Sea-Ray company being sold

trip_n

omg.........toon city on table rock....no clue what they are doing.
seems they always want to speed up and cross my bow..

Glassguy54

@trip_n, I know what you mean. We took Our 246 down there in June for a week       (had a slip at Indian Point) and the toons were Everywhere!! Love Table Rock, by the way.

trip_n

@glassguy54......table rocks a great place .... we boat out of kimberling city.
if you make it down year ...give us a shout.

Ian

The market shifts for various reasons and one is definitely what new cruisers cost. At the Newport show in 2016 there was a boat there for $2.9M that they were considering an offer for $2.1.M. A near 40% drop and there’s still margin there. 

And no, I didn’t offer the $2.1M, I wish!

LaRea

I think Sea Ray has above-average expenses for non-manufacturing functions such as configuration management, documentation, inventory and customer service.  That's a guess, so maybe I'm wrong, but I always wondered if that contributes to their high prices.  

raybo3

LaRea said:

I think Sea Ray has above-average expenses for non-manufacturing functions such as configuration management, documentation, inventory and customer service.  That's a guess, so maybe I'm wrong, but I always wondered if that contributes to their high prices.  

Supply and demand along with corporate greed. They get higher prices because they can...

DanD2

Never been a big fan of Sea Ray, way too overpriced for me. Sea Ray dealers are also difficult to deal with. Back in 05 when I was looking to get into a cruiser, I stopped at a Sea Ray dealer in NH and one here in my home state of Maine. Got a price on a boat and asked both dealers if it came with a "Coast Guard" package, you know, bumpers, dock lines, life jackets etc.. Both dealers told me that I could get 10% off in their store......Really????? At the time I was looking at a 25 - 26 foot boat, around $60K ish and they wouldn't add anything to the package. Needless to say, at both dealers I just turned around and walked out.

LaRea

Sea Ray is to boating what Johnny Walker Blue Label is to high-end whisky. 

I mean, don't get me wrong -- Blue Label is a fantastic whisky in a really pretty bottle.  But they price it like it's all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips.  For $260, give me two bottles of The Macallan Fine Oak 15.  Better still, give me three bottles of the Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean.  

Or, getting back to boating, give me a 34' Rinker for the price of a 29' Sea Ray.

Handymans342

I looked at a lot of SR 340s before I bought my 342 for a lot less. All the 340s had leak issues. My 342 had no leaks and diesels. What choice did I have LOL???

randy56

When i was in the buying mood for a good used trailer-able cruiser. The SR 280 was comparable to the Rinker 270. except it was 20k more boat bucks. For about the same year boat. 

Shame, I was not as fortune enough to find a , more power full, wave bustin, lightning fast diesel , like Handy.  

 

Handymans342

You can't suck up @randy56 lol

rasbury

Kind of like high end car....service costs.

zaverin1

340 dancer is a hot boat

zaverin1

Guy across the finger purchased a 2001 with 8.1 engines.
man the layout and looks are killer. I actually like them more when compared to 2006 plus hull design.
one thing they never did until recent on bigger boats is the walk thru windshield 

raybo3

zaverin1 said:

340 dancer is a hot boat

Personally I would take my 342 all day long over the 340 Dancer. Not even close. Its all a matter of opinion. My 342 or a Dancer 340 and about 80K more....... No brainer Rinker wins............. Just say'n

zaverin1

342 is a good boat but with inboards and killer looks that 340 will always take the cake.
i like my rinker and rinkers in general but build quality and material really shows when comparing the ray to a rinker.

raybo3

@zaverin1 I understand everyone is entitled to their opinion but quite frankly your out of your mind...lol. My club has a bunch of SeaRay's. None has of them has the layout or the looks of my Rinker. I for one happen to love the outdrives over inboards. My Carver had inboards and they were great for docking but I would very much rather have the speed and fast maneuverability provided by the outdrives. Again its all personal preference. BTW back to my club, my boat gets way more compliments for visitors than any SR...... Just say'n    

reneechris14

If all boats where priced like searay's(many are) I would not be boating, it's is an expensive hobby. My money  would go to other things like it says in the article. 
2005 Rinker  342 60k
2005 Searay 340 100k
2005  class a motor home 50k can still go places and see things.

rasbury

Don't have to worry about the sale...plant is frozen over- 35 here this am!

Stodge

shawnmjr said:

trip_n said:

omg.........toon city on table rock....no clue what they are doing.
seems they always want to speed up and cross my bow..

