aftermarket parts for smaller sailboats since 2004 and I read the industry trades. Seems like we need a reasonable way for younger people to buy into the lifestyle - and for now - older boats are the easiest way to "buy in". For my part I talk about my older boat because I enjoy the subject. Also, it generates interest in the lifestyle by putting my post in the searchable cloud. Just like I found this one.
 

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