AttyFinch wrote:
Bought my first boat last year, a SeaRay 190 bowrider. We are now
looking to step up to a larger boat that will allow us to have
overnights.

We have spec'd out a SeaRay 260 and the Regal2665.
The SeaRay berth is small and the use of space seems a bit
ineffective.
The Regal is beautiful inside and out and everything I see is saying
go
for it. However, SeaRay is sitting back there whispering, "It is not
a
SeaRay". Before we pull the trigger and commit a substantial sum of
money we are asking ourselves what is the best choice we can make.

We love SeaRay's service and dealer interaction, but we are asking
ourselves, "Yes the service is great, but is it worth the extra
$15,000?"

We can get ourselves in a Regal for much less than the SeaRay and of
course we understand that with SeaRay it is not just the boat, it's
the
extras.

Has Regal corrected their hull problems they seemed to have in the
past?

What would you do.

We looked at alot of boats in the length we are looking for, and
Regal
and SeaRay are the frontrunners. My wife likes both, as do I.

(I grew up on boats until I was in my late teens and just recently
re-discovered boating, late thirties)

This group has been very helpful, and I would welcome opinions.

AF

Go with the boat you like best. Resale isn't going to make those
overnight stays any better. I'm an offshore fisherman, so SeaRay's are
out of the question in my world. But if you want my opinion, their just
flash, no substance. I just don't see anything about their construction
that impresses me. They tend to go after new boaters, impress them with
all kinds of equipment you probably don't need, and keep them in the
family by offering good trade in prices so they can sell you a bigger
boat. Buy the boat you like and enjoy it. And if the boat comes with a
single engine definately go with the bigger engine, don't go with a 5.0
or 5.7, their too small for a single application in that size boat.
Spend the extra money on the engine, you won't regret it, and you
should get most of your money back when you sell it.