Don’t want to get too far off topic but I’m willing to bet that 90% of boaters around me have never taken any type of boating class. 

You are correct sir.  Based on the number of registered watercraft in our area and the number of attendees at any boater safety classes (USCG, USPS, Sheriff) the estimate is about 10%.

zaverin1

You guys like formulas ?

Stodge

zaverin1 said:

Guy across the finger purchased a 2001 with 8.1 engines.
man the layout and looks are killer. I actually like them more when compared to 2006 plus hull design.
one thing they never did until recent on bigger boats is the walk thru windshield 

Might want to look at the fuel efficiency of a 340 with 8.2 motors and shafts.  On average I get 1 MPG in my 342.  And I'll be honest.  The first thing I look at in a cruiser is the head.  If I can't stand up straight (I'm 6' even) and it does not have a separate shower door then I'm not too excited.  Add that to the micro berths they put in the boats now, and I'm pretty happy with what I have.

Now if I could go down to a 31 or 32 with the same head as my 342 I'd give it serious thought.  We've talked trawler for our later boating years, but same problem.  I'd loose too many of my creature comforts.

Liberty44140

There is an 04' 340 dancer behind us and we made the trip from lake erie in to lake st clair with them this past summer. I have been out on their boat. From a layout perspective I strongly prefer my 342. Having a full dinette down below and the separate shower can't be compared to a 340. I mean come on... a separate shower! I do like their wrap around seating in the cockpit for parties but overall I can sit more people comfortably and I've got way more counter space outside and an ice maker so I'll take the Rinker layout but some like the SR wrap around seat more. We did over 300 miles together and we both tracked fuel, they used twice what I did. I know that sounds nuts. He has 454's, not the 8.2's, with V drives so he was pushing it to keep up with me and a 33 dancer that was with us which has 8.2 V drives. An inboard boat has a lot more boat in the water while on plane than we do, but has a much better ride in chop. I think that in a lot of conditions the ride may be comparable but in lake erie we have crazy chop so I do feel that his ride in chop and waves is much better than mine. That may be different on a larger, deeper great lake or ocean but where we boat it is shallow and choppy. 

Willhound

When I started this thread and supplied the link to the post, I was thinking more about how it's an indicator of the large boat market overall, not as a picking on Sea-Ray thing. Happy I found my FV270 when we bought, but I'll admit that the Sundancer was also on our consideration list. It's like a Ford/Chevy thing.
Having said that, the same website that reported the Sea-Ray sale, is today featuring a 31' Sea-Ray ......with twin 350HP Mercs.
http://www.boattest.com/review/sea-ray/3613_slx-310-ob

zaverin1

Same here on lsc constant chop.
guy I know purchased a 2006 360 dancer and it eats up waves and chop.
now 342 or 310/320 like stodge said are all good boats.
i don like separate shower and by no means am I beating up rinker since I own one. My last boat was 27 dancer. So maybe I am stuck in the middle here lol.
we set are mind on keeping the 280 for one more season or maybe two tops.
once we upgrade it will be between rinker or dancer.
my other half loves dancers but next boat will have all the features I want from the start.
gennie, bow thruster and radar.
we want to upgrade and keep something for 10 plus years 

Michael T

@zaverin1. Ten years? Then may I recommend staying away from Sea Rays with 8.1s and V drives (waaaay less gas mileage, like 15+ %  asdrives can't be trimmed and boat is too heavy) There was a 360 Sea Ray beside my 360 Rinker. The Rinker blew it away. Also for 10 years forget thrusters get Axius. 

zaverin1

I want inboards and thruster 
all the rubbers you need to maintain on I/o is extra money spent every 3 seasons 

Michael T

@zaverin1 I hear you but take one for a run first I have been on one .....awful.

raybo3

First of all you do not have to replace "all the rubbers you need to maintain on I/o is extra money spent every 3 seasons" if you do something is wrong. Secondly fuel economy and speed are so much better. Point being there are trade offs but the way the outdrives handle are so much better. Not even close. However once again its all a matter of personal preference. 

zaverin1

I been on and captained a 360 inboard
docking that big boy was a breeze. I/o are good and you can trim and lift for shallow access but docking without thruster or axius can be a pita when it’s windy.
I do like 342 and was given a tour when I stopped by to see stodge.
i would get one but once again it would have to be twin 496 and thrusted or axius